<<Previous Chapter | Martial Peak | Next Chapter>>
Translator: Silavin & VictorN
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Yang Kai’s original intention was to use the Human Army to create chaos in and around the No-Return Pass, engaging as many Masters from the Black Ink Clan as possible so he could find a chance to slip through the Territory Gate into the Barren Territory.
That was why he snuck into the No-Return Pass alone when the opportunity presented itself; otherwise, he could have continued to wander the battlefield and kill with impunity. Yang Kai’s mere presence terrified most of the Black Ink Clan, including the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
The biggest reason for doing this was it was a strategy that he had discussed with Mi Jing Lun before the Army began the battle.
Ah Da and Ah Er remained in the Barren Territory. These two Giant Spirit Gods were strong, but not very smart. So, it was better to have a Human direct and guide them, especially during the critical moments.
Yang Kai was naturally the best candidate for this role.
The two Giant Spirit Gods considered him a friend and he was strong enough to move alone to the Barren Territory and remain there to guard it.
Furthermore, just because Yang Kai was in the Barren Territory did not mean that he could not participate in the battle. He was so strong that as long as he was in the Barren Territory, the Black Ink Clan would have to divert some energy to guard against him attacking the No-Return Pass from the Territory Gate.
The Black Ink Clan would not be as worried had it been any other Ninth-Order Masters remaining behind the Territory Gate.
Yang Kai intended to escape to the Barren Territory all along, but he did not expect the process to be so turbulent to the point he was forced to make such a bitter choice…
Mo Na Ye had also anticipated Yang Kai possibly escaping through the Territory Gate, but he had thought the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array would be enough to stop the latter.
Previously, Mo Na Ye had quite some confidence in the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array, but to his disappointment, he now realized that this Array could no longer trap Yang Kai.
So, the moment Yang Kai reappeared, Mo Na Ye and Di Ya Luo led a large group of Pseudo-Royal Lords over. Before they even arrived, powerful Secret Techniques were sent out like a storm towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s face paled. Throughout this battle, he had been concealing his ability by feigning weakness; however, he was now really wounded and facing a deadly threat. The Pseudo-Royal Lords who were responsible for guarding the No-Return Pass were all mobilized. In total, there were now nearly 30 top Masters attacking Yang Kai, two of whom were true Royal Lords. With adversaries of such strength and numbers, even he could not resist them head-on.
In his haste, Yang Kai could only hastily summon his Space-Time River and dive inside to shield himself as he fled towards the Territory Gate.
*Hong long long…*
Explosions rang out as waves surged, causing the Space-Time River to tumble and the Dao Strengths to shake.
Space rippled and cracked near the Territory Gate as Yang Kai disappeared while those chasing after him came to a halt. Mo Na Ye, the leader of the group, ground his teeth and snarled, “He’s still alive after all that!”
Although he had not been able to catch Yang Kai off guard and even landed a heavy final blow, he was absolutely certain that Yang Kai was still alive. He also knew that Yang Kai had already escaped into the Barren Territory through the Territory Gate to join up with the two Giant Spirit Gods.
As he spoke, a strong sense of frustration rose in his heart.
According to his plans, as long as nothing untoward happened, Yang Kai had less than a 30% chance of escaping from the No-Return Pass. However, the most critical Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array did not work as it should. Now, not only was his plan a failure, he had shown his trump card.
Di Ya Luo’s identity had been exposed, and the Black Ink Clan had no more Royal Lords; thus, it would now be all but impossible to kill Yang Kai.
Thinking back on all the years he had been fighting with Yang Kai, Mo Na Ye realized he previously had two good chances to kill this plague but always failed at the last moment. No one could be sure if he was unlucky or if Yang Kai’s fortune was just that much better to always allow him to survive.
Di Ya Luo comforted, “Don’t blame yourself. Although we couldn’t kill him this time, he is definitely severely injured and won’t be able to cause any troubles anytime soon. Additionally, now is not the time to think about him. We should consider the overall situation!”
As a Royal Lord, Di Ya Luo did not have many dealings with Yang Kai. More specifically, he had not suffered many losses at his hands; thus, he did not have Mo Na Ye’s obsession with killing Yang Kai. However, right now, the Black Ink Clan had more problems than just a wounded but still alive Yang Kai.
Mo Na Ye forced himself to calm down, nodded, and said, “You’re right!”
When he was fighting with Yang Kai, he did not have the time or the capacity to think of the situation on the battlefield; however, he immediately noticed something unusual as he observed the fights.
The Human Race Army was withdrawing, while Pure Yang Pass, which had kept its distance all this time, was actually advancing. It seemed to be using the power of its various Arrays and artifacts to provide cover for the retreating Humans.
This was a planned withdrawal which was executed in an orderly and disciplined fashion.
A moment later, Mo Na Ye understood why the Humans chose to withdraw their forces despite having the advantage.
It was true that the Humans had controlled the flow of the battle this entire time and gained many advantages thus far, resulting in a lot of casualties among the Black Ink Clan, including numerous Pseudo-Royal Lords. However, the Human Warships also sustained a lot of damage and many of their Masters had fallen. If the Humans continued to fight, their casualties would only rise as more and more of their Warships were destroyed.
By choosing to withdraw at this point, they could preserve their own strength. Mo Na Ye would also make this choice if he was in such a situation.
To put it bluntly, the Black Ink Clan was now a caged beast and there was no need for the Humans to fight them to the death.
As long as there were a few more battles like this one, when Black Ink Clan’s strength was worn down enough, the Humans could launch a decisive final attack and wipe them out.
“Want to leave? It’s not that easy.” Mo Na Ye coldly snorted as he saw through the Human Race’s intention. This kind of hit-and-run tactic was despicable and clearly Mi Jing Lun’s plot, so he swiftly shouted, “Pass down the order, attack the Humans at all costs. Have all the Pseudo-Royal Lords in the No-Return Pass join the offensive!”
The Pseudo-Royal Lords were shocked by Mo Na Ye’s boldness.
The No-Return Pass was the foundation of the Black Ink Clan as all the High Rank Black Ink Nests were here. The Pseudo-Royal Lords who stayed behind were tasked exclusively with guarding these Black Ink Nests. If they left, the entire No-Return Pass would be unguarded and extremely vulnerable. If at this moment any Human Race Master managed to sneak through, it would definitely cause terrible damage to the Black Ink Clan!
However, the only one who could really achieve this was already badly injured and had escaped into the Barren Territory. Thus, he would not have the strength to cause trouble again… As for the others, there was no need to worry about them accomplishing what that anomaly could do.
Although this order seemed to be a rash decision by Mo Na Ye, it was actually well-considered.
After giving this order, Mo Na Ye and Di Ya Luo took the lead and rushed towards the battlefield, followed by several dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Somewhere on the battlefield, Mi Jing Lun, who had just started killing the enemies, keenly noticed this and sighed, “That guy is really difficult to deal with!”
When an Army was withdrawing from the battlefield, it was most fearful of such a situation. Now, the Humans were bound to incur even more losses.
Thankfully, the advantage that the Humans had gained this time was significant. Even though the Black Ink Clan had responded in the worst way possible, the Humans were still able to withstand the onslaught.
Just as the battle was about to end, the fights suddenly became more intense than before. The orderly withdrawal of the Human Race Army was interrupted by the Black Ink Clan Army doggedly chasing after them, with Masters of both sides clashing in the void.
Comparing the two sides, the Humans were undoubtedly better organized. The 12 Armies coordinated with each other as single units while Black Ink Clan was much more chaotically and haphazardly arranged.
Many of the Black Ink Clan Soldiers that gave chase could not interfere with the Humans meaningfully as they did not coordinate properly and were basically trampling over each other, trying to get ahead.
However, there was still some impact on the withdrawal of the Army. The sudden attacks resulted in numerous losses among the Humans. Many damaged Warships were destroyed and the cultivators on board were crushed.
Seeing the situation deteriorating, one of the Purifying Black Ink Battleships actually turned around and dove into a close-quarters battle, its weapons firing madly as it ploughed its way through the enemy lines. Arriving at the heart of the enemy’s charge, the giant Warship suddenly glowed brilliantly before exploding into a Great Sun made of pure white light, illuminating the entire void.
The Great Sun enveloped a massive area and wounded or killed all the surrounding Black Ink Clansmen, creating an opening for the rest of the Human forces to escape.
The scene was magnificent and the battle-weary soldiers cheered from all corners of the battlefield.
This was how far the Humans were willing to go, how far they could go when they had something to protect!
The 3,000 Worlds was their home, and although it was now an empty shell due to the Black Ink Clan’s wanton plunder, it was still their homeland and none of it would be ceded.
If they wanted to protect their home, they had to uproot the Black Ink Clan once and for all.
The two mighty Armies continued to clash with the Humans fighting hard as they retreated. The Black Ink Clan continued their pursuit for 5 million kilometres before finally stopping.
The relentless and tenacious pursuit of the Humans frustrated Mi Jing Lun and he was tempted to order an immediate counteroffensive; however, considering that most of the Warships were damaged and the effects of the Purifying Black Ink Pills was wearing out, he had no choice but to give up on this risky idea.
The soldiers were very reliant on their Warships for protection. For so many years, the Human Warships were the key to them taking on the numerically superior enemy and prevailing.
Most of the losses in the later part of the battle were due to the destroyed Warships, leaving the soldiers without extra protection.
It was only when the pursuing Black Ink Clan Army retreated like an outgoing tide that this battle finally ended.
One thing that cannot be allowed is cleaning out of all the nests, completely untying Black Ink clan’s hands
Hello!
Many thanks for the chapter, as always.