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Translator: Silavin & Tia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
The integrity of one’s Small Universe was extremely important to an Open Heaven Realm Master because their Small Universe served as the source and foundation of their strength.
Once their Small Universe was damaged, their strength would definitely decline; moreover, as a result of their incomplete Small Universe, further improvement in their cultivation would become impossible. Therefore, no Open Heaven Realm Master would willingly sacrifice a part of their Small Universe unless they had no other choice.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to dispel the Black Ink Strength from their Small Universe once it was corroded by it. Their only option was to sacrifice the part of their Small Universe that had been corrupted in order to retain their clarity and maintain their true nature.
The Human Race Masters had contended and fought against the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield since ancient times. There were bound to be people who were forced to give up part of their Small Universe in every battle. For that reason, the resolution to make a prompt decision was something their ancestors had repeatedly cautioned all of them about before they stepped onto the Black Ink Battlefield.
If they did not wish to be corrupted by Black Ink Strength and lose their autonomy, then they had to be willing to make sacrifices! If they were destined to be killed by their enemies, then they should strive to drag their enemies down with them!
At every great pass, these were the two warnings that the Seniors would always repeat to their Juniors who just arrived on the battlefield.
In many cases, sacrificing a part of their Small Universe would allow them to retain their sense of self and prevent them from being corrupted by Black Ink Strength; however, doing so would cause their Small Universe to become damaged. Not only would their strength decline, but their incomplete Small Universe would also make it harder for them to resist the erosion of the Black Ink Strength if they were subjected to it in the future.
Relatively speaking, the amount of time which an Open Heaven Realm Master could resist the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength was different between Open Heaven Realm Masters with complete Small Universes and Open Heaven Realm Masters with incomplete Small Universes. An Open Heaven Realm Master with a complete Small Universe would be able to persist for a much longer time.
When subjected to the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength, an Open Heaven Realm would be able to sacrifice part of their Small Universe the first time. Unfortunately, their success rate would be uncertain on the second attempt…
Nevertheless, there would always be instances where the situation was impossible to prevent. That was why almost all the Black Ink Disciples corrupted by the Black Ink Clan generally had an incomplete Small Universe. When they were corroded by the Black Ink Strength, they had already done their best to prevent the situation from occurring; after all, they did not wish to be converted into a Black Ink Disciple either.
That was the case for Meng Qi from Exquisite Paradise, whom Yang Kai met previously. Yang Kai had also noticed the same pattern among all the Black Ink Disciples he fought in the gambling arena. Even B-2, D-4, and E-5 were no exceptions.
That was especially true for D-4. Although he was only in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm at the moment, he had said that he used to be in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. He was once the elite disciple of a certain Cave Heaven or Paradise, but he had been invaded by the Black Ink Strength. As a result, he was repeatedly forced to sacrifice parts of his Small Universe. That was the reason why his cultivation declined and he eventually regressed to the Fifth Order.
Generally speaking, almost all of the Black Ink Disciples could be considered Pseudo-Open Heaven Realm Masters. It was not to say that they were no longer Open Heaven Realm Masters. Having split Heaven and Earth apart in their bodies to form their Small Universe, they could be classified as Open Heaven Realm Masters. It was just that their Small Universes were no longer perfect, so the strength of the Black Ink Disciples would never reach the normal standards among cultivators of the same Order.
Take Meng Qi for example. He could be considered a Pseudo Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master! Although he was much stronger than the average Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was pitifully weak compared to ordinary Seventh-Order Masters.
On the other hand, B-2 and E-5 could be considered Pseudo Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
All the people Yang Kai and Feng Ying rescued while wandering around for the past two months were Black Ink Disciples. Needless to say, none of these Black Ink Disciples possessed a complete Small Universe.
Many Black Ink Clansmen had been slaughtered in this battle. Following the death of these Black Ink Clansmen, Black Ink Strength that dissipated from their corpses would gather together to form a cloud. In this way, it was very easy for the Open Heaven Realm Masters to become corrupted by the Black Ink Strength again.
Thanks to their prior experience of being rescued though, these people immediately rushed over to Yang Kai as soon as they discovered that their Small Universe was being corroded by Black Ink Strength so that he could help them dispel it.
Combined with the Black Ink Disciples who originally needed rescue in the first place, Yang Kai was overwhelmed for a time.
It was fortunate that Feng Ying and the newly-rescued Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master were relatively strong. In addition, the large ship also lacked the corresponding high-end combat power to deal with them. As the two of them rushed back and forth, the Black Ink Clan suffered countless casualties. As such, the situation slowly stabilised.
Seeing the strength of the Human Race Masters, the surviving Black Ink Clansmen knew that they were no match for the enemy and immediately dispersed in all directions.
Feng Ying’s gaze sharpened at the sight and she shouted in an authoritative voice, “Don’t let a single one escape!”
Leading a team of people, she pursued the fleeing Black Ink Clansmen; likewise, the other Seventh-Order Master chased down the others fleeing in the opposite direction.
They had been causing a storm in the Black Ink Clan’s territory, and the main reason they managed to stay safe until now was that they had never revealed their existence before. All this while, they had ruthlessly silenced all Black Ink Clansmen that they encountered and rescued all the Black Ink Disciples they came across.
If news of their activity were to leak though, the Black Ink Clan would surely take countermeasures against them. If that were to happen, they would be helpless to resist with the strength of so few people. Therefore, all the Black Ink Clansmen here had to die. Only the dead could be trusted to keep secrets.
The Black Ink Clansmen fled in a very scattered manner, so some still managed to slip through the net even with two Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters chasing after them. Naturally, everybody else quickly split up to hunt down these fleeing Black Ink Clansmen.
Yang Kai did the same and took the lead in the pursuit. His figure latched onto the tail of several Black Ink Clansmen like a leech, and he manipulated Space Principles from afar to stall them. The Black Ink Clansmen who were fleeing desperately immediately felt as though they had fallen into a quagmire. The more they struggled, the stiffer their bodies became.
When he got closer, Yang Kai summoned the Azure Dragon Spear. The Black Ink Clansmen perished with a stab of his spear. Afterwards, his figure moved around the void as he stopped several others from fleeing. He killed every one of them and finally took a look around him. The originally chaotic battlefield had calmed down.
A short while later, everybody returned to the ship once more to count their casualties. The results were not too bad. Although they lost some people, they gained even more. Their line-up had increased to around 80 people, and they even gained an additional Pseudo Seventh-Order Master.
The large ship had been reduced to tatters during the battle earlier. This was just a simple flight-type artifact after all. Even though the ship had some defensive abilities, they were not deployed during the previous battle. What’s more, it might not have made a difference even if the defences had been deployed. The fallout of the attacks from so many Open Heaven Realm Masters was extremely brutal, and a flight-type artifact of this calibre was incapable of enduring such impact.
Feng Ying was very decisive and directly destroyed all the evidence lest the Black Ink Clan passing by this area noticed that something was wrong. Only then did she turn to the others and said, “Everyone, enter my Small Universe. We can talk about the rest later.”
It was too conspicuous for such a large group of Humans to gather together. Besides, it was inconvenient for them to move swiftly with their varying strengths. It would be more convenient and safer for them to hide in Feng Ying’s Small Universe.
Everybody knew that this was not the place for discussion, so despite the questions in their hearts, they entered her Small Universe in successive order. It didn’t take long before only Yang Kai, Feng Ying, and the Pseudo Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master remained.
“Let’s go,” Feng Ying ordered and took the lead to head in a certain direction. Yang Kai and the Pseudo Seventh-Order Master followed behind her.
A quarter-hour later, a dense patch of Black Ink Clouds came into view. Feng Ying turned to look at Yang Kai with an inquiring gaze and Yang Kai nodded lightly in response. Then, the three figures headed straight towards the thickest Black Ink Cloud.
The Pseudo Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master looked doubtful as Black Ink Clouds were not something Humans would approach carelessly. That was especially true in his current condition. His Small Universe had flaws in it, so this Black Ink Cloud was an extremely dangerous threat to him. However, considering the means Yang Kai displayed earlier, he said nothing and simply followed close behind.
Soon, the three of them plunged into the Black Ink Cloud. Yang Kai immediately created a safe area inside the Black Ink Cloud, and the Pseudo Seventh-Order Master finally calmed down.
“Blue Sky Paradise, Feng Ying!” Feng Ying turned to the Pseudo Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, cupped her fist slightly, and introduced herself.
Yang Kai followed suit, “Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, Yang Kai!”
The Pseudo Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master returned the greeting and solemnly introduced himself, “Myriad Transformations Paradise, Shen Ao!” After introducing himself, he turned to Yang Kai with a serious look, “I will never forget your saving grace. In the future, please feel free to speak if you have anything you need, Little Brother. This Shen will not refuse as long as it is within my ability.”
Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, “It’s just a minor matter. You are being too polite, Senior.”
Shen Ao shook his head solemnly, “I have been living in a fog for hundreds of years and finally regained my clarity today. I will forever remember this kindness.” He continued with a look of curiosity, “Since when did we obtain such means?”
For countless years, it had always been impossible to rescue a Black Ink Disciple who was corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Be that as it may, the method that Yang Kai displayed earlier had rescued all the Black Ink Disciples who survived. It was obvious that the Black Ink Strength in their bodies had been dispelled and purified.
Therefore, Shen Ao couldn’t help feeling extremely curious and a little excited. Just like Feng Ying, how could he fail to realise the immense value of this technique?
Feng Ying explained, “This method is not something everybody can use. It is a unique ability that belongs only to this kid. I myself have only learned about it recently.”
Surprised, Shen Ao looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Is this a Secret Technique or a Divine Ability? Can other people cultivate it?”
Yang Kai paused for a moment before he answered quietly, “It can be regarded as a Secret Technique, but nobody else can cultivate it.”
Shen Ao did not understand, “If it is a Secret Technique, then why can’t others cultivate it? The Cave Heavens and Paradises are filled with talented people. I’m sure there will be people among them who can succeed, even if the number is small.”
Similarly, Feng Ying looked at Yang Kai with curiosity. If she had to be honest, she had been extremely curious about Yang Kai’s methods throughout the duration of their travels. Although there were many times when she wanted to ask about it, she could not bring herself to do so; after all, Yang Kai seemed reluctant to say much about it. If she tried to get to the bottom of this matter, she would be suspected of trying to infringe upon his privacy.
At this moment, Shen Ao had asked the questions that Feng Ying wanted to ask. If this method could be spread to the public, the situation on the Black Ink Battlefield would surely change drastically.
Yang Kai shook his head and explained, “I’m afraid Senior has misunderstood the situation. Although I can use this method, I did not cultivate this power myself. It was granted to me by someone else!”
While saying so, he activated the seals on his left and right hands. The seal on his left hand was like a bright Great Sun, while the one on his right was a brilliant blue Moon.
Feng Ying and Shen Ao looked on in amazement.
“These two marks are the foundation of that Secret Technique. It is not this Junior’s ability. Moreover, the ones who gave me these two marks… are not on the Black Ink Battlefield.”
After listening to his explanation, the other two couldn’t help but look disappointed. Nevertheless, they could detect a trace of the terrifying aura that came from these marks and were certain that the ones who gave him these two marks were beings that should not be provoked.
Shen Ao was silent for a moment before he patted Yang Kai on the shoulder, “You need to protect yourself well. You can turn the tide of this war with your strength alone!”
That statement was so exaggerated that Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling embarrassed.
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Many thanks for the chapter, as always.