Martial Peak
chapter-4888

The Super Array was composed of countless Ore Stars and Spirit Arrays spanning the Black Territory.

The most effective way to break this Super Array was to destroy the Ore Stars, just as Luan Bai Feng had done before.

The Ore Stars were a rich source of cultivation materials, and they belonged to High Heaven Palace. They could not just give away all these resources without protest.

Lan You Ruo’s argument allowed High Heaven Palace to maintain ownership of these materials and also spared the Black Prison’s materials from being divided up by the Cave Heavens and Paradises.

This was good news for High Heaven Palace and even Void Land, but the century-long plan might not be good news for Yang Kai.

Be that as it may, they could not shorten this time further.

It would take time for them to break the Super Array, and the Cave Heavens and Paradises also needed time to prepare for the battle to follow. At the very least, they would need to cultivate enough Profound Yin Bamboo in their Small Universes to best resist the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength.

Lan You Ruo understood this point, which was why she did not try to argue with it, because she knew that it would be useless in this situation. Right now, she could only pray that Yang Kai could hold on until then.

Soon, large batches of Open Heaven Realm Masters arrived at the Black Prison. They were all dispatched by the various Cave Heavens and Paradises. Every batch numbered in the hundreds or even thousands, and every cultivator was either in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm or above.

The entire Black Territory was divided into sectors, with each Cave Heaven or Paradise being responsible for one. They were to mine the Ore Stars in that sector and crack the various Spirit Arrays hidden in it.

One by one, the Ore Stars were destroyed as a tremendous amount of Black Stone was mined. The High Heaven Palace disciples also began to busy themselves, collecting the mined Black Stones, and sending them to the Star Boundary, where they were handled by Head Manager Hua Qing Si.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai confronted the Black Ink Master inside the cage.

The weakening of the Super Array allowed the Black Ink Master, who had been imprisoned for countless millennia, to gradually regain some of her freedom. This little bit of freedom might not seem like much, but it was extremely dangerous for Yang Kai.

Every extra bit of freedom was tantamount to the Black Ink Master being able to exert a bit more of her true strength.

Yang Kai found it difficult to imagine just how powerful this Black Ink Master was at her peak. Even though she had been imprisoned since ancient times and her strength had obviously suffered as a result, the power she could display was still far beyond what he could contend with.

If it weren’t for the fact that he possessed the means to suppress the Black Ink Strength, he would have been powerless to resist in front of this Black Ink Master.

It was by relying on the pure white light that Yang Kai was able to survive.

Almost at the same time, an ear-piercing grinding sound reverberated at the centre of the cage. This was the sound of the Black Ink Master using her sharp, long legs to cut away at the Secret Technique Chains. She was probably trying to free herself from her shackles, but as the source of these chains was the Grand Array, it was very hard to break them unless the Grand Array itself was weakened.

Everything she did was destined to be futile.

Thick and dense Black Ink Strength filled the cage. The only place that was free from it was the ten-metre region around Yang Kai.

Yang Kai maintained the white light in his hand at all times. The illumination of the white light formed a sturdy, invisible barrier, blocking the Black Ink Strength from reaching him.

Yang Kai did not need to worry about the threat posed by the Black Ink Strength owing to the protection of this pure white light, but there was more than just Black Ink Strength in this cage.

He had to constantly remain on guard.

The ear-piercing grating sounds kept ringing out to no end, disrupting Yang Kai’s thoughts. Everything seemed as usual, but suddenly, a silent yet devastating attack came from the endless darkness.

The pitch-black darkness was the best cover, and only when the attack was right upon him did Yang Kai manage to react.

Sturdy dragon scales promptly appeared on his skin, forming a solid defence. At the same time, a flash of white light glimmered from Yang Kai’s hand, illuminating the surroundings. Yang Kai immediately spotted a sharp, long leg cutting towards him.

Yang Kai hurriedly retreated.

Although his reaction was quick, he was still injured. Even the dragon scales covering his body couldn’t withstand this fearsome blow. Yang Kai was sent flying, coughing up a mouthful of blood. This attack left a forearm-length wound on his chest and abdomen through which his internal organs could be seen.

If he was even a single step slower with his retreat, he would have been sliced in half.

While he was sent flying though, a brilliant ball of white light flew from Yang Kai’s hand, slamming straight into the massive body of the Black Ink Master like a sun crashing down on her.

The Black Ink Master immediately let out a blood-curdling scream of pain. She kept cursing non-stop, swearing to rip Yang Kai into a million pieces one day before devouring his soul so he would never reincarnate.

Yang Kai naturally turned a deaf ear to her ravings.

When he faced such a sneak attack for the first time, he cursed and bickered with the Black Ink Master, but after having gone through this very situation over and over again, he had grown accustomed to it already.

Inside this cage, the man and the Black Ink Master seemed to have been forgotten by the whole world. They might be each other’s companions, but they were also mortal enemies. Sneak attacks and counter sneak attacks were carried out almost every day, and each time, both sides suffered heavy injuries.

In the beginning, Yang Kai found it difficult to resist the Black Ink Master’s sneak attacks, but with time, he gradually became familiar with her habits and was able to counter them.

Even if the Black Ink Master didn’t launch a sneak attack, he would find an opportunity to do so.

The white light’s power of purification was a very potent method to deal with the Black Ink Master. Every purifying attack would wear down some of her strength. If Yang Kai wanted to live, he couldn’t give her any chance to recover.

Yang Kai’s constant offence and defence had already consumed an enormous amount of Yellow and Blue Crystals, but he couldn’t be bothered to care about that right now.

In the darkness, the two silently recuperated after a recent confrontation. Even the Black Ink Master, who had been clamouring to tear Yang Kai into pieces, had slowly calmed down.

The only thing that could be heard in the pitch-black darkness was the Black Ink Master’s attempt to cut the chains.

Suddenly, an inexplicable gentle voice rang in Yang Kai’s ears once more.

It was hard to imagine that a Black Ink Master like her would be able to sing such a beautiful song. She wasn’t singing any words, only humming a tune. Her song also did not carry any strange power or anything.

However, when this song entered one’s ears, it gave off an indescribable tranquillity, as if one had returned to their mother’s womb, returned to the source of life.

“Do you know how to sing?” The Black Ink Master suddenly stopped singing and asked, “If you do, sing a song.”

“I won’t,” Yang Kai refused, “And I don’t know how to sing.”

The Black Ink Master immediately broke into crisp laughter, “Since we have nothing to do, we should find something to do to pass the time, right?”

“Then keep singing, I’ll listen.”

“Wouldn’t I be at a loss? I’m a Royal Lord, and I don’t have the habit of singing to slaves or animals. That’s how you flatter us.”

Yang Kai slightly furrowed his brow.

During the time he had spent with this Black Ink Master, she had brought up the topic of being a ‘Royal Lord’, as well as the subject of slaves and animals more than once, making him a little curious.

“The Black Ink Clan is divided into different levels?” Yang Kai asked.

The Black Ink Master lightly giggled in the darkness before replying, her voice sounding like a lover’s whispers, “Of course, the Black Ink Clan’s hierarchy is strict, unlike you animals who follow no order. Some clansmen have always been born high and mighty, while some clansmen are born at the bottom of the ladder. I have been a Royal Lord since I was born.”

“The Royal Lord role should be very noble, right? What about those below the Royal Lord?”

“Below the Royal Lord…” The Black Ink Master dragged out her voice, trying to keep Yang Kai in suspense as she laughed, “I’ll tell you if you sing a song.”

Yang Kai decisively refused, “I don’t know how to sing!”

“Just sing whatever you want. If you want to learn about my Black Ink Clan, I can tell you, but this information isn’t free, it comes at a price. Don’t be embarrassed, a long time ago, only the most beautiful girl had the qualifications to sing in front of me.”

“Then I am honoured.”

The Black Ink Master didn’t continue but the grating sound of her feet striking the chains did.

Yang Kai bit the bullet and began humming a tune that Qu Hua Shang had once hummed in front of him.

However, the Black Ink Master interrupted him shortly enough, “Enough! Your singing is terrible! Even the sound of me cutting these chains is more pleasant than your voice.”

In the darkness, Yang Kai’s face turned slightly red in embarrassment, but he simply shrugged and stated, “I told you.”

“Women are always curious,” the Black Ink Master’s words were filled with playfulness, as if she was acting coquettishly. Yang Kai, on the other hand, had goosebumps all over his body, mainly because her voice brought her image to his mind, disgusting him outright.

In order to make himself feel better, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly flickered as he appeared behind the Black Ink Master. The next moment, a pure white light suddenly flashed in his hand, shooting straight towards her.

The darkness instantly retreated wherever this beam of light passed as it struck hard on the Black Ink Master’s back, leaving an enormous hole in her massive body. Black Ink Strength flowed out this hole like blood as the Black Ink Master madly screamed in pain. She instantly retaliated as her lone free leg slashed towards Yang Kai’s head like a deadly scythe.

But Yang Kai had already retreated by then.

The Black Ink Master’s screams and curses continued for a while. She kept shouting the same things over and over again; it was nothing new. Yang Kai’s ears almost started aching from it.

His sneak attack had infuriated the Black Ink Master and she was so angry that she ignored Yang Kai for several days.

It wasn’t until a few days later that she finally smiled happily when she successfully launched a counterattack and severely wounded Yang Kai.

Furthermore, she still remembered their previous talk and honoured her promise.

“In the Black Ink Clan, Royal Lords are supreme. Below them are the Territory Lords, followed by the Feudal Lords. Below the Feudal Lords are the ordinary clansmen. Every class has absolute authority over the ones below,” the Black Ink Master slowly explained, and Yang Kai listened carefully.

“Does that mean your status is very noble?”

“I stand above all others!” The Black Ink Master’s voice was filled with indescribable pride.

“Yet you have been imprisoned here for countless years!” Yang Kai’s words were like sharp knives that drove straight into the Black Ink Master’s heart.

As such, she angrily snapped back, “Isn’t that all because of you rebellious livestock!? You pretend to be docile, but actually harbour wicked intentions! Sooner or later, the Black Ink Clan will transform these 3,000 Worlds into our farmland!”

Yang Kai continued, “Tell me about this livestock business.”

The Black Ink Master giggled, “I can’t be the one always talking.”

“Shall I sing you another song?” Yang Kai suggested.

“I’d rather die!” The Black Ink Master promptly refused.