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Translator: Silavin & Raikov
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
“Nonsense.” Zhong Liang blew his beard and glared, “This King is an Army Commander in charge of the Western Army and has never gone back on his word!”
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded.
Zhong Liang added, “But there’s no rush. Why don’t you stay in the Inner Sanctum for a few more days and I’ll tell you about the situation of the Black Ink Clan?”
Yang Kai glanced with askance at him, “Even though Army Commander has fought on the Black Ink Battlefield for countless years, I have also lived in Black Ink Clan’s territory for at least two years and understand them well. There is no need for me to trouble you, Army Commander.”
Saying so, he raised his foot and was about to step forward.
However, Zhong Liang caught him by the arm. Yang Kai turned around to look at them. Four eyes met, and Zhong Liang gritted his teeth, “Fine. This King won’t stop you if you want to leave, but this King must draw up some rules with you. If you do not agree, then I won’t let you leave no matter what.”
Yang Kai frowned and urged him on, “Go on.”
Zhong Liang reached his hand out to him, “Give me your Universe Chart.”
Yang Kai had no idea what he was going to do, but he still took his Universe Chart out for him. This Universe Chart was the same one that Meng Qi handed him back then. It was the Universe Chart of Black Ink battlefield.
Zhong Liang took it from him and seemed to do something with it before casually tossing it back to Yang Kai, “The first rule is that you must not go past the boundaries set by this King. Right now, the area within the boundary can only barely be considered safe. There are Feudal and Territory Lords beyond this boundary, so you will not be able to resist them with the current strength of your Dawn Squad.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai brought his Divine Sense into the Universe Chart and examined the boundaries that Zhong Liang had drawn. When he recalled his previous experiences living within the Black Ink Clan’s territory, and compared it to this line, he just about had an understanding of the limits where he could move around. Yang Kai nodded, “Rest assured, Army Commander. My life is my own, so I will cherish it more than anyone else.”
Seeing him agree, Zhong Liang relaxed a little and nodded, “The second rule is, unless you are completely out of options, you must never use Purifying Light against the Black Ink Clan. If you do use it, then you must make sure to leave no witnesses!”
Yang Kai frowned, “Why?”
Purifying Light had the ability to dispel and purify Black Ink Strength, and it was the only way to save Black Ink Disciples and cultivators who have been corrupted by Black Ink Strength, but it was also a sharp weapon to use against the Black Ink Clan!
When Yang Kai first arrived at Blue Sky Pass, it was the Purifying Light that he used to injure a Black Ink Territory Lord, allowing Feng Ying to seize the opportunity to kill him.
Zhong Liang said, “Since ancient times, Humans have had no means to effectively disperse the corruption of Black Ink Strength before your arrival, which was the biggest reason why we could only defend the Great Passes and not take the initiative to attack. If the Black Ink Clan were to find out that you hold such power, it would attract their attention, and perhaps even stir up a Royal Lord to act. How are you going to resist if that were to happen? So, it is fine if you do nothing, but once you show your cards, you must exterminate them in order to keep the information from leaking out.”
Yang Kai realized what he was trying to say and nodded, “I understand now. However, Army Commander, I have already shown that ability on the battlefield last time. Surely, the Black Ink Clan would have taken notice.”
Zhong Liang waved his hand, “One time won’t matter. Even if the Black Ink Clan noticed what you did, they may not pay too much attention to it. However, if you use Purifying Light repeatedly, and if they were to find out about it, then things would truly become troublesome. This is important. If it is exposed that you are able to wield Purifying Light, then you will never be able to leave as you please ever again.”
“What is the third rule?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhong Liang said solemnly, “The third rule is that you will escape alone if you are met with mortal danger! You are proficient in the Dao of Space and you are also in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. As long as a Royal Lord does not act personally, and as long as you do not fall into an inescapable trap, then there is nothing that the Black Ink Clan can do to stop you. Do you understand me?”
Yang Kai fell silent.
Zhong Liang stared at him, “If you are unable to accept these three rules, then I will not let you out of here no matter what.”
A long while passed before Yang Kai sighed, “In that case, I will agree to them.”
Zhong Liang patted him on the shoulder, “Remember, your existence is vital to the entire Human Race. Do not put yourself at risk.”
Yang Kai nodded and cupped his fist, “If Army Commander has no other orders, then this Yang will go now.”
Zhong Liang opened his mouth as if he were going to say more, but he ended up just waving his hand, “Go.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist again and took to the skies.
A few moments later, Yang Kai landed in Feng Ying’s courtyard, where she had long been waiting. When she saw him return, she asked, “How was it?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Gather the troops and prepare to leave.”
Feng Ying was surprised, “The Army Commander lost?”
Yang Kai and Zhong Liang made a lot of noise during their argument, so everyone in Blue Sky Pass knew about their bet. Feng Ying did not have high hopes since Zhong Liang had even spread out his Small Universe. As long as Yang Kai was inside of Blue Sky Pass, then he would be captured sooner or later no matter where he tried to hide. However, it seemed now that Zhong Liang had lost the bet.
“I just got lucky,” Yang Kai responded casually.
Feng Ying did not dwell on the matter and hastened to send word to the Squad.
In less than an incense stick of time, Dawn Squad’s members had all fully gathered in the courtyard. Including Yang Kai, there were 35 of them, no more, no less.
In front of the crowd, Yang Kai announced, “Everyone, I have obtained permission from the Army Commander for Dawn to depart today, so I hope that you will join me and work together to exterminate and destroy the enemy so that we can gain honour for the Human Race!”
Despite their suspicions, all of them were overjoyed to hear Yang Kai’s words.
Everyone present used to be a Black Ink Disciple who served the Black Ink Clan, lived in their lands for many years, and saw the miserable experiences that the other Black Ink Disciples of the Black Ink Clan endured. So, nobody hated the Black Ink Clan more than they did.
After being incorporated as members of Dawn Squad, they all longed for the day that they could march into the Black Ink Clan’s domain and save even more of their allies while avenging the deaths of their fellow comrades.
Unfortunately, the Army Commanders were unwilling to let them go due to Yang Kai’s special status.
Now that the day had finally come, all of them rolled up their sleeves and chanted, “Kill, kill, kill!”
The sound of their voices swept through the scene, and their morale rose to a crescendo!
Yang Kai was extremely satisfied with this reaction, and he waved his hand, “Depart!”
In a flash, more than 30 figures turned into streams of light, speeding to the main gates of Blue Sky Pass, identified themselves, and were allowed to pass, entering the void.
Yang Kai turned to Feng Ying, who nodded lightly before reaching out to the void in front of her. There was a small flicker and the aura of a Small Universe opening could be felt. Then, a Warship in the shape of a large ship appeared.
Dawning Light!
Dawning Light was originally just an ordinary Squad Warship, but after Feng Ying spent an entire ocean’s worth on Military Merits to have it modified at the Refining Hall, Dawning Light had become countless times stronger than other Warships. The number and quality of Dawn Squad’s members was also not something that an ordinary Squad could compare with.
There were typically 10 to 15 people in a Squad, and apart from the Squad Leader, who was in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, there would at most be two other Seventh-Order members. Some Squads would even be limited to only having their Squad Leader as the sole Seventh-Order member.
However, Dawn had 5 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. With a line-up of this calibre, backed by the combat power of Dawning Light, it may not be impossible for them to put up a fight even if they were facing a Territory Lord.
This was also a reason why Zhong Liang eventually agreed to Yang Kai’s departure, as strength was the greatest guarantee for one’s safety.
The Squad members boarded the ship, and apart from the 5 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm members, the remaining 30 quickly took their positions in a coordinated manner.
It was clear that Dawn Squad’s members had already trained together while Yang Kai and Zhong Liang were arguing. They knew where they were supposed to go and what role they were in charge of.
However, as Dawn was only just established, they were not yet completely familiar with each other and had not built up a tacit level of understanding between them. So, the members still needed some time to get familiar with Dawning Light and its capabilities.
The best way to raise that familiarity was to gain experience in battle.
Out of such considerations, though Yang Kai was eager to slaughter his way into the Black Ink Clan’s domain, he ordered Dawning Light’s crew members to proceed at a steady pace and to not be hasty. That was all so they could break in their new Warship.
Inside the cabin, Feng Ying opened her Universe Chart, which turned into a field of light that appeared before everyone’s eyes, and the 5 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered around it.
Feng Ying pointed to a certain place, “Squad Leader, this here is Blue Sky Pass, and with Blue Sky Pass as the centre, the area surrounding it is Blue Sky Theatre. The Royal Lord who is garrisoned here is called Men Xie. He is the one you discovered and the one who fought against the Old Ancestor. There is a tacit agreement between all sides that we only need to take care of Blue Sky Theatre while not minding the adjacent Theatres. The Black Ink Clansmen of those two other war zones will not enter the Blue Sky Theatre either. They have their own opponents.”
Yang Kai nodded at her words. Naturally, he already knew about this basic information. On the Black Ink Battlefield, every Human Race Great Pass corresponded to a grand Theatre.
Feng Ying continued on, “Men Xie was found by you during the critical moment when he was recovering from his injuries, then he received further injuries from the Old Ancestor. He will have to go into seclusion in his Black Ink Royal City for at least 100 years in order to recover and will not come out again without reason. So, the greatest threat can be ignored. Additionally, after the last fight, there were many casualties among the Territory Lords. Based on the latest intelligence, there should be less than 60 Territory Lords under Men Xie Royal Lord remaining, many of whom are also busy trying to recover. They are all scattered across the huge war zone, so as long as we are careful enough, it should be unlikely for us to bump into any Territory Lords. As for Black Ink Clansmen under the Territory Lords, Dawn should have no issue dealing with them.”
“Very good,” Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction.
Feng Ying then pointed to a few specific areas, “These three locations around Blue Sky Pass are far enough that they can almost be considered the edge of the Black Ink Clan’s territory. The Inner Sanctum has set up forward camps in each of these three locations, each one overseen by an Eighth-Order Master. These forward camps will be able to provide supplies for our soldiers. There are also Artifact Refiners and Array Masters present there who can repair artifacts and Warships. We can also report Military Merits there.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “The Inner Sanctum even set up forward bases in these three places?”
It was the first he had heard of this, so it could not be helped that he was surprised.
so im alittle confuse here… are the great passes configured in a circle or in a line? if its in a line; how is there battles in all 4 sides of the passes? and if there are battle on all 4 sides of the passes; meaning that the black ink clans surround the passes, so how is there a line/wall? if there is no wall/line then why wouldnt the black ink clans just go straight to the No Return Pass and fight the Dragon and Phoenixes? Lastly, if the passes are not connected and are surrounded by black ink clan, that means everytime the humans fly/travel between the great passes they would need to fight through 2 black ink terrories.,, how does that work???
I think there is a space portal inside the pass. And so they are surrounded on all sides. It has not yet been said about how the passes are located
Hello!
Many thanks for the chapter, as always.