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Translator: Silavin & Pia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Ma Fan, who had recently broken through to the Eighth Order, was clearly a Great Grandmaster in Artifact Refining now. It should be said that those who were Great Grandmasters were all Eighth-Order Masters, equivalent to Dong Guo An Ping from Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven whom Yang Kai was acquainted with.
“Yang Boy!” Grandmaster Ma Fan looked surprised, clearly never having anticipated he would meet Yang Kai here of all places.
More than 100 years ago, Yang Kai dove into a Void Corridor and never came back. Without any news, whether he was even alive or dead was unknown. Nonetheless, his disappearance and sacrifice were no secret in the 3,000 Worlds; after all, many were present when he went to seal the Void Corridor.
Furthermore, although the Black Ink Battlefield could pass some news back to 3,000 Worlds, matters related to Yang Kai were still only known to a few top officials within the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Thus, Grandmaster Ma Fan was not aware that he was here. When he came to the Black Ink Battlefield, he never expected to see Yang Kai.
It was natural that upon seeing an old friend, they were both overjoyed.
Suddenly, Grandmaster Ma Fan’s face cramped up as he said, “Yang Boy, find me an open space, this old man can’t hold them in any longer.”
Yang Kai wondered, “Hold them in? Hold who in?”
Grandmaster Ma Fan snickered, “You don’t think it’s just us, right? There are more in my Small Universe.”
Yang Kai instantly understood what he meant. For those that were transported here, except for one Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Grandmaster Ma Fan, the rest were all in the Seventh-Order.
Since teleporting from the No-Return Pass to any of the Great Passes required a massive amount of resources, the High-Rank Masters would all store those in the Mid-Rank inside their Small Universes in order to save on consumption.
The No-Return Pass had always done it like this. Since Yang Kai came to the Black Ink Battlefield through an unconventional method, he had no experience in this; thus, in his moment of elation, he forgot how people normally travelled through Hyper Space Arrays.
After realising his mistake, he quickly led the way.
Not long after, they arrived at the square where Yang Kai had first stepped into when he initially arrived at Blue Sky Pass. This was also where the first Purifying Black Ink Battleship had been built.
The square was huge. During the non-war period, the soldiers liked to exchange pointers here; thus, this place was often full of people, but now, it was empty. After all, most of the soldiers of Blue Sky Pass had been moved to the forward base, leaving only a small contingent behind.
In the meantime, everyone dispersed and kept a distance from the newcomers. Then their Small Universes opened, and from the various portals, numerous figures walked out, one after another.
They were all in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Yang Kai initially thought that there would not be too many newcomers arriving at Blue Sky Pass, a few hundred at most. However, when the hundreds of portals were opened, with Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters continuously pouring out, he realised that his initial assumption was wrong.
Grandmaster Ma Fan’s Small Universe alone could accommodate more than 40 people, while others in the Seventh Order, whose Small Universes were not as large as his, could only hold a dozen or so people.
After everyone came out, Yang Kai was surprised to find that there were over 1,000 newcomers this time!
That was a huge number. Furthermore, everyone here was in the Sixth Order and above. In other words, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had sent at least 10 cultivators at or above the Sixth Order each, and that was not even counting the reinforcements sent to the other Great Passes!
Which Sect in the 3,000 Worlds could do this? Which force had such an immeasurable heritage? Even in Void Land and the Star Boundary, how many Sixth-Order or Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were there now? In fact, even if the whole Void Land and the Star Boundary were hollowed out, they would not be able to provide such a force.
This just went to show how powerful and deep the heritages of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were.
A stream of light suddenly shot over from somewhere in Blue Sky Pass before coming to a hover above the square. It was none other than Zhong Liang.
Everyone looked up, and Zhong Liang nodded lightly before saying out loud, “You have come from afar. This is Blue Sky Pass, and this Zhong is the Western Army Commander.”
Everyone saluted in unison, and Zhong Liang returned the salute and continued, “You are from different Cave Heavens and Paradises, and all of you were elites in your respective Sects, but the Black Ink Battlefield is different from 3,000 Worlds! You need to remember that no matter which Cave Heaven or Paradise you came from, after you set foot into Blue Sky Pass, none of that matters anymore. You are all Blue Sky Pass soldiers here, and we have only one enemy, the Black Ink Clan. All those who are here now, and the ancestors who came before us, have sacrificed our blood, sweat, and even lives in this empty place to prevent the Black Ink Clan from invading the 3,000 Worlds. Countless have fallen on this battlefield for countless years, and the next one may be me, or it may be one of you, but as long as the Cave Heavens and Paradises stand, the Black Ink Clan will never step into 3,000 Worlds, “
“You are all from Cave Heavens and Paradises, so before you left, the Elders of your respective Sects must have warned you about all of this. Blue Sky Pass and the Black Ink Battlefield have many things you will gradually need to become familiar with. This Zhong will give you one piece of advice now, and I hope you will remember it in your hearts, ‘Survive. No matter what, do not give up.’ I say this from the bottom of my heart, and truly hope you will keep it in mind at all times.”
“Now, this Zhong still has responsibilities to attend to, so it is not convenient for me to remain here. Yang Kai, take them to register themselves and make preparations.”
“Yes!” Yang Kai bowed.
Zhong Liang turned and left.
It was not troublesome to register in Blue Sky Pass, but it took some time for over 1,000 people to go through this process. As the only Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master among the newcomers, Grandmaster Ma Fan was naturally the first to register.
After receiving his Identity Token, he went to Yang Kai and handed him a jade slip, “This is what your Wives had asked me to pass to you.”
Yang Kai reached out and took it solemnly, “Many thanks.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan snorted, “It’s understandable for someone young to be rather unscrupulous, but brat, you really have gone a little too far.”
Yang Kai smiled awkwardly, without defending himself as he took the jade slip. He scanned it using his Divine Sense and his expression gradually softened.
There was nothing really special in the jade slip, just a few words from his loved ones. The first one was written by Yu Ru Meng, the Charm Demon Saint, then it was Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue, Ji Yao, Qu Hua Shang, and Tao Ling Wan’s turn. They each only wrote a sentence or two at most.
Yu Ru Meng was as hot-tempered as ever as she snapped, “If you dare to die outside, I will take my Sisters and have them all remarry!”
Little Senior Sister was much gentler, “Junior Brother, you must take care of yourself when you are outside. The most important thing is to make sure you protect yourself.”
The seductress from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was bold as usual, “If you are lonely outside, you can find a Senior Sister from Yin-Yang Heaven to discuss the Dao of ‘Yin and Yang’. Make sure you don’t look for someone else from some other place, okay?”
All this made Yang Kai smile and warm his heart.
There were no messages from Su Yan, Zhu Qing and Shan Qing Luo in the jade slip. Obviously, they are still in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, and did not know much about what was happening in the outside world.
After reading the jade slip over and over again, Yang Kai held it tightly to his chest and asked, “Great Master, how is the situation over in the 3,000 Worlds?”
Grandmaster Ma Fan casually remarked, “Things are as usual. Those who are unaware remain the same, calm and stagnant, but those in the know are all aware that there is currently a huge undercurrent surging under the seemingly calm surface. I don’t really need to say much about other things, just the influence of your Star Boundary alone is huge. It is truly deserving of its reputation as an Open Heaven Realm Cradle. Countless geniuses have emerged from the Star Boundary over the years, and every Cave Heaven and Paradise has gained a lot. In the eyes of those great forces not in the know, the top great forces are just expanding their influence and getting stronger; however, only those of us aware of the truth understand that everything is done in preparation for the war against the Black Ink Clan. So, we need to cultivate more people with greater strength. Still, the one that gained the most is not the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but your High Heaven Palace.”
Yang Kai suddenly became interested, “How so?”
Grandmaster Ma Fan explained, “High Heaven Palace is the greatest native Sect of the Star Boundary, and with how the Great Emperors there have turned the tide and saved the whole world not once, but twice, all natives of the Star Boundary recognise it. Many remain unaware, or simply cannot comprehend how great the Cave Heavens and Paradises are, so in the end, High Heaven Palace is still the best place in their eyes, and many of them still choose to worship under its banner. With so many genius disciples having been taught by strong Elders since birth, if this trend continues, after a few thousand years, your High Heaven Palace will be able to stand on equal footing with the Cave Heavens and Paradises, “
Yang Kai smiled and said, “That’s still a long way from now. Who can clearly say what will happen over such a great span of time.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan nodded and said, “It is said that fate is full of uncertainties, and no one can say what will be until it is. If it was in the past, High Heaven Palace would definitely not be allowed to exist by the Cave Heavens and Paradises. It’s not that they are intolerant and greedy, but rather that so many excellent disciples could not be taken away by one Sect. Each of them wants to cultivate more elite disciples to fight against the Black Ink Clan. Even so, they will not move against your Sect. After all, your Wives are now Direct Disciples of various different powerful Ancestors. Each of them has someone powerful standing behind them, giving them close relationships with several Cave Heavens and Paradises. What’s more, now that you, High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master, have entered the Black Ink Battlefield, and the higher-ups of High Heaven Palace are themselves aware of the real situation, no one wants to hinder its development, which has paved a smooth road for its growth.”
Yang Kai nodded happily. Before he set off from Black Territory to the Black Ink Battlefield, several of his Wives were indeed taken in as Direct Disciples of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Masters. Among them, Xue Yue became a Disciple of Golden Antelope Paradise’s Liu Mu. Yu Ru Meng became a Disciple of Myriad Demons Heaven’s Mo Sha. Xia Ning Chang became a Disciple of Divine Medicine Heaven’s Zi Yu. Ji Yao became a Disciple of Great Battle Heaven’s Pi Li. Meanwhile, Qu Hua Shang and Tao Ling Wan, needless to say, were part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and held strong positions within their Sect.
The reason why these Eighth-Order Masters took them as Disciples was not just due to their aptitude; after all, there were countless geniuses in their own Cave Heavens or Paradises. Their aptitudes might be the same or even better than his Wives, so the main reason why they took them on was because Yang Kai was going to sacrifice himself for the peace and stability of the 3,000 Worlds. Thus, they wanted to give Yang Kai some form of reassurance. It was to indicate that even if something were to happen once he entered that Void Corridor back then, his Wives would be taken care of, and by extension, High Heaven Palace and Void Land would be protected. In short, ‘we old fogies will ensure your Widows and Sect are taken care of, so that may rest assured and go all out’.
This was also a kind of compensation from the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Of course, his Wives were all talented enough to become Direct Disciples of these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters; after all, each of them had directly ascended to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and could thus be expected to reach the Eighth-Order in the future.
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s personal strength and accomplishments in the Dao of Space were exceptional; on top of that, he possessed various unique methods which helped him survive. Since he came to the Black Ink Battlefield from Black Territory, he had overcome plenty of difficulties and managed to live till now.
Now that his Wives in the Star Boundary had the backing of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, coupled with Yang Kai’s previous efforts to, seal up the Void Corridor alone, High Heaven Palace had the opportunity to grow and develop without interference. If not, with the Cave Heavens and Paradises needing excellent disciples to send to the Black Ink Battlefield, how could they possibly sit back and watch a small Sect take up so many talents? It had nothing to do with avarice or envy, they simply had no choice as they held the responsibility of protecting the Human Race!
In the face of such a noble goal, anyone or anything that stood in their way would be crushed to dust without the slightest hesitation.
Now, knowing that everything in the Star Boundary was alright, Yang Kai could finally rest easy.
Uhhhh… If Ma Fan had no idea that YK was on the black ink battlefield why would his wives give him a message to pass to YK?!
I think he didn’t think he would meet him at Blue Sky Pass was the main thing. He thought he’d have to send the message to another pass or something, maybe
And he also wasn’t informed whether he was even alive or not
Yo