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Translator: Silavin & VictorN
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
The Space-Time River, which had wrapped around the Azure Dragon Spear suddenly turned into another spear which had the Dao Strengths attached and shot out towards the three Pseudo-Royal Lords to block all their attacks. Simultaneously, Yang Kai thrust out his Azure Dragon Spear and charged at Mo Na Ye.
Mo Na Ye’s expression changed as he realized that Yang Kai had not exerted his full strength, causing him to stare at his opponent in total disbelief.
[How could he have grown so much in just a few hundred years!?]
However, Mo Na Ye could not afford to think about it at this moment. Yang Kai had obviously grown significantly, but he too had not idled in the last few hundred years and had also grown stronger. Though not as much as Yang Kai, his cultivation was completely consolidated now, he was able to fight back and not just be on the receiving end of Yang Kai’s killing blows.
Black Ink Strength rumbled as a giant Black Ink Cloud billowed, enveloping a huge portion of the void. The Black Ink Cloud resonated with Mo Na Ye’s roar, “How long can you last like that?”
He could see that Yang Kai had used some kind of Secret Technique to boost his strength, but such Secret Techniques always had limitations.
Yang Kai immediately snarled, “Not for long, but it’s enough to kill you!”
“Come!”
The two taunted each other like petulant children within the Black Ink Cloud, confusing the Pseudo-Royal Lords at the No-Return Pass.
Yang Kai was fighting alone while the Human Race Army and the Black Ink Clan Army were engaged in a chaotic melee on the perimeter of the No-Return Pass. While the Humans were woefully outnumbered, they seemed to have the upper hand.
Moreover, Black Ink Clan’s tactical situation was different from that of the Humans.
The Humans had Pure Yang Pass outside the battlefield coordinating their movements. Precise orders were issued from Pure Yang Pass to all parts of the battlefield, so the soldiers only needed to follow these directives and the entire Human Race Army became like a tightly-knit entity. They advanced and retreated together, providing assistance to each other whenever needed.
On the other hand, Mo Na Ye and Mo Yu were both fully engaged in the fighting. Mo Na Ye had anticipated this situation before the war started and had informed several of his subordinates to take over commanding the Black Ink Clan Grand Army; however, they did not have enough experience, and their tactical and strategic thinking were lacking. They did not stand a chance against the battle-hardened veteran Mi Jing Lun.
If the Black Ink Clan did not have the geographic advantage as the defensive side, and could not immediately receive reinforcements, they would have lost the battle already.
However, the Humans also had their concerns. Despite the fact that they had the advantage in essentially all aspects of this battle, the Black Ink Clan still had the two Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods which were eyeing them dangerously.
These two beings were wary of Ah Da and Ah Er, who were still in the Barren Territory, and dared not move from the No-Return Pass just yet; however, they could still launch attacks remotely.
Even the simplest attack from a Black Ink Giant Spirit God was so powerful that it could not be underestimated and many Humans had already been slaughtered by them; thus, it was unrealistic for the Humans to think that they could retake the No-Return Pass in a single battle. Just as the Black Ink Clan had a clear understanding of the situation between the two sides, so did the Humans.
The deciding factor of the war between the two Races was the four Giant Spirit Gods. Whoever could solve the other’s Giant Spirit Gods first would seize an irreversible advantage.
However, how could either Army even attempt to solve the Giant Spirit Gods of the other side?
The biggest gain so far for the Human Race was the Black Ink Clan Army feigning an attack on Pure Yang Pass, exposing their backs to the Human’s reserve force.
Outside Pure Yang Pass, the 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords had led a million-strong Black Ink Clan Army towards the rear command post of the Human Race Army before suddenly turning around and heading to a weak spot in the Human’s offensive.
Seeing this, Mi Jing Lun ordered the two newly promoted Ninth-Order Masters to lead 200 Eighth-Order Masters to pursue them.
The Black Ink Clan Army, which wanted to coordinate with their clansmen in the No-Return Pass, was suddenly set upon by these Human Masters. The 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords naturally saw this situation, but instead of confronting the enemy in the open, they ordered their Army to escape back to the safety of the No-Return Pass. Unfortunately, this resulted in half of their subordinates being slaughtered.
Mi Jing Lun looked at the situation on the battlefield from Pure Yang Pass and sighed. After this fight with the Black Ink Clan, he realized that the enemy had more strength than he had expected.
Unlike the Black Ink Clan who did not care about their casualties, every Human Soldier was a rare warrior. Taking the No-Return Pass was just the beginning. The Humans still had to go to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. If too many were killed or critically wounded in retaking the No-Return Pass, how could they embark on the next part of the plan?
So, when Mi Jing Lun dispatched the Army for this battle, he had emphasized the principle of preserving their war potential rather than maximizing the damage to the Black Ink Clan. He endeavoured not to have severe losses in the Army, especially among the high-ranking Open Heaven Realm Masters.
At this point in the battle, the Humans certainly had the absolute upper hand; however, without resolving the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods, there was no way to retake the No-Return Pass. If they continued the fight unabated, there would definitely be more casualties.
In such an intensely violent battlefield, every soldier would consume a lot of strength. Additionally, the medicinal efficacies of the Purifying Black Ink Pills, which were taken in advance, were time-limited. With so many dead Black Ink Clansmen on the battlefield, creating massive amounts of Black Ink Clouds, the protective effects of the Purifying Black Ink Pills were being constantly eroded.
Once the medicinal efficacies of the Purifying Black Ink Pills failed, it would be difficult to fight in an environment filled with Black Ink Strength.
Mi Jing Lun could not help but turn his head and look at the depths of the No-Return Pass, where he vaguely saw several figures in the midst of a fierce battle. Upon seeing this, he frowned slightly and muttered, “Concealing one’s ability by feigning weakness?”
Unlike Mo Na Ye, Mi Jing Lun was aware of Yang Kai’s actual strength as he had discussed this with the latter recently.
After 20 years of cultivating with the power of the two Open Heaven Realm Cradles, Yang Kai’s strength was vastly superior to what it used to be.
With Yang Kai’s current strength, he should not have any problems killing Mo Na Ye, even if three Pseudo-Royal Lords were assisting the latter.
However, the battle seemed to be an even struggle. Clearly, Yang Kai did not use his full strength as he was intending to conceal the extent of his abilities. Mi Jing Lun naturally was not worried about Yang Kai’s safety. Before the battle started, Yang Kai approached Mi Jing Lun and chatted with him privately, planning for various scenarios, including the current situation he was in.
Mi Jing Lun naturally knew why Yang Kai decided to feign weakness, even to the extent of letting Mo Na Ye live!
Revealing his true strength to Mo Na Ye was not advantageous at this moment. It was far more important for the Humans to deal with the two Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods.
Yang Kai decided to conceal his ability and only strike at the critical moment against the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods!
After a few more moments of watching, Mi Jing Lun withdrew his gaze and said to himself, “We’ve met our objective.”
The officers around him immediately focused and waited for the order to be given.
The next moment, Mi Jing Lun declared, “Pass down the order, all Armies are to retreat and regroup at Pure Yang Pass!”
“Yes Sir!” The messages were immediately sent to all the Armies.
At the same time, Pure Yang Pass, which had been outside the battlefield, also moved and pressed forward in the direction of the No-Return Pass as all its artifacts came to life.
Mi Jing Lun then flew up and rushed towards the battlefield.
As a Ninth-Order Master, he should have already taken to the battlefield to kill the enemy; however, he had to remain behind to direct the Armies’ movements.
Now that the battle was coming to an end, there was not much more for him to do. The Human Army only needed to withdraw from the battlefield in an orderly manner according to the original plan, so Mi Jing Lun could finally put down the heavy burden of command and go to the battlefield to act as a lone Ninth-Order Master.
At the same time as Pure Yang Pass began moving, on the battlefield inside the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai muttered, “It’s about time.”
Pure Yang Pass heading to the battlefield was a signal for the retreat of the Human Race Army, and Yang Kai knew it well.
Although he had been fighting alone, he was still taking advantage of the momentum of the Human Army. At that moment, Yang Kai’s extremely fierce attacks suddenly slowed down and he held a stoic expression.
Across from him, Mo Na Ye was drenched in cold sweat as he felt like he just escaped from the gates of death.
He did not expect Yang Kai’s explosive assault to last so long and had almost not survived the onslaught. His body was covered with wounds now, and even though they were not life-threatening, it made him look quite dishevelled.
There had also already been several rounds of Pseudo-Royal Lords who rotated in and out of the battlefield.
He was secretly relieved that Yang Kai stopped his attacks at this point; otherwise, once he was killed, the Pseudo-Royal Lords would have to face Yang Kai on their own. Once that happened, the High-Rank Black Ink Nests would suffer heavy losses, which would make the entire war situation untenable.
“Mo Na Ye!” Yang Kai said after he ‘adjusted his breathing’, “Let me show you something!”
Mo Na Ye kept his cool and remained silent, while he continued his attacks with the three Pseudo-Royal Lords in a pincer move.
“Your Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array…” As Yang Kai spoke, the Space-Time River once again coiled around the Azure Dragon Spear. He then thrust his spear into the Void, causing an eruption of Space Principles that shattered the local space!
“It’s useless against me now!” Yang Kai declared.
With the spear’s thrust and the diffusion of Space Principles, there was a sound of something shattering, and immediately afterwards, the space around the No-Return Pass began to crack in a spider-web pattern.
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