Martial Peak
chapter-4863

Even if the more powerful Open Heaven Realm Masters were accidentally corroded by the Black Ink Strength, they had a chance to resolve the crisis. For High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, they could cut off the territory in their Small Universe that had been invaded, and they would be free.

Nevertheless, the heritage of their Small Universe would suffer a big loss if they did so; therefore, after Shi Zheng from Lang Ya Paradise killed himself previously, the Black Ink Strength he had left behind in High Heaven Territory gave the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters a headache. In the end, it was Yang Kai who solved the problem by storing the Black Ink Strength inside his Small Universe.

With the help of the Black Ink Strength in his Small Universe, Yang Kai was able to fool Yuan Du in Lang Ya Paradise. Unfortunately, the Black Ink Strength he had suppressed and sealed was then destroyed by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan in the Chaotic Dead Territory.

The Cave Heavens and Paradises had been searching for the Black Ink Clansman and Disciples in the Shattered Heaven for more than 100 years, but to no avail.

Presently, Yang Kai came across seven Black Ink Disciples in Black Territory, which was why he was astonished.

As these Open Heaven Realm Masters were engulfed in the dark aura, the whites of their eyes became black, which made them look even eerier.

The next instant, they dashed forward without hesitation.

After they moved forward a couple hundred metres, the Natural Spirit Arrays hidden in the void activated. Yang Kai, who had hidden in the Void, was instantly overwhelmed with a sense of crisis as all his skin tightened.

These seven people didn’t resist at all and were soon turned into dust by the Arrays. Their Small Universes collapsed, and their World Forces dissipated. They were killed in the blink of an eye.

The sight stunned Yang Kai.

He initially thought there was a plot going on as these Black Ink Disciples suddenly appeared in this place. Since they stopped in their tracks in front of the Natural Spirit Arrays just now, it was apparent that they were aware of the danger ahead of them.

Despite knowing that they would be killed though, they still resolutely charged forward.

Yang Kai couldn’t figure out what was going on. Why did these Black Ink Disciples proactively try to get themselves killed?

A sense of unease engulfed him.

The fact that there were Black Ink Disciples in Black Territory was a major issue for the 3,000 Worlds, so he had to quickly inform the Cave Heavens and Paradises about it.

Nevertheless, Yang Kai wasn’t in a rush to return. The sight he saw made him feel that he had caught a glimpse of something very serious. The actions of those Black Ink Disciples who got themselves killed wasn’t the end.

Yang Kai thus remained hidden in the Void and waited patiently.

A few days later, another group of people arrived from the periphery. There were only three people this time. These people were even weaker as two of them were in the Third-Order and the remaining one was in the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm.

However, the same thing happened again, just like Yang Kai had seen a few days ago. These Black Ink Disciple resolutely charged into the Natural Spirit Arrays and killed themselves.

Yang Kai had never seen these Black Ink Disciples before, so he reckoned that they were not Luan Bai Feng’s subordinates; instead, they should be outsiders who were attracted to the materials in Black Territory.

He decided to stop his observation here as he had figured out many things after witnessing two batches of Black Ink Disciples killing themselves. Now he needed to verify his theories.

Yang Kai supposed it was time he looked for Luan Bai Feng. Perhaps he could get the answers he needed from her.

Following that, he turned around and flew back.

He didn’t come across any Black Ink Disciples along the way as the cultivators were still busy extracting materials on the Ore Stars.

Before he even went near Ore Star 16 though, he saw Xin Peng rapidly approaching him.

“Sect Master, why did you come all the way here? I’d been looking for you.” There was a sense of anxiety on Xin Peng’s face. He was previously told that he would enter Black Territory with Yang Kai after he came back from the Star City; however, when he returned, he realised that Yang Kai was nowhere to be found.

Left with no choice, he quickly entered Black Territory and informed Luan Bai Feng about Yang Kai’s arrival.

After giving it a thought, Luan Bai Feng told her subordinates to go through the list of the people who had arrived in Black Territory to mine materials in the past few days. The records suggested that Yang Kai had headed to Ore Star 16.

However, when she arrived at Ore Star 16 with her subordinates, she only saw Luo Ting He and the others. Yang Kai was nowhere to be seen.

Left with no choice, she told her subordinates to look for him. Xin Peng was lucky enough to come across Yang Kai, who was on his way back.

“There are a lot of changes in Black Territory, so I decided to take a stroll by myself,” Yang Kai nonchalantly replied, “Where’s Luan Bai Feng?”

Xin Peng quickly said, “Elder Luan is waiting for you on Ore Star 16. It’s hard to look for you since she doesn’t know where you were, so she’s decided to wait for your return.”

Yang Kai grunted in response, “Let’s meet up with her now.”

Xin Peng hurriedly led the way for him.

A moment later, they arrived at Ore Star 16 where a beautiful and luxurious ship had landed.

The old man surnamed Yu, Yuan Tong Guang, and the others were obediently standing there in silence.

On the deck, there was a table that was covered in spirit fruits and bottles of wine. Luan Bai Feng, Luo Ting He, and the other ladies were seated by the table as they seemed to be enjoying a joyful talk.

Upon detecting the man’s presence, Luo Ting He looked up at the sky, “Yang Kai’s back.”

The next instant, two rays of light landed on the deck.

Luan Bai Feng quickly rose from the chair and saluted him, “Greetings, Sect Master!”

Upon hearing that, Yuan Tong Guang, who was kneeling on the ground, widened his mouth in disbelief. When he saw that Luo Ting He easily defeated the old man surnamed Yu, he instantly knew that she was a senior expert. Then, Luan Bai Feng’s arrival confirmed his speculation that Yang Kai’s group was from a powerful background.

Despite his speculation, he wasn’t certain about Yang Kai’s identity.

It wasn’t until this moment that he realised the young man he chanced upon on the way to Black Territory was the famous Void Land’s Lord.

At that moment, he was overwhelmed with conflicting feelings.

Yang Kai looked dispassionately at Luan Bai Feng without saying a word.

The silent pressure caused Xin Peng to tremble as he couldn’t help but gulp.

To the side, Luo Ting He fiddled with her glass and then took a sip of the wine. Despite the faint smile on her face, her Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm pressure slowly began leaking out.

A horrified Xin Peng directly fell to his knees on the deck.

“How dare you, Luan Bai Feng!” Yang Kai finally let out a snort.

Without lifting her head, Luan Bai Feng replied in a humble manner, “Forgive me, but I don’t know what mistake I’ve made. Please enlighten me, Sect Master.”

“Do you even need me to tell you what you’ve done?” Yang Kai’s piercing gaze seemed able to cut across her face.

Luan Bai Feng fell on one knee, “If I’ve really made a mistake, I’m willing to receive the punishment without any complaints; however, please point out what I’ve done, Sect Master!”

Yang Kai scoffed, “Who allowed you to let outsiders come in and extract materials here?”

“It was my decision,” Luan Bai Feng replied in a grim voice.

“I want the reason!”

Luan Bai Feng said, “A few months ago, I detected some changes in Black Territory. You’ve been to the depths of Black Territory, so you must be aware that the area that is covered in the strange strength has significantly shrunk. The originally dangerous places have become safe, and we can now visit Ore Stars that couldn’t be reached in the past. This is good news for Black Territory as well as Void Land and High Heaven Palace. The materials in the Ore Stars are abundant, but I didn’t have enough subordinates to extract them efficiently, So, I decided to spread the news to attract more people to come over and help with the mining. Certainly, we have to give them some rewards for their work, so I set up some rules. Those who follow the rules will get some benefits from Black Territory.”

Yang Kai said coldly, “There are more than 10,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land and High Heaven Palace now. If you wanted to mine the Ore Stars, you could have just informed Head Manager or Second Manager about it, and they would have made the arrangements. Why even rely on outsiders’ help and waste precious resources?”

Upon realising the reason behind his fury, Luan Bai Feng replied, “Sect Master, if that’s what you’re angry about, please allow me to explain myself.”

“Go on.”

“There are indeed a lot of Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land and High Heaven Palace now, but most of them are needed to explore the New Great Territory while the rest are required to maintain the order in the two Star Cities. Moreover, the cultivators who have just ascended to the Open Heaven Realm need time to solidify their cultivations, so it’s not appropriate for them to take on any tasks for the time being. Therefore, Void Land and High Heaven Palace probably can’t send a lot of people to this place. Furthermore, there’s something off about the changes in Black Territory. Before I find out the truth, I wouldn’t dare to let my fellow disciples take such a risk. If… I’m saying if… I’d really gotten them to come over, I was worried that the strange strength in Black Territory would suddenly experience a resurgence. If that happened, a lot of people from Void Land and High Heaven Palace would die, and I wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility for such a tragedy.”

Upon hearing that, Yuan Tong Guang and the others were soaked in cold sweat. It wasn’t until this moment that they discovered they had actually been exposed to much more risk while extracting materials in Black Territory than they originally thought.

On the deck, Yang Kai stared at Luan Bai Feng with narrowed eyes, “Are you saying that it was all with good intentions?”

Luan Bai Feng replied solemnly, “Sect Master, since I became your subordinate, I’ve always taken you and the Sect into consideration whenever I act. I would never dare to betray you.”

Yang Kai fell silent while Luan Bai Feng remained kneeling on one knee. The atmosphere was somewhat grave at that moment.

The apprehensive Tao Ling Wan darted her gaze around as it was the first time she saw Yang Kai looking so grim. She was extremely worried that he would start a fight at any moment.

Upon noticing her timid sister’s uneasiness, Qu Hua Shang patted her hand to placate her.

After a long silence, Yang Kai lifted his hand and engulfed Luan Bai Feng in his power, “Get up.”

With the help of the power, Luan Bai Feng got to her feet, “Yes.”

Yang Kai frowned, “Whatever happens next time, you have to inform Head Manager and Second Manager first before taking action. If you explain your suggestion to them, I believe they’ll support your idea; however, you have to make it clear to the outsiders the risks associated with extracting materials in Black Territory. It is not appropriate to simply attract them with benefits without telling them the potential danger.”

Luan Bai Feng obediently hung her head low, “I’m sorry for not taking that into consideration. I’ll make the arrangement after this. By then, they can decide for themselves whether they want to leave or stay.”

Yang Kai nodded, “That’s for the best. Since time immemorial, people have always been willing to take great risks to seek wealth. As long as you make it clear to them the risks hidden in Black Territory, whatever happens after will be their responsibility.”

Luan Bai Feng nodded again.

To the side, Luo Ting He said with a smile, “I told you that Yang Kai would only be scaring you instead of really punishing you, but you didn’t believe me.”

Luan Bai Feng put on a faint smile, “Many thanks, Senior.”

“Have a seat and tell me when the changes in Black Territory started taking place.”

After Luan Bai Feng was seated, she began, “I’m not sure exactly when the changes in Black Territory started, but it didn’t happen all at once. After some investigation though, I speculate that the changes started taking place after you left Black Territory previously, but we were not aware of it until recently.”