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Translator: Silavin & Jon
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
A moment later, Tang Qiu, whose face was all bruised, found himself literally backed into a corner. Faced with three towering figures, he had no way to flee.
All of them were Eighth-Order Army Commanders, so they would be equally matched if they were in a one-on-one fight. However, how was he supposed to be a match for the three of them on his own?
If he hadn’t given up resisting early on, he would’ve been badly injured by now.
“Tell us what you’re up to by coming all the way here to Blue Sky Pass,” Zhong Liang looked down at him in a condescending manner.
Tang Qiu’s face twitched, “Brother Zhong, I’m really here to ask Yang Kai to replenish the Purifying Light.”
“Stop lying!” Zhong Liang directly cut him off, “If you really wanted to replenish the Purifying Light, you could’ve asked a Seventh-Order Junior to come over. You didn’t have to personally come here. Are there too many resources in Yin-Yang Pass for you to squander? It’s far more costly for an Eighth-Order Master to use the Space Array than a Seventh-Order one.”
At this point, his voice turned grim, “Something major must have happened in Yin-Yang Pass that prompted you to personally come over.”
Ding Yao asked, “What does that have to do with Yang Kai? Why do you insist on seeing him?”
There was a helpless smile on Tang Qiu’s face, “You never believed what I said…”
“Brother Tang!” Zhong Liang’s expression turned solemn, “If you do not want to tell us the truth, you can return now.”
A myriad of expressions came over Tang Qiu but eventually, he let out a sigh, “Fine. Things have come to a point where I have no choice but to tell you the truth. Do you have a quiet place we can talk?”
Zhong Liang and Ding Yao exchanged glances, thinking that the matter Tang Qiu was about to bring up must be serious; otherwise, he wouldn’t be acting so cautious.
“Come with me,” Zhong Liang said and led the way.
Soon, the four of them arrived at a certain hall.
After the door was closed, the restrictions were activated to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
Zhong Liang gazed at Tang Qiu, “Brother Tang, you can be completely honest with us. Even though we’re from different Great Passes, we’re all Humans. If there’s anything we can help you with, we won’t turn you down.”
Tang Qiu let out a long breath. He then fished out a jade slip and flicked his fingers, “Before we get to the main topic, I want you to have a look at this first.”
He exerted just the right amount of force with his fingers as the jade slip exploded in mid-air and turned into dots of light. Instead of dissipating though, the dots of light kept changing forms and transformed into a scene.
There was no doubt that this was a profound method. He used a Divine Ability to seal the scene that had happened before inside a jade slip, and he could show it to others whenever he wanted.
It wasn’t certain where on the Black Ink Battlefield the place was, but they could see that it was somewhere in the void.
In the scene, arrays were seen flickering on a Warship that belonged to Humans. As the arrays operated, attacks were continuously sent out.
Up ahead, there was another Warship that was fleeing as it counterattacked from time to time.
Nevertheless, this Warship was different from the ones owned by Humans that Zhong Liang and the others were familiar with. It was huge and rough. Even though it couldn’t frequently launch an attack, every strike that came from the vessel was intimidating.
Around the Warships were some Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were locked in an intense battle with Feudal Lords.
Zhong Liang and the others stared fixedly at the larger Warship. Even though the image they saw was not very clear, there were apparently some burly Black Ink Clansmen who were moving around on the Warship.
Their expressions became increasingly solemn as they watched the scene.
After the intense battle lasted for a while, the larger ship suddenly started rumbling. The next moment, the Arrays on the warship exploded as they were not stable to begin with. They were all damaged in an instant, and without the Arrays, the larger Warship was like a tiger without teeth, no longer able to attack or defend.
The Warship belonging to the Humans seized the chance to continuously attack the vessel until it exploded, killing countless Black Ink Clansmen who were aboard the vessel.
After defeating the vessel, the Warship belonging to the Humans turned around and assisted the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. The Feudal Lords had no choice but to flee.
The scene ended here as the points of light disappeared.
The hall turned dead silent as the atmosphere grew solemn.
A long time later, Zhong Liang asked, “Was it made by the Black Ink Clan?”
“Yes.” Tang Qiu nodded.
“When did it happen?”
“Three months ago. A Squad from Yin-Yang Pass was patrolling the area and came across it. The Squad Leader realised that it was a serious issue, so he used a Secret Technique to capture the scene. That was what you saw just now.”
Zhong Liang frowned, “Had no one discovered it before that?”
Tang Qiu shook his head, “No. Based on our observations, the Warship made by the Black Ink Clan was not very reliable. That was the reason such an accident happened during the battle, allowing us to destroy it.”
“Even though it’s not reliable, they’re already capable of making such a thing.” Zhong Liang let out a long breath, “There will come a day when the Black Ink Clan might be able to field a Warship that is reliable enough to use in combat. If that happens, our greatest advantage will be gone for good.”
The Humans and the Black Ink Clan had been fighting each other on the Black Ink Battlefield for countless years, and they each had their own advantages. The biggest advantage that the Black Ink Clan had was the Black Ink Strength. Before Yang Kai brought Purifying Light to them, the Humans had suffered great losses because of Black Ink Strength.
On the other hand, the biggest advantage that the Humans had was their Warships.
With the help of these Warships, the Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could display power on par with the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters on the battlefield; what’s more, as long as the Warship was not damaged, its crew wouldn’t be at risk.
Therefore, regardless of which Great Pass war broke out around, the Humans would always suffer fewer losses than the Black Ink Clan.
Most of the time, in smaller skirmishes, there wouldn’t be any casualties on the Humans’ side. That was because they had Warships, which could be used for defending and attacking.
The Black Ink Clan had always coveted Human Warships, and they had been trying to develop such vessels for a long time; however, due to a lack of talented people, they hadn’t been able to achieve it.
After all, not just any Artifact Refiner could refine a Warship. In the entire Blue Sky Pass, fewer than 10 people were able to build a Warship, and they were always well protected, never being allowed to step onto the battlefield lest they be corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
It was because of this reason that the method of refining Warships had always been kept in the hands of the Humans. There was nothing that the Black Ink Clan could do about it.
Yang Kai had brought Purifying Light and Purifying Black Ink Pills to the Human Race. With these two items in possession, the Humans would have a bright future as the advantage that the Black Ink Clan had relied on for years would be weakened.
However, the news that Tang Qiu had brought with him made Zhong Liang and the others feel their hearts sinking. If the Black Ink Clan could really make their own Warships one day, the advantage that the Humans had would be completely undermined.
More importantly, the Black Ink Clan had a massive population. Every time they launched an attack on the Great Passes, the Low-Rank and High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen would serve as mere cannon fodder in order to exhaust the strength of the Human cultivators. The Black Ink Strength left behind after their deaths would turn into Black Ink Clouds and further restrict the Humans.
However, if they had their own Warships, the innumerable Low-Rank and High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen wouldn’t just be cannon fodder anymore. Just like the Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they could hide inside Warships and rely on them to exert power far greater than their own.
If the Black Ink Clan had enough Warships and invaded the Great Passes one day, the Humans wouldn’t be able to fend off the enemy anymore.
This notion sent a chill down the spine of anyone who thought about it.
“Do you know who helped them refine it?” Zhong Liang asked in a grim voice.
Tang Qiu replied, “We’ve narrowed it down to about 10 people who could be responsible for creating this vessel, but we’re not sure who it is.”
It was a well-known fact that the Black Ink Clan lacked any aptitude for Artifact Refining. The artifacts they owned were basically all made by Black Ink Disciples. The Warship belonging to the Black Ink Clan that they saw must have been made by a Black Ink Disciple as well.
Since this Black Ink Disciple was somewhat able to refine a Warship, it suggested that they were pretty skilled in the Dao of Artifact Refining.
Usually, such a talent wouldn’t be allowed to step onto the battlefield, but there were always exceptions. Some people might be gifted in the Dao of Artifact Refining, but have never focused on it. Since they wanted to focus on the Martial Dao, they would have to fight against the enemy.
After they were corrupted by the Black Ink Strength, they were ordered by the Black Ink Clan to study Artifact Refining, and as time passed, their skills would improve, allowing them to refine a Warship.
It was with this criteria that those from Yin-Yang Pass had narrowed down the list of possible people to a group of 10 who had been confirmed to be corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
If there was anyone who could help the Black Ink Clan make such a thing, the person must be among these 10.
“What is Yin-Yang Pass’ stance on this?” Ding Yao asked.
Tang Qiu replied, “This matter has far-reaching implications that might change the status quo of the entire battlefield. If the enemy successfully develops Warships, we won’t be able to fend them off in the future. Therefore, the Old Ancestor intends to find the Artifact Refiner responsible for this thing and bring them back before the Black Ink Clan can achieve their goal. If not, we’ll have to kill him to stop the situation from worsening. This matter has to be settled without delay.”
Ding Yao nodded gently. That was indeed the only way to solve the problem.
On the other hand, Zhong Liang’s expression changed, “Brother Tang, have you come all the way here to Blue Sky Pass to ask Yang Kai…”
Tang Qiu said, “Yang Kai had lived among the Black Ink Clan for two years; moreover, he has a World Spring, so he need not fear Black Ink Strength, not to mention he has Purifying Light. He’s the best candidate for the job. We don’t need him to kill the enemy, he just has to find the Artifact Refiner’s identity and whereabouts. Yin-Yang Pass’s Old Ancestor will personally make a move once he accomplishes his task.”
Zhong Liang immediately shook his head, “No. It’s too dangerous. If the enemy were to find out about his identity, he would be doomed.”
Tang Qiu let out a sigh, “I know that it’s a dangerous task; however, he’s the only one who stands a chance to achieve it. You all know that he’s a Master of the Dao of Space, so he’s skilled at escaping. Moreover, he’s a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so even if his identity is exposed, he’ll still have a chance to flee.”
Hello!
Many thanks for the chapter, as always.