Yang Kai then recalled the conversation between the people under the banyan tree. It seemed that the kid was Little Eleventh, whom Mu had brought back from somewhere.
He took a look at the young boy behind Mu and shook his head with a smile before turning to leave.
Suddenly, Mu said from behind, “Junior, you have to succeed no matter what. The Human Race’s future hinges on you.”
Without turning his head, Yang Kai waved his hand and replied, “I’ll bring back some good news, Senior.”
The darkness gradually engulfed his figure like an invisible beast.
“Who is he, Sixth Sister?” Asked the young boy.
Mu ruffled his hair and replied gently, “He’s a friend from a faraway place.”
“For some reason, I hate him,” the young boy frowned, “Whenever I see him, I have the urge to beat him up.”
Mu chided him by saying, “It’s wrong to attack others!”
The young boy pouted, “I know… When he drops by next time, I’ll go out and play so that I won’t see him.”
Mu put on a faint smile.
After playing with the other kids for a long time, the young boy was already sleepy, so he yawned and said, “I’d like to go to bed, Sixth Sister.”
Mu lowered her figure and pulled him into her embrace before saying softly, “En, just sleep.”
After rounding a corner, Yang Kai suddenly turned around and looked at the darkness.
Wu Kuang’s voice sounded in his mind, “What’s wrong?”
Without responding to him, Yang Kai fell into his thoughts. A moment later, he said, “Nothing. Perhaps I’m mistaken.”
Hearing that, Wu Kuang couldn’t help but mutter, “You’ve been acting strangely today.”
…..
The Spirit Religion’s Restricted Area, Ancient Grounds, was where the first Saintess left behind the test. Only the Holy Son that matched the prophecy could pass the test safely.
The prophecy had been around for many years, and some wicked people had naturally tried pretending to be the Holy Son to gain power; however, none of those people could pass the test in the Ancient Grounds. Around 10 years ago though, the young man brought back by the Wind Order Lord managed to leave this place safely after entering.
Therefore, the authoritative figures of the Spirit Religion believed that he was the Holy Son, and they had been secretly nurturing him ever since.
Presently, the Saintess and the Order Lords were waiting with solemn expressions because someone had entered the Ancient Grounds that day.
While waiting, the Order Lords exchanged glances and secretly got ready for a fight.
There came a moment when the Ancient Grounds’ heavy door opened and a figure appeared and stepped into a Grand Array.
As a buzz was heard as the Grand Array was activated. With a stiff face, Yang Kai looked around and questioned grimly, “What are you trying to do?”
The Grand Array was more powerful than the one he and Zuo Wu You had to deal with back in the village, and the people in charge of it were all Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters.
It could be said that if anyone in this independent World fell into this trap, there was no way they could escape by relying on their own power.
The Saintess said softly, “Don’t worry. Since you’ve stepped out of the Ancient Grounds, you’re now faced with the final test. If you can pass this test, you’ll be acknowledged as the Spirit Religion’s Holy Son.”
Yang Kai’s gaze turned gloomy as he stared coldly at the woman, “You didn’t tell me about this before.”
With a hunched back, the Wind Order Lord, Si Kong Nan, chuckled, “Well, it’s not too late to tell you about it now.”
“Are you messing with me!?” Yang Kai growled.
Si Kong Nan persuaded him by saying, “Don’t be so impetuous, Little Friend.”
Ma Cheng Ze placed his hands on his bulging belly and put on a grin, questioning casually, “Why would you be afraid if you’re not guilty of anything?”
Yang Kai swept a gaze over the Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters. As though having no choice but to give in, he asked in a milder tone, “What’s the last test about?”
Thunder Order Lord Yu Dao Chi replied, “You don’t have to do anything. Just stand right there.”
Saying so, he turned to look at the Saintess, “Let us begin, Holy Saintess.”
The Saintess nodded and performed a hand seal. As she muttered under her breath, she pointed at Yang Kai all of a sudden.
In an instant, the entire World hummed. An invisible power seemed to be drawn from the deepest part of Heaven and Earth as it struck Yang Kai, who grunted upon the impact.
At that moment, he realised that it was the Purifying Heart Secret Technique, which drew energy from the World itself to dispel Black Ink Strength. Only the Saintesses nurtured by Mu were able to do such a thing.
Engulfed in the Purifying Heart Technique, Yang Kai clenched his teeth and held on. The veins on his forehead suggested that he was going through immense pain.
Soon enough though, he was no longer able to persevere as he growled in pain.
Although the authoritative figures of the Spirit Religion had already expected the outcome, they were still shocked by the sight before their eyes.
As Yang Kai howled, a dark fog billowed from his figure.
The Heaven Order Lord snorted and looked at Yang Kai with contempt, “How dare a thug like you try to seize control of the Spirit Religion!”
Si Kong Nan shook his head and sighed, “There are always some overly confident people who are blinded by greed.”
The Purifying Heart Secret Technique continued drawing the dark fog out of Yang Kai’s figure until there was none left. At that moment, all his clothes were soaked in sweat as he was kneeling on one knee, panting heavily.
The Saintess stopped using the technique and looked at Yang Kai, who was in the centre of the Grand Array. She sighed and questioned, “Why are you pretending to be the Holy Son?”
Yang Kai lifted his head, “I’m the Holy Son, so why do I need to pretend to be one?”
The Saintess said, “The real Holy Son will never be corrupted by Black Ink Strength when passing through the Ancient Grounds. Since you’ve been corrupted by Black Ink Strength, it shows that you’re not the Holy Son. By the way, the real Holy Son was found 10 years ago!”
Yang Kai’s pupils dilated when he heard that and after a long pause, he muttered bitterly, “So, you’ve been aware that I’m not the Holy Son since the beginning.”
“Yes.”
An enraged Yang Kai roared, “Why did you make me pass through the Ancient Grounds, then!?”
Si Kong Nan said, “You made a big fuss when entering the city, so we need to give the public an explanation. This test is the best explanation.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Yang Kai sneered, “I see!”
The Saintess demanded, “Please surrender.”
“In your dreams!” Yang Kai bellowed as he leapt up into the sky in an attempt to escape; however, the Grand Array’s power relentlessly held him down.
The Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters exerted more force at the same time, causing the Grand Array’s power to increase. An unsuspecting Yang Kai fell to the ground, as though he was being pressured by a mountain.
After getting up with difficulty, Yang Kai charged towards one of the Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters who was controlling the Spirit Array.
“You court death!” Bellowed the Thunder Order Lord Yu Dao Chi as he dashed towards the Grand Array.
At the same time, Li Fei Yu unsheathed her sword and charged towards Yang Kai while warning, “This man can use some strange methods and he seems to have a powerful Soul artifact, so don’t use your Soul Avatars to deal with him!”
Yu Dao Chi snorted, “Do I even need to use Soul Avatar to fight him?”
Saying so, he reached Yang Kai and threw out a fist.
He didn’t hold back any of his power as a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary Master. Obviously, he wanted to kill Yang Kai with one move.
Upon seeing that, the Saintess, who was outside the Grand Array, secretly sighed.
Over the years, she had speculated as to who the mastermind was, but she never had any evidence.
Given the current situation, even if Yang Kai had some malicious intentions, Yu Dao Chi should’ve captured the culprit and interrogated him instead of trying to kill him right away.
His aggressiveness had exposed him.
Although the Saintess had found out many of Yang Kai’s capabilities when having a discussion with him the night before, she still couldn’t help feeling worried; however, all of them were shocked the next moment. Faced with Yu Dao Chi’s attack, Yang Kai threw out a fist instead of dodging. Following a boom, both of them were sent flying away.
Li Fei Yu’s weapon turned into a sword rain that engulfed Yang Kai, making sure that he was unable to flee. Only then did she have some time to speak, “By the way, I forgot to tell you that this guy is extremely strong. He defeated the Black Ink Cult’s Earth Chapter Master in a one-on-one fight, forcing the latter to escape.”
Si Kong Nan exclaimed, “What!? He’s only a True Element Boundary brat, so how was he able to defeat that monster?”
Li Fei Yu obtained the information from Zuo Wu You, who had been held by the Fire Order since entering the city. The others didn’t have a chance to approach him; therefore, other than Li Fei Yu and the Saintess, the other Order Lords had no idea what happened on Yang Kai’s journey to the Holy City.
On the other hand, they were all familiar with the Black Ink Cult’s Earth Chapter Master; after all, the two sides had been enemies for years, so they knew that the Earth Chapter Master had immense physical strength.
In truth, no one in the World had a stronger physique than the Earth Chapter Master; as such, it was inconceivable that the young man before their eyes was able to defeat such a powerful opponent in a one-on-one fight.
If Li Fei Yu were not the one who said it, the others wouldn’t have believed it, for the very notion was ridiculous.
On the other hand, Yu Dao Chi was evidently furious after exchanging moves with Yang Kai. He pushed his power and charged forward in an attempt to deal with Yang Kai alongside Li Fei Yu.
“This guy is dangerous. I don’t want to oppress a young man like him, but since he has some malicious intentions towards the Spirit Religion, we don’t have to be righteous,” Si Kong Nan sighed and stepped forward. The next moment, he appeared in the Grand Array and pushed out a palm towards Yang Kai’s head.
At that instant, Yang Kai was besieged by three Order Lords. Although the fight didn’t last long, it was more intense and perilous than anyone’s expectations.
Since three Order Lords had joined forces, and coupled with the Grand Array they had set up, no one in the World was able to escape unscathed. The fight ended less than an incense stick later.
However, none of the Order Lords was elated as they sported conflicted expressions.
“Why did you kill him?” Si Kong Nan turned to look at Li Fei Yu, his hunched back seeming to have been worsened by the situation. In that direction, Li Fei Yu had run Yang Kai through with her sword. Presently, the man no longer had any aura left.
With a pale face, Li Fei Yu shook her head, “I had no choice, holding back wasn’t possible.”
Those from the Spirit Religion initially intended to capture Yang Kai so that they could find out his reasons for pretending to be the Holy Son, along with his identity and any other conspirators who were working with him. However, in the fight earlier, none of the Order Lords dared to hold back in the face of their enemy’s strange methods.
Furthermore, this phoney seemed to be a ruthless man. Faced with Li Fei Yu’s fatal attack, he didn’t seem to have the intention of dodging and instead tried to drag down his opponent with him. If Yu Dao Chi hadn’t disrupted Yang Kai’s final attack at the critical moment, the latter wouldn’t have been the only one lying on the floor. Li Fei Yu would’ve died as well.
All three Order Lords were drenched in sweat, and the onlookers were astonished.
Guan Miao Zhu couldn’t help but ask, “Was this guy really only a True Element Boundary cultivator?”
“You saw him fight. There’s no doubt he was only a True Element Boundary Master.” The Earth Order Lord Luo Yun Gong appeared dejected, “Such a shame. It would’ve been fantastic if such a talented young man were part of the Spirit Religion.”
Yang Kai was already so powerful even though he was only in the True Element Boundary. If he broke through to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, no one in the World would be a match for him. They initially thought that the Holy Son they had been hiding from the public already had the most outstanding skill and aptitude, but now, it seemed that he paled compared to this fake Holy Son.
This guy would most likely be able to shatter the shackles of this World and explore the Realm above the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Initially, the Order Lords felt it was the right thing to have killed Yang Kai, but upon hearing Luo Yun Gong’s words, they realised it was indeed such a shame.
“What’s the point of saying this when he’s already dead?” Si Kong Nan, who was the oldest among them, said sensibly, “Since he pretended to be the Holy Son and snuck into the Spirit Religion, he was our enemy. However, he acquired the people’s support and the blessing of the World’s Will. If he managed to make it to the Immortal Ascension Boundary, the Spirit Religion would cease to exist. We’ve nipped a catastrophe in the bud by killing him today.”
Hearing this, all of them nodded in agreement and no longer felt it was a shame.
Yu Dao Chi said, “The disciples in the city have been riled up since he entered the city yesterday. They thought that the saviour had finally appeared, just like what was described in the prophecy. Everyone is anticipating the start of a final war against the Black Ink Cult, but this person is dead now. How are we supposed to explain this?”
This was giving Li Fei Yu a headache as she rubbed her forehead, “Forget the common believers, even members of the Spirit Religion share the same sentiment. Many people have been asking when we will start taking action against the Black Ink Cult.”
Si Kong Nan nodded, “I’ve heard about it as well. If we can’t settle this issue properly, we will surely suffer serious backlash.”
All of them sported solemn expressions and fell silent.
Suddenly, the Saintess said, “Let’s introduce the Holy Son to the public.”
She swept a glance over them and continued, “Even without today’s incident, the Holy Son was supposed to appear very soon. He’s been cultivating in secret for 10 years and has reached the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary. Since he’s just as powerful as any of the Order Lords, he’s able to represent the Spirit Religion.”
“What about the fake Holy Son?” Li Fei Yu asked.
“We just have to tell the disciples the truth,” said the Saintess softly, “The disciples and the entire World have been waiting for the Holy Son’s advent, not this fake named Yang Kai. Therefore, we don’t have to hide anything from them.”
Si Kong Nan nodded repeatedly, “We just have to let the real Holy Son appear to ease the impact of the fake Holy Son’s death. As long as we allow the disciples to see hope, we can resolve the crisis.”
The Saintess continued, “The Holy Son’s appearance is big news. The World and the Spirit Religion have been waiting for countless years as it signals the beginning of the end of the Black Ink Cult.”
All of the Order Lords appeared thrilled upon hearing that as they turned to look at the Saintess with fervent gazes.
They had been waiting and fighting for years, but finally, it was time to deal with the enemies head-on.
“We’ll introduce the Holy Son to the public in three days. In the meantime, all the Order Lords are to begin readying their subordinates, we shall set off to the Black Ink Abyss to end this scourge once and for all!” The Saintess’ voice was as soft as ever, but she sounded determined.
“Yes, Holy Saintess!”
…..
Li Fei Yu entered a secret room while holding a blood-soaked corpse. After putting the corpse down gently, she looked worriedly at him.
All of a sudden, the person, who was supposed to be dead, opened his eyes and an unprepared Li Fei Yu was thoroughly shocked.
“You’re really not dead?” An astonished Li Fei Yu looked at Yang Kai, who was now seated with his legs crossed. She could feel his vitality being restored in his originally cold body.
If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed such a strange story; after all, she was the one who killed Yang Kai, so she was certain that her sword had penetrated the man’s heart.
The other Order Lords were present, and they were all Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters; therefore, they could easily see through any form of pretence.
That was the reason she had made a fatal move.
She couldn’t help but ask, “Are you a Human?”
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai shook his head, “I can no longer be considered a Human.”
Following his experience in the Dragon Pool, Yang Kai became a Pureblood Dragon; however, since he was originally a Human, he never abandoned that identity.
He took off his blood-soaked shirt and said, “I’m sure the Saintess has told you everything. The Spirit Religion will launch a war against the Black Ink Cult in three days while I’ll assist all of you from the shadows. The Fire Order will be responsible for gathering information, so I’ll need you to work with me… Hey! What are you doing?”
An astounded Yang Kai glanced at Li Fei Yu, who squatted and touched his firm chest.
Li Fei Yu stared fixedly at the chest that she had stuck her sword into. As she felt the man’s strong heartbeat, she muttered, “What kind of a monster are you?”
Although the wound was still visible, it had mostly healed. It had only been a short time since Yang Kai was injured. As such, it was reasonable to assume it wouldn’t be long before the wound disappeared completely.
What bothered Li Fei Yu was that Yang Kai’s blood was golden. His blood also seemed to contain a horrifying power.
That was probably the reason he was able to deal with three Order Lords despite being a True Element Boundary Master.
“You should be more respectful of people’s boundaries,” Yang Kai slapped her hand away and put on a new shirt.
Li Fei Yu continued, “No wonder Xue Ji is so attracted to you. She even came back to you and submitted herself to you.”
She learned that from Zuo Wu You, who was there to witness the incident. He was loyal to the Spirit Religion, so he wouldn’t hide anything from Li Fei Yu.
“Did you even listen to what I said?” Yang Kai shot her a helpless look.
With a solemn expression, Li Fei Yu replied, “Yes, there will be no flaws in our cooperation.”
Only then did Yang Kai dip his head with satisfaction, “Good.” He then sat down cross-legged again and glanced at her, “Tell me more about the Black Ink Cult.”
Li Fei Yu asked seriously, “What do you want to know?”
Yang Kai said, “Everything about the Apostles!”
Li Fei Yu was shocked upon hearing that, “Are you aware of the Apostles’ existence?”
“I’ve heard about them,” Yang Kai nodded. Naturally, he learned this from Yan Peng. Unfortunately, even though Yan Peng was an Immortal Ascension Boundary Master and held an important position in the Black Ink Cult, he knew little about the Apostles.
When he repeatedly came across Xue Ji back then, he wasn’t aware of this piece of information yet, so he didn’t have a chance to ask her about it.
Therefore, Yang Kai decided to seize the chance and find out more from Li Fei Yu now.
Faced with the question, Li Fei Yu considered her words for a moment before replying, “In truth, we know little about the Apostles; after all, they always remain in the deepest part of the Black Ink Abyss to protect that place. Although we’ve launched some wars against the Black Ink Cult over the years, we’ve never managed to pose a threat to Black Ink Abyss; as such, the Apostles have never made a move.”
After a pause, she continued, “The Apostles’ existence is both a taboo, and a mystery. It’s said that they’re engrossed in learning more about Black Ink Strength and spend all of their time in the Black Ink Abyss to unlock its secrets. Rumours have it that they might’ve broken through the Immortal Ascension Boundary and reached a higher Realm. We have no idea what that Realm is, nor do we know how many Apostles there are. The only thing we know is that the Apostles will never leave the Black Ink Abyss; and indeed, they’ve never been spotted outside. Even those from the Black Ink Cult know little about the Apostles. If not for the fact that they never leave the Black Ink Abyss, we would’ve been defeated a long time ago.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
With Mu’s help, he was now an Immortal Ascension Boundary Master. When he was at the Ancient Grounds earlier, he hid his cultivation and only showcased power in the True Element Boundary; as such, the Order Lords believed that he was only a True Element Boundary Master.
Given his true strength, it could be said that no one in the Primordial World was a match for him.
Nevertheless, his strength wasn’t infinite, after all. He couldn’t possibly defeat the entire Black Ink Cult on his own despite being powerful; therefore, if he wanted to destroy the Black Ink Cult, he had to make use of the Light Spirit Religion’s power.
The Profound Source Gate that had suppressed and sealed Mo’s Source Strength was located in Black Ink Abyss, where the Black Ink Cult originated from.
The Apostles were also hiding in the Black Ink Abyss. They were engrossed in Black Ink Strength, so they had been staying there to figure out its secrets. They could even be described as fanatics.
All the same, no one could deny that the Apostles were extremely powerful.
Only by destroying the Black Ink Cult and the Apostles would Yang Kai have time to refine the Profound Source Gate and suppress Mo’s Source piece.
It was destined to be a tough fight; however, this war would affect the survival of the 3,000 Worlds and the entire Human Race, so Yang Kai had to do his best.
Even the Fire Order Lord Li Fei Yu was only aware of some rumours about the Apostles, so the others obviously knew little about them.
Yang Kai thought that if he wanted to find out the Apostles’ secrets, he had to head to the Black Ink Abyss and look into the matter personally.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai acquired more information from Li Fei Yu that he let her leave.
Before exiting, Li Fei Yu turned around all of a sudden and remarked, “Your acting was impeccable.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai subconsciously replied, but he soon realised that she was talking about the fight outside the Ancient Grounds.
He couldn’t help but think that since he was a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, putting on an act in front of a group of Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters was like entertaining newborn children.
In a restaurant, a dazed Zuo Wu You drank heavily to ease his sorrow.
Yang Kai, who had gone through a lot of hardship to arrive at the Holy City with him, was now dead.
The day before, the Holy Temple announced that Yang Kai failed the test left behind by the first Saintess, which proved that he wasn’t the real Holy Son; instead, he was an impersonator with malicious intentions. Therefore, the Order Lords joined forces and killed him.
After the news was spread, everyone in Dawn City was shocked, and many of the disciples couldn’t accept the truth.
They had been waiting and suffering for years before the Holy Son appeared. He was like the silver light in the darkness, but barely one day later, he was killed, plunging the world into darkness again.
However, the Holy Temple soon announced a piece of exciting news.
In truth, the real Holy Son was found 10 years ago. He was the person described in the prophecy. More importantly, he had passed the test left behind by the first Saintess, so the current Saintess and the Order Lords had long acknowledged him.
Over the past 10 years, he had been cultivating in seclusion, and he had now reached the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Now, the Holy Son was about to be introduced to the public, and the Spirit Religion was getting ready to set off to the Black Ink Abyss.
All the disciples in Dawn City were exhilarated.
The second piece of news was invigorating, so the impact of the fake Holy Son’s death had been significantly weakened. Everyone was drowned in the joy of a better future, and they quickly forgot about the fake Holy Son, who had everyone’s support while entering the city.
Nevertheless, Zuo Wu You would never forget about him.
On their way to the Holy City, he saw how Yang Kai defeated so many powerful opponents despite supposedly being weaker than them. Although he was only a True Element Boundary Master, he was able to kill Immortal Ascension Realm Masters, injured Xue Ji, and repel the Earth Chapter Master. After that, he even made Xue Ji submit herself to him.
He had always believed that the Holy Son was supposed to be powerful and achieve the impossible. Only a Holy Son like Yang Kai could save the World.
Nevertheless, someone like him still failed the test and was killed by the Order Lords.
The Order Lords assured that he was an impersonator.
Zuo Wu You was puzzled, not knowing what the truth was anymore.
If Yang Kai was a phoney, why did he come to the Holy City just to get himself killed?
Why did Chu An He do such a thing?
Also, why did an unknown Order Lord try to kill them in secret?
Zuo Wu You found it hard to know what was true and what was false, realizing for the first time just how complicated the world was. Unable to figure anything out, he picked up a wine bottle and chugged it down to numb his thoughts.
After putting down the bottle, he strode out of the restaurant. He was a straightforward person, so he knew nothing about evil plots. He considered himself part of the Spirit Religion as he had gotten everything from there. Since they were about to set off to the Black Ink Abyss, he didn’t hesitate to contribute.
The Light Spirit Religion was highly efficient. After the Holy Son was introduced to the public, they started gathering soldiers. It only took them three days before the Order Lords led their Armies to depart from the Holy City and head to the Black Ink Abyss via four different routes.
They had been preparing for this moment for many years, and the soldiers were strong and powerful. With the Holy Son leading them, they were all high-spirited.
Soon, conflicts of different scales broke out in various places.
Although the Black Ink Cult and the Spirit Religion had been fighting each other for as long anyone could remember, they were restrained most of the time. Surprisingly, those from the Spirit Religion were going all-out this time.
Those from the Black Ink Cult were unprepared for the sudden aggressive assault, so they had no choice but to fall back repeatedly. The Spirit Religion soon conquered and occupied many of their territories.
Four major Armies marched forward at the same time, coordinating with each other as they liberated city after city.
Several days later, those from the Black Ink Cult, who were initially caught off guard, finally organized themselves and rallied together to defend themselves.
The Primordial World wasn’t large, with limited landmass.
If the World was divided into two, the East belonged to the Light Spirit Religion while the West was occupied by the Black Ink Cult.
In the middle of the two Great Forces, there was a long grey area. Neither party controlled this region so both could move about it freely.
This area was where both parties frequently broke into conflicts, but it was also a buffer zone for them.
Since both parties were equally matched, the existence of such a buffer zone was necessary.
Blessings City was located in the west of the buffer zone where the Black Ink Cult was essentially in charge. It was a tiny city with a small population.
The City Lord was only a First Stage Immortal Ascension Master with a bulging belly.
Given his low strength, he wasn’t really qualified to be a City Lord; however, since this area was located in the buffer zone, he was able to obtain the position. Although the city didn’t belong to any Great Force on paper, he had secretly sided with the Black Ink Cult and had been collecting information for them for many years.
Blessings City was near the territory the Black Ink Cult controlled, so he had made a wise decision.
As the City Lord, he had been carefree for the past 10 years, but he couldn’t be at ease today.
That was because the Light Spirit Religion’s Armies were heading straight for his city. The Spirit Religion had taken control of most of the cities in the buffer zone already, and they would reach Blessings City soon.
At such a critical moment, he had to make a choice quickly. He could either stay loyal to the Black Ink Cult, or side with the Light Spirit Religion.
With a frown, he clenched a jade slip that contained critical intelligence from the past few days.
“It’s troublesome. The fake Holy Son was killed, and the real one appeared. Those from the Light Spirit Religion have gathered all their forces to attack the Black Ink Abyss. They’ll pass through Blessings City soon, so I have to contact those from the Light Spirit Religion as soon as possible.” He knew that given the fact that he was only a First Stage Immortal Ascension Master, he was unable to resist the Light Spirit Religion’s Armies.
Presently, those from Light Spirit Religion had all the momentum in the conflict, so he couldn’t possibly save Blessings City from them. As such, he had to side with the Light Spirit Religion immediately if he wished to survive.
Nevertheless, he didn’t notice that when he was speaking, the soft and alluring woman in his embrace wore a shocked expression.
The woman got up from the bed and looked at him before asking in a gentle voice, “Sir, who did you say was killed?”
The City Lord replied with a smile, “A guy who pretended to be the Holy Son. He went all the way to Dawn City, but he failed the Light Spirit Religion’s test; therefore, several Order Lords joined forces and killed him.”
The woman kept a smile on her face, “What’s his name?”
The City Lord tried recalling it and said, “If my memory serves me right, his name was Yang Kai.”
The woman lowered her gaze and glanced at the jade slip in his hand, “Can I take a look?”
The City Lord pinched her face and said with a smile, “Only cultivators can use this. Since you’ve never cultivated before, you can’t see…”
Before he could finish his words, his expression changed. That was because the jade slip disappeared from his hand and fell into the woman’s possession.
He didn’t even realise when it had happened.
With his figure stiffening, he stared fixedly at the woman before his eyes, his expression turning from surprised to horrified.
All of a sudden, he recalled a certain rumour.
Across from him, the woman appeared oblivious to his reaction as she looked into the jade slip in silence. A moment later, she said through clenched teeth, “No! It’s impossible that he was killed just like that! I don’t believe he’s dead!”
As soon as the woman finished speaking, the City Lord dashed away from her at the speed of lightning, which was surprising given his weight. Obviously, he had pushed his strength to its limit in an attempt to flee from this place.
If the rumours were true, he wouldn’t be a match for the gentle-looking woman with whom he had spent the last three years.
Nonetheless, he soon descended into a state of despair. When he was about to reach the window, an immense power restricted him and pulled him back towards the woman. The next moment, he fell on his bottom in front of her.
In an instant, he started shuddering with a pale expression.
The woman slowly rose from the bed, but unlike how she had been behaving for the past three years, she appeared more like a horrifying monster at that moment. She looked condescendingly at the fatty and questioned emotionlessly, “Do you think that guy is dead?”
Certainly, the City Lord didn’t have the answer to her question. He speculated that the fake Holy Son must have something to do with this woman, so he repeatedly pressed his head against the floor and said, “I have no idea, Madam! I just received the information and haven’t managed to verify it yet!”
The woman squinted her eyes, “Do you know who I am?”
The City Lord replied honestly, “I have some speculations.”
The woman nodded, “Good. It seems that you’re clever enough to know what you should do.”
As an idea sprang into his mind, the City Lord said, “Don’t worry, Madam. I’ll tell someone to verify the news right away so that you’ll get an accurate answer.”
“Good. Go now,” the woman waved her hand imperiously.
A relieved City Lord got to his feet, but when he lifted his head, he realised that the woman was looking mockingly at him. Although they had spent a long time together, her alluring face felt strange to him.
At the same time, a layer of blood mist engulfed him.
“Mercy, Madam!” Shrieked the City Lord. The moment the blood mist appeared, he knew that his speculations were right.
She was indeed ‘that’ woman, and the rumours were all true.
As though having spirituality of its own, the blood mist streamed into the City Lord’s body through his pores. He screamed in horror, but he soon lost his voice.
A moment later, a hideous and withered corpse was left lying on the floor. A thick blood mist gushed out of the corpse and was absorbed by the woman.
The woman, who would normally have been elated, only appeared sorrowful, as though she had lost something important as she muttered under her breath, “That’s impossible. He is so incredible, how could you be killed just like that? I won’t believe it!”
With a hideous expression, she soon made up her mind, “I have to look into this!”
Saying so, she whirled around and turned into a bloody beam before shooting into the sky.
Half a day after the woman was gone, those from the City Lord’s Mansion finally discovered that the City Lord was dead, and they broke into a commotion.
On the other hand, right after the woman left Blessings City, she detected something and turned to look in a particular direction.
Something seemed to be guiding her.
She frowned in puzzlement, but after a moment of hesitation, she charged forward in that direction.
Soon enough, she saw a familiar figure in a gazebo. Although the man sported a face she had never seen before, she could feel it through her blood. The man before her eyes was the one she was looking for.
Looking at the figure in the gazebo, the woman became at ease. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.
When she reached the person, she saluted him and said, “Servant greets Master.”
The person seemed oblivious to everything as he looked dazedly in a particular direction.
The woman looked in the same direction, but all she saw were endless clouds.
She stood there and waited patiently like a maid. At that moment, she no longer appeared aggressive or arrogant.
A while later, Yang Kai suddenly said, “If one day, you realised that everything around you is an illusion, and the World you lived in is not what you think it is, what would you do?”
After giving it some thought, Xue Ji measured her words and asked cautiously, “What are you trying to say, Master?”
Yang Kai shook his head and took back his gaze before turning to look at her, “You’re an intelligent woman, so you’ll figure it out one day. Before that, I need you to help me with something.”
Xue Ji immediately fell to her knees, “I’ll never disobey your orders, Master.”
“Bring me to the Black Ink Abyss!”
The Black Ink Abyss was where the Black Ink Cult originated from. The Profound Source Gate, where a part of Mo’s Source had been suppressed and sealed, was also located there; however, since Yang Kai had only been in this World for a short time, he didn’t know where the Black Ink Abyss was. After pondering for a moment, he decided to just ask Xue Ji to lead the way for him; therefore, he looked for the woman through the Soul Mark and waited outside this city.
Xue Ji shuddered with a shocked expression as she asked hesitantly, “Why do you want to go there, Master?”
Yang Kai replied impassively, “That is none of your business. Just lead the way for me.”
Xue Ji hung her head low, “Yes.”
Then, she lifted her head and looked expectantly at the man. She parted her lips, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
A helpless Yang Kai formed a small wound on his finger and flicked some Dragon Blood at her.
Xue Ji devoured the blood like it was a precious treasure. Soon, she turned into a blood mist and flew off. From afar, she said, “Please wait for me, Master. I’ll be right back!”
Half a day later, Xue Ji returned, soaked in sweat. However, her aura had increased significantly, and it was to the point where she was unable to suppress it.
She had repeatedly gained benefits from Yang Kai, which had helped strengthen her tremendously. She was already at the peak of the Immortal Ascension Realm to begin with, and if not for the shackles of this World’s Principles, she would’ve achieved a breakthrough.
This woman was talented in the Blood Dao, and she had some kind of Special Constitution that perfectly matched her use of Blood Principles. Unfortunately for her, she was born in the Primordial World. Restricted by the Space-Time River, she was unable to escape from the Universe World’s suppression.
If she lived in a stronger Universe World, her strength would not be so low.
“I’ll teach you a technique that can help suppress your aura. Listen carefully,” Yang Kai said.
An elated Xue Ji replied, “Many thanks for your teachings, Master!”
After she acquired the technique, she circulated it and realised she was finally able to suppress the wild aura. Yang Kai was already mysterious in her eyes, and now, he looked even more inscrutable to her.
The two of them then headed straight to the Black Ink Abyss.
While on their way, Yang Kai asked the woman about the Apostles; however, even though Xue Ji was a Chapter Master of the Black Ink Cult, she knew little about them.
“Master, you might not be aware of it yet, but the Black Ink Abyss is where our cult originated from. That place is sacred in our eyes; therefore, no ordinary person is allowed to go near it. Only those who have made great contributions to the cult can cultivate beside the Black Ink Abyss. On the other hand, Chapter Masters like me are given quotas every year and are allowed to enter the Black Ink Abyss at certain times.”
Following a pause, she continued, “Black Ink Strength is strange as it can change a person’s nature; therefore, comprehending Black Ink Strength’s secrets in the abyss is both an opportunity and a risk. If one is lucky, their cultivation will increase significantly. If they are unlucky, they’ll lose themself forever. Many in the Black Ink Cult are just like that, including the Chapter Masters.”
Yang Kai nodded as he had discovered this when he came into contact with those from the Black Ink Cult back then. Although their disciples had some Black Ink Strength in their bodies, it was basically negligible. Moreover, their nature was never fully changed. For example, Xue Ji still retained her independence and individuality.
It was different from the Black Ink Disciples that Yang Kai had come across before; those Black Ink Disciples had been fully corrupted by Black Ink Strength, so they only held Mo supreme.
As Xue Ji spoke, she appeared slightly fearful, “Those who have lost themselves look just like their usual selves, but their minds have changed completely. I too almost fell into that situation once; fortunately, I retreated in the nick of time and saved myself.”
Yang Kai said, “Since that is the case, when you cultivate in the Black Ink Abyss, you have to strike a balance between comprehending Black Ink Strength and keeping your sanity. Is that right?”
Xue Ji replied, “You can think of it as so. If we can retain the balance, we’ll be able to increase our powers; however, once the balance is broken, we’ll lose ourselves forever. I believe the Apostles are such beings.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
“From what I’ve observed over the years, many disciples lose themselves while cultivating in the Black Ink Abyss. Most of them leave the Black Ink Abyss and live their lives as though nothing has changed; nevertheless, a small number of people continue further into the Black Ink Abyss and disappear. Those people are the Apostles!”
“Since they’ve disappeared, how did all of you find out about the Apostles?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Although we can’t see them, we can hear growls like those of beasts from the depths of the Black Ink Abyss; therefore, we know that there are living beings in the depths, ones who must have dove deeper than others can. However, we don’t know what happened to them.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai nodded.
In that case, the Apostles were the real Black Ink Disciples. Their temperaments had been contorted by Black Ink Strength, and no one knew what happened to them after they went further into the abyss. Although they were still alive, they never appeared again.
“I heard that the Apostles will never leave the Black Ink Abyss,” Yang Kai said.
Xue Ji replied, “That is indeed the case. The Black Ink Cult has been around for many centuries, but as far as I know, no Apostles have ever left the Black Ink Abyss before.”
“Have you guys tried finding out the reason?” Yang Kai asked.
Xue Ji shook her head, “No one has ever met the Apostles before, so how are we supposed to find out anything?”
Yang Kai stopped asking further. It seemed that Xue Ji knew little about the matter as well. If he wanted to find out more about the Apostles, he had to go down and have a look for himself.
“The Light Spirit Religion has launched a war against the Black Ink Cult, so the final conflict between the two parties is inevitable. As the Night Chapter Master, aren’t you supposed to be at the frontline?”
Xue Ji replied with a smile, “Well, the Night Chapter is mainly responsible for assassinating enemies, so we don’t have many members. As such, we’re usually not involved in large-scale warfare like this. The other Masters will have a discussion and settle it.”
After pondering for a moment, she said cautiously, “I suppose you’re on the Light Spirit Religion’s side, Master.”
“Let’s say I’m indeed on their side, what will you do?” Yang Kai questioned.
Xue Ji replied frankly, “I will always follow you as your servant.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction.
With Xue Ji, the Night Chapter Master, leading the way, they could easily move around even if they ran into some Black Ink Cultists who questioned Yang Kai’s identity.
10 days later, the pair finally arrived at the Black Ink Abyss, where the Black Ink Cult originated from.
The Black Ink Abyss was located in the Black Ink Flatland. It was an extensive plain which was the most important area for the Black Ink Cult.
This place was guarded by Black Ink Cult members all year round; however, since they currently had to deal with those from the Light Spirit Religion, many of the guards were gone, leaving just a few guards behind.
The periphery of the flatland was lush and verdant, but as they went deeper, the place became increasingly desolate, as though a mysterious power was affecting this vast land.
When they arrived at the centre of the flatland, there was a huge abyss. The abyss was like a chasm in the land that led to the depths of the Universe World. There was no end in sight, and it was pitch black to the eye.
It was the Black Ink Abyss!
Standing right above the abyss, they could hear the wind howl and some muffled growls, as though some beasts had been trapped inside.
Beside the abyss was a majestic palace, which was built by those from the Black Ink Cult.
All the disciples who wanted to cultivate in the Black Ink Abyss had to go to the palace and register their names before they were allowed to enter; however, with Xue Ji around, Yang Kai didn’t have to care about such procedures. Other people would handle everything for him.
Standing above the abyss, he activated the Demon Eye of Annihilation and looked down with a solemn expression.
He could faintly feel a mysterious power spreading in the depths of the Black Ink Abyss. It was the power of Mo’s Source piece!
A Black Ink Cult member came up to them and stood in front of Xue Ji before respectfully presenting an Identity Token to her, “Here you go, Chapter Master Xue.”
Xue Ji took the Identity Token and looked into it. After confirming that there was no problem with it, she nodded.
The Black Ink Cult member went on to say, “By the way, the other Masters sent us a message and said that if we saw you, we had to inform you to head to the frontline right away.”
Xue Ji replied impatiently, “En.”
After passing on the other Chapter Masters’ word, the Black Ink Cult member turned around and left.
Xue Ji passed the Identity Token to Yang Kai and spoke to him in secret, “There are many Black Ink Cult enforcers in the abyss. Sir, you just have to wear the token around your waist, and they won’t bother you.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Good.” After taking the Identity Token, he hung it on his belt.
“Please be careful, Sir. Don’t go to the depths of the Black Ink Abyss if it’s not necessary to do so,” Xue Ji reminded worriedly. Although she had seen Yang Kai’s amazing methods and was awed by his Dragon Blood, no one knew what was inside the depths of the abyss. If Yang Kai was killed in the abyss or couldn’t come back, she would lose her source of Dragon Blood!
Certainly, she was worried about Yang Kai’s safety, but she was more concerned about her future.
Xue Ji watched as Yang Kai leapt into the Black Ink Abyss.
Initially, everything looked perfectly normal, but as he went deeper, he felt some faint Black Ink Strength permeating the air. The Black Ink Strength came from the piece of Mo’s Source which had been suppressed and sealed in the deepest part of the Black Ink Abyss.
The entire place was dim. There were stone rooms on both sides of the abyss that were apparently built by the Black Ink Cult members. They stayed in the stone rooms and cultivated in an attempt to comprehend the Black Ink Strength’s secrets and increase their powers. Most stone rooms were empty, with only some of them exuding Human auras.
Yang Kai was curious about this. According to Xue Ji, the Black Ink Cult members were trying to strike a balance between figuring out the secrets and resisting the Black Ink Strength’s corruption. If they were able to retain the balance, their powers would increase significantly; however, if they failed to do so, they would be taken over by Black Ink Strength and turned into Black Ink Disciples.
He had no idea how Black Ink Strength was able to increase a cultivator’s strength as it was unlike anything he knew. Out of curiosity, he moved towards a stone room with someone inside and observed them in secret. In the end, he came to a conclusion that he wasn’t entirely certain about.
Mo’s Source had been cut into many pieces by Mu, so the one in this place was only a small part of it. Furthermore, the Profound Source Gate’s seal made the Black Ink Strength less corruptive.
When the Black Ink Cult members arrived at this place, they were able to break through their bottlenecks while trying to resist the Black Ink Strength’s influence. They could even refine some Black Ink Strength so that they could use it at the most critical moment to receive an explosive increase in power.
When Yang Kai was with Zuo Wu You back then, he killed many Black Ink Cult members. Before their deaths, many activated their Black Ink Strength. However, they were unable to change their fate due to the huge difference between their true strengths.
This was an interesting discovery. Mu said that the birth of the Black Ink Cult was inevitable because Mo’s Source piece existed. No matter who was tasked with guarding this place, even if they were from the Light Spirit Religion, they would be eroded by Black Ink Strength eventually. Their temperaments would be contorted, and they would give up their faith to worship Mo.
Yang Kai also had some speculation as to why Mu said she couldn’t go near the Profound Source Gate and control it herself.
After leaving the stone room, he dove deeper into the abyss. Sometimes, he would bump into enforcers from the Black Ink Cult, but when they saw the Identity Token at his waist, they didn’t make things difficult for him. Some of them even reminded him to weigh his abilities and not push himself too hard. He thanked them and moved on.
As Yang Kai dove deeper, he realised that the Black Ink Strength became increasingly dense. There were fewer stone rooms on the sides of the abyss, and the number of cultivators decreased sharply.
About an hour later, he could no longer feel the aura of any living creature, and there were no more stone rooms.
Yang Kai realised that he had come to depths that the Black Ink Cult members had never reached before. At this point, Black Ink Strength was extremely thick, and the entire place was pitch black. He could only activate the Demon Eye of Annihilation and his Divine Sense to scan his surroundings.
It was dead silent in the abyss, and the entire place felt eerie and horrifying. Yang Kai dove deeper towards the source of the Black Ink Strength. There came a moment when his feet contacted the ground. It seemed that he had reached the deepest part of the Black Ink Abyss. Cracks sounded beneath his feet, drawing his eyes.
The deepest part of the Black Ink Abyss was covered with bones, and there was no end to them in sight. Countless Black Ink Cultists must have passed away in this place over the years, and their bones now littered the floor.
Yang Kai picked up a bone and examined it before frowning. That was because the bone in his hand was strange as it was much larger than an ordinary human’s. He looked at the other bones and realised they were the same.
[What’s going on?]
The ground started shaking all of a sudden. It was as though a gigantic creature was charging forward in his direction.
Yang Kai looked in the direction of the noise but couldn’t see anything. As he recalled Xue Ji’s words and his purpose for the visit though, he formed some speculations.
The next moment, he tossed the bone away and released his Divine Sense. Soon, he discovered the source of the noise. The noise was caused by a living creature whose aura was unusually vital.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai decided to avoid contact and backed away. Much to his surprise, the unknown creature chased after him.
It seemed that this creature could detect Yang Kai’s whereabouts, but he didn’t feel any Divine Sense probing him. It was a strange scenario.
He decided to stop moving and wait in the same spot, for he wanted to figure out what was going on with the Apostles that lived in the depths of the Black Ink Abyss.
Soon enough, a gigantic figure emerged from the darkness and appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes.
What Yang Kai saw made him furrow his brow. Although the creature still resembled a Human, it was heavily mutated.
The ‘Apostle’ was three times taller than Yang Kai with a hunched back and unusually long arms. When it ran, it did so with all four limbs. The creature looked like a huge ape, its figure unusually bulky, as though some air had been blown into its muscles.
What bothered Yang Kai the most was that the Apostle was full of sarcomas. It reminded him of scenes he had seen in the past.
Many millennia ago, there were numerous Open Heaven Realm Masters who had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength and turned into Black Ink Disciples. The Black Ink Strength helped them break through their innate limits and reach higher Orders, but there was a price to pay as their figures were transformed and their minds warped.
The Open Heaven Realm Masters who had broken through their limits with Black Ink Strength developed sarcomas, which continuously released pus that stank terribly. They also had hard to predict bodily distortions.
Yang Kai put up his guard in an instant.
Meanwhile, the Apostle had dexterously leapt into the air. It descended upon Yang Kai like a mountain and pushed out its palm as it flew.
Yang Kai wanted to figure out the creature’s true power, so he threw a fist of his own instead of running away.
Following a loud boom, the entire ground shook. Yang Kai was forced to lower his figure as he slid backwards upon impact. His feet formed two long traces on the ground as his clothes flapped in the wind.
On the other hand, the Apostle was sent flying away after exchanging moves with Yang Kai. After it landed on the ground, it got to its feet quickly. A dark fog surrounded it as it growled and charged towards Yang Kai again. It knew no pain, nor did it have any sanity left.
Seeing that, Yang Kai quickly got ready for a fight.
With Mu’s help, he was now at the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary, which was the limit in this World. If his power continued to increase, he would be suppressed and rejected by this Universe World.
However, given his foundation as a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it was not an exaggeration to say that no one in the Primordial World could exchange more than three moves with him.
However, the strange-looking Apostle fought Yang Kai for half an incense stick before he found a chance to kill it.
In other words, if such an Apostle left the Black Ink Abyss, it would be peerless in the World. The Chapter Masters from the Black Ink Cult and the Order Lords from the Spirit Religion were simply no match for it.
Putrid blood gushed out of the Apostle as thick Black Ink Strength escaped from the carcass. Yang Kai watched everything with a heavy heart.
He finally realised why there were so many oversized bones in the depths of the Black Ink Abyss. The Apostles were much bigger than Humans, after all. Over the years, countless Apostles lost their lives in this place, so it was only natural that so many massive bones were littered here.
Nonetheless, that wasn’t the crux of the problem. The problem was that the Apostle that Yang Kai had just fought had a power that was beyond the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Above the Immortal Ascension Boundary was the Transcendent Realm. The Apostle that Yang Kai had killed was obviously in the Transcendent Realm.
However, since it had lost its sanity and could only act on instinct, it was unable to fully utilize the power of a Transcendent Realm Master; otherwise, it would’ve been harder for Yang Kai to kill it.
Why was there a Transcendent Realm Apostle here? The Martial Dao in this World was low, so it supposedly could accommodate Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters at most. If not for this innate limit, some talented people would’ve broken through the limits of the Immortal Ascension Boundary over the years.
Nonetheless, no Transcendent Realm Masters had ever existed in this World before.
As Yang Kai was at the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary, he could clearly feel the suppression of the World’s Will. The merciless World wouldn’t allow Transcendent Realm Masters to exist; otherwise, it would cause the Universe World to descend into chaos and its Principles to destabilise.
So why were the Apostles able to reach such a realm?
Yang Kai turned to look in a different direction and faintly saw a door, which he supposed was the Profound Source Gate.
A part of Mo’s Source was suppressed behind the door. It was this Source piece that formed the unique environment in the Black Ink Abyss and gave birth to the Apostles and the Black Ink Cult.
However, Yang Kai didn’t have time to look into the Profound Source Gate’s secrets. That was because tremors could be felt coming from all directions. Sweeping his gaze around, he saw many gigantic figures charging towards him as they roared eerily.
There was more than one Apostle in the depths of the Black Ink Abyss!
Yang Kai’s expression sank. Although he had the foundation of a Ninth-Order Master, his power was significantly suppressed in this independent World. It took him a lot of strength to kill the Apostle earlier, so if he was besieged by so many Apostles, he would end up in a horrible state.
Just as he was preparing to use Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability to conceal himself, he suddenly thought of something and changed his mind. The next moment, he shot upwards from the depths of the Black Ink Abyss. The Apostles growled and chased after him. Although these Apostles looked bulky, they were quite speedy and dexterous.
With so many Apostles racing after Yang Kai, he took on the appearance of a meteor that shot through the darkness.
The noise soon alerted the Black Ink Cult members in the upper part of the abyss. The snarls sent chills running down their spines as they left their stone rooms and looked down, not knowing what was going on.
Soon, a Black Ink Cultist at the lowest depths accessible saw a sight he would never forget.
In the darkness, a figure dashed out from the depths of the Black Ink Abyss. At the same time, many enormous creatures chased after him while growling.
“Are they the Apostles?” The Black Ink Cult member’s pupils dilated as he couldn’t believe he would see such legendary beings in his lifetime.
Although this Black Ink Cult member wasn’t a Chapter Master, he was in the Third-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary; therefore, he was just as powerful as one.
With such power, he was confident to cultivate in a spot that was hard for others to reach.
If he was successful this time, he would challenge a Chapter Master and defeat them so that he could take their place.
Much to his surprise, someone had gone further down into the Black Ink Abyss, and had somehow provoked many Apostles.
When the Immortal Ascension Boundary Master saw the Apostles’ bulky and hideous figures and felt their terrifying auras, he was initially horrified, but he soon became excited.
He was horrified because so many Apostles had emerged at the same time and it was a mystery as to what had happened in the depths of the Black Ink Abyss. On the other hand, he was excited because there was a higher Realm above the Immortal Ascension Boundary. The Apostles had apparently reached that Realm!
It was a goal he couldn’t achieve despite all his hard work, and it was also a secret that all the Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters in the Primordial World had been pursuing.
While he was lost in his thoughts, a shocking scene came into his sight.
At that moment, an immense power seemed to have descended upon this place. Faced with this power, even a Third-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary Master felt as insignificant as an ant.
It was the power of the World!
Everyone present felt the anomaly immediately.
Invisible World Principles started gathering and becoming a mess before they turned into a storm that could destroy everything.
The storm surrounded the Apostles as a destructive aura permeated the air.
The Apostles looked up and growled. Although they were in a Realm above the Immortal Ascension Boundary, they were still unable to resist such destructive force.
Popping sounds were heard as the sarcomas on the Apostles’ figures exploded. As thick Black Ink Strength and blood spread, the entire place stank horribly.
Unable to withstand the destructive storm any longer, an Apostle exploded into a blood mist with a loud boom.
As if a spark setting off a firestorm, more Apostles began experiencing the same fate.
The Apostles that came from the depths of the Black Ink Abyss seemed to have passed an invisible boundary. On one side of the boundary, it was life, and on the other side, it was death.
The remaining Apostles finally detected the danger ahead. Although they had lost their sanity, they still had their instincts. Like a group of wild beasts, they made the wisest decision when their lives were at stake, they stopped in their tracks. Instead of chasing after Yang Kai, they slowly returned to the darkness as their growls gradually faded.
Yang Kai hovered in mid-air and looked down in contemplation.
It seemed that things were just as he had expected.
He didn’t conceal his figure using Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability earlier because he wanted to verify his speculation. In order to do so, he lured the Apostles to leave the Black Ink Abyss.
[This is going to be troublesome…]
He secretly clicked his tongue. Initially, Yang Kai thought that if he wanted to refine the Profound Source Gate, he just had to deal with the Black Ink Cult. Now, it seemed that he had to clear out these Apostles as well.
However, the Apostles were all in the Transcendent Realm. Since he was only at the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary, he wasn’t a match for a swarm of them.
Therefore, he had to come up with a solution.
All of a sudden, a series of growls and pops were heard coming from somewhere.
Yang Kai turned around and saw a figure in front of a stone room. A man in the Third-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary had come out to find out what was going on.
Just now, Yang Kai already detected his presence, but he didn’t pay attention to him.
Upon closer inspection, he realised that the person was no longer able to resist the Black Ink Strength exuded from the Apostles earlier.
This person was trying to break through his limits by cultivating in such a spot, and if there had been no external harassment, he could’ve kept his sanity; however, many Apostles were killed just now, and the Black Ink Strength billowing from their corpses was too intense. Therefore, it immediately exceeded the limit that this person could bear.
Yang Kai watched as the man was engulfed in thick Black Ink Strength, and the aura exuded from him turned wicked. Nonetheless, his aura was rising sharply, as though he was about to break through the Immortal Ascension Boundary. Of course, it was difficult for him to achieve his goal due to the suppression of the World’s Will.
All of a sudden, the man looked down at the Black Ink Abyss’ depths with a fervent gaze and muttered, “I see. This is the power that transcends the Immortal Ascension Boundary!”
Saying so, he moved downwards without hesitation, sporting an elated expression as though something was calling out to him.
However, the moment he moved, Yang Kai blocked his way and landed a palm on his forehead. The person’s head shattered upon impact before he could even grunt in pain.
Knowing that this man would turn into another Apostle after falling into the Black Ink Abyss, Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t stand by and do nothing. By destroying him now, he would have one less opponent in the future.
Then, Yang Kai took another look at the depths of the Black Ink Abyss before shooting upwards.
To save himself some trouble, he concealed his figure and aura this time so that no one would notice him.
The anomaly in the Black Ink Abyss’ depths had alerted many Black Ink Cultists, but they could only hear some growls and howling, so they didn’t know what happened.
As the news spread, many Black Ink Cultists soon gathered together; nevertheless, given the fact that they were unable to reach the deepest part of the abyss, they couldn’t gather any useful information.
What surprised Yang Kai was that Xue Ji was still waiting for him.
He secretly spoke to Xue Ji and told her to go somewhere quiet before giving her some orders.
Xue Ji nodded repeatedly, “I understand, Master. However, please give me a Faith Token. Otherwise, given my identity, I won’t be able to gain that person’s trust.”
“Sure,” Yang Kai fished out a jade slip and left his Imprint inside. After writing a short message as well, he passed it to Xue Ji, “Go on.”
She then turned around and left.
After she was gone, Yang Kai shot into the sky and turned into a ray of light before moving in a particular direction.
The Light Spirit Religion had gone all out in their march towards the Black Ink Abyss, taking four different routes to ensure they succeeded. Initially, they could easily defeat their enemies, but as the Black Ink Cult recovered from their initial shock, it became harder and harder for them to move forward.
On balance, those from the Light Spirit Religion were still at an advantage.
The Holy Son’s performance was especially stunning. Although he was only in his early twenties, he was already at the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary. When the Light Spirit Religion’s forces were trying to conquer a city the other day, the Holy Son dealt with five Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters from the Black Ink Cult on his own without being at a disadvantage. He even managed to kill one of his opponents, which significantly boosted the Spirit Religion’s morale.
Due to the Light Spirit Religion launching a war all of a sudden, the entire Primordial World descended into chaos; however, they had the people’s support. The commoners had been oppressed by the Black Ink Cult for years, so they hoped the Spirit Religion would save them.
In an abandoned village outside North River City, a figure suddenly appeared under the night sky.
The figure was a woman, and as she looked around, she demanded coldly, “Reveal yourself!”
“I’m not even hiding. Why are you so furious, Big Sister?” A woman was heard laughing as she emerged from the darkness. She was none other than Xue Ji.
The person who called out to her was the Fire Order Lord from the Light Spirit Religion, Li Fei Yu.
An Order Lord from Light Spirit Religion and a Chapter Master from the Black Ink Cult had met up in an abandoned village under the night sky. Anyone would’ve assumed that something fishy was going on between them.
Hearing the woman’s mockery, Li Fei Yu lifted her blemish-free chin, “Are you sure you’re supposed to call me Big Sister? How old are you?”
Xue Ji covered her mouth and chuckled, “I’ve asked around. You’re three months older than me, Big Sister Li.”
Li Fei Yu snorted, “Stop acting like we’re friends. Why did you want to see me?”
They briefly exchanged moves in the morning, and it was at that moment that Xue Ji secretly asked Li Fei Yu to meet her tonight.
Getting down to business, Xue Ji sported a serious expression and replied, “I was instructed to come here.”
Li Fei Yu squinted her eyes, “Instructed by who?”
Xue Ji said, “Why are you asking this question when you’re well aware of who I serve, Big Sister Li? That person told me to get into contact with you.”
After a moment of silence, Li Fei Yu shook her head, “I don’t believe your words. You have to show me some proof.”
“That’s why I’ve brought a Faith Token with me,” Xue Ji smiled and flicked a jade slip at the woman.
Li Fei Yu took it and read it with her Divine Sense. After that, she looked at Xue Ji with a conflicted gaze.
Although she already knew some important information and formed some speculations, she still found it hard to believe when she saw everything for herself.
Was the Night Chapter Master from the Black Ink Cult so easily subdued?
“I told you I serve that person,” Xue Ji said.
Li Fei Yu kept the jade slip, “There’s nothing wrong with the jade slip. Although that guy trusts you, it doesn’t mean I’ll do the same; after all, men can be easily deceived sometimes.”
Xue Ji pouted aggrievedly, “You’re misunderstanding everything, Big Sister. I’m truly loyal to him.”
Li Fei Yu scoffed, “Show me something useful, then. Talk is cheap.”
Xue Ji let out a sigh, “I knew it wouldn’t be easy to gain your trust. Fortunately, I’ve also brought a gift with me.”
Saying so, she clapped her hands, after which a figure emerged from the darkness behind her. Li Fei Yu secretly put up her guard.
However, the person only walked up to Xue Ji and passed a package to her respectfully before leaving the place.
A metallic tang permeated the air immediately after.
Li Fei Yu looked at the blood-soaked package and narrowed her eyes.
Xue Ji tossed the package to the woman and said with a smile, “Let’s see if you’ll like this gift, Big Sister Li.”
Li Fei Yu let the ‘gift’ fall to the ground instead of catching it; then, she summoned a sword and opened the package.
Soon, a hideous-looking head came into her sight.
At that instant, she said in shock, “This…”
Xue Ji licked her lip and replied, “I just killed him, so the head is still warm. You can touch it if you like, Big Sister Li.”
[What is wrong with her?!]
Li Fei Yu felt her stomach churning. She didn’t expect the Night Chapter Master to be willing to do such a thing for that person.
The head belonged to the City Lord of North River City who was in the Third-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary.
It was rumoured that he had tried competing to become one of the Eight Chapter Masters in the past, but he was defeated in the end. However, since he had the right to compete for such a position, there was no doubt he was one of the most powerful cultivators in this World.
Therefore, it was a surprise that his head now lay before her.
The City Lord of North River City was dead.
Earlier that morning, an Army from the Light Spirit Religion launched an attack on North River City; however, this city was one of the most important for the Black Ink Cult, so there were countless powerful Masters inside. As such, it wasn’t easy to conquer it. The City Lord was especially difficult to deal with.
Those from the Spirit Religion had been trying to come up with a solution to take North River City; nevertheless, on this silent night, Xue Ji brought the City Lord’s head and presented it to Li Fei Yu.
While Li Fei Yu was still in a dazed state, Xue Ji disappeared into the darkness and said from a distance, “Those from North River City won’t discover it before the break of dawn. I don’t think you need me to tell you what to do.”
“Wait!” Li Fei Yu called out. At this point, she no longer doubted Xue Ji.
Xue Ji was a famous woman who was a nightmare for countless men, but she had submitted herself to that person.
The next moment, Xue Ji revealed herself again and asked, “What else?”
Li Fei Yu said, “I don’t think killing this guy was the only thing that person told you to do.”
The smile on Xue Ji’s face faded as she looked away and clicked her tongue, “I hate clever women like you!”
Li Fei Yu arched her brow, thinking that her speculation was right; therefore, she questioned frankly, “So, what orders did he give you?”
A displeased Xue Ji hesitated for a while before replying, “Master told me to work closely with you. You just have to tell me your targets, and I’ll remove the obstacles for you.”
“Master…” Li Fei Yu felt her face twitching. That certain someone was so powerful that not only did he conquer this woman, but he had also managed to make her call him ‘Master’.
One had to know that this woman was one of the most formidable cultivators in the World.
Li Fei Yu suppressed her shock and nodded, “That’s great. How should I contact you, then? You have to give me something.”
“Here you go!” Like an aggrieved child, Xue Ji angrily tossed a communication bead at her.
Li Fei Yu took it with a pleased expression. As she looked at her long-time opponent, she said, “I didn’t expect a woman like you to submit yourself to a man. Is he so charming? Or is he able to please you in some other way?”
It was meant to be mockery, but after she finished her words, her entire figure stiffened all of a sudden. She could see Xue Ji’s figure fading, and the next moment, a chill ran down her spine.
Xue Ji’s voice sounded from behind. She was as light-weighted as a ghost, and her breath made the woman’s hair sway, “Master is more powerful than you can ever imagine, so stop saying nonsense like this. If he finds out what you’ve said, he’ll be furious, and I’ll end up in a horrible state. When that happens, I won’t let you off!”
Despite her stiff figure, Li Fei Yu placed her hand on the hilt of her sword as her forehead was beaded with sweat. She wanted to move, but she was unable to do so as though something had locked her in place.
A long time later, she whirled around and realised that Xue Ji was nowhere in sight. She didn’t even know when the woman disappeared.
As a cold breeze whisked past her, she realised that her clothes were already soaked.
She let out a long breath, looking like a drowning person who had just been saved. As her legs turned to jelly, she almost fell to the ground. The incident earlier frightened her that much.
Much to her surprise, Xue Ji had become so formidable.
One had to know that the two of them had fought many times over the years, so they could be considered long-time rivals. There was no doubt that Xue Ji’s Blood Principles were hard to deal with, but Li Fei Yu wasn’t less powerful in any way. They had always been equally matched.
Since they were at the peak of their cultivation, there was no room for improvement, so they could only keep cultivating to solidify their powers.
The last time they fought was a year ago, and Li Fei Yu had actually gained the upper hand; however, the power Xue Ji showcased just now made Li Fei Yu realise she was no longer a match for her.
If Xue Ji wanted to kill her, Li Fei Yu wouldn’t even be able to flee.
Xue Ji couldn’t increase her power significantly on her own in just one year.
It was no wonder Xue Ji was so loyal to that person and even willing to call him Master. It seemed that his Blood Essence could bring her woman unimaginable benefits.
Li Fei Yu suppressed her shock and secretly felt glad.
Xue Ji was extremely powerful now, but thanks to that person, she was on the Spirit Religion’s side.
By working with this woman in secret, they could secretly get rid of many opponents that would otherwise get in the Spirit Religion’s way. Perhaps it would be easier for them to win the war than they had imagined.
After pulling herself together, Li Fei Yu left the place in a hurry.
They had to launch an attack on North River City before the break of dawn. It was the best chance for them to conquer the city.
While the two women met up at night, Yang Kai secretly returned to Dawn City.
In the periphery of the city, he easily found Mu, who lived there.
“Why are you here again?” With a furious expression, Little Eleventh blocked the doorway to stop Yang Kai from entering, “Do you have your eye on Sixth Sister? You’d better give up now, otherwise… Ouch!”
He covered his head and turned around to look at Mu with an aggrieved expression, for the woman had landed a fist on his head earlier.
“Stop spouting nonsense. Go out and play now,” Mu glared at him.
Little Eleventh shrank his neck and didn’t dare to refute her. He pouted and ran away sorrowfully. When he brushed past Yang Kai, he made sure to bump into him.
A while later, he turned around and snapped, “Hey! If you dare to do anything to Sixth Sister, I’ll… I’ll…”
He was a young boy, so he couldn’t think of any vicious words. After racking his brain, he still couldn’t finish his sentence.
An amused Yang Kai asked, “What will you do?”
Finally, Little Eleventh threatened, “I’ll smash your head!”
Hearing that, Yang Kai broke into laughter.
Little Eleventh pulled a face at him and wiped the tears from his eyes before running away.
Yang Kai watched the young boy leave and shook his head; then, he turned around and saluted Mu, “Senior.”
Mu continued looking in Little Eleventh’s direction for a moment before saying, “You’ve noticed, haven’t you?”
Yang Kai didn’t expect her to admit to it, so he simply said, “You must have your reason for doing so.”
“Indeed,” Mu didn’t deny it, but she was curious, “How did you figure it out? He looks just like any young boy.”
“It’s the way you call him,” Yang Kai smiled, “Wu Kuang said you were ranked sixth, and there were only 10 Martial Ancestors; therefore, the name Little Eleventh is worth taking note of.”
Mu refuted, “That doesn’t mean anything.”
Yang Kai nodded, “You have a point, but there’s something you might not have realised. The last time I came, I asked you why you didn’t take control of the Profound Source Gate since it was so important. You told me you couldn’t go near the Profound Source Gate due to some reasons; however, you were the one who suppressed and sealed the Source pieces in the Profound Source Gate to begin with, so it was impossible that you couldn’t approach it. Therefore, I speculated you were not the one who couldn’t go near the Profound Source Gate; instead, it was someone else.”
Wu Kuang’s voice sounded in his mind at that moment, “Hey, you mean that Little Eleventh is…”
Yang Kai replied, “It was merely speculation before, but Mu’s reaction shows that it’s the truth.”
Instantly, Wu Kuang demanded, “Kill it!”
“If we could solve the problem by killing it, I don’t think Mu would have hesitated to do so. It’s not the crux of the problem; instead, it’s the Source that has been suppressed and sealed.”
“If you don’t give it a try, how will you know?”
“What if that only makes things worse?”
Wu Kuang fell silent, for that was indeed a possibility. In that case, they couldn’t act rashly.
As they spoke, Mu led Yang Kai to the backyard. She then took out two chairs so that they could have a seat.
“You’re a sharp one indeed,” Mu praised him, “Regardless, I didn’t intentionally hide it from you. It’s just that it wouldn’t be useful even if I told you about it.”
Yang Kai nodded, “It’s fine, Senior.”
Mu decided not to dwell on the topic and instead asked, “Why did you come back again? What happened?”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai replied, “I went to the Black Ink Abyss and discovered something.”
A curious Mu said, “Go on.”
Since she wasn’t able to go near the Profound Source Gate, she didn’t know what the depths of the Black Ink Abyss looked like. All she knew was some common information.
Yang Kai proceeded to tell her what he had experienced in the Black Ink Abyss.
As Mu listened to him, her expression turned serious.
After Yang Kai finished speaking, she put on a helpless smile, “It seems that I wasn’t the only one who had left behind a hidden hand. Mo must have done the same.”
She turned to look at Yang Kai, “As you can see, the Apostles possess powers that transcend the Immortal Ascension Boundary in the Black Ink Abyss, and they’re able to live there peacefully; however, once they leave the depths of the abyss, they’ll be killed by the World’s Will. That’s because this Universe World doesn’t allow anyone above the Immortal Ascension Boundary to exist, for that would cause too large a burden to the World.”
“As I thought.” Yang Kai nodded, “From what I’ve observed, there must be some kind of power in the Black Ink Abyss’ depths that shields it from the World’s Will. In other words, the bottom of the abyss has become a World of its own because of that power. Therefore, even though the Apostles possess strength above the Immortal Ascension Boundary, they’re still fine. However, once they leave the protective range of that power, the World’s Will notices their presence and turns hostile. Since their powers don’t come from their own cultivation, they’re highly unstable; as such, the Apostles are unable to bear even the mere hostility of the World’s Will and end up exploding.”
Upon hearing that, Mu nodded, “I agree.”
Yang Kai went on, “You’ve said that you were not the only one who had left behind a hidden hand as Mo had done the same. So, the problem is probably with its Source. Its Source allows the bottom of the abyss to accommodate power that is above the Immortal Ascension Boundary. I suppose it wants to use this method to protect its Source. It might even be its way of cracking the seal and helping its Source break free.”
“Do you need any help?” Mu asked.
Yang Kai came looking for her in the middle of the night, so it was obvious that he needed something from her.
“I need to break through the Immortal Ascension Boundary; otherwise, I can’t go near the Profound Source Gate,” Yang Kai explained his purpose for the visit.
There were a lot of Apostles at the bottom of the Black Ink Abyss. Given Yang Kai’s current cultivation, he was unable to kill them. Although he had managed to eliminate some of them by luring them away from the bottom of the abyss, they probably wouldn’t fall for this trick again after that incident.
As such, he had to break through the Immortal Ascension Boundary so that he could kill all the Apostles and refine the Profound Source Gate.
His cultivation was suppressed by the World’s Will because Mu made the Immortal Ascension Boundary the limit; since she was able to help Yang Kai reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary, she naturally could help him reach a higher Realm.
“En,” Mu nodded upon hearing that, “Give me two days, and I’ll give you what you need.”
Yang Kai instantly realised this matter wasn’t easy for Mu either; otherwise, she wouldn’t have told him to wait for two days.
A while ago, she just had to point a finger at Yang Kai to help him reach the Immortal Ascension Boundary, but this time, she might have to pay a price.
She then turned around and entered the house while Yang Kai waited in the yard.
In the latter half of the night, Little Eleventh finally returned from playing outside. Since he hated Yang Kai, he pulled a face at him and dashed into the house.
Mu was heard singing to Little Eleventh, and soon, the young boy started snoring.
Little Eleventh stayed in the house for the next two days as he remained asleep the whole time. Obviously, Mu had done something to him.
Two days later, Mu stepped out of the house. When Yang Kai turned to look at her, he was shocked.
Although the woman was only a shadow of the real Mu, she always appeared to be a young woman in this World; however, barely two days had passed, yet all her hair had turned white. Although her face appeared the same, Yang Kai could feel that she had lost a lot of her vitality.
After taking a few steps forward, she already started panting.
Yang Kai quickly went over and supported her.
Mu gently leaned against the man and pointed at his chest, after which a dot of light entered his body.
Then, she said, “At the bottom of the Black Ink Abyss, this power can help you break through the Immortal Ascension Boundary’s shackles. Mo has done something there, so the World’s Will won’t detect your power; however, you can’t leave the Black Ink Abyss with this power.”
Her voice and aura were extremely weak, just like a dying old person. She even coughed as she spoke.
“I understand.” Yang Kai nodded firmly; then, he helped her take a seat and poured a cup of water for her.
Mu took a sip of water and rested for a bit before continuing, “You don’t have to make a move in a hurry. Just wait until the Black Ink Cult is destroyed. If you take action before that, there might be some unexpected complications.”
“Have you felt something, Senior?” Yang Kai asked.
Mu shook her head, “Mo is intelligent. Since it left behind such a hidden hand, it won’t be a simple one. It’s better to act carefully when possible.”
“Very well.”
“After you refine the Profound Source Gate and completely suppress the Source piece inside, you will leave this World and head to the next in the Space-Time River. Another Mu shadow will be waiting for you. Find her as soon as you can and she will continue helping you. Also, the Profound Source Gate is the key to suppressing Mo’s Source, so you mustn’t let anyone snatch it from you; otherwise, its Black Ink Strength will be restored, and no one will be a match for it.”
She kept giving him reminders, as though she was saying her last words. She was worried she wouldn’t have the chance to say such things if she didn’t do it now.
Yang Kai felt a lump in his throat as his eyes reddened.
Mu was one of the 10 Martial Ancestors. Although she passed away a long time ago, she had left behind hidden hands that would help protect her Juniors. Her shadows were waiting in different Universe Worlds; however, those shadows didn’t know if the person they were waiting for would even come. When she was planning all of this millions of years ago, Mu had no way of knowing whether it would all turn out to be pointless.
Nevertheless, the woman held on.
With a Senior like her, the Juniors naturally couldn’t just live in ignorance under her protection.
As though seeing through Yang Kai’s thoughts, Mu patted his hand and said with a smile, “I’m just a shadow. Since I’m not real, there’s no need for you to be sad; moreover, as long as the Space-Time River is still around, I won’t die.”
Yang Kai pulled himself together and said seriously, “You’ve done enough for us, Senior. Please get some rest and leave the rest to me.”
Hearing that, Mu nodded gently.
After bidding the woman farewell, Yang Kai set off on his journey again.
Not long after he was gone, Little Eleventh rubbed his eyes and stepped out of the room. Since he had been asleep for two days, his stomach started growling, and he was listless.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw Mu sitting there with all her hair turned white. At that moment, he was dumbfounded.
Mu flashed a smile and beckoned to him.
In an instant, Little Eleventh burst out crying as tears slid down his face. He dashed towards Mu and looked up at her, “What happened, Sixth Sister? Why has your hair turned white?”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Mu placated him and wiped the tears from his eyes; however, they just wouldn’t stop streaming down his face.
Little Eleventh yelled, “Who did this to you?” Suddenly thinking of something, he widened his eyes, “It was that bad guy, right? It must be him!”
“Stop speaking nonsense. It wasn’t him,” Mu denied it.
“It must be him. I knew he was a bad guy!” While still crying, Little Eleventh appeared furious and his gaze was filled with resentment and wrath.
The next moment, a dark fog billowed from his figure and engulfed him.
In a cold voice, he declared, “I’ll kill him for hurting you!”
Saying so, he left the place in a hurry and picked up a wooden stick from beside the door. It was funny that a young boy like him was holding a wooden stick, but the aura exuded from his body was intimidating.
“Come back!” Mu didn’t manage to stop him. Just as she rose from the chair and was ready to chase after him though, she lost her footing and fell to the ground. She bellowed, “Why are you always so naughty? Do you want me to die from anger so badly?!”
Hearing the commotion behind, Little Eleventh turned around. When he saw Mu lying on the ground, the dark fog around him disappeared in an instant. He dropped the wooden stick and ran towards Mu before helping her up with difficulty. With his face covered in tears, he said, “I’ll be obedient, Sixth Sister. Please don’t get mad at me!”
Mu pulled him into her embrace with a sorrowful expression. A long time later, she whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Little Eleventh shook his head, “It’s all my fault. You don’t have to apologise to me.”
Hearing that, Mu fell silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.
When Little Eleventh wanted to kill Yang Kai with a wooden stick, an anomaly took place in the Black Ink Abyss.
A while ago, Yang Kai lured many Apostles from the bottom of the abyss and caused a commotion. Those from the Black Ink Cult were concerned, so they sent some Masters in to look into the matter in an attempt to find out what happened.
Those from the Black Ink Cult had always wanted to contact the Apostles to figure out how to break through the Immortal Ascension Boundary; however, the Apostles never left their place, so there was never a chance to do so.
Now, they had gone to war with the Light Spirit Religion; therefore, when they heard about the news in the Black Ink Abyss, they quickly came over and looked into the matter.
Nevertheless, they had asked the members who cultivated inside the abyss, but none of them could provide any useful information.
They only knew that a Third-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary Master had disappeared.
Presently, these Masters were scattered around the abyss. As they were wondering just what they were supposed to do, they suddenly heard a series of growls and howls from the depths. Following that, horrifying auras were felt rising rapidly.
Instantly, these Masters became both shocked and doubtful as they looked intently towards the bottom.
Soon, many gigantic figures emerged from the darkness and came into their sight.
“It’s the Apostles!” Exclaimed an Immortal Ascension Boundary Master.
They had been trying to contact the Apostles this whole time, but to no avail. Much to their surprise, the legendary beings appeared before their eyes in such a way.
However, their pleasant surprise was momentary, for they soon realised something was off. These Apostles were filled with murderous intent, as though someone or something had deeply offended them. They appeared eager to leave the Black Ink Abyss and devour the entire world.
Seeing that, the Black Ink Cult Masters were terrified.
Before they could react, the Apostles suddenly stopped in their tracks and fell back into the abyss.
Only their growls were faintly heard.
At the same time, a voice seemed to be resonating in the hearts of these Black Ink Cult Masters.
They fell into a dazed state in an instant and looked longingly towards the darkness below, as though there was something fatally attractive to them down there.
Without hesitation, a figure fell into the darkness boldly.
Then, more and more people did the same until half of the Masters disappeared into the abyss. Only a small number of them managed to retain their sanity. Realising that something was amiss, they quickly moved upwards to get rid of the voice in their hearts.
Their investigation turned out to be a disaster and they had paid a huge price as a result. Dozens of Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters dove deeper into the abyss and disappeared.
..…
Back on the battlefield, the stalemate between the two sides lasted for a few days before the Light Spirit Religion gained the upper hand over the Black Ink Cult.
That was because whenever the Spirit Religion was faced with a formidable opponent, the latter would be assassinated.
The City Lord of North River City was the first to fall.
He was a Third-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary Master, so those from the Light Spirit Religion should have paid a huge price if they wanted to conquer North River City.
Nevertheless, the City Lord was suddenly killed one night.
No one knew who the culprit was, nor did anyone hear the noise of a fight. A Third-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary Master died mysteriously.
It wasn’t until the soldiers from the Light Spirit Religion launched an attack on the city that those from the Black Ink Cult discovered the City Lord’s headless corpse.
Since the City Lord was killed, the Black Ink Cult’s morale plunged as many Masters ran away. It didn’t take the Light Spirit Religion much effort to occupy North River City.
Similar things happened in many subsequent battles. More and more Black Ink Cult Masters were killed, causing those who were still alive to shiver in fear.
It wasn’t until a certain Master was killed that they realised who the culprit was.
The Black Ink Cult was divided into Eight Chapters, which were Heaven, Earth, Profound, Dawn, Night, Space, Flood, and Barren.
Each of the Chapter Masters was among the most powerful cultivators in the World. Their strength was unrivalled, but due to the limits in this World, they were unable to break through the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Although all of them were at the peak Immortal Ascension Boundary, it didn’t mean they were equally powerful. Some were stronger than others.
Among the Eight Chapter Masters, Yu Bu Zhou, the Heaven Chapter Master, was acknowledged to be the most powerful.
It was said that he was born with a Special Constitution, and he had cultivated an amazing Secret Art; therefore, even though he had been stuck at the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary for years, his power still increased steadily.
Since the Eight Chapter Masters had engaged in life-and-death battles with the Masters from the Light Spirit Religion, they were replaced frequently. There would be all new Chapter Masters every 20 to 30 years on average.
However, over the last 100 years, Yu Bu Zhou had managed to hold on to his position as the Heaven Chapter Master, with no one capable of challenging him. Whenever he fought the Masters from the Light Spirit Religion, he would always end up being the winner.
The Earth Chapter Master had contended with him before, and he was defeated in three moves, which went to show how formidable Yu Bu Zhou was.
Nevertheless, such a Master was attacked.
When the fight took place, the Black Ink Cult members thought the Light Spirit Religion had launched a sneak attack on them, but when they arrived at the scene, they were dumbfounded.
That was because on the battlefield, Yu Bu Zhou, who was fully pushing his aura, was locked in an intense fight with an alluring figure.
The woman was surrounded by a blood mist, but despite the distance, all could smell the metallic tinge wafting from her.
The person battling Yu Bu Zhou was none other than the Night Chapter Master, Xue Ji!
At that moment, no one knew why the two Chapter Masters were engaged in such an intense battle; nonetheless, when Yu Bu Zhou claimed that Xue Ji was a traitor, their expressions changed drastically.
As of late, many Black Ink Cult Masters had been assassinated, but they couldn’t find any traces at the scenes; therefore, they had no idea who the culprit was. With that said, the Black Ink Cult Masters were not fools, so they realised that there was a traitor on their side.
The traitor had to be the one who secretly killed the other Black Ink Cult Masters; however, none of them had expected the traitor to be the Night Chapter Master.
As such, when Yu Bu Zhou made such a claim, many still couldn’t believe it.
Nevertheless, they soon saw something even more unbelievable, for Yu Bu Zhou, who was believed to be the most powerful cultivator in the Black Ink Cult, was at a clear disadvantage in his fight against Xue Ji.
Faced with the woman’s overbearing methods, Yu Bu Zhou was powerless to counterattack.
No one ever imagined that Xue Ji was so powerful.
The Black Ink Cult Masters at the scene wanted to stop them. Regardless of the truth, the two Chapter Masters shouldn’t try to kill each other. They could find out if Xue Ji was the traitor later; however, the moment they made a move, four figures emerged from the darkness and stopped them.
They instantly recognised that these people were Xue Ji’s Blood Slaves, whose names were Chi, Mei, Wang, and Liang.
They were orphans who had been following Xue Ji since they were children. Xue Ji taught them the Blood Dao and planted a Secret Technique in their bodies, ensuring that their powers would increase in tandem with her. Therefore, the bond between Xue Ji and her slaves was unbreakable.
The four Blood Slaves were supposed to be in the Second-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary because their Master, Xue Ji, was in the Third-Order. Their cultivation couldn’t surpass her own.
Nonetheless, at this moment, all were awestruck by the powers that the Blood Slaves showcased.
That was because the Blood Slaves were already in the Third-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Furthermore, they had been living together since young, and they had mastered many Combined Attack Techniques. As they joined forces, they were able to stop more than 20 Black Ink Cult Masters from moving forward.
With no one getting in her way, Xue Ji became increasingly ruthless. Yu Bu Zhou was covered in blood, and it seemed that he would lose his life at any moment.
At the most critical moment, he roared as thick Black Ink Strength billowed from his body and engulfed him in an instant.
Following that, his body started swelling as sarcomas appeared on his figure. He stank terribly, and his aura soon broke through the Immortal Ascension Boundary’s shackles and reached an entirely new Realm.
An unsuspecting Xue Ji was struck by his fist, and she almost exploded.
However, Yu Bu Zhou was only able to make one move because after his aura broke through the Immortal Ascension Boundary’s shackles, the World’s Will started targeting him.
He howled in pain as his body continued swelling until he exploded into a blood mist, not even leaving scraps of his corpse behind.
In an instant, thick Black Ink Strength swept out.
The fight sent a shockwave across the entire World. The powerful Heaven Chapter Master was attacked by the Night Chapter Master. The Heaven Chapter Master only managed to defeat the other party by transforming into an Apostle.
Nevertheless, he paid a terrible price, for not long after he transformed into an Apostle, he was destroyed by the World’s Will.
Meanwhile, Xue Ji went missing, and her Blood Slaves fled amidst the chaos.
The mess they left behind made the Black Ink Cult Masters feel heartbroken.
Apart from Yu Bu Zhou’s amazing power, they were more concerned about Xue Ji’s cultivation.
According to the witnesses at the scene, Yu Bu Zhou was totally suppressed by Xue Ji. If not for the fact that he was at a complete disadvantage and that his life was already at stake, he wouldn’t have been forced to transform into an Apostle.
In other words, Xue Ji was significantly more powerful than Yu Bu Zhou.
It was inconceivable.
Although Xue Ji could be considered one of the most powerful cultivators in the World, she wasn’t comparable to Yu Bu Zhou, especially in a frontal clash. How did she manage to gain the upper hand, then?
Also, the Blood Slaves’ cultivation indirectly proved how powerful Xue Ji was.
The Blood Slaves were closely tied to Xue Ji as their strength would always grow in tandem with hers. Furthermore, their cultivation would never surpass that of Xue Ji.
When Xue Ji was in the Third-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary back then, the four Blood Slaves were only in the Second-Order.
Nevertheless, the powers they showcased during the battle proved that they were already in the Third-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary.
The truth was revealed before everyone’s eyes.
Xue Ji wanted to kill Yu Bu Zhou in secret, but due to the latter’s incredible heritage, she wasn’t able to achieve her goal. A battle then broke out, after which the Black Ink Cult Masters arrived and witnessed the fight.
After looking into the matter, they realised that when the Black Ink Cult members were killed back then, there were traces of Xue Ji or her Blood Slaves appearing nearby.
When the City Lord of North River City was killed, Xue Ji was in the city.
However, no one doubted her at that time.
There was no denying that Xue Ji had betrayed the Black Ink Cult, but no one knew why the Night Chapter Master decided to do so.
When those from the Light Spirit Religion got wind of it, they were equally puzzled. They initially thought that it was some fake news spread by the Black Ink Cult.
Only Li Fei Yu, who had been working closely with Xue Ji in secret, knew that it wasn’t misinformation. All of those things had indeed happened.
All the same, she was shocked that Xue Ji was even more powerful than she had imagined. On that night, she already realised that she was no longer a match for Xue Ji, but she didn’t expect the woman to be able to kill Yu Bu Zhou.
The piece of news was eventually verified to be true, and the Light Spirit Religion’s Managers celebrated.
Initially, Yu Bu Zhou was the biggest obstacle to the Spirit Religion’s crusade. Even the Eight Order Lords didn’t have the confidence to defeat him. Although the Holy Son was powerful, he was still young and inexperienced; therefore, he couldn’t possibly defeat Yu Bu Zhou.
Much to their surprise, Xue Ji had removed this obstacle for them.
At that moment, those from the Spirit Religion saw Xue Ji in a different light, thinking that she must have come to her senses and decided to side with them to save the World.
They started looking for Xue Ji, and those from the Black Ink Cult were doing the same; however, after the fight that night, Xue Ji and her Blood Slaves went missing, as though they had vanished into thin air.
They were adept at killing people in secret as they were the best assassins in the World; therefore, they were able to disguise and hide themselves impeccably.
If they wanted to disappear, no one could find them.
There was no doubt that Xue Ji was recuperating. Yu Bu Zhou’s attack was immensely powerful after he turned into an Apostle, so although Xue Ji had survived, she must be badly injured.
As such, she couldn’t kick up a storm in a short time.
Or so those from the Black Ink Cult thought.
In truth, the assassinations continued happening in an even more efficient manner.
In just several days, more than 20 Black Ink Cult Masters were killed, each of them in charge of different battlefields.
After their deaths, the Black Ink Cult soldiers became virtually leaderless. Those from the Spirit Religion seized the chance and marched forward. They initially had to pay a price to win the fights, but now, they could achieve their goals with ease.
Six days after Yu Bu Zhou was killed, another shocking incident occurred that unnerved the Black Ink Cult Masters.
That was because another Chapter Master was killed inside the Black Ink Cult’s main camp.
No one saw who made the move, they only felt an immense power erupt inside the largest tent before disappearing. When nearby Black Ink Cult members came over to investigate, all they saw was the Chapter Master had been decapitated.
The murderer entered and left the camp without anyone noticing, as though they were a ghost.
The Black Ink Cult Masters at the scene were horrified as they felt cold sweat gather all over their bodies. They felt as though an invisible blade was resting on their necks, ready to reap their heads at any moment.
Following the incident, the Black Ink Cult’s morale collapsed.
Since those in leadership roles were being targeted, no one dared to step up to take charge, for that would only make them the targets for the assassin.
As more and more Chapter Masters were killed, the Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters from the Black Ink Cult started running away.
The soldiers, who had been contending with the Light Spirit Religion, became leaderless in an instant. Without any Masters in charge, they couldn’t put up a decent fight.
In contrast, those from the Light Spirit Religion were more united than ever. As they continued to win more battles, they became increasingly assertive and high-spirited.
At this point, there was no mystery as to who the winner would be.
Now, those from the Light Spirit Religion just had to kill as many Black Ink Cultists as possible.
They initially expected the war to last for several years, but the dust settled in barely a month.
One month after those from the Light Spirit Religion set off from Dawn City, they managed to surround the Black Ink Abyss. It could be said that the Spirit Religion was in control of 99% of the World now. Only a few of the Black Ink Cult Masters remained around the Black Ink Abyss, still obstinately resisting.
The war was intense as the remaining Masters of the Black Ink Cult stubbornly persevered; however, there was a huge gap between the two sides now. A lot of Black Ink Cult Masters had lost their lives in just the last month, so how were the rest supposed to be a match for the Light Spirit Religion?
As the Light Spirit Religion’s soldiers marched forward, those from the Black Ink Cult were left with limited space to live.
Eventually, some of them could no longer bear the pressure, so they turned to look at the Black Ink Abyss.
Rather than waiting for death, they decided to dive into the Black Ink Abyss and seek a chance to survive.
However, when the Black Ink Cult Masters with this plan in mind reached the Black Ink Abyss, they realised several figures were already waiting there.
The person in front was an alluring woman with a curvy figure.
The woman was painting her nails with some liquid made from flowers, making them look as red as blood. She appeared at ease and was even humming some unknown tune.
As the wind whistled, this sight beside the bottomless Black Ink Abyss was quite eerie.
“Xue Ji!” Someone exclaimed.
The person blocking their way was none other than the Night Chapter Master, Xue Ji, who had been missing for quite a while. She disappeared after the fight with Yu Bu Zhou, and no one knew where she had gone.
Nevertheless, Yu Bu Zhou’s last attack before his death was powerful, so everyone assumed that Xu Ji was badly injured and had to recuperate somewhere in secret.
They didn’t expect the woman to be waiting just next to the Black Ink Abyss.
Of course, she was not alone. Standing behind her were Chi, Mei, Wang, and Liang, her Blood Slaves. They remained silent and stood there with dispassionate expressions, but no one would underestimate them.
That was because the four of them were in the Third-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Back then, the four of them had stopped more than 20 Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters in their tracks.
Just then, a Black Ink Cult Master emerged from the crowd and looked at Xue Ji, “Have you betrayed us, Senior Xue Ji?”
Xue Ji continued tending to her nails as she replied impassively without lifting her head, “Nonsense. Where did you hear it from?”
The person didn’t expect Xue Ji to deny the charge, but he still said furiously, “Since you didn’t betray us, why did you kill so many of our people? You even murdered Senior Yu Bu Zhou. If not… If not…” He was so agitated that he couldn’t finish his sentence.
If not for the fact that Xue Ji had been killing their people in secret, the Black Ink Cult wouldn’t have been defeated so swiftly. Over the past month, too many Black Ink Cult Masters had been assassinated while the death of Yu Bu Zhou had an especially big impact on their strength and morale.
“Well…” When Xue Ji was done with her manicure, she spread her fingers and had a look. Nevertheless, she didn’t seem satisfied as she said with a frown, “I’m just following orders.”
“What do you mean?” All of them were shocked.
Xue Ji could be said to be the most powerful cultivator in the World now, so who could even give her orders?
The woman swept a glance over them and instantly realised their intention, “I suggest that you don’t try entering the Black Ink Abyss.”
The person who spoke earlier furrowed his brow, “Are you here to stop all of us from entering the Black Ink Abyss?”
In response, Xue Ji nodded.
“Why?” Asked the person angrily.
Those from the Light Spirit Religion had surrounded the Black Ink Abyss, so diving into the abyss was their only chance to survive. Much to their surprise, Xue Ji got in the way.
“As I said, I’m just following orders,” Xue Ji replied.
Seeing that the woman repeated her words, the person asked grimly, “May I know who has been giving you orders, Senior?”
Xue Ji shook her head, “There’s no need for you to know.” After interacting with that certain someone for a while, she came to realise that his existence was probably taboo in this World; therefore, she felt it best to keep his existence a secret.
“What if we insist on entering the Black Ink Abyss?” Someone stepped forward just then. He was afraid of Xue Ji as well, but he believed they could still achieve their goal since they had many people on their side.
Xue Ji took a look at him, and her figure seemed to blur the next moment. When her body solidified again, she raised her hands and glanced at her red nails. With a smile, she nodded and said, “This colour really is the best!”
The smell of blood permeated the air.
The crowd instantly realised that something was off, and when they turned to look at the person who spoke earlier, they saw him covering his chest with his hands. His face had turned pale as he staggered before collapsing to the ground.
Blood spurted from his wound and dyed the ground red.
A Second-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary Master was killed just like that, with no one even seeing how Xue Ji made a move.
“Go back, now,” Xue Ji muttered.
Despite her calm and casual tone, all of them stepped back in horror. Even the two Chapter Masters present didn’t dare to deal with her directly.
After hesitating for a moment, the two Chapter Masters waved their hands and declared, “Let’s go.”
They led the Black Ink Cult Masters back the way they came.
Initially, they believed that diving into the Black Ink Abyss would be a way out for them, but now, it seemed that they had no choice but to try breaking through the Light Spirit Religion’s siege.
As Xue Ji watched the Black Ink Cult Masters leave, she stretched her back and looked down at the Black Ink Abyss.
Her Master told her to stay there and stop anyone from entering the Black Ink Abyss; therefore, she had to execute his command no matter what. As for killing those people, she was too lazy to make a move, so she would just let the Light Spirit Religion deal with them.
She thought that she had done a good job so far, so she decided to ask her Master for a reward when she saw him again.
At that moment, she couldn’t help licking her lip.
The auras of the four Blood Slaves swayed slightly behind Xue Ji as she said dispassionately, “Go on.”
The four of them instantly charged forward and surrounded the dead Black Ink Cult Master before casting their Secret Techniques. Soon, a blood mist billowed from his corpse as the Blood Slaves devoured everything.
In the past, Xue Ji wouldn’t miss the Blood Essence of a Second-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary Master; after all, the more Blood Essence she refined, the more powerful she became.
However, after getting several rewards from her Master, she was no longer interested in the Blood Essence of ordinary cultivators.
Now, her only wish was that her Master would give her one drop of his true Blood Essence one day.
The war intensified while the battle inside the Black Ink Abyss commenced.
After leaving Dawn City, Yang Kai didn’t head straight to the Black Ink Abyss; instead, he secretly killed many Black Ink Cult Masters to clear the obstacles for the Light Spirit Religion’s campaign. He also found Xue Ji, who was recuperating, and he lent her a helping hand.
If not for Yang Kai’s assistance, Xue Ji wouldn’t have recovered in just a few days after she was struck by Yu Bu Zhou, who had turned into an Apostle.
This made the woman feel even more grateful towards Yang Kai.
Presently, Yang Kai was running for his life at the bottom of the Black Ink Abyss as the Apostles came at him in all directions.
He was still at the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary; however, a warm stream was moving around in his entire figure as it melted away the shackles restricting him.
This was the power given to him by Mu, and it could also be considered the essence of the World’s Will that could help shatter the Immortal Ascension Boundary’s shackles and help the cultivator reach the next Realm.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai couldn’t use this power as he pleased as it was only allowed in this place.
That was because Mo had left behind a hidden hand here. The Source piece sealed in the Profound Source Gate allowed the bottom of the Black Ink Abyss to form a Self-Contained World. In this place, even though the Apostles acquired powers that transcended the Immortal Ascension Boundary, they wouldn’t attract the hostility of the World’s Will.
That was the reason the Apostles had never left the Black Ink Abyss.
Although they had lost their sentience, they still had their instincts and knew that they would only be safe by staying in the Black Ink Abyss.
Previously, they were infuriated by Yang Kai, so they chased after him as the latter left the Black Ink Abyss. Nevertheless, as soon as they crossed the boundary of life and death, they were instantly killed.
With so many Apostles chasing after one, any ordinary Immortal Ascension Boundary Master would’ve been doomed; however, Yang Kai had a powerful heritage and incredible methods. His figure was elusive as he managed to survive in the hostile environment.
The speed of the warm stream quickened as Yang Kai’s aura rose rapidly. The shackles that restrained his power started loosening.
There came a moment when he felt light all of a sudden, as though he had broken through his limits.
His aura became violent as an air blast swept across the place.
From the Immortal Ascension Boundary, he made it to the Transcendent Realm!
To the cultivators in this independent World, it was a dream they had been longing to grasp for as long as anyone could remember; however, to Yang Kai, it was just experiencing a Realm he had reached before for the second time.
He suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around as his spear radiated a cold light. The power of the Transcendent Realm swirled around the weapon. Just then, an Apostle leapt into the air and pounced on Yang Kai, who raised his spear and thrust it into the opponent’s eye.
The head exploded with a boom as Yang Kai retracted his spear and pushed it out again. At that instant, his spear shadows swept across the abyss like a torrent.
The Apostles exploded in mid-air as their powerful auras dissipated one after another.
With the foundation of a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai could easily kill these Apostles, who had lost their sentience, as long as they were in the same Realm.
Blood spread across the ground as Black Ink Strength surged. Yang Kai remained in the same spot as he repeatedly thrust and retracted his spear. Soon, he was surrounded by many carcasses.
Over the years, countless Apostles were created in the Black Ink Abyss. If no one killed them, their number would continue to increase as time passed. Nevertheless, they were now being killed off by Yang Kai using his spear.
The spear soon broke in half. It was a weapon Yang Kai took from a Black Ink Cult Master, so it naturally couldn’t bear such an intense fight for long.
Despite having no weapon, Yang Kai still had his fists. Although his Dragon Vein had been suppressed, the power he could access increased after he ascended to the Transcendent Realm.
More and more Apostles collapsed to the ground.
There came a moment when Yang Kai stood above a mountain of carcasses with no more living creatures around him.
He shook the blood off his hands and stepped down from the mountain of corpses.
It was dead silent in the depths of the Black Ink Abyss, with no more Apostles around to growl and howl.
Yang Kai identified the appropriate direction and headed straight towards the Profound Source Gate.
In the meantime, the war above had come to an end. Those from the Light Spirit Religion had surrounded the entire area, and given the difference between their powers, those from the Black Ink Cult were helpless to counterattack as they were quickly killed off.
Everyone cheered for the Holy Son and chanted his name.
At that moment, his reputation reached an unprecedented level.
The citizens of the Primordial World had been oppressed and tortured by the Black Ink Cult for a long time, and while the Spirit Religion had been fighting them for many years, they hadn’t been able to destroy them.
Nevertheless, one month after the Holy Son was made known to the public, he led the Spirit Religion to destroy the greatest evil in the World; just as what was described in the prophecy. The Holy Son was indeed incredible.
The young Holy Son didn’t know what to do. After Si Kong Nan brought him back to the Spirit Religion, he started cultivating in secret and didn’t come into contact with the outside world for 10 years. The moment he was made known to the public, he had to lead the Light Spirit Religion’s soldiers to launch the final battle against the Black Ink Cult, just like the saviour described in the prophecy.
It could be said that he was still puzzled as to what was going on, but it didn’t stop him from enjoying the victory after an intense battle.
As everyone looked at him, he raised his hand and balled up a fist.
In an instant, all of them stopped cheering and stared fixedly at him.
He then shouted, “May the light prevail!”
After a moment of silence, the crowd cheered even louder.
Standing in front of them, the Saintess and Li Fei Yu exchanged glances and smiled.
Initially, they decided to make the fake Holy Son known to the public so that the Light Spirit Religion would have a reason to launch a war. After coming into contact with him though, they realised he was a pure-hearted and kind person.
Such a person, coupled with his military achievements, was good enough to be the Holy Son. Certainly, the real Holy Son, who had been taking action in secret, wouldn’t mind it.
“Holy Son,” the Thunder Order Lord, Yu Dao Chi, stepped forward, “Although we’ve killed most of the Black Ink Cult members, some remaining ones are in front of the Black Ink Abyss. Please go over and have a look to determine their life or death.”
The Holy Son asked curiously, “Are some of the Black Ink Cult members still alive?”
Yu Dao Chi replied, “They’re the Night Chapter Master Xue Ji and her four Blood Slaves.”
“It’s her,” the Holy Son nodded gently, “Certainly, I have to meet her. I heard that she had assassinated many Black Ink Cult Masters, including Yu Bu Zhou. If not for her help, we wouldn’t have been able to win the war so easily.”
Regardless of what Xue Ji was like in the past, she had made a huge contribution to the fight against the Black Ink Cult; therefore, the young Holy Son was fond of her and thought that he should thank her in person.
With the Holy Son and the Saintess leading the way, the Spirit Religion Masters set off towards the Black Ink Abyss.
When they arrived, they realised the atmosphere was both gloomy and tense.
Xue Ji and her Blood Slaves stood there in silence while some Spirit Religion Masters confronted them.
When the Masters from the Spirit Religion saw the Holy Son and the others, they finally felt relieved. After Xue Ji killed Yu Bu Zhou, there was no doubt she was the most powerful cultivator in the World. When the Spirit Religion’s Immortal Ascension Boundary Masters faced her, they felt immensely pressured, even though Xue Ji merely stood there without doing anything.
The crowd parted to the sides while the Holy Son walked up to Xue Ji.
Yu Dao Chi secretly warned, “Be careful, Holy Son.”
The Holy Son nodded and stood in front of Xue Ji before saluting her, “Light Spirit Religion’s Wu Ding greets Senior Xue Ji.”
Xue Ji lifted her gaze and swept a glance over him before asking with a smile, “Are you the Holy Son?”
Wu Ding scratched his head, “I think so. That’s what everyone calls me.”
Xue Ji was surprised by his somewhat childish behaviour, but a moment later, she shook her head with a smile, “You’re still too green.”
Wu Ding replied respectfully, “You have a point, Senior. I’m still a young and inexperienced cultivator, so I might make mistakes from time to time. Please forgive me if I’ve offended you in any way.”
A helpless Xue Ji looked at him and sighed, “That’s not what I meant.” She knew that the young Holy Son must have misunderstood something.
What she meant was that compared to her inscrutable Master, the young Holy Son was still just a child.
Although Yang Kai had never told her anything, she realized long ago that the true Holy Son described in the prophecy must be her Master. The young man before her eyes was only a fake that the Spirit Religion had used to launch a war against the Black Ink Cult.
Initially, she was hostile towards this man, thinking that he had snatched the glory that belonged to his Master, a truth which displeased her.
However, when she saw the Holy Son’s behaviour for herself, she couldn’t bring herself to loathe him.
The Holy Son scratched his head again. Just as he was ready to speak, Yu Dao Chi bellowed all of a sudden, “Surrender without a fight, demon woman!”
Xue Ji turned to look at him, but she didn’t have the intention of responding to him, so she glanced over at Li Fei Yu and said, “Big Sister Li, are you guys planning to kill me after everything I’ve done for you? If that’s the case, couldn’t you have warned me earlier so that I could get prepared?”
Li Fei Yu shook her head, “That’s not our intention. Don’t read too much into it.”
The Order Lords were puzzled, feeling that there was something they were not aware of.
Yu Dao Chi questioned with a frown, “What do you mean?”
Li Fei Yu explained, “Xue Ji has sided with us. Previously, the Saintess told me to contact Xue Ji in secret. We have been coordinating with her so she could assassinate those Black Ink Cult Masters. It’s because of her assistance that we’ve been able to march forward and destroy the enemy with ease over the past month.”
Hearing that, all of them were shocked.
Si Kong Nan muttered, “Why have we never heard of it before?”
The Saintess said with a smile, “We’ve decided to keep it a secret since the matter was both sensitive and of critical importance. Forgive me.”
Since the Saintess had admitted to it, that must be the truth; moreover, given the outcome, Xue Ji had indeed made a huge contribution.
At that moment, many of them looked at her with milder expressions.
They were certainly pleased to have an ally like her.
With a dark expression, Yu Dao Chi said, “You’ve acted rashly this time, Holy Saintess. Even if you refused to tell us about it, you shouldn’t have kept it a secret from the Holy Son; after all, he is the saviour.”
The Holy Son waved his hand, “It’s fine. It is true that I am inexperienced and know nothing about the current situation or how to handle it. Big Sister Saintess can continue to take charge of the Spirit Religion’s affairs.”
Yu Dao Chi was rendered speechless, thinking that the Holy Son was no different from a wastrel trying to avoid responsibility at this moment.
After a moment of silence, he followed up, “In that case, you’d better leave now. You’re the Night Chapter Master from the Black Ink Cult. Although you’ve helped us a lot, we can’t accept you.”
Xue Ji replied with a smile, “I’ve never intended to join your Religion.”
Yu Dao Chi appeared perplexed, “Since you don’t want to join us, why did you betray the Black Ink Cult?”
A sense of longing appeared on Xue Ji’s face as she replied, “Because I’ve found a higher goal to pursue.”
All of them were astounded, thinking that the woman might have misspoken.
It was inconceivable that a powerful woman like her had found a higher goal to pursue; thus, she betrayed the Black Ink Cult.
An irritated Yu Dao Chi waved his hand, “Regardless, we have nothing to do with each other from now on, and you mustn’t commit any more crimes just because you’re powerful. You can leave now.”
Xue Ji shook her head, “I can’t go.” After a pause, she asked, “Are you planning to explore the Black Ink Abyss’ secrets?”
Yu Dao Chi nodded, “The Black Ink Cult has been destroyed, but since the Black Ink Abyss is the source of the Black Ink Cult, we certainly have to look into it. We have to suppress and seal this place so that the Black Ink Cult will never return.”
The Order Lords nodded as it was indeed their plan.
Xue Ji said, “You should wait here, then. Someone told me to stay here and make sure no one enters the Black Ink Abyss.”
Yu Dao Chi snapped, “Xue Ji, we are magnanimous enough to let you go since you’ve helped us a lot, but don’t reach for a yard after we’ve given you an inch!”
Xue Ji smiled charmingly, “I have my orders; if you want to enter the Black Ink Abyss, you must kill me first.”
At that moment, the Saintess appeared agitated and asked, “Is he inside the Black Ink Abyss?”
Obviously, she knew who Xue Ji was referring to, [It’s no wonder I’ve never heard any news from him since the war started. He entered the Black Ink Abyss!]
In response, Xue Ji nodded gently.
With a solemn expression, the Saintess asked, “Did he say anything else?”
Xue Ji replied, “He said the bottom of the Black Ink Abyss is extremely dangerous. I initially wanted to accompany and assist him, but he said I would only die meaninglessly if I followed him; therefore, he ordered me to stay here and make sure no one else could get near the Black Ink Abyss.”
Upon hearing that, the Saintess nodded.
The Masters from the Spirit Religion were puzzled while Si Kong Nan felt even greater pressure on his hunched back as he asked, “Holy Saintess, is there something else we’re not aware of?”
After they defeated the Black Ink Cult and took charge of the entire World, they were ecstatic; however, it wasn’t until this moment that they realised many things had happened in the background without them noticing.
The Saintess had no idea how to explain it to them, so she could only say, “I’m not at liberty to discuss this further. Since it’s ‘that’ person’s order, we’d better wait here. What do you say, Holy Son?”
The Holy Son nodded repeatedly, “You have a point, Big Sister Saintess.”
A furious Yu Dao Chi glared at the young Holy Son. He wanted to tell the young man not to be easily fooled by a woman’s beauty, for that would be dangerous.
…..
All the Apostles had been killed at the bottom of the Black Ink Abyss as Yang Kai walked towards the Profound Source Gate.
Soon, he arrived at his destination.
It was a mysterious-looking gate that stood in an empty space. The door was carved with intricate patterns, and every one of them seemed to be the essence of numerous Grand Daos.
As Yang Kai looked at the door, he suddenly realised something.
The door wasn’t something the Humans could create, it was a precious treasure born alongside the Universe.
The Primordial Light and Primordial Darkness were born from this gate.
The door wasn’t tightly closed, but behind it, there seemed to be a dark power that was ready to burst out through the gaps at any moment.
It was Mo’s Source!
Since its Source had been suppressed and sealed behind the Profound Source Gate, it couldn’t break free; however, the energy it released affected the entire Black Ink Abyss and gave birth to the Black Ink Cult.
Mu said that the darkness of Human nature, which included slaughter, conspiracy, plots, and greed, could help strengthen Black Ink Strength.
Therefore, after Mo developed sentience, its power increased rapidly. That was because there has never been a lack of a dark side in Human nature.
As Yang Kai looked at the Profound Source Gate, he extended his hand and touched it.
The next moment, his entire figure shook.
A cold aura engulfed him in an instant and elicited the negative feelings he had suppressed at the bottom of his heart.
He was oppressed and hunted down when he was weak, and when he was strong enough, he killed all of his opponents. All sorts of terrible memories swept through him like a tsunami.
When the cold aura engulfed Yang Kai, all of his horrible memories emerged from the bottom of his mind and impacted his Soul.
Darkness started spreading in his Knowledge Sea. It wasn’t conspicuous at first, but it soon covered a large area and continued to expand.
In just a short moment, the entire Knowledge Sea seemed to be covered in a layer of dark fog.
On a seven-coloured island, Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow saw some blurred images rolling in the dark fog.
The images were all grey and gloomy, which were the unhappy memories of Yang Kai’s life.
The memories kept getting shattered as though they were devoured by the dark fog. As the dark fog’s power increased, it became increasingly thick.
Yan Peng, who had been confined to this place for a long time, exclaimed, “What’s going on? Has Sir fallen into danger?”
No one responded to him.
Impacted by the external stimulant, the seven-coloured island started shaking as the multi-coloured light around it became even brighter; however, before the Soul Warming Lotus could do anything, even more images emerged from the dark fog.
Compared to the gloomy images earlier, the new ones were undoubtedly much brighter. Not long after these images appeared, they soon covered the entire Knowledge Sea.
The light from these countless images penetrated the shackles of the darkness. After that, these images shattered and dissolved into the darkness.
Following the integration of these bright images, the black fog quickly became thinner.
In just a moment, it abruptly disappeared just like how it appeared all of a sudden earlier.
Compared to the setbacks in Yang Kai’s life, he had gone through far more happy experiences.
When he was a young child, his parents would always take care of him. When he ventured into the outside world, he made many friends, and they gave him warmth. Moreover, his Wives were still waiting for his return.
No one was perfect, everyone carried darkness in their heart, but there was also light. If they couldn’t look straight at the darkness, how were they supposed to embrace the bright side?
Only irresolute people would be devoured by their dark side.
Yang Kai’s gaze was clear as he stood in front of the Profound Source Gate and circulated his power, infusing it into the gate to refine it.
At the same time, he was secretly shocked. Mu had divided Mo’s Source into 3,000 pieces and sealed them in 3,000 different Universe Worlds. In other words, the one before his eyes was only one of the 3,000 pieces.
Moreover, it had been suppressed and sealed behind the Profound Source Gate, so the energy it could release was insignificant.
Nevertheless, this weak energy was enough to stimulate the dark side in his heart.
Given his heritage as a Ninth-Order Master, Yang Kai could quickly shake off such influence; however, the strongest cultivators in this World were only in the Immortal Ascension Boundary. Once they were affected, none of them could regain their senses.
Mu was right to say that unless she could take charge of the Profound Source Gate, the birth of the Black Ink Cult was inevitable.
Nonetheless, Little Eleventh was by her side, so she couldn’t go near the Profound Source Gate; otherwise, even the faint bit of Source Strength leaking out would have a huge impact on Little Eleventh. It would very likely integrate into his body, possibly even awakening him.
Yang Kai slowly activated his power and patterns started lighting up around his palm and spread across the entire gate.
It seemed that it wasn’t difficult to refine this treasure.
As he looked at the gate’s transformation, Yang Kai realised that when all the patterns and symbols on the gate lit up, he would successfully refine it.
The Source behind the gate seemed to have detected something as it became violent all of a sudden.
It started activating its power from the mysterious space behind the gate and kept crashing against it. Booming sounds were continuously heard.
At the same time, a mysterious power started spreading through the gap in the gate.
As expected, Mo had indeed left behind a hidden hand. Yang Kai was glad that he accepted Mu’s advice and waited until the Light Spirit Religion destroyed the Black Ink Cult before he took action; otherwise, an accident might have occurred.
After a month of war, the Black Ink Cult had been destroyed, but there were still some survivors.
When some Black Ink Cult Masters realised that defeat was inevitable, they hurriedly hid somewhere to keep themselves safe; however, the moment the Source Strength behind the gate activated, the Black Ink Cult Masters, who had been hiding in different parts of the Primordial World, seemed to have received some irresistible calling as they stepped out of their hiding places and dashed towards the Black Ink Abyss as quickly as they could, Black Ink Strength billowing from their figures.
While on their way, the Black Ink Strength around them thickened and allowed them to break through their limits, thus reaching higher Realms.
Nevertheless, there was a huge price to pay for such an unusual increase in power.
Many Black Ink Cult Masters exploded while on their way, while those who survived saw their figures going through an irreversible transformation.
In the meantime, the Light Spirit Religion’s soldiers broke into a commotion as well.
When the disturbance was heard, the Spirit Religion’s leaders were still confronting Xue Ji beside the Black Ink Abyss.
“What happened?” Asked an Order Lord in shock.
Li Fei Yu immediately went over to have a look. As the Fire Order Lord, she was responsible for collecting information.
Soon, she figured out what was going on. She returned and explained, “Some of the Spirit Religion members, who have been affected by Black Ink Strength, have gone mad for some reason. Black Ink Strength has changed their nature, and they’re now determined to enter the Black Ink Abyss.”
It was a well-known fact that the Black Ink Cult had planted some moles in the Spirit Religion. This was inevitable; after all, Black Ink Strength was too strange, so it was difficult for anyone to put up their guard against it at all times.
Moreover, in the past month, many Spirit Religion members had been contaminated by Black Ink Strength. Since the weak Black Ink Strength didn’t have any noticeable impact, those from the Spirit Religion decided to put the matter aside for now. They would only examine every member after the dust settled.
Much to their surprise, those disciples who had been affected by Black Ink Strength were now transforming into entirely different people now.
The cultivators, who were engulfed in Black Ink Strength, madly charged towards the Black Ink Abyss, causing a great upheaval.
Li Fei Yu could not help but turn to look at the Black Ink Abyss. Just now, Xue Ji said that a certain someone was inside the Black Ink Abyss, which was where the Black Ink Cult originated from.
Could the turn of events have something to do with that person?
Had he done something at the bottom of the Black Ink Abyss that caused all this disturbance?
As Li Fei Yu looked in the abyss’ direction, she was startled for a moment before she asked, “Where’s Xue Ji?”
Xue Ji, who stood in front of the Black Ink Abyss earlier, was nowhere to be seen.
With a solemn expression, the Saintess replied, “Her four Blood Slaves have been badly affected by the Black Ink Strength as well, so they plunged into the Black Ink Abyss. Xue Ji chased after them.”
Hearing that, Li Fei Yu was astounded.
Yu Dao Chi said grimly, “It seems that all those who have been affected by Black Ink Strength, regardless of whether their temperaments have been changed before, are doomed this time.”
Xue Ji and her Blood Slaves were from the Black Ink Cult, so they naturally had come into contact with Black Ink Strength before. They had also cultivated in the Black Ink Abyss in the past.
The turn of events affected all those who had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength; therefore, Xue Ji and her Blood Slaves were not spared.
Si Kong Nan turned to look at the Black Ink Abyss and said meditatively, “Something must have happened at the bottom.” Then, he shifted his attention to the Saintess, “Holy Saintess, you just said someone is in the Black Ink Abyss. Who is that person?”
That was something the Spirit Religion Masters were curious about. The bottom of the Black Ink Abyss had always been a Restricted Area. Even those from the Black Ink Cult had no idea what the bottom looked like, which went to show it was a dangerous place.
Could anyone actually reach the bottom while maintaining their original nature?
If they could find out who the person down there was, they would probably have an idea of what happened.
“Stop asking any further, Order Lord Si Kong. I can’t explain it to you at this point.” The Saintess shook her head.
Yu Dao Chi couldn’t help but bellow, “Why are you still hiding it from us now, Holy Saintess? Given the current situation, regardless of who the person is, he can’t possibly save himself!”
The Saintess still shook her head and remained silent. Although she wasn’t familiar with Yang Kai, she trusted the first-generation Saintess unconditionally. Even if the turn of events was caused by Yang Kai, he must be able to survive.
Just as Yu Dao Chi was about to say something, his expression changed all of a sudden as he turned to look at the depths of the Black Ink Abyss where a powerful aura was rising rapidly.
The next moment, a red figure shot up and landed on the spot where she stood earlier. She was none other than Xue Ji, who dove into the Black Ink Abyss to pursue her Blood Slaves.
Presently, she looked battered with wounds all over her body. It was apparent that she had gotten into an intense fight earlier, but her aura remained quite intimidating.
After she landed on the ground, she shot Yu Dao Chi a look and said impassively, “My Master is more powerful than you think. If you dare spout nonsense again, I’ll kill you first.”
In an instant, Yu Dao Chi’s expression turned gloomy.
He was a Peak Immortal Ascension Boundary Master and an Order Lord. Before today, even though there were countless Masters in the World, no one could speak so casually about killing him. He had even exchanged moves with Yu Bu Zhou before, and although he was defeated, he still managed to escape with his life.
However, since it was Xue Ji who threatened him now, he didn’t have the guts to refute her. If he offended this crazy woman, he didn’t have the confidence to flee from her and survive.
Xue Ji had returned to this place with an even more intimidating aura than before. They were so astonished that they were oblivious to the shocking information she revealed in her words.
Li Fei Yu asked in shock, “Why are you alright?”
Xue Ji couldn’t help but roll her eyes, “What could happen to me?”
“Everyone corrupted by Black Ink Strength has lost their sanity. Why are you still safe?”
Upon hearing that, Xue Ji finally came to her senses. She looked at her hands and felt the power within her. When she realised what happened, she said with a smile, “That’s why I said my Master is more powerful than you think.”
When the sudden change occurred, her Blood Slaves were instantly affected as they turned around and charged towards the Black Ink Abyss. Realising that something was off, Xue Ji hurriedly pursued them.
Upon confirming that her Blood Slaves were going to hurt Yang Kai, she quickly decided to kill them, despite having spent years nurturing them, before she returned.
Usually, even though she could kill four Third-Order Immortal Ascension Realm Masters, she would have to pay a huge price.
Nevertheless, she was the one who nurtured the Blood Slaves, after all. She had planted a restriction in every one of them; also, the Blood Slaves could no longer perform their strongest Combined Attack Techniques after losing their sanity. As such, even though it took Xue Ji some effort, she still managed to kill them all.
When Xue Ji killed the Blood Slaves, she didn’t read too much into it. It wasn’t until she heard Li Fei Yu’s words that she realised something bigger was going on.
Everyone who had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength, regardless of whether their temperament had been contorted before, was doomed this time. The bottom of the Black Ink Abyss seemed to be deathly attractive to them as they charged towards it, no matter the cost.
The Blood Slaves were the best examples; all four Blood Slaves had been completely loyal to Xue Ji, and she had even planted a restriction on each of them to ensure that. Still, they betrayed her without hesitation just now.
However, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with her.
She could feel that some Black Ink Strength remained in her body, probably what she had previously refined in the Black Ink Abyss.
Nevertheless, the Black Ink Strength seemed to have been suppressed by some different power, so it didn’t have any impact on her.
That power that suppressed the Black Ink Strength was coming from her Blood.
It could only be the power she derived from her Master’s blood.
While they spoke, the disturbance among the Spirit Religion’s soldiers intensified. More and more beast-like growls were heard. The cultivators, whose temperaments had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength, lost their sanity and turned into Black Ink Disciples.
Despite his age, the young Holy Son showcased his resoluteness as he ordered, “Order Lords, please return and form a defence line. We can’t let those who have been affected by Black Ink Strength enter the Black Ink Abyss, no matter what!”
He had no idea who the person that the Saintess had mentioned was, nor did he know what that person had done at the bottom of the Black Ink Abyss; however, he knew what he was supposed to do now.
Following his order, the Order Lords came to their senses while the Saintess looked approvingly at the Holy Son, who appeared pleased with this acknowledgement.
Yu Dao Chi looked coldly at him and thought that young men could be easily fooled by beautiful women. They had no idea that power was the best thing in the world.
Despite being exasperated, he dashed forward and gathered his subordinates together as per the Holy Son’s request.
The other Order Lords started taking action as well and soon, a war broke out.
Following a month of the war, many people from the Spirit Religion had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength. They were initially comrades, but they had to kill each other now. Many people didn’t have the heart to do it, but the Black Ink Disciples held nothing back. Since they were determined to enter the Black Ink Abyss, they would do their best to remove any obstacles in their way.
Upon realising that these Black Ink Disciples couldn’t be saved, those from the Spirit Religion no longer held back. Everyone fell into a frenzy, and soon, the disturbance subsided.
Just as they thought the turmoil was coming to an end, Masters that were engulfed in Black Ink Strength charged towards them from all directions.
They were the Black Ink Cult Masters who had been hiding in different places. After they received the calling from the Source Strength in the Black Ink Abyss, they came forward and revealed themselves.
An even more intense war broke out. The Spirit Religion’s soldiers didn’t have the heart to hurt their comrades, but they wouldn’t go easy on those from the Black Ink Cult.
Xue Ji just stood silently beside the Black Ink Abyss and listened to the sounds of the slaughter. She had to execute Yang Kai’s command by killing anyone who tried to enter the Black Ink Abyss.
The upheaval lasted for several days. It wasn’t until the last batch of Black Ink Cultists were killed that peace was restored.
No one cheered or felt happy this time. The Spirit Religion’s soldiers were exhausted as they lay on the ground, and as they looked at the corpses of their slain comrades, they felt sorrowful.
The Spirit Religion Masters gathered in front of the Black Ink Abyss again. With Yu Dao Chi in front of everyone, the Order Lords mounted pressure on Xue Ji.
The sudden turn of events made them realise the importance of the Black Ink Abyss. They had to find out what was hidden at the bottom of the abyss; only by doing so could they prevent the same thing from happening again.
However, Xue Ji never gave in and her murderous intent permeated the air. The atmosphere beside the Black Ink Abyss grew more intense by the day.
The stalemate lasted for a while, but just as hostilities were about to break out, Xue Ji appeared joyful all of a sudden and looked down at the Black Ink Abyss.
At the same time, all of them could feel an aura rising rapidly from the depths of the Black Ink Abyss.
What surprised them was that the power of the aura even surpassed that of Xue Ji.
The next moment, a figure landed in front of Xue Ji, who went over and greeted the man, “Master!”
Yang Kai nodded and gave her an approving look, but he raised his hand to stop her from approaching him.
Presently, the space around him had been contorted as a repulsive force surrounded him. There seemed to be a mysterious power that was trying to destroy him.
“It’s you!?” All the Order Lords were flabbergasted.
All of them had seen Yang Kai before. When he entered the city, all the citizens went over to welcome him. He had the people’s support and the blessing of the World’s Will. At that time, they regarded him as a fake Holy Son.
Back then, in the Ancient Grounds, he couldn’t pass the test left behind by the first-generation Saintess and had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength. As such, three Order Lords joined forces and killed him, after which Li Fei Yu dealt with his corpse.
No one had expected that not only was this guy alive, but he had also dived into the depths of the Black Ink Abyss.
As the Order Lords recalled what the Saintess and Xue Ji had said, they couldn’t help but take a look at the Saintess. They seemed to have realised something.
If anyone else had emerged from the depths of the abyss at this point, these Spirit Religion Masters wouldn’t have let him off; after all, they had no idea whether this guy had been affected by Black Ink Strength.
However, at that moment, Yang Kai’s aura was so terrifying that no one had the guts to say anything.
“What’s happening, Master?” Xue Ji’s face paled. As she looked at the contorted space around Yang Kai and felt its destructive aura, she realised something was off.
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “Every World has its limits. The limit of this World is the Immortal Ascension Boundary. If anyone’s power exceeds this limit, they will be repelled by this World itself.”
Xue Ji was surprised as she realised what the man meant, “Master, do you mean you’ve reached the Realm above the Immortal Ascension Boundary?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “There is no end to the Martial Dao. To true Masters, the Realm above the Immortal Ascension Boundary is just the starting point.”
Then, he turned to look at the Saintess, “I’ve settled all the problems at the bottom of the Black Ink Abyss; however, some Black Ink Strength remains. It would be best if you arranged some arrays here to prevent anyone from coveting that Black Ink Strength.”
The Saintess nodded, “Don’t worry, Sir. I will handle everything.”
Following that, Yang Kai looked in Dawn City’s direction and put on a smile, “I have to leave.”
A flustered Xue Ji asked, “Where are you going, Master? Please bring me with you!”
Yang Kai’s words had a significant impact on her. She was originally from the Black Ink Cult, and only sided with Yang Kai after the latter subdued her. Now that the entire Black Ink Cult had been destroyed though, and all the Black Ink Cult Masters who had been hiding in different parts of the world had come out and been killed, it could be said that she was the only one in the World who still had some of the Black Ink Cult’s traces.
The Black Ink Cult had become history in this independent World, and there wouldn’t be any remnants of their presence just a few hundred years later.
Therefore, she didn’t want to stay here on her own. As long as she could follow Yang Kai, she was willing to serve him.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have a mission to complete, so I can’t bring you with me.”
Xue Ji’s expression instantly dimmed as she pouted and fell silent. She looked like a young girl who had just been abandoned.
Yang Kai smiled helplessly, “Alright. I’ll give you a task.”
Xue Ji immediately appeared elated, “Anything, Master!”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai said, “Stand guard here and kill anyone who tries to enter the Black Ink Abyss.”
Xue Ji replied seriously, “Yes, Master!” The next moment, she put on a cheeky smile, “Since I’ve taken on this task, do I get a reward?”
Yang Kai shot her a glare before flicking his fingers, after which a drop of golden blood shot towards her.
Xue Ji’s eyes brightened in an instant as she quickly gulped it down. She could tell that this blood droplet was very different from the ones given by Yang Kai in the past. It was a drop of his Blood Essence!
Yang Kai then spoke to her in secret, “I’ve left behind a restriction, so you’d better not be impatient when you refine it; otherwise, you’ll explode.”
Hearing that, Xue Ji nodded repeatedly.
The repulsion of the World’s Will was increasingly conspicuous and the destructive storm around Yang Kai made everyone’s face turn pale. All the Masters at the scene didn’t have the confidence to survive in such a storm, but Yang Kai remained calm and collected, which showed how formidable he was.
Realising something, Xue Ji hurriedly asked, “Will I see you again, Master?”
Yang Kai looked at her and replied, “If we are destined to meet again, we will.”
The next moment, a clap of thunder was heard and Yang Kai turned into a ray of light that shot into the sky.
The Masters watched as a crack appeared in the sky. The ray of light shot into the crack and disappeared.
The destructive aura also disappeared at the same time, as though it had never been there.
As the crack closed, the area beside the Black Ink Abyss fell silent.
All of them were covered in cold sweat and as they recalled Yang Kai’s words, they were astonished.
It was the young Holy Son who broke the silence by asking, “So, was he the saviour described in the prophecy?”
Although he was young and inexperienced, he wasn’t a fool. When he saw Yang Kai earlier, he realised something.
“Am I the fake Holy Son?” He pointed at his nose.
The Order Lords exchanged glances, realising the problem as well.
The Saintess looked at the Holy Son and replied with a smile, “He’s indeed the saviour described in the prophecy, but you’re the Spirit Religion’s Holy Son.”
After a month of the war, the Holy Son had gained the recognition of the Spirit Religion members. Everyone who had taken part in the crusade would only acknowledge him to be the Holy Son.
The young Holy Son scratched his head, “Alright, I’ll be the Holy Son, then. However, it’s inappropriate that no one is aware of who the real saviour is.”
The Saintess suggested, “You can slowly spread his contributions in the future so that the members will understand that he had made a move in secret and saved this World.”
The Holy Son nodded, “That’ll work. However, we’d better deal with the most pressing issue now. Before that person left, he told us to suppress and seal the Black Ink Abyss.”
“How do you want to do it, Holy Son?” Asked the Saintess.
The Holy Son turned to look at Xue Ji, “Do you want to join the Spirit Religion?”
Xue Ji was still feeling the power of the Blood Essence when she heard that. Surprised, she asked in confirmation, “Do you want me to join the Spirit Religion?”
“Yes. We share the same goal now, and that person told you to stand guard at the Black Ink Abyss before he left. In that case, I think it’d be better if we could work together. What do you say?”
Xue Ji looked seriously at him and saw her alluring figure reflected in the Holy Son’s clear gaze. After a moment, she smiled and nodded, “Fine.”
Rather than being all on her own, she felt that this outcome wasn’t too bad.
Mu’s house was located on the periphery of Dawn City.
When the World started repelling Yang Kai and the World’s Will formed a destructive storm, Mu detected something and looked in the Black Ink Abyss’ direction.
[Has he succeeded?]
It was quicker than she had expected. It seemed that her several million years of waiting were worth it, for Yang Kai might be able to achieve the goal she had left behind.
Presently, Little Eleventh was asleep on her lap. As though having a nightmare, he had been trembling for a while as a myriad of expressions came over him. Sometimes, he was full of murderous intent, and sometimes, he appeared furious. His figure was already soaked in sweat.
Just then, a clap of thunder sounded.
Little Eleventh awakened in shock and looked dazedly at Mu; then, he pouted and started crying.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Mu asked softly.
Little Eleventh nodded repeatedly, “In the dream, I saw you abandoning me, and you were getting further away from me.”
Mu placated him with a smile, “It’s just a dream.”
Little Eleventh sniffled and snuggled up to Mu. He held the woman’s thighs tightly and said childishly, “You mustn’t abandon me, Sixth Sister. I’ll have no one I can call family anymore.”
Mu patted his back, “Don’t worry. I’ll never abandon you, and I’ll always keep you company. Of course, when you become an adult one day, perhaps you’ll find me annoying and run away.”
“That will never happen!” Little Eleventh frowned as he realised something was off. He then said, “I think I’ve fallen ill, Sixth Sister. I’m feeling unwell.”
“You’ll feel better after some sleep.”
“En,” Little Eleventh replied and found a comfortable position before dozing off.
…..
As Yang Kai traversed the Void, he could feel a drawing force pointing out the direction for him. The drawing force wasn’t the repulsive force from the Primordial World; instead, it was a force that came from the Space-Time River itself.
He instantly realised that it was something left behind by Mu.
After he refined the Profound Source Gate in the Primordial World and sealed one piece of Mo’s Source, he had to leave for the next world.
He was in a hurry. Undoubtedly, Mu’s Space-Time River was powerful, and the flow of time in these Universe Worlds was different from that of the outside world; however, the longer he stayed here, the more likely an accident would happen outside.
[It seems I have to hurry up.]
Then, he emptied his mind and soon found a closed door in his Knowledge Sea. It was the Profound Source Gate that he had refined at the bottom of the Black Ink Abyss.
He didn’t expect the gate to enter his Knowledge Sea after he refined it; however, after giving it some thought, he realised it wasn’t surprising that he could keep it in his Knowledge Sea. The Profound Source Gate was a treasure born alongside the Heavens and Earth, after all.
It would be awkward if he had to carry the gate and move around.
He already had the Soul Warming Lotus in his Knowledge Sea, and now there was the Profound Source Gate. The sight was somewhat awkward.
On the seven-coloured island, Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow exchanged glances with helpless expressions.
This couldn’t be helped. The moment the Profound Source Gate abruptly appeared in the Knowledge Sea, Yan Peng became agitated. As his entire figure was engulfed in a cold aura, he soon went mad.
The eerie gate seemed able to elicit the darkness in Human nature.
Yan Peng originally came from the Black Ink Cult, so he couldn’t be considered a good and kind person. Since he had done so many terrible things in life, it was only natural that he had a vast dark side in his heart.
After his body was destroyed by Yang Kai, his Soul Avatar was trapped in the latter’s Knowledge Sea. He had been cooperative and provided a lot of useful information, and Yang Kai didn’t intend to kill him anyway, so letting him stay in the Knowledge Sea was just a minor matter.
Nevertheless, after his dark side was amplified by the Profound Source Gate, he lost his sanity.
Left with no choice, Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow could only destroy his Soul Avatar.
Certainly, they weren’t feeling good about the whole affair. They finally had a new neighbour to talk to, but they hadn’t lived long. That was why they felt helpless.
At that moment, Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow stood on the seven-coloured island in silence and refrained from looking at the Profound Source Gate. After they took a look at the gate earlier, they realised some horrible memories from the past sprang back into their minds, but the effect could be negated by ignoring the Gate.
Meanwhile, once Yang Kai left the Primordial World, he glanced back and realised it was nowhere to be seen. He only saw some grains of sand that moved with the flow of the river.
This reminded him of what he saw in the depths of the Infinite River inside the Universe Furnace back then.
There were similar grains of sand at the bottom of the Infinite River as well; however, that wasn’t sand. Each grain was a Universe World. After the grains of sand were spurted from the Universe Furnace, they would reveal their true form.
Every grain of sand was equivalent to a Universe World. That was the wonder of Chaos evolving into the 10,000 Grand Daos.
The drawing force intensified as Yang Kai traversed the Space-Time River and soon approached another grain of sand.
That was the second world he had to enter. Without hesitation, Yang Kai adjusted his direction and plunged straight into the world.
Soon, the aura of a Universe World came right at his face. Just like what happened when he entered the Primordial World previously, he abruptly appeared in a Universe World, after which his figure plummeted.
Since he had some experience now, he immediately examined his cultivation.
He was relieved that even though his cultivation had been suppressed greatly, he was still in the Immortal Ascension Boundary.
Hurriedly, he circulated his power and stabilised himself mid-air.
As he looked around, he realised it was a barren land with no one around; moreover, he found the world strange as it was filled with a primitive aura. He felt as if he had barged into the river of time and returned to an ancient era.
“Wu Kuang, can you detect Mu’s whereabouts?” Yang Kai asked.
Previously in the Primordial World, it was thanks to Wu Kuang that they managed to find Mu. Although he was only a thread of consciousness, Wu Kuang was still connected to his true body.
Furthermore, he was in charge of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction where the Space-Time River was hidden; therefore, if Mu wanted to give them any directives, she had to do it through Wu Kuang.
However, the moment Yang Kai finished his words, he arched his brow, for he had already detected something.
He turned to look in a particular direction and put on a helpless smile, “I guess I’ve been overly worried.”
Since Mu wanted Yang Kai to move around different Universe Worlds to suppress and seal Mo’s Source pieces, she was naturally well-prepared.
In the Primordial World, Mu must’ve left a mark on him; therefore, the moment he arrived in this World, he immediately detected something in a particular direction.
[It must be over there.] He then charged towards that place.
In the meantime, a figure was seated with her legs crossed in the wilderness. She had been waiting there for countless years, and she had no idea how much longer she would have to wait. She wasn’t even certain if all the waiting would matter.
All the same, even though innumerable years had passed, she had never forgotten about her goal.
She was located in a mountain valley that was surrounded by eight mountains. All these mountains were magnificent and connected.
In the mountain valley, there was an abstruse Grand Array. In the middle of the Grand Array, there was a dark rock that exuded an evil aura.
The Grand Array, and even the mountains themselves seemed to be suppressing the dark rock. With the help of the mountain range and the Grand Array, this place was where the entire Universe World’s power was gathered.
Unlike Mu in Dawn City, this woman was undoubtedly more haggard, as though she hadn’t gotten any rest for a very long time.
The moment Yang Kai barged into this independent World, she opened her eyes and lifted her sword from her lap. The weapon then turned into a ray of light and shot off into the distance.
Following that, a beastly growl was heard from behind her. A huge ancient beast collapsed to the ground, and its blood dyed the ground red.
The mountain valley was covered with huge skeletons, and every one of them belonged to an ancient beast. After so many years, she had lost count of how many ancient beasts she had killed.
The sword returned and quietly landed in front of her without a drop of blood on it; then, she slowly turned to look in a different direction. Her figure was stiff, as though she hadn’t moved like this for a long time.
This simple movement represented several hundred thousand years of waiting.
She put on a smile, for she could feel that all the waiting was finally worth it.
In the distance, a figure was rushing towards her. The figure had a bit of her aura on him. It was thanks to the resonance between the shadows which allowed the newcomer to identify the direction he should head towards.
He landed on the ground and exchanged glances with the woman.
As Yang Kai looked at how haggard the shadow appeared, he couldn’t help feeling heartbroken. Feeling a lump in his throat, he was unable to speak for a moment.
A while later, he saluted the woman and said, “Junior Yang Kai greets Senior.”
Mu replied with a smile, “No need for formalities. You must’ve met me before.”
In response, Yang Kai nodded.
Mu went on to say, “Then, you should know why you’re here.”
While Yang Kai looked at the dark rock, Mu continued, “There are no Humans in this world, only some ancient beasts that roam around. As such, you don’t have to deal with any schemes or plots. Just move the dark rock away and use the Profound Source Gate to suppress it.”
In the Primordial World, it took Yang Kai a lot of effort to refine the Profound Source Gate and suppress Mo’s Source piece, so much to his surprise, his task in this independent World was rather simple.
As though seeing through his thoughts, Mu explained with a smile, “Every Universe World is different. Perhaps you’ll come across similar situations again, but there will also be times when you have to work hard to achieve your goals. Go ahead, I’ve been waiting for far too long.”
“Yes,” Yang Kai replied respectfully. He knew that the task was simple because of Mu’s efforts.
He walked up to the dark rock and pushed it away. There was a dark pit on the ground, and the howls of wind could be heard coming from it.
Following that, a cold aura was approaching rapidly, as though it was coming from the depths beneath the ground.
Yang Kai raised his hands before pressing them down at the pit and shouting, “Open!”
A mysterious gate appeared above the pit, and with an injection of Yang Kai’s strength, a portal opened up.
A horrifying power was felt surging inside the pit. The howls of wind were like its growls as it kept crashing into the Profound Source Gate.
The Source piece, which had been suppressed and sealed here for a long time, must have realised that something was off, so it was trying to resist; nevertheless, its efforts were futile. If it was the complete Source, the gate wouldn’t have been a threat to it, but it was only a small piece.
The Profound Source Gate’s suppressive power spread. At the same time, a powerful drawing force was felt coming from behind the gate.
After the Source piece was lured out, it lost the power to resist and disappeared into the gap.
The gate closed once again, after which Yang Kai kept it inside his Knowledge Sea.
This time, it didn’t take him much effort to suppress and seal Mo’s Source piece, but he knew it was all thanks to Mu.
Just by looking at the skeletons in the valley, he knew that the woman must have waited here for countless years and killed all the ancient beasts that coveted Black Ink Strength.
If not for Mu’s efforts, Yang Kai would’ve been attacked by ancient beasts corrupted by Black Ink Strength the moment he arrived in this World, making his situation quite perilous.
As Mu watched the Source getting sealed, she finally appeared relieved.
She got to her feet slowly. As Yang Kai looked at her in puzzlement, she extended her hand and pressed it against the man’s chest.
After their eyes met, Mu said, “I’ve completed my task, so I’ll leave the rest to you, Junior. The Human Race’s future hinges on you, so you must do your best to not fail this mission.”
As she spoke, her figure faded rapidly. It was as though she was about to disappear from this World. As that happened, Yang Kai could feel a warm stream entering his body through the woman’s palm.
“Senior…” With a conflicted expression, Yang Kai had no idea what to say.
“This is the price I have to pay for sending you away,” Mu replied with a smile.
Gradually, her figure was gone. As her power engulfed Yang Kai, he shot into the sky and turned into a ray of light.
A crack appeared in the sky just then. The ray of light passed through it and disappeared.
The familiar drawing force appeared again and led Yang Kai to the next world.
He pressed his hand against his chest as his emotions undulated in his heart.
Unlike the Primordial World, the second World was one where only ancient beasts existed. He didn’t do much as he only summoned the Profound Source Gate and sealed Mo’s Source piece.
Mu had cleared all the danger and obstacles for him.
It was the result of countless years of perseverance.
The entire time, Yang Kai had only briefly talked to Mu.
There was no doubt she was a kind-hearted person. She devised this plan millions of years ago and let her shadows stay in different Universe Worlds to carry it out. She had been on her own all this time, waiting for a future that might not even come.
In the end, she didn’t even make any demands or requests, she simply told Yang Kai to do his best and try not to fail.
Even so, he didn’t give her a definitive reply.
He couldn’t help but blame himself. Mu had been doing all this selflessly, and she didn’t need anyone to thank her; nevertheless, Yang Kai could give her hope.
While he was lost in his thoughts, the aura of the third World came right at his face.
As usual, he followed the faint guidance and successfully found Mu, who had been waiting in a desolate place for countless years.
Before Mu could say anything, Yang Kai muttered, “Senior, all the darkness will be dispelled by the light one day. The Human Race will have a bright future. All your contributions and efforts over the aeons will be worth it!”
Mu stared fixedly at him with her mouth slightly open.
With a confident expression, Yang Kai flashed a smile at her.
Mu put on a smile as well. In just a short time, she understood everything and nodded, “Good.”
She turned around and pointed in a particular direction, “Mo’s Source piece is over there. Go ahead.”
“Yes,” Yang Kai cupped his fist and strode towards the place.
He soon sealed the Source piece and returned.
Mu walked up to him and pressed her hand against his chest before her figure faded.
Yang Kai kept all the sorrow to himself and put on a bright smile, “I’ll see you soon, Senior.”
At the last moment, Mu flashed a smile at him, “See you soon!”
The next instant, Yang Kai shot into the sky.
As he moved around different Universe Worlds, he made use of the Profound Source Gate’s power and sealed the pieces of Mo’s Source.
Every time Yang Kai arrived in a new World, he would immediately say the same thing to Mu, who would give him the same response.
As they met and parted ways repeatedly, it was like a never-ending cycle.
In general, things went smoothly. In most of the worlds, Mu had cleared all the obstacles for him, so he just had to find her shadow and summon the Profound Source Gate to seal Mo’s Source piece.
In truth, in the Primordial World, if not for the fact that Mu had to keep Little Eleventh by her side, she could’ve taken control of the Profound Source Gate as well.
However, due to Little Eleventh, Mu in the Primordial World couldn’t go near the Profound Source Gate; after all, Mo’s Source piece had been suppressed behind the gate. An accident might happen if Little Eleventh approached the gate.
Mo’s Source gave birth to the Black Ink Cult; as such, Mu had to establish the Light Spirit Religion to oppose it.
In that independent World, there wasn’t much help that Mu could provide in terms of aid. Moreover, the Black Ink Cult had developed rapidly; as such, it took Yang Kai quite some effort before he settled everything in the Primordial World.
Nevertheless, things wouldn’t always go smoothly.
When Yang Kai entered the 60th Universe World, he realised that something was off. The entire world was filled with Black Ink Strength. All the living creatures in this World had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength and turned into Black Ink Disciples.
When Yang Kai followed the guidance and found Mu, she was covered in blood while running for her life.
This couldn’t be helped, as everyone in that World was hunting her down.
Yang Kai had no idea how long the situation had persisted, but when he found her, she was in a terrible state.
After saving Mu from the Black Ink Disciples, Yang Kai found a quiet place and stopped in his tracks.
He asked, “What’s going on, Senior?”
Mu explained, “Something went wrong with the sealing location. Too much of Mo’s Source Strength leaked out and it has affected far too many beings. They shattered the seal and let Mo’s Source piece break free.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai finally realised why this World was filled with Black Ink Strength. Mo’s Source piece had broken free from its shackles.
The darkness in the Humans of this World could no longer be hidden in front of Black Ink Strength. Everyone in this World had been affected and turned into Black Ink Disciples.
“Do you know where the Source piece is, Senior?” Yang Kai asked.
Realising his intention, Mu shook her head, “There’s no point looking for it. Since you’ve started sealing Mo’s Source piece, speed is essential. Give up on this World and head to the next one!”
Saying so, she tried to get to her feet, but due to her injuries, she was unable to do so.
Yang Kai hurriedly squatted in front of her.
Mu pressed her hand against his chest. They could hear the sounds of footsteps as many living creatures were rapidly approaching them.
“Remember, if there’s a similar situation in any World, abandon it at once. There’s no point trying to achieve your goal every time because you won’t be able to seal all the pieces of its Source regardless.”
Yang Kai nodded in response.
Back in the Primordial World, Mu’s first shadow told him that she had divided Mo’s Source into 3,000 pieces. Every time Yang Kai sealed a piece of its Source, Mo would be alerted. When it reached a certain point, Mo would awaken and retrieve all the remaining Source pieces.
Therefore, Yang Kai couldn’t seal all 3,000 pieces. In that case, it would be wiser to give up on this World and head to the next one where it would be easier to seal the Source piece.
“I understand.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Also, my shadows might not be alive in all the Universe Worlds. You might enter a World where I’m not around, but you don’t have to worry. The previous shadows had left behind enough power for you, so you can leave for the next World anytime you want.”
Yang Kai nodded again.
The footsteps were getting closer as they felt flaring energy fluctuations. The Black Ink Disciples around them were running out of patience as they were ready to make a move.
Mu’s figure vanished into thin air, after which Yang Kai shot into the sky, leaving the Black Ink Disciples growling on the ground.
He set off on his journey and traversed the Space-Time River again. He repeatedly entered different Worlds and sealed the pieces of the Source.
[100, 200, 300…] Yang Kai kept count in his mind. As the number of the pieces he sealed increased, he could feel the situation worsening.
Every time he sealed a piece of Mo’s Source, Mo would be disturbed. When it finally realised the severity of the matter, it would awaken.
Yang Kai had no idea what the limit was, but he knew he was getting closer to it.
What made him feel helpless was that there were now more and more Worlds with difficult situations.
The first time he came across a problem was when he reached the 60th World. The second time was after he sealed the 100th piece, and the third time was around the 130th piece. The intervals were getting shorter.
The Universe Worlds within Mu’s Space-Time River all had different World Principles; therefore, the strengths of the living creatures in these Worlds varied greatly. However, her guidance seemed to be leading Yang Kai from the weakest to the strongest ones.
Initially, the limit of the Martial Dao in the Universe Worlds was only the Immortal Ascension Boundary, but gradually, it became the Transcendent Realm, then the Saint Realm, the Saint King Realm, the Dao Source Realm, and eventually the Emperor Realm.
As the living creatures in those Worlds became stronger, it became more difficult for Yang Kai to achieve his goal; after all, Mu’s shadow was on her own in most Worlds. The powerful creatures were naturally attracted to Mo’s Source Strength, and once too many of them gathered together, even Mu’s shadow couldn’t stop them.
Yang Kai followed Mu’s advice. Every time he came across a fallen World, he would give up on it at once.
Nevertheless, he would always look for Mu and integrate her last bit of power into his body.
He wasn’t after Mu’s power; he just wanted to bring as much of her away as possible.
As Yang Kai was swimming through Mu’s Space-Time River, a great battle had erupted outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
After dealing with the Black Ink Clan Reinforcement Army, Yang Kai rushed ahead to investigate the situation at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction while the Crusade Force was a step behind since they had to clean up the aftermath as well as rest and recover.
But it was only a few days before the Crusade Force set off as well.
Through the Space Arrays set up by the Void Guard, the Army was able to rapidly advance and soon reached the edge of the Spiritless Land.
This was where the last Universe Temple was located.
Something unexpected had happened at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction a few years back. The Suppressing Black Ink Army was swallowed up into the Grand Restriction and a large number of Black Ink Clansmen poured out from the opening. The Void Guard could not set up a Space Array directly outside the Grand Restriction as it would simply be courting death.
At the edge of the Spiritless Land, the Army regrouped and a few days later, it set sail towards the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
After a month, the Army arrived at the outer perimeter of the Grand Restriction, where a large battle immediately broke out.
This was a war launched with all the forces the Human Race possessed, with millions of Human soldiers fighting while being led over by 30 Ninth-Order Masters.
Originally, there were far fewer Ninth-Order Masters on the Human Race side. Including Yang Kai, there were 10 of them before the attack on the No-Return Pass; however, the successful battle at the No-Return Pass provided a breakthrough opportunity for many rising stars, many of whom succeeded in advancing.
23 people attempted to break through, and the outcome was that three failed while 20 succeeded.
As a result, the Ninth-Order Masters reached the 30 mark!
Afterwards, more Masters broke through to the Ninth Order as well. Now, there were more than 30 Ninth-Order Masters in the Crusade Force.
Thousands of years ago, through a series of devastating losses, culminating in the Barren Territory War, the veteran Ninth-Order Masters were decimated until only Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing remained. After several thousand bitter years passed though, the Human Race had finally restored some of its foundation.
More than 30 Ninth-Order Masters, millions of soldiers, and powerful Warships filled the battlefield. The power of the entire Human Race had gathered here today.
However, the Black Ink Clan was not to be underestimated either.
The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had been around for millions of years. During these years, Black Ink Strength increased constantly, but it had reached a limit. Even if it kept increasing, it would be difficult to break through the Grand Restriction.
Thus, much of the Black Ink Strength accumulated had been used to create more Black Ink Clansmen.
One could say that within the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the Black Ink Clan’s forces had already accumulated to a terrifying number. If Mu had not brought out her hidden hand to put Mo to sleep back then, the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction would most likely have been destroyed and the Black Ink Clan could have swept over the entire Universe.
It was Mu who gave the Human Race a final chance, allowing them to create the current situation.
Currently, the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was still under Wu Kuang’s control. Even though the opening in the Grand Restriction had expanded significantly, it still had a limit, which restricted the speed of the Black Ink Clansmen’s escape. Furthermore, Royal Lords still found it incredibly difficult to pass through. If they forced their way out, it would severely damage their foundation, which had been proven by past attempts.
When the Crusade Force arrived at the Grand Restriction, a large army of Black Ink Clansmen had already gathered outside, numbering over 100 million. Though there were no Royal Lords among them, there were still plenty of Pseudo-Royal Lords!
Compared with the immense Black Ink Clan Army, the Human Race Army appeared miniscule.
When the war broke out, the Human Race’s forces were far inferior in number to the Black Ink Clan; however, relying on the experienced Army which had survived through countless battles, they coordinated with each other and made use of all their advantages to fight. Even if they could not gain the upper hand, they still wouldn’t appear weak in front of their enemies.
From afar, the Human Race Army looked like a small snake slithering agilely around a giant python, constantly tearing at the latter’s body.
The entire void was filled with the corpses of the Black Ink Clansmen, and Black Ink Strength released from them had condensed together to form massive Black Ink Clouds.
Each Ninth-Order Master was going all out to slaughter the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Even the Eighth-Order Masters were unwilling to appear weak. Together, they got into Battle Formations and charged fearlessly at their enemies.
At the Grand Restriction’s opening, the Black Ink Clansmen kept pouring out to reinforce their Army.
However, what shocked them all was how the speed of their reinforcements couldn’t keep up with the speed of the slaughter. The number of Black Ink Clansmen gathered outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was still steadily decreasing.
The morale of the Human Race Army grew higher and higher; however, Mi Jing Lun, who was standing by at the command centre of the Human Race Army, did not show any joy on his face.
He knew that this was only the beginning of the war. So far, he had not seen any Royal Lords make a move yet, and through his communication with Wu Kuang, he also knew of Yang Kai’s whereabouts and why the Royal Lords were unable to leave the Grand Restriction.
Currently, he was facing a dilemma.
Even though the Suppressing Black Ink Army was trapped in the Grand Restriction and they were safe for the time being with Wu Kuang’s help, countless Royal Lords were searching for the Suppressing Black Ink Army’s whereabouts within the Grand Restriction. Once the Suppressing Black Ink Army’s tracks got exposed, their survival chances inside the Grand Restriction would become null!
Wu Kuang had the ability to send the Suppressing Black Ink Army out of the Grand Restriction, but he had not done so before because of the gathered Black Ink Clan Army. Even if he were to send them out, it would be like sending a flock of lambs to a tiger’s den. Instead, it was better to let the Suppressing Black Ink Army to continue hiding inside the Grand Restriction where he could look after them.
However, now that the Crusade Force had arrived, the Suppressing Black Ink Army had an escape route. As long as they could coordinate with the Crusade Force, sending them out of the Grand Restriction shouldn’t be an issue.
But doing so would create another problem.
The opening in the Grand Restriction had been torn numerous times already, and each time, it caused irreparable damage to the Grand Restriction. In order to send the Suppressing Black Ink Army out, Wu Kuang would have to widen the gap in the Grand Restriction wider.
Currently, the opening in the Grand Restriction could only allow Black Ink Clansmen weaker than Royal Lords to pass through. If a Royal Lord were to force their way out, it would severely damage their strength, which was why they were all still hiding within the Grand Restriction.
If the opening was expanded, then the Royal Lords might be able to enter and leave the Grand Restriction freely.
There were a large number of Royal Lords within the Grand Restriction, and if they joined the battlefield, the pressure that the Crusade Force would have to bear would be far more than what they were facing now, which meant that the intensity of the battle would also shoot straight up.
This was the dilemma that Mi Jing Lun was currently facing.
The Suppressing Black Ink Army was in danger, but the cost of saving them was allowing Royal Lords to join the battlefield.
However, an answer had already appeared in his heart. It was imperative that they save the Suppressing Black Ink Army!
Without even mentioning that the Suppressing Black Ink Army was composed of elites from the Human Race who had guarded the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction for over 2,000, there was also Divine Dragon Fu Guang among them. Many of Yang Kai’s Family members also belonged to the Suppressing Black Ink Army. For all these reasons, Mi Jing Lun could not simply abandon them.
If those who made great contributions were left to die, it would devastate the morale of the other soldiers.
Of course, this was not the main reason.
From another perspective, eliminating the Black Ink Clan here would not directly affect the outcome of the war. No matter how many Pseudo-Royal Lords they killed, or how many Black Ink Clansmen were slaughtered, it would only weaken the Black Ink Clan’s strength but not shake their foundation.
No one knew how many Black Ink Clansmen were still hiding within the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, not even Wu Kuang.
The Royal Lords within the Grand Restriction were something that they would have to face sooner or later.
While Wu Kuang still had control over the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, it would be better to let out some Royal Lords and kill them, rather than allowing all of them to rush out all at once when the Grand Restriction inevitably collapsed.
Based on the current situation, tearing open another opening in the Grand Restriction and allowing the Royal Lords to pass through was beneficial for them as it could alleviate some of the pressure in advance.
Therefore, it was both morally and tactically sound to say that saving the Suppressing Black Ink Army was a necessary move.
What was more, the Human Race still had some cards up their sleeves. They hadn’t revealed all of their strength yet!
With an idea in mind, Mi Jing Lun and Wu Kuang discussed with each other and soon agreed on a plan.
The movement of the Human Race Army quickly changed. Originally, the Army of millions remained mobile, using superior mobility to harass the Black Ink Clan Army since they were outnumbered by them. If they wanted to kill more enemies, they had to preserve their strength as much as possible.
But now, the Human Race Army suddenly gathered all their mass and recklessly charged towards the opening in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
The Human Masters took up position on the outer periphery, forming a defensive shield around the troops while the slightly weaker soldiers gathered at the centre, enhancing the Army’s strength.
The Black Ink Clan had not in any way expected that the Humans would suddenly change their strategy. Since the Black Ink Clan’s deployment was not as tight as their opponents, the Human Race Army easily rammed through their lines and breached their defences.
The Human Race Army advanced straight through the gaps, paving multiple paths towards the Grand Restriction’s opening using the blood and remains of the Black Ink Clansmen.
Just as the Crusade Force approached the opening, the Grand Restriction suddenly expanded like the mouth of a ferocious beast and spat out the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress!
The timing was perfect.
This success had to be credited to Wu Kuang’s guidance. Without him, the Suppressing Black Ink Army would never be able to break out of the Grand Restriction at such an apt time.
If they had done it too early, they would have been surrounded by the Black Ink Clan Army. Too late, and the Human Race Army would have suffered heavy losses.
The Human Race Army coalesced into a single force and did not pause for even a moment. When the Suppressing Black Ink Army in control of the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress merged with the rest, they broke through the encirclement of the Black Ink Clan and flew out.
It was only once they reached a suitable distance that they reorganised their formations.
The first clash between the Human Race Army and Black Ink Clan Army ended with a resounding victory for the Humans, but everyone knew that this was just the beginning. There was no time to rest on this battlefield. Once the fighting began, one should only seek to rest in death!
Powerful auras emerged from the opening in the Grand Restriction soon after, and the vague silhouettes of many figures could be seen moving restlessly through the dark opening.
Royal Lords!
The faces of all the Masters of the Human Race became solemn since the number of figures visible was not by any means small.
During their first crusade, the Black Ink Clan had deployed some 300 Royal Lords in total, which was three times the number of Ninth-Order Masters at the time.
Though not so many Royal Lords were gathered at the opening at this moment, there were at least 40 of them.
Moreover, this was just the beginning. There would definitely be more Royal Lords who received the news and rushed out from the depths of the Grand Restriction soon.
Mi Jing Lun had already tried to overestimate the Black Ink Clan’s heritage as much as possible, but he realized that he had still underestimated them in the end.
The Royal Lords didn’t immediately rush out of the Grand Restriction as they weren’t sure if the current opening would allow them to pass through safely.
After a brief hesitation, one of the Royal Lords stepped forward.
As soon as he took a step forward, the Royal Lord appeared outside the Grand Restriction and stood frozen in place for a moment, clearly surprised at how smoothly he had passed through.
Even more Royal Lords stepped through the opening soon after, the convergence of their Heaven-shaking, Earth-moving auras distorting the void around them.
Each Royal Lord’s gaze was fixed in the direction of the Human Race Army, expressions of cruelty and bloodlust clear on their faces.
On Pure Yang Pass, Mi Jing Lun looked on coldly before tossing out an object and shouting, “Go!”
It was a round, bead-like object.
Under the blessing of a Ninth-Order Master’s strength, the small round bead quickly broke through the heavy blockade of the Black Ink Clan and reached the Royal Lords.
The gazes of the many Royal Lords were attracted to the round bead, but after examining it, they found that despite its peculiar appearance, it was not worth much attention.
One of the Royal Lords threw a casual punch out at the round bead, shattering it instantly.
Suddenly, a surprise occurred that caught all the Royal Lords off guard. When the round bead was shattered, countless Universe Fragments appeared out of nowhere, as if they were the remains of the round bead.
Strong Space Principle fluctuations followed suit before two massive figures that blocked the Heavens and covered the Earth appeared.
Each Royal Lord’s face was filled with shock.
On the other hand, Ah Da and Ah Er, who were prepared beforehand, did not give the Royal Lords any time to react, launching a violent attack at them as soon as they appeared.
Utterly terrifying giant palms slapped down, and the Royal Lords were swept up by the force. As blood burst forth, the sound of bones breaking rang out.
The Royal Lords all screamed, some in pain, others in panic. None of them had expected two Giant Spirit Gods to enter the battlefield in this manner, so they immediately took heavy losses from this sudden attack.
Several Royal Lords were instantly pulverized into mist, their auras simply vanishing from existence, while the survivors scattered in all directions.
This was the trump card of the Human Race.
During the battle at the No-Return Pass, Ah Da and Ah Er were pinned down by the two Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods and were unable to play a decisive role until Yang Kai teamed up with Ah Da to kill one of the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods, which greatly improved the Human Race’s situation.
But here, without Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods to occupy them, the two Giant Spirit Gods could perfectly demonstrate their terrifying might.
The Black Ink Clan did not have the means to stop such existences! Even a casual wave of a Giant Spirit God’s hand was enough to smash anything it made contact with.
Before the World Bead they were hiding in was sent out, Ah Da and Ah Er must have received instructions from Mi Jing Lun beforehand; so, when they saw the fleeing Royal Lords, Ah Da immediately went to pursue them while Ah Er stayed behind, his massive figure acting as a barrier to block the opening in the Grand Restriction.
At the opening, the Royal Lords who had received the news gathered nearby but hesitated to step out, each of them looking fearfully towards the towering figure in front of them.
Though the Giant Spirit Gods were incredibly powerful, their immense size also made them less agile, so even after chasing the fleeing Royal Lords for a while, Ah Da was unable to capture any of them. Annoyed, he turned around and charged into the Black Ink Clan Army’s formation instead.
What followed was like a tiger descending upon a flock of sheep. No matter how many Black Ink Clan Soldiers fought back, giving their all, even their very lives, their attacks were no different to a calm breeze to Ah Da.
The massive Army was instantly disrupted and broken apart. Ah Da was like a rampaging bull, trampling and crushing everything in his path.
Giant gaps had now been opened in the Black Ink Clan Army, which was already somewhat scattered to begin with.
Mi Jing Lun was overjoyed when he saw this and immediately gave the order for the entire Army to attack.
The Human Race Army, which had already rearranged their formations, charged the Black Ink Clan, but unlike before, they only had to deal with the scattered sections that have been cut out from the main force.
This greatly reduced the pressure on them.
Just as the Human Race Army was launching their second attack, 10 figures flew out from the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, but they did not head to the battlefield and instead flew in the opposite direction.
In the midst of a battle, actions like this would normally be enough to label them as deserters; however, everyone turned a blind eye to this and regarded it as a matter of course.
This couldn’t be helped as the auras of these Masters were fluctuating wildly, a sign that they were about to break through.
Zhao Ye Bai, Xu Yi, and Zhao Ya’s figures were included amongst the 10.
While members were being selected for the Suppressing Black Ink Army from the various Armies, Mi Jing Lun adhered to the principle of being lacking rather than excessive. That was because guarding the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was not too dangerous a task then. They had Divine Dragon Fu Guang leading them and the cooperation of Wu Kuang, who had control over the Grand Restriction. All the Suppressing Black Ink Army had to do was intercept the Black Ink Clansmen escaping from the opening.
Taking the development of talent into consideration, Mi Jing Lun had placed many promising candidates qualified to advance to the Ninth Order in the Suppressing Black Ink Army, distancing them from the brutality of the various Great Territory Battlefields so they could focus on cultivating outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction in the hopes of advancing as soon as possible.
Only, various changes occurred with the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction later on, leading to the increased danger outside of the Grand Restriction.
No matter how incredible a strategist he was, Mi Jing Lun could not predict all the changes that would happen over 2,000 years.
Regardless, no one could deny that the Suppressing Black Ink Army was a force of elite Masters.
From the present situation alone, 10 Masters out of the few thousand the Suppressing Black Ink Army was made up of were about to break through their limits and reach the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Such a proportion would be impossible to reproduce in any of the conventional Armies.
The 10 Masters were currently only in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so even if they did put their lives on the line on this battlefield, the role they could play would not be significant. Eighth-Order Masters were plentiful among the Human Race, so 10 more or 10 fewer would make no difference.
However, if they were able to break through successfully and return as Ninth-Order Masters, then even if only half of them succeed, the Human Race stood to gain five more Ninth-Order Masters.
Moreover, just from the recent situation alone, one could see that the success rate of the rising stars who have been nourished by the World Tree clones was surprisingly high when it came to ascending to the Ninth Order, far surpassing the generations of the past.
These 10 had actually reached their limits a long time ago, but they have been trapped in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and had not dared to break through so as to avoid exposing their whereabouts.
The Human Race Army charged, and even with the Black Ink Clan going all out to resist, it was difficult for them to blunt this assault.
The Human Race Army brought an aura of death with them as they swept across the void, extinguishing the souls of countless Black Ink Clansmen.
Coupled with Ah Da’s wanton rampage, unimaginable losses had been created for the Black Ink Clan in just a short period of time, and the situation was only growing worse for them.
The Black Ink Clan finally realized that things had taken a dire turn.
Two Giant Spirit Gods suddenly appeared and completely disrupted their formation, especially the Giant Spirit God who was guarding the opening. If they did not defeat him, the Black Ink Clan would not be able to receive reinforcements, and with the current strength of the Human Race, those outside the Grand Restriction would eventually be wiped out.
The Royal Lords who left the Grand Restriction quickly understood this and began to take action.
Fortunately for them, the Humans were unable to divide their forces at this moment, and even the Ninth-Order Masters dared not rashly move independently. If they were trapped in the vast sea of Black Ink Clansmen, no one can guarantee that they would be able to escape alive.
Under this situation, as long as the Royal Lords did not actively provoke the Human Race Army, they would not need to engage the Ninth-Order Masters.
On the other hand, the only one who could act recklessly in the midst of the Black Ink Clan Army, Ah Da, was not very bright. Once his blood began pumping, he simply moved towards wherever there were more foes to deal with, so it was difficult for the Human Race Army to coordinate with him even if they wanted to.
Seeing this, the Royal Lords regrouped and charged brazenly towards Ah Er.
Naturally, just one or two Royal Lords would not be a match for Ah Er; in fact, not even 10 of them would be able to deal with him. However, the number of Royal Lords that came out of the Grand Restriction was far greater than that.
More than 40 Royal Lords charged towards Ah Er from all directions, and powerful Secret Techniques were launched one after another. Even a being as powerful as a Giant Spirit God staggered under such a heavy bombardment.
Ah Er roared as he kicked and punched randomly, launching Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering attacks one after another. However, most of these were dodged by the Royal Lords, and the few attacks that connected could not kill the Royal Lords with a single blow, only injuring them at most.
This kind of swarming strategy was used by the Ninth-Order Masters to deal with the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in years past, but now it was being utilized by the Black Ink Clan.
However, Ninth-Order Masters were generally stronger than these inexperienced Royal Lords, so the Humans needed just 20 or so Ninth-Order Masters to hold off one Black Ink Giant Spirit God back, whereas the Black Ink Clan required a far greater number of Royal Lords.
Startled by Ah Er’s roar, Ah Da finally regained some of his senses and turned to look towards the opening in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, rushing over in the next moment.
When Ah Da arrived at the opening, more than 10 Royal Lords rushed out from it.
The scene of two Giant Spirit Gods teaming up to fight against more than 50 Royal Lords was extremely intense.
Even more Black Ink Clansmen gathered at the opening, among which were many Royal Lords as well…
No one knew how many Royal Lords were hidden within the Grand Restriction. Their numbers within the dark space seemed to be endless and they never stopped coming no matter how many were cut down.
Many Royal Lords were tangled up with the two Giant Spirit Gods, but neither side could defeat the other; meanwhile, the Black Ink Clans Soldiers behind the opening found opportunities to flood out and join the massive battlefield.
On Pure Yang Pass, Mi Jing Lun’s expression was solemn.
The Human Race’s only trump card had already been played, but apart from the initial success they gained against the Black Ink Clan, it hadn’t been able to play a decisive role.
Right now, Ah Da and Ah Er were blocking the opening together, but all they were really doing was delaying the speed of reinforcements coming out.
If this continued, the situation would become unfavourable for the Human Race as more time passed.
No matter what strategies he could come up with, the key to winning or losing a war was still the balance of power.
Compared to the Black Ink Clan, the Human Race Army was undoubtedly an elite force, but their numbers were just too limited. Casualties were inevitable in war, and once their Army reached a certain critical limit in their losses, their momentum would collapse. When that time came, the Human Race Army’s fate on this battlefield surrounded by enemies would be tragic.
And this was merely a war against the Black Ink Clan Army!
The Black Ink Clan Army were not the only ones the Humans had to fight against. The main enemy they were up against was the one who stood behind them, Mo!
It was an unbelievably terrifying foe.
Was there any hope for victory in this war?
Mi Jing Lun had no idea. All he knew was that as a Human, one had to give their all in battle in order to leave no regrets behind.
And, through the information coming in from Wu Kuang’s side, what Yang Kai was doing would also be a key for them. If Yang Kai could succeed, then the situation may not be as bad as he imagined it to be.
Just like the Giant Spirit Gods Ah Da and Ah Er, Yang Kai was also a trump card for the Human Race!
…..
In the vast and desolate void, a faint light suddenly blossomed, quickly growing into a dazzling brightness that persisted for a long time before gradually subsiding.
A graceful figure stood quietly in the void. She opened her eyes, revealing a pensive expression, as if she had vaguely understood something.
“It’s time to end this, once and for all!”
Saying so, a pair of glistening and beautiful wings suddenly spread out on her back. With a gentle flap of her wings, she shot off, breaking through the barriers of space in an instant.
For several months, the battlefield was a bloodbath.
The Human Race Soldiers continued to weave through the battlefield, harvesting the lives of Black Ink Clansmen. Their charge was unimpeded at first, but as more and more Royal Lords left the Grand Restriction, the pressure on the Humans grew stronger and stronger.
Ah Da and Ah Er were still blocking the opening of the Grand Restriction, but they could not stop all of the Black Ink Clansmen, and when they were surrounded and attacked by dozens of Royal Lords at once, there would eventually be leaks in their blockade, and every time that happened, a large number of Black Ink Clansman would swarm out of the Grand Restriction.
Many of the Black Ink Clansmen who were unable to escape the circle of battle were caught in it and were annihilated without even a single bone left behind, but many more escaped unharmed to support their brethren on the battlefield.
The entire void was flooded with rich Black Ink Strength and bodies, which may be fine for the Black Ink Clan, but for the Humans, such an environment was brutal.
Since the soldiers were constantly consuming Purifying Black Ink Pills, their medicinal efficacies were falling steadily. Ordinarily, the medicinal efficacies of a single Purifying Black Ink Pill would last for a few days, but after a months-long high-intensity fight, the medicinal efficacies of Purifying Black Ink Pill were only lasting less than six hours each now.
Despite how many Purifying Black Ink Pills the Humans had stockpiled beforehand, there was still a limit in the end.
The same went for Purifying Light.
Once the Purifying Black Ink Pills and Purifying Light ran out, regardless of how much of an advantage the Humans had at that point, it would be hard to maintain it going forward.
After fighting for so long, the Human Race Army could no longer maintain the same intensity in battle. Now, when they charged, only half of the soldiers fought while the other half took the opportunity to rest and recover.
This was the only method that Mi Jing Lun could employ to maintain the combat capabilities of the Human Race Army.
But this plan would not work in the long term. As the number of Royal Lords increased, the pressure was also increasing for the Humans, and the casualties were also rising at an alarming rate.
The only comforting thing was that eight of the 10 rising stars from the Suppressing Black Ink Army were able to advance to the Ninth Order.
Including the Ninth-Order Masters they had before, the total number of Ninth-Order Masters now broke through the 40 mark!
This was probably the final number of Ninth-Order Masters for the Human Race. Before this war ended, no one else would be able to safely break through again.
Among the eight newly advanced Ninth-Order Masters, Yang Kai’s three Legacy Disciples were the most conspicuous.
The three of them joined forces to perform Yang Kai’s unique Secret Technique, the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel, killing more than 10 Royal Lords over the course of this battle!
One should know that all three of them were in the Ninth Order now, so together, the might of the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel that they executed was even more powerful than even Yang Kai’s. Moreover, Yang Kai’s Sun and Moon Divine Wheel only contained Space-Time Strength, but their version also had the power of Zhao Ya’s Spear Principles mixed in, which made it even more domineering.
Even though the trio had just broken through, this Secret Technique was not something that the Royal Lords could resist.
Unfortunately, the consumption of this Secret Technique was too great for the three of them, and they could only use it once a day; however, every time they did, a Royal Lord had died.
The Royal Lords naturally took note of this, and whenever the trio appeared, multiple Royal Lords would move to engage them in a fight to the death.
The Human Race Army kept wandering the battlefield and fighting, slaughtering countless Black Ink Clansmen, but the losses they sustained were also shocking.
This seemed to be a war that would not end until both sides were wiped from existence.
Despite having achieved far more than they ever had in any battle in the past, Mi Jing Lun on Pure Yang Pass did not feel happy, and that was because he could not see any hope of winning this war even now.
The two Giant Spirit Gods were still guarding the opening at the Grand Restriction. These two had restrained dozens of Royal Lords and even killed some occasionally, but they were conveyed in wounds and nobody knew how much longer they could persist. Once their support fell, the opening of the Grand Restriction would be left completely open and the Black Ink Clan could come pouring out in far vaster numbers.
Every Ninth-Order Master was draining a great amount of power. Not one of the 40-plus Ninth-Order Masters was without injury. Some had even sustained such great damage from the Royal Lords that they almost lost their lives.
Eighth-Order Masters were also struggling to maintain their Battle Formations. While the Battle Formations allowed the Eighth-Order Masters to become more powerful, it was also a burden on them, especially for those acting as the Core of the Formation. The pressure they faced was much more compared to that of the other Eighth-Order Masters.
It was not a problem for a short period, but it was difficult for even the Eighth-Order Masters to maintain a Battle Formation for an extended time.
At the beginning of the war, the Eighth-Order Masters were still able to form Seven Stars and Six Paths Formations, but even the Six Paths Formation could no longer be seen now. The strongest Battle Formations they were using were now just Five Elements Formations, while most of the Eighth-Order Masters were only maintaining the lowest Three Fortunes Formation to fight against their enemies.
It was not that they did not want to form stronger Battle Formations, but they were truly strong in will but weak in strength.
As for the soldiers under the Eighth Order, many had died when their Warships were destroyed.
The Purifying Black Ink Pills and Purifying Light were constantly being consumed, and no matter how much they had been saving up, they would see the bottom of their stock sooner or later.
Even the Small Stone Race Army, which Yang Kai had distributed to the Human Race Army beforehand, had been decimated.
The geography of the battlefield was also a major hindrance for the Humans. The ever-growing Black Ink Clouds and Black Ink Strength that filled the entire void seemed to be turning the battlefield into a Black Ink Ocean.
The Black Ink Clan were like fish in water in this environment, while the Humans were being heavily restricted.
The Divine Spirits roared as they fought, but even they could not change the course of this war.
As the fighting progressed until this point, not only were the Humans unable to see any trace of hope, but they were gradually being submerged in despair.
However, no one retreated, because they all knew that this was a war that could not be lost. If this war was lost, then the Human Race was likely to be wiped from existence.
Everyone was holding on, waiting for a chance to turn things around.
That glimmer of hope was now inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Naturally, it was the person who could create all kinds of miracles, and the one who has led the Humans on the path of survival for the past few thousand years.
It could be said that the current heritage and capital that the Human Race possessed that allowed them to carry out a second crusade had to be credited to him.
Nevertheless, he had not appeared yet.
So, there was still hope for the Human Race!
…..
The 700th World was a scene of doom.
Black Ink Strength had already spread throughout the entire World. Yang Kai followed the faint trace and found the hiding Mu. After Mu infused all her remaining power into his body, she disappeared without a trace.
In the 800th World, Yang Kai did not sense Mu’s presence at all. Without hesitation, he activated the power that Mu’s other shadows had left in his body and left this Universe World.
In the 900th world, peace reigned and everyone lived in harmony. Yang Kai successfully reunited with Mu and, with the help of the Profound Source Gate, suppressed and sealed Mo’s Source piece before leaving quickly.
The 1,000th World…
1,100th…
1,200th…
The cycle continued in a seemingly endless journey which Yang Kai was treading alone.
Sometimes, Yang Kai needed only to follow the faint sensation to find Mu and then use the Profound Source Gate to suppress and seal Mo’s Source piece; however, there were often times when things didn’t go as smoothly as he hoped. There were Universe Worlds where Black Ink Strength had spread everywhere, and even Mo’s Source piece had escaped. In these Universe Worlds, there was not much that Mu could do. She hid and waited for Yang Kai to arrive so that she could infuse the power of her shadow into his body.
To make matters worse, there were some Universe Worlds where Mu had already been killed. Even though she was the most powerful of the Martial Ancestors, her shadows were only a state from a certain period of her life, and within those periods, her strength was limited.
For example, in the 800th World, Black Ink Strength dominated everything and Mu’s shadow was missing. There was no reason for Yang Kai to even stay in such a World.
There were also some Worlds where Black Ink Strength and Mu’s powers competed against each other, similar to the situation in the Primordial World.
If Yang Kai had enough time, he wouldn’t mind lending a hand to Mu, cutting off the wings of Mo and suppressing and sealing pieces of its Source; however, through the messages transmitted by Wu Kuang from the jade pendant that he wore on his chest, Yang Kai knew that the situation both inside and outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was dire. He didn’t have any time to waste, so he could only give up when he encountered Worlds like these.
Mu’s shadow in these Worlds did not object to any of his decisions, always imbuing their power into his body.
Passing through one World after another, Yang Kai soon lost track of how many Source pieces he had suppressed and sealed. He only knew that the further he went, the greater the likelihood that an unexpected encounter would happen. Often, he would pass through many Universe Worlds in a row and still find it difficult to suppress and seal even one of Mo’s Source pieces.
He knew that his journey would most likely come to an end soon. Once he had suppressed and sealed enough pieces, Mo would awaken completely, and then he would have to face the most powerful existence in the World!
Yang Kai didn’t dare to linger. Besides wanting to suppress and seal even more pieces, he also wanted to take away all of Mu’s shadows from each Universe World!
This predecessor had done enough for the Human Race. Even though she had fallen, her life had been divided into 3,000 pieces and continued to protect the Human Race in the form of shadows.
How lonely those shadows must have been over the years. Taking them away was also a kind of liberation for them.
The power that the shadows infused into Yang Kai’s body at their final moments seemed unremarkable. It couldn’t even enhance Yang Kai’s strength in the slightest, but this inconspicuous power was proof of Mu’s existence and sacrifice.
This was the greatest kindness his predecessor had given to the Human Race, so it was only right as a successor to show how grateful he was.
There was little he could do for Mu. He could only try his best to free more of her shadows from their endless loneliness and waiting.
It wasn’t that he was unaware of the urgent situation the Human Race was facing outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. The information conveyed by Wu Kuang had already indicated that the Humans were not in a good state currently. The prolonged intensity of this war had made it difficult for them to hold on any longer.
Without external intervention, the Human Race would undoubtedly be defeated in this war, but Yang Kai was in no hurry to leave the Space-Time River despite knowing that. Because the enemies that the Human Race had to face were not only the Black Ink Clan Army, but also Mo.
Nobody had any idea just how powerful the legendary Creator Realm was, so Yang Kai could only suppress and seal as much of its Source as possible to weaken its power and increase the chances of the Human Race’s ultimate victory.
The towering bodies of the Giant Spirit Gods were covered in wounds. They roared and bellowed, driving back one Royal Lord after another, like two powerful lions encircled by a pack of hyenas. Despite their immense strength and overwhelming power, the huge disparity in numbers allowed their small foes to run rampant.
At this moment, there were almost 100 Royal Lords gathered around Ah Da and Ah Er!
The Giant Spirit Gods were powerful indeed, but they still had their limits in the end. Even together, Ah Da and Ah Er could barely handle the 100 or so Royal Lords attacking them all at once.
With the Giant Spirit Gods fully occupied, the Black Ink Clan were finally able to pour out of the Grand Restriction unrestrained. Powerful auras emerged from the opening one after another and joined the battlefield.
All the advantages that the Human Race Army had worked so hard to build up were melting away under the constant stream of enemy reinforcements.
The war had reached a most despairing point.
Yang Kai still had not shown up.
The Human Race Army had suffered huge losses in this battle. Whether it be their numbers or Warships they were relying on, it was hard to keep up.
The many defences deployed on Pure Yang Pass had also been blasted apart. At this moment, Pure Yang Pass was only covered by a few layers of the simplest defensive Arrays. If they were to take a few more attacks, then it was likely that even these last barriers would be broken.
Standing up on the wall, Mi Jing Lun sighed in his heart.
The limit of the Human Race had already been reached at this point of the battle. If they continued to engage, the last of their forces would be buried here.
[Have we failed? Have we not done enough?]
[No! That can’t be!] Since the Black Ink Clan invaded the 3,000 Worlds, thousands of years had gone by. The Human Race had not only recovered their homeland but also organized a strong force for a second crusade! They had crushed whatever stood in the way until they reached the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction! They had done well enough!
A few thousand years was a very short time for the development of an entire Race. That the Humans could recover from almost total annihilation to what they had today was a feat worth being proud of.
However, their enemy was simply too strong.
From Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the Black Ink Clan’s reinforcements kept coming, and no matter how many Royal Lords were killed, more would appear to take their place.
Even with the two Giant Spirit God’s to support them, it was impossible to stop this.
“Wu Kuang!” Mi Jing Lun called out through his surging Divine Sense, “How much longer will Junior Brother Yang take?”
“Not much longer,” Wu Kuang responded, “but we can’t just rely on him in this war. Once he finishes his side of things, Mo will completely awaken, so he will have his own opponent! And if Mo awakens, the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction will completely shatter. Once that happens, those hidden in the Grand Restriction will swarm out; when that happens, you will see the scale of the Black Ink Clan Army is much more than what you are currently seeing now.”
“Then, is he a match for Mo?” Mi Jing Lun asked another question.
Wu Kuang answered without hesitation, “Naturally not. If he were to face off against Mo with his current strength, a death without burial is sure to await him.”
Mi Jing Lun was silent for a moment, “So to say, what we, the Human Race, are up against, is an unscalable wall.”
Wu Kuang responded, “You could say that.”
“Then there’s no other way…”
“What are you planning to do?”
A bitter look appeared on Mi Jing Lun’s face, “Nothing. Junior Brother Yang told me about his encounters in the Universe Furnace previously, and he also mentioned something at the edge of the Universe. He anticipated the situation today before the war began, so he left a path for the Human Race to retreat to.”
Wu Kuang was surprised, “The edge of the Universe?”
“It’s a long story,” Mi Jing Lun did not have the time to explain in detail, “Junior Brother Yang told me that if the Human Race really was no match for the Black Ink Clan, there was no need for us to go down fighting. He told us to preserve our power as much as possible and he will bring our remaining kin to another World where we can find a suitable place to live.”
Wu Kuang wondered, “Such a place exists?”
Mi Jing Lun was honest, “I don’t know, but if Junior Brother Yang says it does, then it definitely exists.”
“If it does exist, it’s not a bad choice… I will try to buy you some more time. If you want to retreat, then go quickly. We can’t predict what will happen if things continue to drag on.”
“Many thanks,” Mi Jing Lun thanked him, knowing that Wu Kuang might put himself in danger by doing so; after all, the ones in charge of holding back the enemy while the Army retreated were always in the most dangerous position.
After coming to a decision, Mi Jing Lun did not hesitate any longer. In this current situation, every moment of delay would further increase the casualties to the soldiers.
However, to be forced from their homeland like this, to a new World in a place they did not know… It really was shameful.
But reality did not give the Humans much choice…
As he was about to pass down the order, Mi Jing Lun suddenly sensed something and turned to look into the distance.
He didn’t see anything at first, but in the next instant, a bright light swept over from that direction, and in the next instant, the distance grew much closer, and the light also became clearer.
[So fast!] Mi Jing Lun was astonished.
Right now, he was a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and if he exerted all his strength, he could reach immense speeds, but even at his best, he would probably not be able to reach a tenth of that light’s speed.
Such speed was not inferior even when compared to Yang Kai’s Instantaneous Movement.
[Who is that?]
The direction the light came from was from beyond the Spiritless Land, where the Human Race Army had also come from. In other words, the one arriving was most likely a Human Race Master.
But, was there such a Master among the Human Race? When the Army set out, all Masters who could participate in the battle were conscripted. Those who were left behind were either the old, the infirmed, the children, or those with insufficient cultivation. How could there be such a Master hidden among them still?
Just as Mi Jing Lun was feeling taken aback, the other Ninth-Order Masters and Royal Lords in the battlefield also sensed the unfamiliar aura.
Nobody paid attention when they first sensed it, as who would dare to be distracted when fighting a life-and-death battle? But in just a few breaths, all the Masters wore astonished looks on their faces.
It was because the unfamiliar aura was approaching the battlefield at a speed beyond what they could fathom, and following the approach of that aura, a powerful force that made even the Ninth-Order Masters and Royal Lords tremble pressed down on them!
In just an instant, the light pierced into the battlefield.
Since Mi Jing Lun first detected the aura until now, less than 10 breaths had passed.
He had been staring fixedly at it, but even with his current abilities in the Ninth Order, he couldn’t see the face of the person who was coming. He only vaguely saw what seemed to be wings open behind the person’s back, and it was from those wings that the dazzling light was flowing out. As this figure swept through the air, a long ribbon of light was drawn across the void.
What’s more, this figure disintegrated everything that stood in its way!
When the light broke into the battlefield, the Black Ink Clan Army which was fighting with great momentum melted away in swathes like snowflakes under the scorching Sun.
Wherever the light passed, flames of life were constantly being extinguished.
Even powerful Royal Lords were no match for the new arrival. One Royal Lord wanted to intercept them, but he suddenly froze in place before he could even make a move.
When the light swept past, fresh blood suddenly spurted from the neck of the Royal Lord as his head flew into the air.
The cut a huge swath through the middle of the Black Ink Clan Army and instantly arrived at the opening in the Grand Restriction.
This was the battlefield of two Giant Spirit Gods and many Royal Lords. The ordinary Black Ink Clansmen wouldn’t even dare to approach carelessly, and the Human Race Army were also incapable of fighting side by side with the Giant Spirit Gods here.
It could be said that Ah Da and Ah Er had been in an isolated and helpless position all this while.
It was only until now, when a powerful existence arrived to aid them.
Without any words, countless Sword Waves burst forth from the light, shooting towards various places in the void.
Black blood flew and cries of misery rang out as many Royal Lords’ auras were extinguished.
With support, Ah Da and Ah Er immediately turned from defence to offence, each one roaring and venting their pent-up rage.
In a short while, the intense battle suddenly calmed down, and Time and Space seemed to freeze at that moment.
Around 100 Royal Lords gathered in twos and threes, surrounding the two Giant Spirit Gods and the Master that suddenly appeared in the middle of them. Though their numbers were plentiful, each Royal Lord still had grave expressions on their faces.
This couldn’t be helped as numerous Royal Lords had already been killed in that short encounter just now. Moreover, all of them died under the hands of this unwelcome guest.
What infuriated them even more was the fact that they still couldn’t get a clear look at who it was that attacked them. They only knew that the strength of this Human was incredible.
But the Royal Lords were not the only ones who did not see the face of the new arrival. Even the Ninth-Order Masters did not see it either, and it was mainly because this person was too fast and everything happened within a very short amount of time.
Mi Jing Lun was already preparing to withdraw the Army, leaving the battlefield with the remnants of their forces and waiting for Yang Kai to lead them to a new World, but before the order could be given, a new, powerful helper appeared to aid them.
Only the Divine Spirits had a vague sense of who this was, especially Fu Guang. As the most powerful one among the Divine Spirits and a Divine Dragon of the Dragon Clan, he knew some secrets that the other Divine Spirits did not.
Feeling the aura of this person, he had some ideas.
The noisy and fierce battlefield also calmed down. The sudden silence that descended across the entire void during the midst of such a huge battle was truly unprecedented.
The dazzling light gradually faded, and under the attention of hundreds of millions of eyes, the face hidden until now was slowly revealed!
It was a young woman with a beautiful face. The pair of white feathered wings behind her gave off a warm aura that seemed to dispel all the darkness of the world.
Under the light of her feathered wings, the body of the person exuded inviolable power. Even Ninth-Order Masters would subconsciously glance away when they saw the face of that person.
“It’s her?” Mi Jing Lun had an astonished look on his face. He had imagined that the person coming would be a rare expert hidden among the Human Race, but he never thought it would actually be her of all people.
He remembered this woman; after all, he personally handled the selection for the Suppressing Black Ink Army back then. It could be said that he personally selected all 6,000 soldiers of the Suppressing Black Ink Army from each Army one by one.
The reason he remembered this woman in particular though was mainly because of her relationship with Yang Kai. She had also come from the Star Boundary and was a disciple of Langya Paradise. If not for these relations, he would not have chosen this woman to join the Suppressing Black Ink Army. Based on her potential, she should not have been qualified for it.
But what puzzled him was how this woman could actually become so powerful in the short 2,000 or so years he had not seen her.
He clearly remembered she had initially broken through to the Fifth Order. In other words, her limit in life should only be the Seventh Order.
But now, her power had not only surpassed the Seventh Order, it had reached a Realm that even he, a Ninth-Order Master, dared not look straight at.
Just from how she was cutting down Royal Lords like vegetables, she seemed to be even more powerful than the Giant Spirit Gods!
Mi Jing Lun was somewhat taken aback. It was simply difficult for him to comprehend what he was seeing in front of him.
“It’s her!” Fu Guang’s expression changed slightly. Just like Mi Jing Lun, he remembered this woman.
She was originally a member of the Suppressing Black Ink Army, but since Yang Kai sent the Suppressing Black Ink Army to this place back then, he took her away again for some unknown reason.
He may be the Army Commander of the Suppressing Black Ink Army, but he naturally would not interfere if Yang Kai wanted to take someone away. He did not even question why Yang Kai took her away in the first place.
Since then, they had not seen a trace of this young woman again.
Until today, when she appeared with awe-inspiring momentum!
In just a short 2,000 years, she had grown from a peak Seventh-Order Master to something even the Giant Spirit Gods would be wary of, so clearly some kind of transcendent events had been involved.
Perhaps it was all Yang Kai’s arrangement…
Moreover, Fu Guang was sensing some other aura from this woman, an aura that did not belong to a Human. It was such an extremely strong and pure aura that even he, a Divine Dragon, felt tense in its presence.
“Ruo Xi…” On the other side of the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, Gu Pan was staring at the familiar face and figure with her mind in a bundled mess.
She couldn’t help but recall the scene when this Junior Sister of hers first entered Langya Paradise. At that time, Ruo Xi was inexperienced and ignorant, and she had taken care of her in many because of their connection with Yang Kai. However, Gu Pan never expected that a day would come when this Junior Sister would grow to such a height that she could only look up to her.
Zhang Ruo Xi had always been unusual, which Gu Pan knew. For example, she had directly advanced to the Fifth Order, but somehow, she still had room for another breakthrough after reaching the peak of the Seventh Order. It was for this reason that Ruo Xi was taken away by Senior Brother Yang.
[Maybe Senior Brother Yang noticed something back then…]
After coming out of the Chaotic Dead Territory, Zhang Ruo Xi had rushed all the way here, but when she swept her eyes around, there was no trace of the person she was hoping to see, so a hint of disappointment flickered in her eyes.
She was not worried about whether her Sir was dead or not. [With Sir’s great strength and talent, he has ways of dealing with even the most dangerous of situations. If Sir is not here, then he has to be fighting against the Black Ink Clan in some unknown place.]
She couldn’t help but think back to the scene when Yang Kai entered the Chaotic Dead Territory the previous time.
In fact, she had left a thread of her consciousness out back then, but since she had to harmonize the powers of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer with her own body, she had no space to pay attention to anything else. So, she did not even get to exchange words with him.
Yang Kai’s arrival at that time made her realize the urgency of the situation, so after he left, she risked everything to accelerate the merging process. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
After she left her retreat, she immediately rushed to the Star Boundary. From there, she moved to the No-Return Pass where she learned about the crusade plan from the Void Guard stationed at the Universe Temple.
She changed directions and used the Space Arrays set up by the Void Guard to teleport to the outskirts of the Spiritless Land, then she rushed to the battlefield from there.
If not for that, it would have taken half a year to rush all the way here from the Chaotic Dead Territory even with her current ability…
“Fortunately, I didn’t arrive too late!” Zhang Ruo Xi cheered inwardly to herself. Scanning the battlefield with her beautiful eyes, she observed the difficult situation the Human Race Army was in.
Lifting her broadsword up high, which was the source of the sword waves that cut down the Royal Lords earlier.
In the quiet centre of the battlefield, under the attention of hundreds of millions of pairs of eyes, Zhang Ruo Xi slowly brought her hands together, holding the hilt of her broadsword with its tip pointing down, before she thrust it into the void at her feet.
A soft murmur came from her mouth, and though her voice was not loud, every living creature on the battlefield could hear it clearly.
“In my name, dispel the darkness!”
The wings behind her suddenly flapped open, and the aura emanating from the woman with her head down became even more resolute and inviolable.
A point of light bloomed where the sword point touched before it exploded out like a Great Sun, spreading in all directions at an incredible speed.
It was Purifying Light!
Since Yang Kai brought the Purifying Light out of the Chaotic Dead Territory, the Humans had used it to reverse many declining situations for thousands of years, and even used it to refine weapons like the Evil Purging Divine Spears, but no one had ever witnessed such a large-scale eruption of Purifying Light!
Even when Yang Kai sacrificed millions of Small Stone Race Soldiers to condense a burst of Purifying Light, that was like comparing a firefly to the bright moon that was the eruption today.
The roughly 100 Royal Lords gathered nearby were the first unlucky ones to be hit. When the light spread out, they were all immediately engulfed by it.
The pure light brought endless warmth and brightness to the Human Race, but it was like the vilest poison to the Black Ink Clan.
Howling, the Royal Lords tried to retreat, but the light was everywhere, enveloping them fully.
Rich Black Ink Strength was continuously bursting forth from their bodies, fighting against the erosion of the Purifying Light.
The light continued to spread out in all directions and countless Black Ink Clansmen wailed in agony. The auras of every Black Ink Clansman, from Innate Territory Lords, Acquired Territory Lords, to Feudal Lords, all were visibly weakening at an alarming rate.
Meanwhile, the thick Black Ink Clouds that had been built up on the battlefield these past months were wiped away, quickly melting away like snowflakes under the scorching Sun.
The dazzling light soon enveloped the entire battlefield.
For every passing moment, the energies in large numbers of Black Ink Clan soldiers were purified, causing them to fall in droves.
The light gradually faded, and the situation on the battlefield had undergone a remarkable reversal.
30% of the Black Ink Clan Army that numbered in the hundreds of millions had been wiped out by the eruption of the Purifying Light, and their previously tight formations were now filled with holes.
Worse still, the Black Ink Clouds and Black Ink Strength that had been accumulating all this time were basically gone.
These Black Ink Clouds that filled the battlefield had been severely restricting the Human Race Army’s performance, creating a hostile environment that hindered their movements. But now, the Black Ink Clouds were swept clean, and the terrain advantage that the Black Ink Clan enjoyed no longer existed!
In terms of environmental advantage, both sides were back now to square one.
And all of this was achieved with just one Secret Technique from Zhang Ruo Xi.
It was an astonishing feat!
Even though the Royal Lords, who had been repelled by the Purifying Light, had suffered severe damage to their foundations, they were now even more determined to kill Zhang Ruo Xi after witnessing her terrifying power.
They had no idea where this woman had come from, but they knew she possessed a tremendous power that could completely restrain the Black Ink Clan!
If this woman was not dealt with, the Black Ink Clan would be in great trouble.
What was more, the radiance of the wings behind Zhang Ruo Xi dimmed significantly after she brought out that burst of Purifying Light, and her delicate face was tinged with an unusual scarlet from her exertion.
It was obvious that activating such a mighty Purifying Light explosion came at a cost to her.
Now was the time when she was at her weakest; if they didn’t kill her now, when would they?
So, despite being extremely wary of Zhang Ruo Xi, the Royal Lords still swarmed towards her. They were originally focused on restraining the Giant Spirit God’s, Ah Da and Ah Er, but now, all of them had changed targets.
Compared to the Giant Spirit Gods, Zhang Ruo Xi was their true nemesis!
Figures in all directions rushed towards Zhang Ruo Xi, aiming for her life. Ah Da and Ah Er roared in anger, and though they were able to hold down a group of Royal Lords with their powerful strength, they couldn’t stop all of them. Even the group of Royal Lords that were stopped had volunteered to stay behind to pin down the two Giant Spirit Gods.
The remaining Royal Lords only had Zhang Ruo Xi in their eyes, each one displaying intense murderous intent.
Amidst the Human Race Army, many Ninth-Order Masters grew anxious at this sight.
Zhang Ruo Xi was able to change the course of the battle with her power as soon as she appeared. Being able to control Purifying Light at will was the most vital weapon the Human Race needed at the moment.
If she were killed like this, then even the last hope of the Human Race would be gone.
Even if Zhang Ruo Xi had previously demonstrated strength that surpassed even the Giant Spirit Gods, it was obvious that bringing forth Purifying Light of such a scale consumed a lot of her strength. While she was now weakened, dozens of Royal Lords rushed towards her at once, and no one knew if she still had strength left to defend herself with.
So, just as the Royal Lords took action, Mi Jing Lun roared in anger, “All soldiers, follow me into battle!”
The massive Pure Yang Pass was the first to charge out, heading directly towards Zhang Ruo Xi while the various Armies followed closely behind.
Mi Jing Lun always had the appearance of a dignified scholar, and he was indeed a resourceful and shrewd man whose greatest strength was his strategic mind. Even in the most critical of situations, nobody had ever seen him lose his cool.
Especially now that Pure Yang Pass was considered the Human Race’s Command Centre, it should have been guarded by the Human Race Army while remaining in the rear. However, how could Mi Jing Lun care about such things in this critical situation?
One could even say that this was a gamble. Pure Yang Pass’s mobilization had disrupted the Human Race Grand Army’s tight formation. If they failed to save Zhang Ruo Xi now, then the first one to be annihilated when the Blank Ink Clan surrounded them would be Pure Yang Pass.
However, time waited for no one on the battlefield. Mi Jing Lun could not afford to wait and make preparations and plans. Urgently, he compelled Pure Yang Pass forward in hopes that he could arrive at Zhang Ruo Xi’s side in time.
Pure Yang Pass and the Royal Lords moved at the same time, and Zhang Ruo Xi was clearly able to sense this. Understanding what her allies were thinking, she couldn’t help but laugh as she called out, “No need to be anxious, Supreme Commander Mi. Since I’ve come, I have the ability to protect myself. Don’t forget, it was Sir who taught me everything I know.”
While she was speaking, the Royal Lords had already closed in on her, hoping to kill her off quickly. The Royal Lords who were wounded by the Purifying Light did not hold back in the slightest. Each one of the attacks they used was the strongest in their arsenal.
Instantly, terrifying powers broke out, and they were all converging on Zhang Ruo Xi’s position.
This was different from their fight with the Giant Spirit Gods earlier, where they were mainly focusing on restraining them. That was because the Royal Lords knew that trying to quickly kill the Giant Spirit Gods would cost them a lot. The lives of many Royal Lords would have to be sacrificed if they were to attempt such a thing.
What was more, once the Supreme One awakened, what would these trivial Giant Spirit Gods count for?
It was with those considerations that the Royal Lords maintained the intensity of their fight with the Giant Spirit Gods, but they did not reach a point where their lives were put at stake.
However, it was different when facing Zhang Ruo Xi. Purifying Light was something that even the Royal Lords feared greatly. Either they killed this woman, or they would be the ones to die!
That was why no Royal Lord dared to hold back and all of them charged at her with all the strength they had!
Dozens of Heaven Destroying, Earth Shattering attacks surged forward, causing even space to shatter, but at the centre of this onslaught, Zhang Ruo Xi remained calm and composed without any hint of panic.
She raised the broadsword in her hand and lightly tapped the Void in front of her.
As the Void warped, a Void Corridor was instantly formed. No one knew where the Void Corridor led, but a powerful aura was rapidly approaching from within the dark passage, surpassing even that of any Royal Lord or Ninth-Order Master.
All the Royal Lords paled at the sight and became even more fierce in their attacks; however, before their attacks could land, a figure appeared from the Void Corridor, then two, then three…
In the blink of an eye, eight figures had emerged from the passage, guarding the space surrounding Zhang Ruo Xi.
Only now did the Royal Lords who had come close realize the true faces of these unexpected guests.
Small Stone Race Masters!
Many Small Stone Race Soldiers had appeared on the battlefield previously. They seemed to be peculiar creatures controlled by the Human Race that could fight alongside the Humans; however, their strength was not generally too high, and after a series of intense battles, almost all from the Small Stone Race had been killed.
Even the Royal Lords never expected that this woman who appeared out of nowhere could also control the Small Stone Race, and for the Small Stone Race she summoned to be so… ridiculously powerful.
The aura emanating from each of these Small Stone Race Masters was comparable to that of a Ninth-Order Master, or possibly even more powerful. Moreover, there were eight of them!
These were Zhang Ruo Xi’s Personal Guard, a force that had never been seen before.
Yang Kai was the only one who knew about the existence of these Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters. When he went to the Chaotic Dead Territory last time, he had experienced their might, and he knew that they were created through the harmonization of Yin and Yang by Zhang Ruo Xi using her Heavens Order Bloodline.
However, even Yang Kai did not fully know how many Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters had been born in the Chaotic Dead Territory. He only had an estimate.
Back then, he had also attempted to bring them under him through the Great Sun and Moon Marks, but he had unfortunately failed. At that time, he speculated that the only person who could control them was Zhang Ruo Xi; so, even though he thought it was a pity, he ultimately gave up on them.
As it turned out, he was right.
There were a total of eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters, and their auras were linked as soon as they appeared, instantly forming a magnificent Battle Formation.
At the centre of this Battle Formation was Zhang Ruo Xi, who was being protected by them.
The eyes of the Ninth-Order Masters who rushed over were bulging when they saw this, with Ou Yang Lie exclaiming, “An Eight Trigrams Formation!”
The simplest Battle Formations was the Three Fortunes Formation, followed by the Four Symbols, Five Elements, Six Paths, Seven Stars, Eight Trigrams, and finally the Nine Palaces. The increase of each stage was based on the increase of cultivators involved.
The stronger the Battle Formation, and the higher the cultivations of those involved, the harder it was to form.
Perhaps there were some parties who could cooperate intimately under the High-Rank Open Heaven Realms that were able to form the Eight Trigrams or even Nine Palaces Formations, but once the cultivation level reached the High-Rank Open Heaven Realms, it was difficult for higher Battle Formations to be formed.
In the existing records, the highest Battle Formation that Seventh-Order Masters could form was the Nine Palaces Formation, which was a miracle achieved by the Dawn Squad under Yang Kai’s leadership. Besides him, nobody else in the Seventh Order had achieved such a feat. Even the Eight Trigrams Formation was difficult to maintain for Seventh-Order Masters because the pressure on the person acting as the Core was too much.
Meanwhile, the strongest Battle Formation that Eighth-Order Masters could form was the Eight Trigrams Formation, which was used to kill Pseudo-Royal Lords. However, every time Eighth-Order Masters formed such a Battle Formation, the backlash resulted in some, if not all of them perishing!
From this, it can be seen that it was extremely difficult for High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters to form higher-level Battle Formations.
As for the Ninth-Order Masters… Generally, no one would form a Battle Formation. Not because it was impossible; at the very least, the simplest Three Fortunes Formation could be maintained, but because there were only so many Ninth-Order Masters. Even if forming a Battle Formation could make one stronger, it also consumed manpower and reduced flexibility. The Ninth-Order Masters were already the strongest fighting force of the Human Race, so rather than concentrating all their power in one Formation, it was better to let them act independently, which could better bring out their abilities.
Theoretically, however, Ninth-Order Masters should be able to form Four Symbols Formations, but anything higher may not be possible unless they had someone like Yang Kai to act as the Formation Core. With his Divine Dragon body, he should be able to bear the burden of a Five Elements Formation.
As for a Six Paths Formation… The possibility most likely only existed in theory.
But what were the Ninth-Order Masters witnessing at this moment?
Eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters had instantly formed an Eight Trigrams Formation. Even though they were separate individuals, they could perfectly form into a single entity without any strain.
Such an incredible feat would be hard to believe if one did not witness it with their own eyes.
Eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters joining forces formed an impenetrable barrier around Zhang Ruo Xi.
Despite the attacks of the dozens of Royal Lords connecting as was expected, their Heaven destroying, Earth shattering techniques could not even budge the Small Stone Race in the slightest!
One should know that an attack of this level would injure even a Giant Spirit God.
The Royal Lords were shocked beyond measure, but before they could react, a bright sword beam began to flicker, and the figure of Zhang Ruo Xi, who was protected in the centre by her Personal Guards, suddenly blurred.
This just happened to be a moment when the Royal Lords were putting their all into delivering their most powerful attacks, so they did not have time to circulate energy into defending themselves.
As a sword light flickered, black blood and heads flew…
In an instant, the auras of nearly 10 Royal Lords swelled up before fading away.
The surviving Royal Lords all retreated in shock. They had been living in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction for their entire lives, so they had little understanding of the Human Race. However, they had been fighting against the Giant Spirit Gods for months now, and they had the assumption that the Giant Spirit Gods were the last trump cards of the Humans.
It was not until this moment that they realized that there was a more terrifying existence in this world besides the Giant Spirit Gods.
An existence of this level was something that perhaps only the Supreme One could defeat.
The surviving Royal Lords wanted to escape, but soon enough, they realized that they were not only being pursued by the winged woman, but also by the Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters!
The moment Zhang Ruo Xi took action, so did the eight, who had formed the Eight Trigrams Formation. They spread out the Battle Formation and all charged towards the Royal Lords.
The Royal Lords were caught in an extremely unlucky situation, but even though they had been injured by the Purifying Light before, they still had the heritage of Royal Lords and were not afraid of a single Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Master.
However, they soon realized that something was not right as they clashed with these Small Stone Race Masters. There was something unusual about the strength displayed by them, and it seemed to far exceed what should be expected.
Upon closer inspection, they were shocked to discover that the aura of these Small Stone Race Masters were still closely connected to each other despite the fact that all of them were seemingly fighting alone. Most crucially, their auras were constantly changing and they could form different Battle Formations at any time or switch which one served as the Core of that Battle Formation at will.
The Masters who had rushed over to help also noticed this, and all of them had incredulous expressions on their faces because what they saw before them was impossible according to everything they understood.
When Human Race Masters formed Battle Formations, they had to take great care in maintaining the connection of their auras. The worst possibility was if a Battle Formation collapsed due to the link being broken. Each time Humans assumed Battle Formations, the Masters had to divert some of their attention to maintaining its operation.
However, when they looked at these Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters, it seemed that their control over their auras had reached an instinctual level. They could disperse or form any Battle Formation in an instant. One might think they were alone, but in fact, they had seven other ‘Brothers’ behind them who could help to crush their enemies at any time!
They were just like parts of a single entity…
As the group of Human Masters watched on, they felt both amazed and ashamed.
They had no idea how these Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters did it, but they knew that the Humans could never achieve such a thing. Even if they had full and complete trust in each other, each individual among their Race had their own way of thinking. Even more fundamentally, there were differences in strength and aura among Humans, so achieving a perfect balance was just now feasible.
The appearance of the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Personal Guard not only helped to relieve Zhang Ruo Xi’s crisis, but also opened up a counterattack opportunity against the Royal Lords under Zhang Ruo Xi’s leadership.
But that was not the end of it. The Void Corridor that Zhang Ruo Xi had created with her amazing skills did not disappear. Following closely behind the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters, more of the Small Stone Race Soldiers stepped out from it.
They continued emerging in an endless stream, too many to even be counted…
In just a short amount of time, an Army of millions had gathered outside the Void Corridor. Even though there weren’t many Masters among them, their numbers were still a sight to behold.
And all this was just the beginning.
As even more emerged, they soon began covering the void, filling one’s field of vision.
Previously, when they were facing the constant influx of Black Ink Clan reinforcements from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the Human Race were at a loss, and there were even those who wished that they had their own reinforcements, too.
At this moment, that seemingly impossible wish was being fulfilled; moreover, these Small Stone Race Soldiers were somewhat different from the ones that the Humans had encountered before.
Due to their low sentience, the Small Stone Race acted almost entirely on instinct. This meant that without being refined and controlled by the Humans, they were just like scattered sand and it was difficult for them to unleash their full potential in large-scale warfare.
However, those that walked out of the Void Corridor at this moment had formed one imposing and uniform Army!
The first Small Stone Race Army to come out did not blindly charge at the Black Ink Clan, but scattered apart to guard the Void Corridor so that even more of their companions could emerge.
It was as if someone was commanding and controlling them!
Many Human Race Masters who realised this turned their gaze to the figure who was slaughtering the Royal Lords and drawing an endless stream of wails from them.
She was perhaps the only person who could command and control so many of them!
“The Chaotic Dead Territory!” Mi Jing Lun realized where the Void Corridor led to. For so many Small Stone Race Masters to come out, the place the Void Corridor was connected with had to be the Chaotic Dead Territory, a paradise for the Small Stone Race. According to Yang Kai, the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer had nurtured countless of them, and the ones he brought out and handed to the Human Race were simply scavenged from the Chaotic Dead Territory.
“Assist them in guarding the Void Corridor!” Mi Jing Lun made an immediate decision and changed his previous order.
Zhang Ruo Xi no longer needed help from the Humans to save her, but whether it be the Void Corridor that was connected to the Chaotic Dead Territory or the opening at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, those places needed to be guarded, and they were also the key locations that would help the Human Race Army turn defeat into victory!
Everyone was glad since the two entrances were not far away from each other, so they would not have to scatter their forces too much to guard both points.
At the same time as when Mi Jing Lun gave his order, some of the Masters from the Black Ink Clan realized that things were taking a bad turn for them. Large Armies of Small Stone Race were constantly pouring out of the Void Corridor that led who-knew-where. In just a short while, tens of millions of them have come out.
If they did not bring down that Void Corridor, then it would not take very long for the Small Stone Race to even the playing field with them in terms of numbers; and if that were to happen, then it would not simply be the Humans that they had to deal with.
While the Human Race Army were rushing to the Void Corridor, many Masters from the Black Ink Clan led their own subordinates in the same direction.
The Void Corridor to the Chaotic Dead Territory had instantly become a focal point of the battlefield, catching the attention of millions of pairs of eyes.
Even though the Human Race Army moved sooner than the Black Ink Clan, they were also further away; so, when they were only halfway there, the Black Ink Army had already surrounded the Void Corridor in all directions, but the emergence of the Small Stone Race had also diverted much of their attention, which resulted in the situation becoming much safer for the Human Race.
A war that was even more intense from the fight between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan broke out.
Although the Human Race Army was completely made up of elite soldiers, they were very limited in numbers. During the previous confrontation, the Human Race Army’s strategy was to use superior mobility to slaughter as many enemies caught in their path as possible. Rarely would they engage in large-scale head-to-head confrontations with the Black Ink Clan.
The current situation with the Small Stone Race was different. They were desperately defending the Void Corridor, so there was simply no way to retreat or escape. Once the Black Ink Clan Army were to come in from all directions, both sides would immediately break out into a stunning battle.
Both sides were like two colliding torrents with countless bodies caught in the rolling waves.
Those from the Small Stone Race were constantly incurring casualties, but their numbers were also being replenished continuously. Even though they were far inferior to the Black Ink Clan in terms of numbers, with Battle Formations and momentum, they managed to hold their ground.
It was as if there was an invisible hand that was controlling everything about the Small Stone Race, so that these creatures that were supposed to have little sentience and could only act on instinct could now be moulded into a single strict Army that knew when to advance or retreat.
There were not too many Masters among the Small Stone Race, and the drawbacks of that were soon apparent.
This was Yang Kai’s inadvertent mistake when he took so many Eighth-Order and Seventh-Order Small Stone Race Masters with him on his last trip to the Chaotic Dead Territory, resulting in the Small Stone Race Army lacking Masters among them.
The small number of Eighth-Order Small Stone Race Masters here were no match for the Pseudo-Royal Lords, so no matter how much they replenished their numbers, it took only a few moments of fighting before the Black Ink Army were able to find opportunities to rip several openings into their line of defence.
Fortunately, the Human Race Army arrived just in time. Under Mi Jing Lun’s command, the Humans immediately split into several groups and plugged into the different openings to fill them. With the help of the Ninth-Order Masters, they were able to hold their line, albeit only barely.
The situation was still not looking optimistic.
The Black Ink Clan Army’s attack was growing increasingly intense, and if the Small Stone Race Army couldn’t gather enough mass, then there was still a risk of their lines being broken through.
The Small Stone Race in the Void Corridor were already gathering their troops at the maximum speed possible, but they could only barely keep up with the rate of their casualties.
The defensive line kept on shrinking and the space for the joint forces of the Small Stone Race and the Human Race to move around in was constantly being constricted.
Black Ink Clan seemed to have found a ray of hope and was attacking more and more aggressively.
Originally, Zhang Ruo Xi’s emergence and ruthless slaughter were enough to deter the Royal Lords who were eager to attack, and now, no Royal Lord dared to come out from the Grand Restriction, fearing that they would be killed next.
However, one Royal Lord saw the situation from the opening of the Grand Restriction and rushed out without care to hold back the Ninth-Order Masters and put pressure on the opposing forces.
Now, the defence line being held up by the Human Race Army and the Small Stone Race Army was in danger of collapsing at any moment.
Once the defence line collapsed, not only would they not be able to defend the Void Corridor, but even the Human Race Army that came to help would also be caught in the Black Ink Clan’s encirclement. At that point, other than the Ninth-Order Masters who had the ability to escape, the others would all be at great risk.
Red-eyed, Ah Da was fighting a group of Royal Lords. He had always been silly and foolish, so he was surrounded by the Royal Lords previously until he was covered in injuries. Now, he only wanted to kill his enemies ruthlessly without a care for anything else.
On the other hand, Ah Er, who was smarter, noticed the situation on the Human Race Army’s side, but he was powerless to help even though he wanted to. Just like Ah Da, he was surrounded by Royal Lords and was simply unable to divert his attention unless he could get rid of them.
The only ones they could put their hopes on, Zhang Ruo Xi and her eight Personal Guard, were still chasing after the Royal Lords who had scattered and fled in all directions.
There were dozens of Royal Lords at first, but only a little over 10 of them remained, all of whom were agile with their movements and had good luck, but under her pursuit, they would also fall sooner or later.
She did not seem to have any intention of coming to their rescue.
Just as the battlefield on the joint Army’s side reached a limit and their defence was about to collapse, Zhang Ruo Xi, who was chasing after the Royal Lords, suddenly stopped in place and without even looking, lightly clenched a fist in the direction of the Void Corridor.
With this clenched fist, Heaven and Earth hummed and trembled.
All over the battlefield, yellow and blue lights suddenly started moving. These lights came from the remains of the Small Stone Race Soldiers that were scattered among the Black Ink Clan Army!
Since they did not possess flesh, if they were torn to pieces, not a drop of blood would flow out. They would only turn into pieces of stone like this.
The power that nurtured them still remained in the debris.
It was naturally the powers of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, the purest power of Yin and Yang.
As the light emerged, all of the Black Ink Clansmen who were enveloped by it had frightened looks on their faces. They had no idea what the yellow and blue colours represented, but they had witnessed the power of the Purifying Light that Zhang Ruo Xi had brought forth before.
That was why the Black Ink Clan had gained an instinctive fear of this strange light.
Most of the Black Ink Clan were still shocked by the changes around them. A few of the sharper Masters wanted to retreat when they noticed the situation turning against them, but how could they have the time to run?
The defence line of the Human Race and the Small Stone Race had been suppressed again and again. The Black Ink Clan Army surrounded them on all sides and were pressing hard, passing through the remnants of countless fallen Small Stone Race along the way.
It could be said that the Black Ink Clan’s frontline Army was now fighting amidst a sea of the Small Stone Race Soldiers’ broken remains.
The yellow and blue colours swirled together, quickly turning into a dazzling pure white light that was scattered at first, but in the blink of an eye, condensed together.
The white light was like an ocean, covering the vast battlefield!
From within that white light, the countless screams and wails from the Black Ink Clan rang out. Regardless of their cultivation, all of their bodies began to sizzle as if they had fallen into a wok of boiling oil, and following that phenomenon, the Black Ink Strength in their body began to dissipate and become purified.
Those caught in the centre of the white light were the most greatly affected, and soon, those with insufficient cultivation perished. Even if some managed to survive, their foundations were severely damaged.
The best time to cull them was now, when they were weakened, and the counterattack of the Human Race and Small Stone Race Armies commenced in an instant!
The Small Stone Race members were being controlled by Zhang Ruo Xi, who naturally would not miss such a good opportunity, and when the Humans saw the flowing yellow and blue lights, they realized what was about to happen.
After all, they had witnessed this kind of scene before from Yang Kai.
So, before Mi Jing Lun could even give the order, the Human Race Army had already blown the horn to begin their attack alongside the Small Stone Race Army.
On Pure Yang Pass, Mi Jing Lun sighed in his heart, [No wonder Zhang Ruo Xi said that she was taught everything she knew by Yang Kai. This manner of dealing with her enemies is carved from the same mould.]
The Black Ink Clan Army suffered grave losses due to being caught off guard in this unexpected situation, and the troops on the frontline were completely annihilated almost instantaneously. Even several of the Royal Lords, who had jumped into the battle from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, died in this trap.
The defensive line that had been suppressed to the limit began to expand in all directions, and with the collapse of their Army in the frontlines, the Black Ink Clan’s rear also quickly withdrew.
By the time the dazzling light subsided, the intense exchange of offence and defence had ended as well.
The joint Army’s defence line was restored to its previous state, but they did not continue pursuing the fleeing Black Ink Clan; not because they did not want to, but because they could not.
Right now, their main focus was protecting the Void Corridor that led to the Chaotic Dead Territory.
As they watched the Small Stone Race Army gather in the void from afar, the Black Ink Clan was overcome with grief and anger.
The Black Ink Clan possessed too many advantages over the Humans. They were created from Black Ink Nests, so they could be bred in numbers sufficient to crush the Humans. Moreover, their Black Ink Strength was also extremely disadvantageous for Humans. If the Humans wanted to fight with them, they had to make all sorts of preparations beforehand; for example, they had to take their Purifying Black Ink Pills just so they could defend against being corrupted.
This was their racial superiority, granted to them by their creator. Nobody could change that imbalance.
However, when compared to the Small Stone Race, the superiority of the Black Ink Clan crumbled.
The Small Stone Race may not be able to reproduce as quickly as the Black Ink Clan, but they had an advantage in comparison to the Human Race. They had no fear of Black Ink Strength, and they were even extremely sensitive to it. If nobody was controlling them, then they would simply rush to where Black Ink Strength was densest.
But what disgusted the Black Ink Clan the most was the fact that these Small Stone Race Soldiers treated them as mortal enemies when they were alive, and when they were dead, the powers remaining in their bodies could still be drawn out to condense Purifying Light that perfectly countered Black Ink Strength.
Having suffered a huge loss twice already, the surviving Black Ink Clan soldiers no longer dared to act rashly.
So what if they wiped out those from the Small Stone Race? Without the ability to dispose of their corpses, the rubble that was left behind was still a great weapon against the Black Ink Clan!
Looking from afar, the Black Ink Clan Army was hesitant to act.
The Small Stone Race was beginning to show some unusual movements. Everywhere the Human Race Army was located, a Small Stone Race Army would be there, opening up a passage to the rear.
Initially, the Humans did not understand what they were trying to do, but soon, the Humans realised and reacted.
The Small Stone Race Army had taken the initiative to open a passage to the Void Corridor so as to allow the Human Race Army to head inside to guard it. At the same time, the Small Stone Race Army surrounded the interior, the area around the Void Corridor, in layers so that the Human Race Army had the chance to recuperate peacefully for a while.
This was clearly Zhang Ruo Xi’s intention. It was simply impossible for those of the Small Stone Race to decide on such an action by themselves with their low sentience.
Many of the Human Race Masters were overjoyed.
After months of fighting such a fierce battle, they hardly had any time to rest and recuperate. Each Army was about to reach their limits, and even the Ninth-Order Masters were no longer at their peak; otherwise, Mi Jing Lun would not have had the idea of withdrawing the whole Army previously.
No one could have thought that a safe place for them to rest and readjust their conditions would still be able to exist in the middle of such an intense battlefield.
Even though this time to recuperate would not last for long, in these circumstances, any time they had for recuperation was precious.
So, after they understood what the Small Stone Race Army’s intentions were, the Human Race Army did not hesitate to retreat to the direction of the Void Corridor.
The openings were once again filled in by the densely packed troops of the Small Stone Race Army. Looking at the Small Stone Race figures that filled the void in all directions, the Humans could not help but feel a sense of security, and the tension that had been building up in their minds over months had also eased up completely.
A large number of pills were distributed, as well as various combat supplies.
This time, the Human Race no longer held any reservations. They used up all the supplies that they had been saving up since this was their last battle. This battle was about the survival of their Race, and if they were to win, they would remain the Masters of this world, but if they were to lose, then there would be no Humans left.
What was the point of rationing supplies at these times? Naturally, they should restore the strength of their Army as much as possible in preparation for the final battle.
Soldiers of the Small Stone Race were still constantly coming out of the Void Corridor, and their number was growing bigger and bigger. The surviving Black Ink Clansmen would not dare to act rashly anymore.
Masters from the Black Ink Clan were all looking at the Small Stone Race, all of them feeling a throbbing headache over the situation.
Moreover, what they had to deal with now was not only the joint forces of the Small Stone Race and Human Race Army…
When Ah Da and Ah Er were joined by the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters on the other side of the battlefield, the Royal Lords who were attacking the two Giant Spirit Gods were caught off guard. They were all so shocked that their souls nearly left their bodies.
The eight Small Stone Race Masters had appeared, so that woman must not be far behind!
It was only then that the Black Ink Clan discovered, to their horror, that all the Royal Lords who had participated in the attack against Zhang Ruo Xi had fallen.
This sent chills down the spines of all the Royal Lords.
One had to know that there had been dozens of Royal Lords working together, and yet such a powerful force had been decimated in such a short time!
The number of Royal Lords surrounding Ah Da and Ah Er was not far from the number of Royal Lords who went to attack Zhang Ruo Xi, but their allies had all been killed, so they were probably next on the chopping block.
When they noticed Zhang Ruo Xi’s aura approaching from afar, many Royal Lords left Ah Da and Ah Er and turned around, making for the opening in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Together, they instantly broke through the defence line of the Small Stone Race Army and plunged into the Grand Restriction without even glancing back.
For some of them, it had only been days ago they were dreaming of escaping this cage called the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and conquering everything before their eyes. They had waited millions of years for this dream to come true.
However, the feelings of joy did not last long. They had now realised that there was no safer place in this Universe than the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Unless the Supreme One woke up, no one could stop that woman’s massacre!
With nearly half of the Royal Lords who were restricting them out of the way, and with eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters assisting them, the two Giant Spirit Gods turned the tide in an instant.
Ah Da reached out and grabbed a Royal Lord who was trying to escape and, with a roar of rage, stuffed the Royal Lord into his mouth.
No matter how hard the Royal Lord struggled, he could not shake off his huge hand.
Once he had been sent into the large abyss, Ah Da bit down on him.
As if he were biting into a worm, black blood spurted between his teeth and the Royal Lord’s aura was instantly obliterated.
Ah Da then roared, venting his anger…
He was a powerful Giant Spirit God, yet he was being put into such a miserable situation under the encirclement of the Royal Lords. This insult was simply unbearable.
Ah Er did not stay idle either; he punched and kicked, each blow appearing simple, but could in fact crush a large piece of the void, blocking the Royal Lords’ plans of escaping.
The wings on Zhang Ruo Xi’s back flapped, sending her across the battlefield as a long pure white band of light trailed behind her in an exceptionally beautiful sight.
She did not care about the battlefield where the Giant Spirit Gods were and instead charged straight past it and into the opening of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Many other Royal Lords were watching the battlefield from within the Grand Restriction, including those who had fled back inside.
They thought that they were safe inside the Grand Restriction…
But then disaster followed.
A commotion erupted at the opening, and Royal Lords were being slaughtered rapidly, their miserable screams ringing in the void.
At the centre of the Small Stone Race Army’s defences, among the Human Race Soldiers who were recuperating near the Void Corridor, countless Masters looked on in awe at this amazing scene. They had never felt as good and as happy as they were at this moment.
“Now that gets the blood going!” Ou Yang Lie quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead as he refined the medicinal efficacies of his Spirit Pills.
Even he did not expect Zhang Ruo Xi to enter the Grand Restriction. It was truly an attention-capturing event, especially since that was where the Black Ink Clan’s Mother Nest or Source was located. Who knew how many Royal Lords were gathering inside?
He had met Zhang Ruo Xi a few times before and knew that this woman was very close to Yang Kai, but he had never known that she was this powerful.
But what tickled his curiosity even more was how this woman’s shocking cultivation had come about. The power that she wielded had already surpassed that of the Giant Spirit Gods!
There were still an indistinct but large number of figures standing around at the opening, and many more of the Black Ink Clan’s reinforcements were pouring out to provide support on the battlefield.
However, Zhang Ruo Xi rushed in and cut them all down like vegetables, sweeping the entrance clean until no more of their figures could be seen, and the Black Ink Clan’s reinforcements also came to an abrupt halt.
It was not until an hour later that a figure emerged from the opening, the wings behind her back still as glossy as jade, a sight that dazzled all that beheld it.
“Damn woman… Have some consideration for the elderly!” The voice of Wu Kuang rang out beside Ruo Xi’s ears, sounding slightly helpless.
He was tasked with controlling the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and was united as one with it in a sense, so every time the Grand Restriction was ripped open, he would suffer a certain amount of backlash.
The openings that happened previously were mostly done of his own accord, so he could control them to a certain extent.
However, when Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly rushed in…
The large opening in the Grand Restriction had been torn apart three times before, and though Royal Lords could pass through it, it was still not enough for someone like Zhang Ruo Xi to pass through.
Just now, Wu Kuang had almost shrieked when he saw Zhang Ruo Xi rushing over. From his standpoint, it was as if an unstoppable force was charging at him.
Even though he expanded the opening as fast as he could, he was still caught off guard by Zhang Ruo Xi’s sudden charge and he could not regain control for a while.
The feeling was just like having his entire being ripped apart.
And that was why he had to complain.
Zhang Ruo Xi smiled, more or less understanding Wu Kuang’s meaning. She then apologised, “Forgive me, Senior. It was Junior who was reckless.”
She was strong, beautiful, had a sweet voice and a pleasant demeanor, so what could Wu Kuang say? After holding it in for a while, he let out a sigh and muttered, “You did well.”
While others could not see what was going on inside the Grand Restriction, he could still feel a thing or two since he was in control of it.
Within an hour of Zhang Ruo Xi entering the Grand Restriction, no less than 30 Royal Lords had been executed! As for the weaker Black Ink Clansmen, countless had perished.
If not for the fact that the Grand Restriction was indeed unsuitable for long fights, Zhang Ruo Xi would not have come out so quickly. Instead, she would probably have continued fighting for as long as possible before reemerging.
“Senior is too generous. Junior has only done what was necessary.” She looked up into the void.
In the hour since she disappeared, something else had changed on the battlefield.
The most obvious one was the fact that Ah Da and Ah Er had finally been freed from their predicament.
The two Giant Spirit Gods had been besieged by dozens of Royal Lords and were having trouble getting out, but thanks to Zhang Ruo Xi’s deterrent, nearly half of the enemies had fled back into the Grand Restriction.
The remaining half were no match for the two Giant Spirit Gods and the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters and were soon smashed into pulp.
At the same time, the Small Stone Race Army, which had been guarding the Void Corridor all this while, began to move as well.
Up until then, they had been firmly guarding the space around the Void Corridor and even had the strength left to provide a sanctuary for the tired Human Race Soldiers to rest and recuperate.
But as time passed, more and more Small Stone Race Soldiers emerged from the passage.
There were now over 100 million of them, and even more continued to pour out.
No one had any guesses as to just now many Small Stone Race Soldiers there were gathered at the other end of the Void Corridor still.
The number of troops that the Small Stone Race had had already surpassed that of the surviving Black Ink Clan Army.
So, they attacked with determination. Divisions of the Small Stone Race Army launched themselves like rockets in the direction of the Black Ink Clan Army, holding them down in an endless spree of slaughter.
A battle broke out again, but this time, the attacking and defending parties were reversed.
In the short time that passed, the Small Stone Race had already amassed enough forces to confront the Black Ink Clan head-on.
The Black Ink Clan was still massive in number, but they were being purged at an astonishing rate, demonstrating that they were also exhausted and defenceless. The smartest option now would be to make a strategic retreat.
But where else could they retreat to other than the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction? The void within Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was their home, their foundation, but even if they could escape, the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction could not move.
To retreat back to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, they had to first break through the Small Stone Race Army’s blockade.
As a result, the Black Ink Clan Army had no choice but to fight. As for the consequences that could arise from killing them, the Black Ink Clan lacked the energy to care right now.
By the time Zhang Ruo Xi showed up, the two Armies had already been fighting for a while, and while the Small Stone Race Army had suffered some losses, the Black Ink Clan had suffered much more than them.
This could not be helped as though the Small Stone Race Army did not have many Masters compared to the Black Ink Clan, they had the help of two Giant Spirit Gods and eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters!
The Black Ink Clan’s defence lines held for less than an incense stick of time before the two Giant Spirit Gods killed their way through and began wreaking havoc on them.
The same was true of the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters. Even the Royal Lords who were lucky enough to survive the initial culling could not hold out long against them.
On the other hand, the Humans, the ones who started this war, were resting at ease with the strong protection provided by the Small Stone Race Army.
This gave the Ninth-Order Masters that were led by Mi Jing Lun mixed feelings in their hearts.
Strictly speaking, this second crusade was taking place despite the Human Race not being fully prepared.
Readiness was not a matter of willpower, but rather an accumulation of strength.
It was easy to see just by the results alone. Without the help of Zhang Ruo Xi and the Small Stone Race Army, the Human Race would have been defeated already.
The original plan was for Mi Jing Lun to withdraw with the Army and wait for Yang Kai to return before leading the survivors to a new, distant World. Once they left, this whole region, covering the entire 3,000 Worlds, would surely fall under the Black Ink Clan’s total control.
Was it because the Human Race did not fight hard enough? Was it because the Heavens did not favour them enough?
It was neither.
Great potential could erupt from a race during the critical juncture between life and death. In just a short few thousand years, the Human Race has grown from near-total decimation to recovering the 3,000 Worlds and the No-Return Pass, but that was already their limit.
If they had not worked hard enough, they would not possess the heritage they have today, and if the Heavens did not favour them, they would not have the Open Heaven Realm Cradles.
However, when it came to facing powerful foes like the Black Ink Clan, what ultimately mattered was strength.
The time given to the Human Race was too short, so no matter whether or not they were ready for this crusade, they had to go on.
That was because Mo was about to awaken.
Under such circumstances, it was better to be proactive than reactive.
After all these years of fighting, the Human Race Army had already been tempered into one entity after going through the baptism of war, but it was still not enough.
As the battle raged on, Mi Jing Lun weighed his options before deciding to give up on supporting the Small Stone Race Army. The battle had not reached an end yet, and the Small Stone Race Army should have enough troops to hold their own. What’s more, after this battle came to an end, there would be an even more treacherous one waiting for the Human Race Army.
The current Human Race Army had to recover its strength for that impending moment!
On the battlefield, cloud after dazzling cloud of Purifying Light erupted and filled the vast void, dispersing not only the scattered Black Ink Strength, but also the Black Ink Clan soldiers that were enveloped in it, severely damaging their foundation.
The current situation on the battlefield was extremely bad for the Black Ink Clan.
The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was no longer providing reinforcements, and even the Royal Lords did not dare to go near the opening to check out the situation for fear of being seen by Zhang Ruo Xi and drawing her wrath upon themselves.
On the other hand, the Small Stone Race Soldiers still had a steady stream of reinforcements pouring endlessly out of the Void Corridor and entering the battlefield…
Even though the Black Ink Clan had tens of millions of troops left, it was still difficult to hold off their enemies effectively after losing the few Royal Lords and Pseudo-Royal Lords they had to the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters.
The two Giant Spirit Gods rampaged, and the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters were also advancing like they were chopping down bamboo.
Division after Division of uniform Small Stone Race troops swarmed in from all directions.
The circle was constantly shrinking, and lives from the Black Ink Clan dissipated alongside its progress.
It wouldn’t be long before the Small Stone Race Army was able to wipe out the Black Ink Clan forces scattered outside of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
…..
On the 2306th World, where Yang Kai was suppressing and sealing Mo’s Source, a large battle was similarly going on.
Mu’s shadow was holding back the many Black Ink Disciples of this World on her own so that Yang Kai could suppress and seal the Source piece in peace.
Summoning the Profound Source Gate, a slit cracked open from the gate. Within its suppressing and sealing territory, Mo’s Source piece poured out.
As with all the times before it, the Source piece seemed to be pulled by an inexplicable force towards the open gate.
Yang Kai had witnessed this scene many times before and was not the least bit surprised.
According to Mu, the Profound Source Gate was a Supreme Treasure born alongside the Universe, outside which the Primordial Light was born, and behind which the Primordial Darkness was nurtured.
The Primordial Light was symbolic of all the brightness and wonderfulness of this Universe. Not bound by the Profound Source Gate, it left after its inception, but the darkness born within the Profound Source Gate could not as easily escape.
That was until the Primordial Darkness gained sentience of its own after accumulating for endless years.
That was Mo!
For Mo, the Profound Source Gate had the natural power to suppress and seal it, which was why Mu hid the Profound Source Gate in the Primordial World.
Only the Profound Source Gate could suppress and seal Mo’s Source.
Each of the previous attempts was uneventful. Once the Profound Source Gate was summoned and opened up, the Source piece would be drawn into it and sealed.
But this time, things were not quite the same.
Yang Kai could clearly sense Mo’s Source piece struggling violently, as if it had a consciousness of its own, trying to escape the pull of the Profound Source Gate.
However, it was still only a small piece of a whole, and in the end, it could not resist the Profound Source Gate’s power.
As the Source piece was about to pour through the gate, a pair of eyes suddenly opened in the darkness.
The eyes were so indescribably black that they seemed to contain all the darkness in existence. Even Yang Kai could not help but feel a chill run through his body as they stared at him.
Fortunately, it was just for a moment before the Source piece disappeared into the gate, and the chilling sensation disappeared without a trace.
“We’re reaching the limit!” Yang Kai had a feeling.
He had travelled through more than 2,000 worlds on his journey, and had managed to suppress and seal almost 1,000 pieces of Mo’s Source.
Mu had divided Mo’s Source into 3,000 pieces and sealed them into 3,000 different Universe Worlds, and through his journey, Yang Kai managed to suppress and seal a lot of them despite all the twists and turns he encountered along his way.
This amount was almost 30% of Mo’s Source pieces, which was already a very fruitful number.
The more Source pieces that were suppressed and sealed, the greater of an impact there would be on Mo.
Even if Mo were to awaken completely at this moment, its strength would still drop drastically from its peak due to its compromised Source.
But it was still not enough; after all, Mo was said to be in the legendary Creation Realm. Without facing it directly, nobody could predict just how powerful it really was. Even without 30% of its Sources, its remaining strength was still great enough that it was not something the current Human Race could contend with.
Yang Kai was slightly relieved to have gotten some news about Zhang Ruo Xi from Wu Kuang.
Wu Kuang’s thread of consciousness only had a faint connection to his true self outside, so his perception of things was not very clear, so not only did Yang Kai find his information to be unbelievable, but even Wu Kuang himself could not be sure.
Regardless, he had to speed things up on his end! Before Mo awakened, he had to suppress and seal as many of the Source pieces as possible, even if it was just one more!
“Senior!” Yang Kai turned around and shouted as he withdrew the Profound Source Gate.
Hearing this, Mu, who was helping to ward off the countless Black Ink Disciples, rushed to his side and raised her palm, gracefully patting downwards.
Following that, amidst the furious roars of the many Black Ink Disciples, Yang Kai’s body turned into a stream of light and took off into the sky!
…..
In the Primordial World, Little Eleventh’s illness was getting worse. His small body was as cold as ice one moment, and as hot as magma the next.
At first, he was able to keep himself conscious, but by now, he was mostly asleep, and the time he could stay awake was getting shorter and shorter.
As he slept, he was haunted by unceasing nightmares that caused him to shake and shiver constantly.
Mu remained by his side, watching him carefully.
When Little Eleventh finally woke up and opened his eyes, he saw Mu sitting by his bedside, holding him gently.
Mu seemed to have sensed his movements as she looked down at him, her eyes bloodshot.
She had no idea how long it had been since she had properly rested.
“You’re awake?” Mu opened her mouth, but her throat sounded very dry.
Looking at the red blood vessels in Mu’s eyes, Little Eleventh’s heart ached. A sour taste filled his mouth and even the corners of his eyes grew wet.
He turned his head away and wiped the corners of his eyes with his hand, answering with a soft hum.
Mu placed her hand on Little Eleventh’s forehead and felt it carefully for a moment before saying joyfully, “Your fever has gone down. How are you feeling now?”
Little Eleventh was silent for a moment before saying, “Much better.”
Mu smiled and withdrew her hand, “Good. Get some more sleep and you should get better then.”
Little Eleventh opened his mouth, “Sixth Sister, I don’t want to sleep.” He had slept enough already.
“Then what do you want to do?”
“I want some congee.”
The Sister and Brother, unrelated by blood, had been living together and relying on each other for survival in this bustling city. Mu had cooked many delicious foods for Little Eleventh, but what he wanted most at this moment was the plain rice congee cooked by her.
This was the first food he had eaten since waking up in this World.
“Sure,” Mu raised her hand and gave him an affectionate tickle on the nose before getting up, “In that case, wait here for a while.”
Little Eleventh fell silent.
Very soon, the congee was ready. Mu brought in the pot of cooked congee and was just about to serve Little Eleventh a bowl when she saw him get out of bed, sit by the table, and pull the pot closer to himself.
Mu laughed, “You’re planning to eat that much? Be careful or you’ll spoil your tummy.”
Little Eleventh huffed, “I want to eat. It’s not like my tummy is weak.”
Mu was helpless, “Good, good, you can have it all. If you can’t finish it, then you better watch out or I’ll spank your bottom.”
Little Eleventh couldn’t help but clench his butt a little and blushed, “I’m not a child anymore, stop spanking me for no reason!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Mu pressed on his nose with a finger, immediately creating a pig’s nose on Little Eleventh’s face.
Little Eleventh shook his head in annoyance and sniffled, “You’re so childish! You’re always doing these childish things!”
Mu covered her lips and giggled, but she stopped teasing him, instead handing over the wooden spoon she brought.
Little Eleventh picked up the bowl and held the clay pot in his arms, digging into his meal.
Mu sat by quietly, watching him, saying from time to time, “Eat slowly and be careful so you don’t burn yourself. It’s not like anyone is going to steal it from you.”
From time to time, she would help him wipe the corners of his mouth.
The freshly cooked congee was so hot that Little Eleventh kept sucking in his breath. Even his face had grown red and his head was steaming from the heat.
It took about an hour, but he did manage to finish it eventually. Even the bottom of the pot was scraped clean without a drop left behind.
Mu peered into the pot and joked, “If you ate nicely like that every time, I could save the effort of washing the dishes.”
Little Eleventh rubbed his round tummy and made a face at her, “Then won’t you turn into a lazy woman? Be careful or you won’t be able to get married in the future.”
Mu raised her hand and smacked him upside the head, “It’s not up to you to say whether I can get married or not.”
Little Eleventh held his head with both hands and complained, “You’re hitting me again, I’m still a patient!”
Mu raised her hand as if to strike him again, but in the end, she just stroked his head gently.
Little Eleventh lowered his head.
The atmosphere turned silent.
In a humble house on the edge of Dawn City, a pair of Sister and Brother sat opposite each other.
Only after a long time did Little Eleventh speak, “Sixth Sister…”
“What’s the matter? Let’s talk after I’ve finished washing the dishes, all right?” Mu smiled, got up, and picked up the clay pot before walking out.
Looking at her back, Little Eleventh sighed, a sadness that did not match his age appearing on his small face.
The dust-covered memories from long ago began to stir…
In the boundless darkness, where not a trace of light could be seen, a consciousness began to emerge. At first, it was dull and incomplete, just fumbling through the infinite darkness by instinct.
After an unknown period of time had passed, that consciousness slowly became complete, and as it did so, it gradually became aware of its surroundings.
It was as if it was trapped in a strange place, a place of nihility and emptiness where time flowed endlessly, and that made it feel lonely.
It began to consciously search for a way out so that it could escape from this place that was keeping it trapped, but it did not even know why it wanted to leave; all its thoughts and actions were purely based on its instinct.
It took action, but to no avail, and after long years of suffering, it finally found the way out of that place; however, there was a tightly sealed gate blocking the way!
It tried with all its might to break it down, but it was as if the strange gate had a complete suppressive power against it. No matter how hard it tried, it could not budge it in the slightest.
Day after day, year after year, it gradually came to feel an emotion called despair. It understood that it was impossible for it to open the gate with its own power.
Despair never came without reason, it only appeared when one’s hopes were extinguished.
For countless years it lived in this dark, lonely world, never understanding what despair meant, until the seed of hope was planted in it. Ironically, from the same gate it found.
Countless years of hard work came to nothing in the end, and the ultimate decision to give up was overwhelmingly frustrating.
Perhaps it was destined to live in this dark world forever, it thought.
That was until one day, it suddenly heard some strange noises when it was sleeping peacefully behind the gate…
Until then, it had never even known that such a thing as sound existed in this world! Where it lived, not only was there no light, there was not even a hint of sound. Complete and utter silence!
It was awoken from its slumber and listened to the sweet sound of that voice.
At that time, it had no idea what that voice was saying.
It was not until later that it understood that the person was knocking softly at the gate, asking in a loud voice, “Is anyone there? Hello? Is anyone home?”
The flames of hope were rekindled in the ashes of despair that had been tormenting it for countless years.
It fought hard to make as much noise as possible from behind the gate, hoping that it could reach the outside.
The person at the gate must have noticed it and said gleefully, “Ah, someone’s home? Could you please open the gate?”
But how could it? It would have done so already if it could; moreover, it could not even understand what the person was saying at the time.
All it could do was keep on making noise in order to make its presence known, praying in its heart that the owner of that voice would not leave no matter what.
It had been alone for countless years and even if it could never leave this desolate world, it was happy as long as the voice outside that gate would not fade away and if it could listen to it in silence.
“Are you unable to get out?” The person at the gate began to ask again, seemingly having guessed its situation.
The response was always some dull thumping sounds.
“I understand now. You’re trapped.” It dawned on the person outside the gate. “How pitiful… In that case, let me give you a hand.”
The next thing it felt was that the gate which had always remained still began to shake.
It was taken aback, yet excited at the same time.
But in the end, the gate still did not open.
After a long time, that pleasant-sounding voice emerged from outside the gate again, “This gate seems to be an Innate Supreme Treasure. I am not able to open it with my current strength, but I feel that I should be able to open it once I get stronger. Can you wait in there for a while longer? I’ll go and cultivate then come back to you later.”
It had no idea what the voice was saying. All it knew was that the person left after speaking those words.
Its hopes were crushed yet again, and it continued to sink into this dead world, where the boundless despair that enveloped it also continued to make it stronger.
It was not until many years later that the voice appeared once more. Overjoyed, it made some noise at the gate as soon as possible.
Sure enough, the voice that had once appeared noticed its presence and spoke a few words to it, then fiddled with the gate for a while before leaving again for the second time.
But this time, it no longer despaired. It vaguely understood what the person beyond the gate was trying to do, so even in the midst of the boundless world of desolation, it was full of hope and expectation.
And so it waited… and waited…
In the endless years that followed, in the long river of time that was far too long to trace back, the two powerful existences, one inside and one outside, gradually became acquainted and formed a relationship of tacit understanding with each other.
And as the person outside was talking to themselves, it got to learn their language and could already begin to communicate with them in a simple way.
For it, this was an exceptionally wonderful experience, and the dark world in which it lived was no longer as dreary because in the midst of that darkness was a heart filled with hope.
It remembered vividly the conversation that took place between them, even when that person outside the gate arrived for the seventh time to try and let it out but failed.
“I’ve already cultivated into the peak of the Ninth Order, but how come this gate still won’t open? How annoying!”
“Annoying!” It repeated, not so much frustrated as happy. Its greatest wish was no longer to open the gate and leave this place, but to have someone to accompany it outside the gate and talk to it. That alone was enough to satisfy it.
Being able to hear her speak filled it with so much joy each time that it would roll around behind that gate for days on end.
“I have to figure out a way, but the Ninth Order should already be the upper limit of the Open Heaven Realm. What must I do to break through even further above that?” The person behind the gate sounded worried.
There was nothing it could do to help in these circumstances. It did not even know what the Ninth Order was, or what the Open Heaven Realm meant…
“This won’t do, I have to go. The Humans are currently in a bad situation since the Great Monsters are not easy to deal with; but rest assured, none of them are as powerful as I am. I’ll come back for you once the situation stabilizes, maybe then I’ll be able to open this gate and let you out.”
Hearing that person’s words, it knew that she would be leaving again. Even though it was reluctant to part with her, it couldn’t stop her. In the end, it could only give a stiff reminder, “Take care… be safe!”
“I will!” The person outside the gate answered gleefully.
The final wait felt unbearably long, seemingly lasting much longer than the times before.
So, it kept waiting at the gate, making some noise from time to time as if afraid that that person would not notice its presence when she arrived.
Eventually, that person came.
“Listen, the world is such an amazing place. There’s actually a thing called the Universe Furnace, and it appeared out of nowhere a few years ago, and I went inside. There was a really, really long river in there, and I have no idea where the source is or where it ends, so I call it the Infinite River.”
“What’s a river?” It asked.
“A river… It’s hard to explain, but once you come out, you’ll know if I bring you there. Besides the river, there were also big mountains!”
“Oh, what else?”
“Then, I emulated the Infinite River and refined a long river of my own, but it was still a far cry from that Infinite River. Still, I am now much stronger than before, and I have a very strong feeling that I will be able to open the gate this time!”
And so, it responded, “You say that every time you come here, but then you fail every time.”
The person outside sounded disgruntled, “Wow, you’ve actually learnt to insult me. That makes me mad!”
“No, I wasn’t trying to…” It felt guilty and apologized in a panic.
The person outside the gate giggled. The sound of her laughter sounded even better than before, “I was just kidding. You’re so gullible.”
After making sure that she wasn’t really angry, it finally felt at ease.
“All right, I’m going to open the gate now, so stand back, or I might accidentally hurt you!” Said the person outside the gate.
And so, it moved away from the gate as it was told, and the next thing it knew, the tightly closed gate began to rumble and shake even more violently than ever before. It was sure from this that the person on the other side had indeed increased their strength greatly and became much stronger than previously.
This also helped to give it more confidence in that person, thinking that there might actually be hope of the gate opening this time.
Hope came quickly, and with the violent movement outside, the gate that had been tightly shut all this time parted to either side, gradually revealing an opening.
When the light from the outside pierced through the darkness, it couldn’t help but lose itself for a moment, staring in awe at the light that it had never seen before with both mind and body trembling.
So this was the legendary light!
Even a being born in darkness like it had an innate yearning and thirst for such light…
Just this ray of light taught it that the world outside was countless times more exciting than the place where it was born.
“It won’t open any more than this…” the person outside the gate yelled in a strained voice. “This is the limit. Quickly, get into my Space-Time River, I’ll pull you out!”
As soon as she spoke, a great river came tumbling through the opening, pouring into the endless darkness.
It dared not hesitate and plunged headlong into the river.
Immediately afterwards, it felt a mysterious force drawing it towards the opening in the gate.
Almost at the very moment that it exited the opening, the gate that had been opened closed shut again.
The Space-Time River, which she had yet to fully withdraw, was even cut off and part of it was left in the darkness forever.
However, it was oblivious to such a thing happening. It was fighting its way up the river, and the moment that light-filled its vision, it finally saw the figure that had been accompanying it outside the gate for countless years.
There was a touch of crimson at the corner of that person’s mouth, she wiped it away as if it were nothing. Grinning, she looked at the black blob that had floated out from her Space-Time River and greeted it with familiarity, “Hello. We meet at last.”
Ok. So, I went back and changed it in a way that made Mu hesitate to say what had happened. Since we have Cang also telling the same story as Mu, let’s just pretend that the 10 agreed upon this story so that Mu won’t get blamed.