Martial Peak

“Look over there!” Standing next to Yang Kai, Ou Yang Lie sent a Divine Sense message while pointing in a certain direction.

Yang Kai turned to look where he was directed, and what entered his vision at a glance was a dead Universe World. He could not tell how long the Universe World had been dead, with its World Force long gone. Even the Universe World’s Grand Dao had collapsed and withered away for who knows how many years.

An abundance of Universe Worlds in similar conditions could be found scattered across the Black Ink Battlefield. In the distant past, these Universe Worlds might have either been prosperous or contained countless living creatures. Unfortunately, they were dead and lifeless now. For both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan, the only value left in these Universe Worlds was the opportunity to obtain various resources that remained in them.

Needless to say, what Ou Yang Lie wanted to point out to Yang Kai was not the Universe World itself but something that could be found in the Universe World instead. It turned out to be a special existence that resembled a small mountain surrounded by dense Black Ink Strength, towering several thousand metres high into the sky. The structure seemed deeply rooted in the World, almost as though integrated with the Universe World itself.

[A Black Ink Nest!?] Yang Kai’s eyes shrank at the sight.

What stood in the middle of the dead Universe World was none other than a Black Ink Nest here! Moreover, judging by the size of the Black Ink Nest and the density of the surrounding Black Ink Strength, it was at least a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, but more likely a High-Rank Black Ink Nest!

[Why is there a Black Ink Nest here!?] Yang Kai couldn’t help wondering as great confusion inadvertently flooded his heart.

Ou Yang Lie’s voice rang in his ears again, “After our most recent migration, several Eighth-Order Masters and I were investigating the surrounding vicinity when we accidentally came across this Black Ink Nest 10 years ago.”

Not knowing how many Black Ink Clansmen were hidden inside the Black Ink Nest, Ou Yang Lie and the others did not dare to expose themselves; hence, they simply decided to monitor the situation for the time being. Ou Yang Lie was tasked with waiting for Yang Kai’s arrival at this spot while the other veterans brought the resource-gathering team away from this region to continue sourcing materials from other sites.

The wait lasted 10 years; after all, it had always been Yang Kai who took the initiative to approach them while Ou Yang Lie and others had no means to communicate with Yang Kai. For that reason, Ou Yang Lie had been anxiously counting the passing days. It was truly fortunate that Yang Kai had shown up on time.

After observing the Black Ink Nest intently, Yang Kai discovered that it was most likely a High-Rank Black Ink Nest. In all likelihood, the Black Ink Nest lacked the magnificence of a true High-Rank Nest because it was not fully hatched. Furthermore, the Black Ink Strength produced by this Black Ink Nest did not radiate into the surroundings but remained condensed around it as much as possible to prevent any unnecessary waste.

Yang Kai then sent a Divine Sense message to inquire about the situation, “Senior Brother, has the Black Ink Nest been in this condition since you first discovered it?”Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn N(o)vᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt

Ou Yang Lie gently nodded, “There have been no changes so far.”

“Did you see any Black Ink Clansmen entering or leaving?”

He shook his head, “No.”

This was very strange. Why was a suspected High-Rank Black Ink Nest located in such a remote area? Not to mention, there were no signs of Black Ink Clansmen entering or leaving the premises. Had the Black Ink Nest been abandoned by the Black Ink Clan in the past?

That did not make sense either. Black Ink Nests were special existences with extremely strong connections with each other. Even if this High-Rank Black Ink Nest had been abandoned in the past due to some unknown circumstances, the Black Ink Clan would have no trouble finding and retrieving it after so many years.

However, Ou Yang Lie had never seen a single Black Ink Clansman entering or leaving the Black Ink Nest over the past 10 years. In other words, the Black Ink Clan was aware of this Black Ink Nest’s existence but had chosen to ignore it.

It was generally impossible for Black Ink Nests to be empty. There were bound to be some Black Ink Clansmen nearby, either to guard the Black Ink Nest or to gather resources nearby. Contrary to expectations, the Black Ink Nest before them seemed to be completely empty. There was not a single soldier to be seen anywhere.

“Junior Brother, should I investigate the situation inside?” Ou Yang Lie inquired. He had long since wanted to take action, but he had not dared to act recklessly since he did not know what was lurking in this Black Ink Nest. Now that Yang Kai was here, he should have no difficulty investigating the situation inside with Yang Kai’s support.

Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “I’ll go!”

Seeing as the current situation remained uncertain, they had to prepare themselves for the worst. If there was a Royal Lord inside this Black Ink Nest, Ou Yang Lie would only be courting death if he recklessly rushed forward. On the other hand, Yang Kai had enough confidence to escape even if he accidentally ran into a Royal Lord.

Ou Yang Lie nodded at those words, “In that case, I will stand by to provide support, Junior Brother!”

“Be careful, Senior Brother!” Yang Kai warned. Looking in the direction of the Black Ink Nest, he took a step forward and his figure disappeared into the Void.

Regardless of the circumstances, it was a given that they had to understand the situation inside the Black Ink Nest. Since the decision was made, then there was no need for further hesitation.

In the next moment, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly appeared above the Black Ink Nest under Ou Yang Lie’s watch. A huge and dazzling Great Sun suddenly leapt into the sky, illuminating the surrounding void in all directions. Despite standing a million kilometres away, Ou Yang Lie could clearly feel the power behind this attack.

Following the appearance of the Great Sun, the sound of a Golden Crow reverberated. The attack landed directly upon the Black Ink Nest, causing a burst of light to erupt throughout the void, illuminating it like the first rays of morning.

The several thousand-metres-tall Black Ink Nest instantly evaporated under the scorching Sun. At the same time, Ou Yang Lie sensed more than a dozen powerful auras flickering into existence from the ruins. He immediately calmed down after he determined the strength of those auras. Although the situation was bad, it was not completely helpless.

More than a dozen Territory Lords were hidden inside the Black Ink Nest, but there were no Royal Lords. With Yang Kai here, there would be no issues so long as there were no Royal Lords!

The thought had only just passed through Ou Yang Lie’s mind when the aura of a Territory Lord vanished from existence…

[How quick!]

In the blink of an eye, one of the Territory Lords died at Yang Kai’s hands. The speed left Ou Yang Lie absolutely flabbergasted. Such killing efficiency was completely beyond his means. Before he could compose himself though, he sensed the aura of another Territory Lord withering away and suddenly felt powerless in comparison. At this moment, he couldn’t tell whether Yang Kai was too strong or the Territory Lords were too weak.

Ou Yang Lie was too far away to perceive the situation clearly. In comparison, Yang Kai stood in the middle of the battlefield and understood everything at a glance.

When his Golden Crow Casts the Sun destroyed the Black Ink Nest, Yang Kai had been on guard against the possibility of a Royal Lord awakening. Fortunately, there was no Royal Lord inside this Black Ink Nest, only Territory Lords. More precisely, there were a dozen or so Innate Territory Lords.

The Golden Crow Casts the Sun was just a probe, so Yang Kai had not planned to achieve much from that attack alone, but not only was the High-Rank Black Ink Nest destroyed under the force of his Divine Manifestation, the dozen or so Territory Lords hidden inside were wounded as a result…

However, Yang Kai soon realised that something was wrong. Not all the wounds on the Territory Lords were caused by his Golden Crow Casts the Sun. Innate Territory Lords were inherently powerful, so even if they suffered injuries from this sudden attack, it did not make sense for their wounds to be so severe.

Realisation struck Yang Kai abruptly. These Innate Territory Lords… were wounded in the first place. They had been hiding inside the Black Ink Nest to recuperate from their wounds, which left them completely unguarded towards his attack earlier. Seeing as they were already injured, the impact of the Golden Crow Casts the Sun had only worsened their condition.

1,000 years ago, Yang Kai had travelled to the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land and encountered an Innate Territory Lord at his peak. Even then, Yang Kai had managed to kill that Territory Lord in just three moves. He had employed various tricks at the time, but from the results of that clash, Yang Kai estimated he could have slain the Innate Territory Lord within 10 moves without resorting to any deeper strategy.

Now, 1,000 years later, Yang Kai’s strength had improved significantly. At this moment, he was much stronger in terms of cultivation, physique, heritage, and his comprehension of the Grand Dao. Even if an Innate Territory Lord in his prime were to stand before him now, Yang Kai would no longer need 10 moves or special tricks to kill them. He was confident he could slaughter any Innate Territory Lord within three moves now.

Not only were these wounded Territory Lords weakened in the first place, but they were also caught off guard and thrown into confusion after the initial sneak attack. Combined with meeting a killing star like Yang Kai, they were bound to suffer a tragic fate.

Two of the Territory Lords lost their lives in the blink of an eye, and the disturbance caused by their withering auras frightened the other Territory Lords greatly. At that moment, they subconsciously assumed that the one who attacked them was a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master! Contrary to their expectations though, their senses told them that their assailant was only in the Eighth Order!

Was the outside world so dangerous!? Since when did Eighth-Order Human Masters become so powerful!? Wasn’t it said that Innate Territory Lords were stronger on average than Eighth-Order Masters?!

If the Territory Lords at the No-Return Pass had faced such a situation, they would have hurriedly gathered together to form Battle Formations to protect themselves. Unfortunately, these Innate Territory Lords had never learned about Battle Formations. They had also never truly fought an enemy before, so their mentality and reaction speed were abysmal. How could they come up with a suitable countermeasure in a state of panic and desperation? They simply followed their instincts and began besieging Yang Kai from all directions.

Black Ink Strength surged violently as World Force stirred turbulently. The silent void instantly became a bloody battlefield.

The spear in Yang Kai’s hand swept out as more Great Suns leapt into the sky and exploded with great force. Furthermore, various Dao Strengths wove together at the tip of his spear. Yang Kai spun an impenetrable net of death around him. The Innate Territory Lords caught in the invisible net struggled and howled like chained beasts, but ultimately, they could not escape the fate of being killed.

In the distance, Ou Yang Lie was stunned by the scene playing out before him. The rapid and consecutive withering of powerful auras left only one thought churning in his head. [How is this brat… so fierce?]

Ou Yang Lie himself was a veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but be that as it may, he felt as though he could barely compare to Yang Kai in terms of strength anymore. 

[We are both at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so why is there such a large gap between our strengths? It doesn’t make sense… It doesn’t make sense at all…]

Even if the Innate Territory Lords were wounded, they were not chickens and dogs that could be slain so easily. Faced with Yang Kai’s ruthless assault, the power behind their instinctive counterattacks was not to be underestimated.

If it was any other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, even if they managed to seize the initiative, they could not persist for so long under the fierce barrage of attacks that came from all directions if their defences were not strong enough. Unfortunately for the Territory Lords, Yang Kai was different.

Yang Kai’s Dragon Form was only one step away from breaking through to reaching the Divine Dragon Realm; hence, his physical toughness was almost unparalleled. He was perfectly capable of withstanding a few attacks from these Territory Lords that landed on him. As long as he was not subjected to this bombardment for too long, his life would not be endangered in the slightest.

Moreover, the corruption of the Black Ink Strength was completely ineffective against Yang Kai. With no fear of Black Ink Strength and equipped with impregnable defensive abilities, he only needed to bring out his strongest killing moves as quickly as possible to end the fight.

For the most part, Yang Kai traded equal blows with the Territory Lords. It was just that the outcomes for each party after receiving a blow from their opponent were distinctly different. Yang Kai suffered some shocks after being hit, suffering light injuries at most. In contrast, the Territory Lords basically died on the spot.

In less than an incense stick of time, 10 out of the dozen or so Territory Lords had been killed. It was at this moment that the remaining five Territory Lords finally realised that something was very wrong. Following a furious roar from one of the surviving Territory Lords, the five of them scattered in different directions.

This Eighth-Order Human who appeared out of nowhere was much too terrifying. He was not somebody they could defeat. Under these circumstances, they could only hope that at least one of them could escape to relay word about what happened here to the No-Return Pass!