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Translator: Silavin & Jon
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
A cornered animal would strike back at all costs if it was pushed into a hopeless situation, no matter how timid it may be. Earlier, the Humans had killed a group of Black Ink Clansmen, which was fine if all they wanted was to destroy the enemy. However, if they repeatedly killed the Black Ink Clan’s envoys and eliminated any hope of negotiation, that would be disastrous for them as well.
Therefore, upon hearing what the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master said, the others nodded in agreement.
“I’ll make contact with them.” Saying so, the Seventh-Order Master emerged from his hiding place, stood there in the void, and looked condescendingly at the group of Black Ink Clansmen.
From afar, the Feudal Lord at the front spotted this Seventh-Order Master. He was initially anxious, but upon seeing the person’s actions, he relaxed slightly.
He had seen what had happened to the previous group of his clansmen; therefore, after taking on the task, he was worried that he would also perish just like them.
However, since a Human was willing to show up and not immediately attack, it meant that they had figured out their intentions.
Now, it seemed that raising a white flag was indeed useful.
Half a day later, with the Feudal Lords leading the way, these Black Ink Clansmen arrived somewhere near the asteroid. Only one Seventh-Order Master had shown up on the Humans’ side while the others remained hidden nearby.
Despite being alone, this Human gave off a domineering air.
These Black Ink Clansmen stopped at a spot that was 100,000 kilometres away from the Seventh-Order Human. The Feudal Lord, who was holding the white flag, gave a hint to the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple beside him. The latter took a step forward and cupped his fist, “May I know your name, Senior Brother?”
The Seventh-Order Master glanced at this Black Ink Disciple and let out a sigh. He saluted him back and replied, “Clear Mind Cave Heaven, Mu Tian Zong.”
He wouldn’t have been so polite if it was a Black Ink Clansman who asked him this question; however, the one who spoke was a Black Ink Disciple. His appearance suggested that he could no longer be saved, but he used to be a Human, after all. He was not willingly corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
Every time the Humans came across such Black Ink Disciples on the battlefield, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill them. That was because death was the only release for these Black Ink Disciples.
Nevertheless, in such a situation, it wasn’t appropriate for this Seventh-Order Master to give them the cold shoulder. This Black Ink Disciple used to be a part of the Human Race, and he had fought against the Black Ink Clan on the battlefield before.
The leading Feudal Lord was apparently a clever one as he let this Black Ink Disciple speak while he remained silent. There was no doubt that it was a wise decision.
The Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple nodded, “Great Evolution Pass, Lian Xu!”
Without beating around the bush, Mu Tian Zong asked, “Why has the Black Ink Clan come all the way here, waving a white flag?”
Lian Xu replied, “Senior Brother, the Black Ink Clan of Great Evolution Pass would like to hold peace talks with the Humans. The reason we have a white flag with us is to show our sincerity.”
“A peace talk?” Mu Tian Zong arched his brow, as though he was surprised, “The blood feud between the two Races is irresolvable. Do you think we’ll believe that you want to suddenly discuss peace?”
Lian Xu replied, “It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. What matters is whether the Army Commanders and the Division Commanders will believe it.”
He basically implied that this Seventh-Order Master had no right to decide how the matter should be handled.
Mu Tian Zong stared back at him and snorted.
It had to be said that the Black Ink Clan had made the right decision by letting a Black Ink Disciple deal with this matter instead of doing it themselves; after all, Black Ink Disciples had a far better understanding of the Human Race.
The Black Ink Disciple Lian Xu went on to say, “Over the past 100 years, the Black Ink Clansmen from Great Evolution Pass have repeatedly clashed with the Army you belong to, and both parties have suffered immense losses. Now, the Black Ink Clansmen are stuck in Great Evolution Pass while the Humans don’t dare to attack rashly. Further confrontation will only drain our strength and waste our time. Now, the Black Ink Clan are willing to return Great Evolution Pass to the Humans. It’s just that we don’t know whether the Humans are willing to accept it.”
Hearing that, Mu Tian Zong secretly sneered.
The truth was that the Black Ink Clan at the Royal City had been defeated, and those garrisoned at Great Evolution Pass had no choice but to abandon this place. However, this Black Ink Disciple spoke in a way as though the Black Ink Clan were doing the Humans a favour by giving Great Evolution Pass back to them.
Did they think that the North-South Army had no idea what had happened at the Royal City?
Just like what Mi Jing Lun had expected, the Black Ink Clan thought that the Humans did not know what transpired at the Royal City, so they wanted to take advantage of it. Despite knowing what was going on, the Seventh-Order Master pretended that he knew nothing as he appeared surprised, “The Black Ink Clan are going to just give Great Evolution Pass back to us?”
Lian Xu nodded, “Great Evolution Pass originally belonged to the Human Race. Now, we’re just returning it to you.”
“What are the Black Ink Clan’s conditions?” Mu Tian Zong appeared tempted, “There’s no way they will give it back to us for free. It’s not like they’re kind-hearted people.”
Lian Xu replied with a smile, “There are indeed some conditions; however, it’s pointless for us to discuss this. The leaders of the two Races will have to meet to make a decision.”
Mu Tian Zong furrowed his brow slightly before nodding, “You have a point. In that case, give me a moment. I’ll relay a message to the higher-ups.”
Saying so, he fished out a Communication Bead and activated his Divine Sense to get in touch with those at the forward base.
These apprehensive Black Ink Clansmen waited in silence, especially the Feudal Lord who was holding the white flag. He had a feeling that some people were watching him from the shadows, which made him feel uneasy.
A moment later, Mu Tian Zong lifted his head and said, “We’ve received an order. Since the Black Ink Clan wants to hold peace talks, tell the Territory Lord who can make decisions to come over. The Army Commanders and Division Commanders will speak with him.”
It seemed that Lian Xu had already expected this, so he shook his head with a smile, “That’s not appropriate. If Sir Territory Lord comes all the way here, and the Army Commanders and Division Commanders intend to kill him, he might not be able to keep himself safe.”
Mu Tian Zong scoffed, “You used to be a Human, so you should know that we don’t go back on our word.”
Lian Xu refuted, “I also know that deception is an essential tool to achieve one’s goal on the battlefield.”
Mu Tian Zong asked impatiently, “What do you think we should do, then?”
“Give me a moment, Senior Brother.” Saying so, Lian Xu turned to look at the Feudal Lord with the white flag and used his Divine Sense to communicate with him.
Mu Tian Zong had no idea what they were talking about, but the Feudal Lord kept nodding his head, as though Lian Xu was actually the leader here.
The Feudal Lord was probably flustered as numerous murderous intents had locked onto him, so he wasn’t in the mood to mull over anything. Therefore, he just let Lian Xu make the decision.
A moment later, Lian Xu said, “I think that the leaders of the two Races should meet at a neutral location to prevent either side from having ill intentions. What do you think, Senior Brother?”
“Where do you think a suitable place would be?” Mu Tian Zong asked.
Lian Xu replied, “A million kilometres away from Great Evolution Pass.”
The distance was still within range of the arrays set up at Great Evolution Pass. The reason Lian Xu had made this offer was to give the Humans room for negotiation, but surprisingly, Mu Tian Zong directly agreed to it, “Good, a million kilometres out from Great Evolution Pass it is.”
His prompt reply startled Lian Xu as he asked in shock, “Don’t you have to get the approval of your higher-ups, Senior Brother?”
A confident Mu Tian Zong replied, “The Army Commanders have given me authority to make the decision.”
He really had gotten this permission when he contacted those at the forward base just now. Mi Jing Lun had already expected this kind of outcome, so he told Mu Tian Zong to just agree to any place that the other party proposed because he was certain that regardless of where the peace talk was held, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t dare to initiate hostilities.
What’s more, by granting a concession here, they could be more aggressive during the actual negotiations.
Lian Xu wasn’t sure if he should believe what he was hearing; however, things had come to such a point where he could only believe this Seventh-Order Master.
No one could have expected that the location of the peace talk would be so easily decided, especially the Feudal Lord at the front. When he returned to Great Evolution Pass with the white flag in his hands, he still felt like he was dreaming.
When he reported the outcome to Hong Di and the other Territory Lords, they were all surprised. They had never expected that the Humans would be willing to hold peace talks just 1 million kilometres away from Great Evolution Pass. How confident must the Humans be to agree to it? Or did they have other arrangements?
Back at the forward base, Mi Jing Lun stepped out of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
The Eighth-Order Division Commanders behind him were boisterous, some of them wanting to tag along while some of them wanted to sail the fleet out to put pressure on the Black Ink Clan.
After all, the location of the peace talks was too close to Great Evolution Pass. If the Black Ink Clan played any kind of trick, the Humans would suffer greatly.
Mi Jing Lun just let them keep making noise. It wasn’t until they gradually fell silent that he said, “I don’t need anyone to come with me, nor do we have to sail the fleet out to that place. This Mi alone will be enough.”
Seeing that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were about to raise a fuss again, Mi Jing Lun stopped them by saying, “Don’t worry. The Black Ink Clan won’t dare to make a move this time.”
Ou Yang Lie refuted, “Regardless of whether they will make a move or not, I’m going with you.”
With a helpless smile, Mi Jing Lun replied, “You haven’t recovered yet, so what good will you coming with me do?”
Ou Yang Lie said, “I’m fine. Even if there is a fight, I won’t be a burden to you.”
Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “Just stay here and recuperate. You’re hot-tempered, so it might not be a good thing if you tag along.”
Ou Yang Lie pursed his lips and replied in a muffled voice, “I’ll just keep my mouth shut when we get there.”
“Do you really want to come with me?” Mi Jing Lun gazed at him.
Ou Yang Lie snorted, “You and I are equal in rank, you can’t stop me from coming.”
Mi Jing Lun rubbed his forehead, “Fine. You can come with me, Brother Ou Yang.”
The Eighth-Order Masters broke into a commotion. It was already inappropriate that Mi Jing Lun wanted to go there on his own, but now that the two Army Commanders were leaving at the same time, the North-South Army would be leaderless if the Black Ink Clan decided to kill them both.
Seeing that they just wouldn’t keep their mouths shut, Mi Jing Lun eventually gave an order as the Army Commander and made them shut up.
A moment later, two figures shot into the sky and headed in Great Evolution Pass’ direction.
Somewhere in the forward base, a dazed Li Xing watched them leave with a great sense of admiration in his heart.
The Black Ink Clan really wanted to hold peace talks with the Humans. How strange was that?
He couldn’t believe his ears when he first heard about it. The reasons he decided to stay were that, first of all, he didn’t have to return to the East-West Army’s side, and secondly, he wanted to find out if Mi Jing Lun’s speculation was right.
Now, it seemed that this Army Commander indeed had incredible foresight.
He had stayed by Xiang Shan’s side for a very long time, so he was fully aware that the latter was extremely talented when it came to military strategy. Now, there seemed to be someone who was a match for Xiang Shan.
With such people in charge of the Human Army, why would they have to worry about not winning the war against the Black Ink Clan?
In the void, Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie headed in Great Evolution Pass’ direction alongside each other.
Initially, just like what Ou Yang Lie had promised earlier, he remained silent; however, he soon pushed his promise to the back of his mind as he said, “Old Mi, there’s something I don’t understand. I wonder if you’ve figured it out.”
Mi Jing Lun asked with a smile, “What’s troubling you, Brother Ou Yang?”
Ou Yang Lie waved his hand, “Stop teasing me. I’m good at fighting, but it’s not my forte to think about stuff. So, I need you to explain it to me.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
Ou Yang Lie went on to say, “Judging from the Black Ink Clan’s reaction, those from the Royal City must have faced a tremendous defeat; otherwise, they wouldn’t suddenly want to hold peace talks with us.”
Hello!
Many thanks for the chapter, as always.
Thanks for the chapter
I’m trying to understand why seventh and eighth order black ink disciples.
Would have pussess and deformities on them? That’s only supposed to occur when a cultivator exceeds their limit. But all of the cultivators that are sent to the black and battlefield are supposed to be six or eleeds to begin with. Meaning that they started from the sixth order?
No, that’s not true. The only thing stated was that the 6th order was the minimum cultivation level allowed on the Black Ink Battlefield. Some of those people could’ve advanced to the 4th order and arrived when they reached their natural limit or advanced to the 5th order (with a limit of the 7th). People who advanced to the 6th order (with a limit of the 8th) are actually pretty rare. Very uncommon, as you can tell by the scarcity of 8th Orders on the battlefield and even in the relatively peaceful 3000 worlds. It goes to show that almost every 8th Order Black Ink Disciple (who weren’t corrupted at the 8th Order) and most 7th Order Black Ink Disciple will be the those surpassing their natural limits.