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Translator: Silavin & Tia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
The Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator was a dry oil lamp who didn’t even have the strength to fight back at this point. Be that as it may, thanks to how he normally focused on cultivating his physical body, his physique was incredibly intrepid all on its own. It was not easy for an opponent who was equally exhausted to kill him.
Such a situation had never been seen before.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was feeling extremely uneasy as he dragged the Bright King Heaven cultivator towards Nu Yan. He didn’t know whether the plan he had made up on the spot could be realised; even so, he had to try. This matter involved a life after all.
Inside the Sealed World, Meng Qi once told him that there was no need for him to show mercy to his opponents if he encountered another Black Ink Disciple in the future. On the contrary, he should kill them if he could as that would in and of itself be a blessing for them.
Yang Kai never imagined that the time to make such a choice would appear so quickly before him; however, he could not bring himself to ruthlessly slaughter the Black Ink Disciple from Bright King Cave Heaven in front of him. He had the means to solve the root issue after all. There might be an opportunity for him to rescue this Black Ink Disciple and restore his original nature; which was why he tried every means possible to defeat his opponent without killing him.
Staggering over to Nu Yan, Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Master, fortunately, I did not fail my mission!”
Nu Yan smiled and nodded, “Very good! I knew I was right about you.”
The truth was that he had made up his mind to abandon Yang Kai when he sent him into the battlefield earlier. Looking back on his decision now, it would seem like he had great foresight instead.
Nu Yan lowered his head and glanced at the Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator whom Yang Kai had dragged over to him. A greedy look flashed across his eyes as he stretched out his hand, “Hand him to me.”
Yang Kai had no choice but to obey.
Nu Yan reached out and grabbed the Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator, his large palm holding him upright as his Black Ink Strength surged and wrapped around the latter.
Upon seeing this, Yang Kai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Nu Yan’s actions had not disappointed him. This situation was exactly what he had been hoping for.
On the other hand, the expression of Lang Ya, who had been gnashing his teeth and watching from nearby, immediately fell at this sight and he shouted grimly, “Nu Yan, what are you doing!?”
He initially thought that Nu Yan would simply enjoy the spoils of war. The World Force of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was an extremely nutritious supplement to a High-Rank Black Ink Clansman after all. Nu Yan’s strength would surely increase sharply after devouring the World Force of the Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator.
How could he have anticipated that Nu Yan had no such plans at all? Contrary to expectations, Nu Yan used his own Black Ink Strength to corrode the Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator; in this way, wouldn’t the Bright King Heaven cultivator become Nu Yan’s Black Ink Disciple instead?
How could Lang Ya accept this situation? A living Black Ink Disciple and a dead Black Ink Disciple had very different values.
He had agreed on a death match with Nu Yan, so now that the outcome of the battle had been decided, Lang Ya had mentally prepared himself for his Black Ink Disciple to be killed. If Nu Yan had killed the Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator, then he would have nothing to say; however, Nu Yan’s current actions were unacceptable to him. Doing this would greatly increase the overall strength of Nu Yan’s subordinates. Conversely, Lang Ya would lose a powerful subordinate. Thanks to this shift in numbers, the gap between his strength and Nu Yan’s strength would become very large.
“Do you have an objection?” Nu Yan glanced sideways at Lang Ya.
Lang Ya roared angrily, “You and I agreed to a death match! The battle must end with death to determine the winner! What do you mean by stealing my Black Ink Disciple now!?”
If it were a life bout where the ownership of the losing Black Ink Disciple was the wager, then Nu Yan’s actions would be beyond reproach; however, it was different for a deathmatch.
Nu Yan sneered, “What do you mean by stealing? The outcome of the battle has been decided and these are spoils of war. If I want him alive, he will live. If I want him dead, he will die. His life is mine now. It has nothing to do with you.”
Lang Ya insisted on the rules and refused to back down, “A deathmatch is a deathmatch! Between these two Black Ink Disciples, only one may survive. You may choose which one!”
Nu Yan shook his head slowly, “Nobody ever said that only one person can survive in a death match.”
It was true that nobody had ever specified such a thing, it was just that every deathmatch had ended with the same result, mainly because the Black Ink Disciples who fought in each battle were not significantly different in strength. There had never been a situation in which a Black Ink Disciple with a higher Order had utterly suppressed a Black Ink Disciple with a lower Order before.
Seeing as the Black Ink Disciples could not afford to hold back once the fight started, it was only natural that one side would eventually be defeated and killed. In this way, everybody had simply taken this rule as a given.
A situation like this, where Yang Kai had captured his opponent alive and returned to his Master, was unprecedented; hence, there was room for interpretation.
Lang Ya did not waste his time arguing with Nu Yan though. Raising his arms, he shouted to the audience, “Let’s ask our clansmen! What are the rules of a deathmatch!?”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
Deafening cheers rang out from the surrounding audience. The Black Ink Clan did not care about who would benefit from this situation, they simply wanted to see blood and death.
Lang Ya gave Nu Yan a defiant look with a smug expression on his face.
Nu Yan’s expression became solemn. He really liked this Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator, so it would be great if he could take him under his command. However, his gains would not be worth the losses if he incurred the wrath of his clansmen here.
While Nu Yan was hesitating, Yang Kai suddenly cupped his fist, “Master, why don’t you let me fight him again? I can slowly, slowly torture him to death!”
Nu Yan frowned and asked, “Slowly torture him to death?”
What would the point of that be?
Yang Kai quickly followed up, “What do you think of a hundred years?”
Only then did Nu Yan understand and grinned to himself. Who would be willing to watch this fight drag on for 100 years? Even Lang Ya may not have such patience. Once Lang Ya was gone, the Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator would naturally become his Black Ink Disciple. It wasn’t a bad solution.
“You court death!” Lang Ya turned and glared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai lowered his head, “If Master wants me dead, I will die!”
The implication behind his words was naturally ‘you are not qualified to order me around’.
D-4’s eyes widened when he heard those words. It was only at this moment that he realised how bold E-5 was, [I can’t believe he dared to speak to a Black Ink Clansman in such an aggressive manner!? Does he not know how to write the word ‘death’!?]
“Impudence!” Nu Yan rebuked, but the tone of his voice held no sense of reproach whatsoever.
Yang Kai bowed his head in deference.
Nu Yan then turned to look at Lang Ya, “I’m sure you’re not willing to spend 100 years watching a boring fight, right? If you’re really that leisurely, then I can allow the two Black Ink Disciples to continue their match.”
In any case, the cultivator from Bright King Cave Heaven had already been imbued with his Black Ink Strength and could already be considered his Black Ink Disciple. As long as Nu Yan gave the order, it was really possible for the two Black Ink Disciples to fight for another 100 years.
Lang Ya’s expression was frigid, but he remained silent.
“Let’s do this. Why don’t we just invite the three Feudal Lords to adjudicate this matter? We can ask them for their opinions and decide based on the majority. Whatever the Feudal Lords decide, we will obey their decision,” Nu Yan suggested.
The reason Nu Yan made such a suggestion was that he would not suffer any losses, regardless of the outcome. If the Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator was allowed to live, then he would obtain an additional powerful servant. If the Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator was condemned to die, then he could take the opportunity to devour his World Force and increase his own strength.
On the contrary, no matter how the situation turned out, Lang Ya would not benefit in any way.
More importantly, Nu Yan did not have 100 years to waste either.
Seeing as Nu Yan had already made such a suggestion, how could Lang Ya refuse? He immediately nodded in agreement, “Good!”
Nu Yan turned to look around him, then he placed his hand on his chest, “I respectfully invite our respected Feudal Lords to pass judgement upon this matter.” Pointing at the Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator, he continued, “The life of this Black Ink Disciple will depend on your judgement, Sirs.”
There were Black Ink Feudal Lords mixed among the Black Ink Clan watching in the surroundings; moreover, they were not few in number. As long as one could reach the appropriate level of strength, they would automatically become a Feudal Lord, but not every Black Ink Feudal Lord had their own territory.
This place was the Fierce Wind Estate, and there was naturally a Feudal Lord in charge here; as such, other Feudal Lords did not have a say in how this place operated. Since the Lord of the Fierce Wind Estate had a territory of his own, that could only mean that his strength was incomparable to an ordinary Feudal Lord. Still, that did not mean other Feudal Lords did not have any authority here.
It was the same as Void Land. There were so many Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land, but despite also being one of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yang Kai was also Void Land’s Lord. The others might be part of Void Land, but they did not have the status of being the Lord.
After Nu Yan finished speaking, he waited quietly.
A short while later, a female Black Ink Feudal Lord finally spoke up with great majesty, “A deathmatch should involve death. What meaning is there for both to survive?”
The meaning behind her words was extremely clear.
Lang Ya and Nu Yan bowed with their hands on their chests as a sign of respect. Then, they quietly waited for the next Feudal Lord to speak. Nevertheless, Lang Ya’s expression was obviously much more relaxed thanks to the support of this female Feudal Lord.
Nu Yan was unaffected by the situation as he figured he would win regardless of the outcome.
After a while, another Feudal Lord spoke, “The Black Ink Disciple is also part of the Black Ink Clan’s strength. Let him live. He will be of use on the battlefield.”
The opinions of the two Feudal Lords had opposed each other. In that case, the last Feudal Lord would undoubtedly decide the life or death of that Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator.
A voice soon rang out from somewhere, “Let him live!”
The response was very concise. There was no need for much explanation. He probably had the same thoughts as the second Feudal Lord. The Black Ink Disciple could contribute more if he survived.
Nu Yan and Lang Ya bowed once more.
When they straightened their backs, Nu Yan gave Lang Ya a triumphant smile.
Lang Ya snorted in response. Turning around, he left with his remaining Black Ink Disciple in tow. He originally had three Black Ink Disciples gathered around him, including two Fifth-Order and one Sixth-Order. One of his Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had been killed by D-4, and his only Sixth-Order servant had been captured by Yang Kai. At present, he was only left with one Fifth-Order Master. It was a bleak sight to behold.
If Lang Ya wanted to obtain more Black Ink Disciples, then he could only buy them from other Black Ink Clansmen, participate in similar gambling battles, or wait for the war to break out so that he could corrupt a Human cultivator with his Black Ink Strength on the battlefield. In any case, he suffered a huge loss this time.
Nu Yan, who was in conflict with Lang Ya, was naturally overjoyed by this turn of events. The two gambling battles had resulted in the loss of A-1, followed by the acquisition of the Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator.
Although the line-up under his command remained at five subordinates, his overall strength had increased. Everything could be accredited to the newly-recruited servant called E-5. If E-5 had not given him such an unexpectedly pleasant surprise today, he would not be so ecstatic right now.
Turning around, he looked at Yang Kai, who was bloody and dishevelled from the fight. The more he looked at Yang Kai, the happier he became. He had never found a Black Ink Disciple so appealing before.
“From today onwards, you will be called A-1!” Nu Yan said while looking at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai froze for a moment before he cupped his fist and responded softly, “Yes!”
His name had changed from E-5 to A-1 all of a sudden. It was obviously a giant leap in status.
“Your name is E-5!” The Black Ink Clansman looked at the Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator again.
The Bright King Cave Heaven cultivator had yet to recover fully after such a short rest, but he had enough energy to at least stand up now. Despite his pale complexion, he responded in the affirmative.
Hello!
Many thanks for the chapter, as always.
I hope Yang Kai is able to save D4 and E5 at least.