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Translator: Silavin & Sara
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Back then, Yang Kai was only trying to reprimand Jiu Yan with those words. He never imagined that they would be so prophetic!
Despite being part of the Black Ink Battlefield for so many years, Yang Kai had actually killed very few Black Ink Disciples.
Since he could use Purifying Light, he would save any Black Ink Disciples he encountered whenever possible.
Shen Ao, Ning Qi Zhi, and Qi Tai Chu were just some of the ones he saved; however, after years of crusades, out of those three Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that he saved, Shen Ao was the only one left. Ning Qi Zhi and Qi Tai Chu had both fallen in battle.
Sacrificing their lives in battle was an honourable death for both of them, though it did not make their passing any less sad.
Yang Kai never thought that there would come a time when he would have to do just as he said to Jiu Yan and kill someone who once fought alongside him in battle, and an Elder who took great care of him at that!
He did not have any Yellow or Blue Crystals left with him and thus could not use Purifying Light, but even if he could, he did not have the chance to do so.
After all, Yang Kai’s opponent was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with formidable strength and was fully aware of Purifying Light. After being corrupted by Black Ink Strength, Yang Kai knew his opponent would fight to the bitter end and never give him a chance to purify him.
Perhaps there might have been hope under different circumstances, but this situation was critical and Yang Kai had to end the fight as swiftly as possible so that he could head over to the Black Ink Sealing Land to stop the other Black Ink Disciple!
Yang Kai’s silhouette turned into a ray of light as his Dao Strengths combined. The dominance of his spear today surpassed every other attack he had ever launched as all of the Ancestral Land’s Principles resonated with him.
“Please go on ahead, Elder Lu!”
Yang Kai bellowed with great agony. His voice echoed all around as the pain and sorrow in it almost seemed as if it was dripping with blood.
“Magnificent!” Lu An, who was still relentlessly battling Hong Hu, roared with laughter. He did not show any signs of fearing death. His hands kept moving as he sent out several of Yin-Yang Heaven’s profound Secret Techniques. He turned a piece of the sky into the powers of Yin and Yang, which acted like a pair of scissors that launched ferociously cut towards Hong Hu.
Before he died, he wanted to drag Hong Hu down with him to make it easier for his partner.
Hong Hu cried out and a dazzling white light appeared to protect her. The strength of a Divine Spirit was unleashed to its fullest as she was forced to assume her True Form, a flawless phoenix-like creature.
Even though she was more powerful than Lu An, she dared not underestimate him as he was literally fighting with his life on the line, forcing her into a defensive posture.
The powers of Yin and Yang cut through the void and the light which had been protecting Hong Hu’s body was sheared apart. As feathers scattered in the air, Hong Hu gasped in pain as her blood splattered across the sky.
However, she at least managed to avoid suffering a fatal blow.
Just as Hong Hu was injured, the light of a spear brushed past Lu An.
It was as if the black and white in the sky were disarmed with a binding technique as they immediately froze, their intense fight coming to an abrupt halt.
Yang Kai had his back towards the Elder, tears streaming down his cheeks. His veins bulged out of his arm as he tightened his grip around his spear.
“Damn!” Lu An lamentingly sighed, “I’ve fought on the Black Ink Battlefield for more than 6,000 years. I’m old now, but it seems I can’t even maintain my dignity in my final moments. I’m too embarrassed to face the Ancestors of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
At last, Yang Kai slowly turned around and bowed deeply to Lu An.
He heard someone mentioning that when Mi Jing Lun took back Great Evolution Pass, he instructed the Black Ink Clan to leave behind all Black Ink Disciples who were below the Seventh Order. They could not be saved as they had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength for too long and relied on it to break through their innate restrictions.
Even Xiang Shan did not know what to do with those Black Ink Disciples, so in the end, they had to report the matter up to Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao did not hesitate at all, and with a single blow, all the Black Ink Disciples received a fatal injury.
However, just before their deaths, they seemed to return to their old selves for a moment, freed at last.
Lu An’s behaviour was evidently a sign that he had regained his former self; after all, he had not been under the corruption of Black Ink Strength for long and was originally an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. His situation was a lot better than that of those Black Ink Disciples back then.
“This Junior still remembers everything that you have taught and will never forget the words you have spoken. This Junior now sends you off, Elder!” Yang Kai softly declared in grief.
Lu An was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven who took great care of Yang Kai when he first entered Blue Sky Pass as he partly counted as someone from Yin-Yang Heaven.
At that time, Yang Kai still possessed a World Spring, one of the Four Universe Pillars, and the superiors of Blue Sky Pass naturally discussed extracting it to give to an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master instead.
The Four Universe Pillars were far too important for the Human Race as they could be used to resist Black Ink Strength. The best use for such a tool was in the hands of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
During that discussion, an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master by the name of Tian Xiu Zhu strongly petitioned to take the World Spring away from Yang Kai and grant it to Lu An, who could be considered Yang Kai’s Elder. Lu An naturally tried to decline, and as the discussion progressed, the situation was eventually resolved.
However, after Yang Kai and Dawn Squad were reassigned to the Great Evolution Army, he never got to meet Lu An again.
Yang Kai never thought they would meet again under these circumstances, and that he would be forced to kill Lu An.
After hearing Yang Kai’s words, Lu An nodded and hurriedly said, “Ye Ming of Azure Nether Paradise is carrying one of Mo’s Soul Clones and intends to use it to awaken the Black Ink Giant Spirit God here. Mo created this Soul Clone before being sealed up. You have to stop Ye Ming!”
Yang Kai’s expression turned grim, “One of Mo’s Soul Clones?”
“Every Black Ink Giant Spirit God can be considered one of Mo’s Soul Clones. As its body is essentially indestructible, it can be awakened with Mo’s Soul Clone. A secondary passage between the Barren Territory and the Shattered Heaven has opened, but it’s highly unstable. If the Giant Spirit God is awakened here and joins forces with the Black Ink Clan in the Barren Territory though, they can permanently open that passage!”
Lu An’s expression faltered once he finished speaking and muttered, “Seems my time’s up…”
As soon as he said those words, his eyes drooped and his body fell limp.
Yang Kai’s spear had destroyed his vitality, but through sheer force of Will, Lu An held on just a little longer to relay this information.
Yang Kai’s heart was pounding wildly after hearing what Lu An had to say while all the colour drained out of Hong Hu’s face as well.
Everyone thought that Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were simply powerful servants that Mo had created, but Lu An now informed them that the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were actually Mo’s Soul Clones!
Mo’s true body was sealed up inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and could not escape, but it seemed it was still possible for Mo to send out its Soul Clones.
This meant that the Black Ink Giant Spirit God that came out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction back then had been one of Mo’s Soul Clones as well.
This explained why the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in the Late Ancient Era battlefield could still come back to life after being dead for so many years.
Mo must have sent out more than one Soul Clone without anyone noticing, and one of them had entered the body of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God on the Late Ancient Era battlefield. After being revived, that Black Ink Giant Spirit God snuck up on the Humans from behind and the crusade failed, falling short at the last moment.
Another Soul Clone had been brought to this place by Lu An and Azure Nether Paradise’s Ye Ming.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s body was indestructible, so as long as it had Mo’s Soul Clone, it could come back to life.
Yang Kai also found it tough to swallow the news that there was indeed a second passage between the Barren Territory and the Shattered Heaven. Although he had guessed at such a possibility earlier, it was only a guess, and he held onto the hope that he was wrong.
Now, all his hopes were dashed.
Thankfully, Lu An said that the passage was highly unstable and needed the Black Ink Giant Spirit God from the Demon Sealing Land to join forces with the one in the Barren Territory to open it permanently.
There was still a chance to turn things around if he could stop the Black Ink Giant Spirit God from awakening.
At last, Yang Kai finally understood why the Black Ink Clan did not send an Army but just a couple of Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples instead.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to send their Army, but rather that they couldn’t. Sending two Black Ink Disciples to revive the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was the best option available. As long as they succeeded, no one could stop the Black Ink Clan from carrying out their plan unless several Ninth-Order Old Ancestors came over to deal with the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
But, could several Old Ancestors come over?
The answer would definitely be a no. The Barren Territory battle was already a worrying situation with the Humans at a disadvantage; thus, none of the Ninth-Order Masters could leave easily.
All sorts of thoughts raced through Yang Kai’s mind as he rushed towards the Black Ink Sealing Land. Hong Hu could not waste time tending to her injuries either as she followed closely behind.
The Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan had partitioned the Black Ink Sealing Land with an unbreakable barrier, but that seal had been lifted back then. Now, the entrance to the Demon Sealing Land was just a large portal that Ancestral Strength continued to flow out of.
Yang Kai and Hong Hu dashed through the portal and arrived inside Demon Sealing Land, but their hearts dropped as soon as they saw what was going on inside!
Black Ink Strength from the Black Ink Giant Spirit God at the centre of the sealed land was surging, seeming to congealing around its body while an imposing aura was swiftly recovering.
They were too late!
Apparently, it was far easier than anyone expected to revive a Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
Ye Ming of Azure Nether Paradise had not been inside for long, at most half a day, but all he seemingly had to do was plant Mo’s Soul Clone inside the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
Yang Kai did not know who Ye Ming was, but he spotted him right away.
Ye Ming was lying on top of a hill, his aura completely dried up, like there wasn’t a drop of vitality left in him. He was barely more than a bag of bones and his breath was failing. It was clear that he would soon die.
He, an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, now looked like an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated before.
Upon noticing Yang Kai and Hong Hu’s arrival, Ye Ming mustered the strength to glance at them and eke out a bitter smile.
Lu An had only told Yang Kai that Ye Ming had one of Mo’s Soul Clone with him and wanted to reawaken the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, but even Lu An did not know that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would have to pay a heavy price to carry one of Mo’s Soul Clones with him.
Ye Ming’s current state was the price he had to pay.
Mo was a Supreme Master, formed from the Primordial Darkness alongside the Primordial Light at the beginning of the Universe. Mo far exceeded the Open Heaven Realm as Humans knew it, while even the powerful Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods could only count as Mo’s Soul Clones.
Even a mere Soul Clone of such a being was not something that just anyone could hold onto.
Even if a Ninth-Order Old Ancestor carried it, it would still severely damage their foundation within a short time.
An Eighth-Order Master like Ye Ming would have to pay with his life.
Knowing that Ye Ming was about to die, Yang Kai simply sighed. He knew Lu An well, but was forced to kill him himself. Thus, he was deeply sorrowful over that; however, he was not acquainted with Ye Ming. Also, after so many years of battles and witnessing death countless times on the battlefield, while Yang Kai felt pity at the imminent death of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it was simply that.
Staring at the Black Ink Giant Spirit God whose aura continued to rise, Yang Kai gripped his spear tightly, “Leave first, Senior Hong Hu.”
Hong Hu turned to him, “What about you?”
“Someone has to deal with this,” Yang Kai replied.
“Can you deal with it?”
To such a question, Yang Kai could only grimly shake his head.
Hello!
Many thanks for the chapter, as always.
Pour one out for old Lu
I wonder if Lu An was corrupted much before he crusade. He was the one that couldn’t escape from the Universe Cave Heaven/Paradise traps that Blue Sky Pass had set up and YK had to return to the pass for a bit, rescue him and head back. It didn’t add much to the story, so I wondered back then if he was corrupted and the author had other plans for him later on.
But I also vaguely recall that he used the transference law to teleport to a purifying battleship, so he should’ve been purified instantly.