Martial Peak
chapter-4870

Once again, Yang Kai arrived at the centre of the Black Prison where the Black Ink Clansman was imprisoned.

There were a lot of Black Ink Disciples scattered on the Ore Stars, and he had no idea which of those Black Ink Disciples would come over to sacrifice themselves, so he decided to simply wait for their arrival here.

With the help of the Demon Eye of Annihilation, Yang Kai was still able to clearly see the concealed danger in this place. The centre of the Super Array was the most intimidating. Even though he was strong, he wouldn’t dare to barge into its range.

The strange strength that derived from the Super Array was extremely violent in this place. If not for the fact that Yang Kai had the World Spring to protect his Small Universe, he wouldn’t be able to last here for long. Before he even arrived at this place, the heritage of his Small Universe would have been completely drained.

The reason the Black Ink Disciples could arrive at this place safely was that they had the Black Ink Strength’s protection.

There was one thing that puzzled Yang Kai, though. How did the Black Ink Disciples avoid the Spirit Arrays that were widely present in Black Territory? In this place, there was a Super Array that consisted of countless Spirit Arrays and Ore Stars which was used to imprison the Black Ink Clansman. Everywhere in Black Territory was potentially dangerous.

The reason Yang Kai could come all the way here was that his Demon Eye of Annihilation was able to see through all illusions in the world. He might not be able to see through the abstrusity of those Spirit Arrays, but with the help of the Demon Eye of Annihilation, he could find the traces of their presence at least so he could avoid them.

Those Third-Order and Fourth-Order Black Ink Disciples were obviously incapable of doing that, so Yang Kai could only speculate that Luan Bai Feng had mapped out a safe route for them to come to this place and sacrifice themselves for the Black Ink Clan.

The next day after Yang Kai arrived at this place, he intercepted a group of five Black Ink Disciples. Just like what he had previously done, he put them inside his Small Universe and suppressed them.

Two to three days later, he intercepted another group of Black Ink Disciples.

Yang Kai initially wanted to find a regular pattern, but his attempt was futile. The frequency of their arrival and the number of people were irregular. Sometimes there would be a lot of people, but sometimes there would only be a small number. There were times when no one came over for five days in a row, but at other times, people would arrive every day.

In just one month, Yang Kai had stuffed more than 100 Open Heaven Realm Masters into his Small Universe.

Other than the old man surnamed Yu, who was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the rest were in the Third-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm.

Perhaps to the Black Ink Disciples, Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were indispensable for now, so they were not willing to sacrifice such people.

Yang Kai had a feeling that what was going on in this place would be exposed soon. In fact, he was already surprised that he had managed to stay here for a whole month without alerting Luan Bai Feng.

And soon that time came.

One day, when Yang Kai was resting in the void as he patiently waited for the Black Ink Disciples’ arrival, he suddenly opened his eyes. A chill gripped him, which prompted him to activate his World Force to protect himself.

There seemed to be a hidden gaze that took a glance at him from the depths of the void. The great consciousness he had felt during the sacrificial offering in the past appeared for a breath before vanishing again.

The consciousness could no longer be felt, as though it was nothing more than an illusion.

However, Yang Kai was fully aware that it wasn’t an illusion.

He had been intercepting the Black Ink Disciples in this place, so the Black Ink Clansman, who was sound asleep, hadn’t had any nourishment for an entire month. There was no doubt that the Black Ink Clansman had been alerted, which was why they had awakened from their sleep for a brief moment.

Yang Kai had no idea whether the other party had slumbered off again, but he was now certain that the Black Ink Clansman who had a hand in Lang Ya Paradise was the same as the one who was trapped in the Black Prison.

He had felt the same consciousness twice, so he reckoned that his speculation was right.

This was actually good news, for there might only be one Black Ink Clansman present in the 3,000 Worlds. Yang Kai was initially worried that there would be more members of the Black Ink Clan in hiding.

The bad news was that a battle was now imminent. There were probably thousands of Black Ink Disciples in the Black Prison, while Yang Kai was on his own.

The imprisoned Black Ink Clansman had already noticed his presence, so there was no way the Black Ink Disciples were still clueless now.

Over the past month, Yang Kai wasn’t just waiting around though; instead, he had been planning out his next move, and now was the time for him to take action.

He first fished out some Space Beacons and scattered them around the void.

These small Space Beacons were inconspicuous, and no one could notice them unless they were looking for them.

After he was done with placing the Space Beacons, Yang Kai charged towards the periphery of Black Territory at the speed of lightning.

He made a round trip after just half a day, and as he took a deep breath, he stared fixedly in a particular direction and waited.

The Black Ink Disciples didn’t let him wait for long.

Barely two days later, several rays of light rapidly approached him from the distance. Behind the rays of light were countless figures that navigated through the void like locusts.

Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, for he had underestimated Luan Bai Feng’s speed at turning more people into Black Ink Disciples.

Some time ago, Luan Bai Feng told him that there were about 1,000 Black Ink Disciples in Black Territory, but the number had increased by several times now.

As Yang Kai gazed at these Black Ink Disciples, who were densely packed in this place, and reckoned that there were at least 5,000 of them.

Although most of them were in the Third-Order and Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm, 5,000 cultivators were still a force to be reckoned with.

The person leading the way was none other than Luan Bai Feng, who was followed by Xin Peng and the new Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Fan Xiu Qi.

They stopped in a spot that was several dozen kilometres away from Yang Kai. Luan Bai Feng stared at the man with a dark expression, fury and disbelief written all over her face.

She had seen the Black Ink Insect penetrate Yang Kai’s body and transform him into a Black Ink Disciple with her own eyes. Initially, she thought that Yang Kai was one of their companions, so she trusted him fully during this period of time.

However, she had never expected that it was all just an act.

If her Master hadn’t given the order in the brief moment he awakened, she would still have been in the dark about this.

She was fully aware of how strong Yang Kai was, so she knew that she was no match for him on her own, which was why she immediately gathered all the Black Ink Disciples together and came over to kill Yang Kai regardless of the cost.

“How did you do it?” Luan Bai Feng glowered at him. This question had been troubling her. Since Yang Kai was even able to resist the Black Ink Insect’s invasion, there were no other ways that could transform him into a companion.

If she couldn’t figure out the reason behind it, she wouldn’t be able to trust any new Black Ink Disciples. Without trust, the Black Ink Disciples could no longer work together.

“Why don’t you take a guess? Yang Kai grinned. It was expected that he wouldn’t tell her the truth, as he was more than happy to stall for time.

Luan Bai Feng said, “A lot of Profound Yin Bamboo was found in the New Great Territory. Since your Small Universe has materialised, you’re able to nurture Profound Yin Bamboo. As one of the Twelve Minor Pillars, Profound Yin Bamboo is beneficial to the Small Universe. Not only can it fortify the Small Universe, but it could also fend off any external influence. Is that the reason behind it?”

Yang Kai clapped his hands, “You’re indeed clever.”

However, Luan Bai Feng shook her head, “Although the Profound Yin Bamboo is incredible, it’s unable to resist a Black Ink Insect’s influence. In fact, none Twelve Minor Pillars can do that, unless you have one of the Four Great Pillars…” At this point, Luan Bai Feng’s expression changed, “I initially wanted to spare your life, but now it seems that I can’t do that.”

With one of the Four Great Pillars protecting his Small Universe, Yang Kai would never be turned into their companion. Although it was difficult to guard against the Black Ink Strength, the Four Great Pillars were its biggest nemeses.

Yang Kai shot a glance at the people behind her and sneered, “Do you think you can rely on these people to kill me, Luan Bai Feng? Are you sure it’s not all your wishful thinking? Even if they’re not familiar with my strength, are you clueless about it as well?”

Luan Bai Feng snorted, “Let’s see if they’re able to kill you or not.”

Despite what she had just said, she didn’t immediately order them to make a move. Instead, she asked, “You lied to me that those people were going to Void Land and High Heaven Palace to get more people to come over, didn’t you? They must have gone to seek help, right?”

“Correct.” Yang Kai nodded in admission, “If nothing unexpected happens, the Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises will be here soon.”

“So what if they come?” Luan Bai Feng wasn’t flustered one bit, “As long as Master breaks free from his shackles, those so-called Cave Heavens and Paradises are nothing more than weaklings. Before Black Ink, all are ants!”

Yang Kai let out a sigh, “Luan Bai Feng, listen to the voice in your heart. You are not your true self now! You’re just being influenced by the Black Ink Strength. As a woman, you’ve managed to make it to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, you shouldn’t be so weak-willed.”

“Impudence!” Luan Bai Feng snapped, “You have no right to criticize us!”

Yang Kai shook his head and fell silent. Luan Bai Feng was his former subordinate, so he wanted to give persuading her a try; however, he knew that after she was invaded by the Black Ink Strength, there was no way she would change her mind.

“I do have one question, though.” Luan Bai Feng frowned, “I hope you’ll answer it.”

“Go ahead,” Yang Kai nodded.

“It now seems to me that you were well prepared before coming to Black Territory. Were you already aware of the situation here?”

“You could say so.”

“How did you find out?” Luan Bai Feng appeared puzzled.

Yang Kai hung his head low for a moment before replying, “I thought you and Xin Peng were dead.”

As he spoke, he summoned the Loyalty List and turned to the pages where their names were supposed to be, “Your names suddenly vanished. I was heartbroken, so I decided to come to Black Territory to look into the matter, but it turned out that you two are still alive and kicking. That’s why I found it strange and began investigating.”

Luan Bai Feng was astounded as she had never expected the fact that the situation in Black Territory being exposed had something to do with the Loyalty List.

That explained everything. Yang Kai came over to find out the truth behind their deaths, but he came across Xin Peng just outside Black Territory. That was why he hid his identity and followed Yuan Tong Guang to enter Black Territory and look into the matter.

It wasn’t until Luan Bai Feng used a Black Ink Insect to deal with Yang Kai that all his speculations were verified.

“Fate is truly unpredictable. Our plan has been foiled.” Luan Bai Feng let out a sigh. If the situation in Black Territory hadn’t been exposed so soon, she could have come up with a way to help her Master break free from his prison. However, nothing was certain now. Even though she said she wasn’t bothered by the Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, she actually regarded them as arch-enemies; after all, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had been in existence for aeons, and they had accumulated an incalculable heritage. The weak Black Ink Disciples in Black Territory were certainly no match for them.

All this happened because of Yang Kai, so it was expected that Luan Bai Feng was resentful of him.