Martial Peak
chapter-4882

When Yang Kai returned, there were over 100 people behind him.

All of them were Black Ink Disciples who had been rescued by Yang Kai. Yang Kai simply explained the current situation to them and asked if any of them were willing to stay behind to serve the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, resulting in hundreds of people stepping forward.

The Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s fame was universal, and only a destined few could have a chance to meet them, not to mention being able to serve them at close range. As far as an ordinary Open Heaven Realm Master was concerned, it was an extremely attractive opportunity.

Had it not been for the fact that Yang Kai had personally hand-picked them, more people would have stepped forward.

“What Big Brother and Big Sister need are only generals who can understand your orders, it has nothing to do with their cultivation. These people are all extremely intelligent, so I don’t think they will let you down. How about they stay here with you?” Yang Kai asked.

This was equivalent to exchanging 100 people for the freedom of 32. Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan glanced at each other but didn’t refuse and nodded instead.

Yang Kai immediately let out a sigh of relief.

After everything was settled, Big Brother Huang waved his hand once more as streaks of yellow light flew toward Liu Mu and the others before he indifferently stated, “You have worked hard these past few days, this is the reward for your service.”

Liu Mu looked down and noticed that these yellow lights were actually Yellow Crystals, each emitting a rich Yang Element aura.

These Yellow Crystals were at least Seventh-Order materials.

Liu Mu was even holding an Eighth-Order Yellow Crystal!

After blankly staring for a moment, Liu Mu smiled broadly and cupped his fist, “Many thanks, Big Brother!”

The remaining 15 also expressed their gratitude.

Da Yi and the others couldn’t help but feel envious. Fortunately, Big Sister Lan also had a reward, but what she bestowed were Yin Element Blue Crystals.

When the 100 or so Open Heaven Realm Masters who came with Yang Kai saw this, they were all extremely excited and secretly rejoiced at their decision. So long as they served the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer well, they too would receive some rewards. This was great news for them. Basically, all of them were poor; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been drawn to Black Territory to mine for materials in the first place.

They secretly made up their mind to win the favour of these two. Their bright future depended on whether they could grab this opportunity or not.

After dealing with a few minor things, Yang Kai and the others bid farewell to Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan.

For the time being, every single one of the thousands of Black Ink Disciples had to be brought back to Black Territory. All of them were from different Sects and even came from different Great Territories of the 3,000 Worlds, and since the matter of the Black Ink Clan had not been settled, they couldn’t be allowed to leave just yet, lest they spread rumours and cause trouble.

Da Yi remained behind to guard the Territory Gate and watched the ship depart.

It had taken them several months to arrive, but the journey back was still quite long.

Fortunately, the matter with the Black Ink Disciples had been resolved, so everyone’s mood wasn’t as heavy as it was before. Moreover, Yang Kai had obtained a method to purify the Black Ink Strength, which might be of great help to deal with the situation in the Black Territory.

The trip to Black Territory was smooth and uneventful. Even though the situation in Black Territory had caused the Masters from the various Cave Heavens and Paradises to gather, the ordinary forces were completely oblivious to it as all the news had been sealed off. As such, the other Great Territories had no idea that there was a Master hidden in the Black Prison that could overturn the entire universe.

Everyone returned to Black Territory in a few months.

High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises guarded the Territory Gate, preventing anyone from entering.

Naturally, the Golden Antelope Paradise’s ship was allowed to enter. The thousands of rescued Black Ink Disciples were temporarily placed under supervision by the Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises; however, chances were they would not be able to obtain freedom anytime soon.

Shattered Spirit Provinces had become the temporary bases for the various Cave Heavens and Paradises.

High Heaven Palace also had its own station.

Qu Hua Shang had returned to the Star Boundary to deliver Yang Kai’s message; as such, High Heaven Palace had also received the news. Head Manager Hua Qing Si had personally ordered High Heaven Palace to assemble in full force.

When Yang Kai arrived, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue, Yu Ru Meng, Ji Yao, Qu Hua Shang, Tao Ling Wan, Lin Yun’er, Mo Xiao Qi, Yang Xue, Yue He, Mao Zhe, Geng Qing, Hua Yong, Shu Mu Dan, Iron Blood, Beast Martial, Serene Soul, Flower Shadow, Ice Feather, Wondrous Pill, Heavens Revelation, Fang Yue, Xiang Yin, Li Wu Yi, Bing Yun, and several others were waiting for him.

It could be said that apart from Mo Mei who was in charge of Void Star City and Bustling World Great Emperor who was in charge of High Heaven Star City, all of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters Yang Kai could mobilize had arrived.

This time, Yang Kai was not fighting alone.

Furthermore, High Heaven Palace also had its own Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master this time!

The Proprietress had broken through at last!

Yang Kai had learned about this matter from Yu Xiang Die when he was in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, but he had not had the time to go back and check on her. It was the Proprietress who had come looking for him first.

After she entered retreat in Void Land, the Proprietress took some 200 years before she was able to sense a turning point and break through. Furthermore, Senior Bi Xi stood guard for her during her breakthrough, so while her ascension was by no means assured, it was at least safe.

Afterwards, she rushed to the Star Boundary, but at that time, Yang Kai was not there. So, she remained in the Star Boundary to consolidate her cultivation until the incident with the Black Ink Clan occurred, whereupon she led the many High Heaven Palace Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters over to assist.

Naturally, they started chatting when they met. Yang Kai first asked about the situation in Black Territory.

Because High Heaven Palace only had a single Seventh-Order Master, the Proprietress, she was the only one who had the qualifications to participate in the meetings between the Cave Heavens and Paradises.

Hearing Yang Kai’s question, Lan You Ruo replied, “They still haven’t come to a consensus on how to deal with the Black Ink Clansman.”

“They still haven’t reached an agreement?” Yang Kai was rendered speechless. Half a year ago, when he had taken thousands of Black Ink Disciples away from this place, the Cave Heavens and Paradise Ancestors had already been arguing about this matter for some time, yet they still hadn’t reached a decision even after he returned.

“Even though the Cave Heavens and Paradises have existed for a long time, they have never encountered a situation like this. Whether we rashly start a war with the Black Ink Clan or continue to strengthen the seal in Black Territory, the Ancestors are still hesitant. As of right now, they are divided into two factions, arguing all day long.”

Yang Kai nodded upon hearing this. He might feel that the Cave Heaven and Paradise Ancestors had wasted too much time on this matter, but he also understood their concerns.

No matter what decision they made, it came with great risk.

If they chose to reinforce the Black Territory Spirit Array and keep the Black Ink Clan sealed, for instance, they could not be certain of how successful they would be. The Super Array was the handiwork of ancient Great Experts and each Ore Star was a part of the Super Array. Furthermore, as many of the ore stars had already been destroyed, no one was able to restore the Super Array to perfect condition. Even if the Super Array was somehow patched, its power would likely suffer.

What’s more, the Black Ink Clansman inside the prison had not died yet even after so many years. Who could say that they would not be able to break free from the imprisonment of the Super Array on their own in the future? Leaving them sealed would only leave a hidden danger for this vast universe.

However, if they were to rashly start a war, the risks they would face would be tremendous.

The first risk they had to face was the threat of the Super Array itself.

The Super Array might have the power to imprison the Black Ink Clansman, but it also had a great impact on the Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Liu Mu was unable to remain inside its range for long. So, the time a Seventh-Order or Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could last was naturally shorter.

No one could say what kind of consequences would befall them if they were to fight against a powerful Black Ink Clansman in these conditions. Perhaps they would be affected by the Super Array and harm their foundation before they killed the Black Ink Clansman. At that time, they would simply be waiting for death.

If they really wanted to kill the Black Ink Clansman, the first thing they had to do was take care of the effects of the Super Array; otherwise, it would be impossible to fight.

“Recently, the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises have all been urgently cultivating Profound Yin Bamboo. At the same time, many Spirit Array Grandmasters have been dispatched here to study the Super Array to see if they can find a better solution,” Lan You Ruo added, looking at Yang Kai.

Yang Kai lightly nodded, “The Profound Yin Bamboo is one of the Twelve Minor Universe Pillars. If a sufficient amount of it is cultivated, not only will one be able to resist the power of the Black Ink Strength to a certain extent, but it will also be possible to resist the influence of the Super Array. Of course, this is not something that can be completed in a short time.”

Lan You Ruo nodded, “They naturally know this, but since things have reached this point, we have no other choice.”

Yang Kai sighed and added, “High Heaven Palace is unable to intervene in this matter, so let’s see what the Cave Heavens and Paradises decide. If they need our cooperation, we’ll cooperate.”

He might have said as much, but Yang Kai had a faint suspicion that there was a high chance they would be called to join the battle with the Black Ink Clansman. Only the enemy’s death would be able to completely eliminate this hidden danger.

Yang Kai even had a trump card to deal with the Black Ink Strength from the Chaotic Dead Territory now, and he believed that Liu Mu, who was a leader of the faction which sought to eradicate the Black Ink Clansman, would use this as leverage to try and persuade others.

“No matter what, the most important thing is to increase our strength. Only with enough strength will we be able to cope with all possible contingencies. Since our High Heaven Palace does not lack cultivation resources, everyone should focus on cultivating. The 3,000 Worlds in the future may not be as peaceful as before.”

There was a hidden Black Ink Clansman in Black Territory, so who knew if there were others hiding elsewhere in the vast 3,000 Worlds? Yang Kai also had a faint premonition that this incident was just the beginning of matters related to the Black Ink Clan.

Everyone obeyed and dispersed.

Yang Kai suddenly called out, “Xue’er!”

Yang Xue stopped and Yang Kai caught up to her from behind and asked, walking side by side with her, “How are Father and Mother doing?”

Yang Xue smiled, “They are doing well. No one dares to speak of your trip to the Chaotic Dead Territory in front of them, so you don’t need to worry, Big Brother.”

When he crashed into the Chaotic Dead Territory with the Giant Spirit God, everyone thought he was doomed to die. When the news reached High Heaven Palace, Hua Qing Si immediately ordered them to seal off the news, preventing it from reaching Yang Kai’s parents.

Although from the fact that Mao Zhe and the others were still alive, so it could be inferred that Yang Kai was still safe and sound, it was natural for parents to worry about their children. If the two elders were to learn of this news, they would definitely be unable to eat or sleep in peace.

“They’re currently focused on teaching Xiao Bai and Xiao Ya, so they aren’t as idle as before.” Yang Xue smiled.

Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya, these two Disciples, were being raised by Yang Kai’s parents. With them accompanying Dong Su Zhu and Yang Ying Feng, the two wouldn’t be lonely.

“Right, did you meet a Senior named Luo Ting He who went to the Star Boundary?” Yang Kai asked.