Martial Peak
chapter-4896

It took almost everything for the Black Ink Royal Lord to support her massive body with her last three legs. She raised her head and puffed out her chest, stubbornly maintaining her dignity and pride.

Disdain filled her arrogant eyes as she stared at everyone, “Go ahead, what are you waiting for?”

All eyes turned to Yang Kai.

The Black Ink Royal Lord was like a centipede that refused to fall even after death. The fact that so many of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters failed to take her life was a testament to her tenacity to live. In order to completely destroy her, the Purifying Light was the best option.

Yang Kai stepped forward without a moment of hesitation. His left and right hands glowed with different colours, and when he brought his palms together, the two-coloured lights merged and gave birth to pure white light.

Yang Kai stepped closer to the Black Ink Master, asking the question that had been bugging him this whole time, “Why didn’t you escape?”

Even though she was in such a dangerous predicament, she had not moved from her spot, as if she had been locked in a place by a great force.

The corners of the Black Ink Royal Lord’s mouth rose into a smile but she remained silent. The contempt in her eyes only grew stronger.

Yang Kai furrowed his brow. He felt that something was not right. Nonetheless, he did not have the luxury to think too deeply about it. The Black Ink Royal Lord was already like an arrow at the end of its flight; furthermore, if he didn’t kill her now, there would be no end to the future trouble.

The next moment, the dazzling white light grew stronger before it transformed into a halo that enveloped the Black Ink Master completely.

The Black Ink Master grimaced in pain, but she clenched her teeth and didn’t scream.

Cracking sounds rang out as thick black wisps emerged from her wounds before disappearing into nothingness, causing her already weak aura to become even weaker.

Nevertheless, the Royal Lord seemed as if she had been extricated from a huge burden. She raised her head slightly as her eyes turned blurry.

The halo of light continued to wash over the giant spider’s body, constantly purifying the Black Ink Strength. The Black Ink Master’s body quickly became translucent as the Black Ink Strength was purified.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, only a hazy illusory phantom remained of the Black Ink Royal Lord’s body.

Suddenly, she smiled at Yang Kai and proclaimed, “Black Ink Eternal!”

The moment she finished speaking, her body burst like a bubble and completely disappeared.

As the light faded away, Yang Kai stared at the spot where her corpse vanished, furrowing his brow. Even if she was on her last leg, the Black Ink Royal Lord should still have had plenty of strength to fight back, but when he was purifying her just now, she didn’t resist at all. Yang Kai found this very strange.

This question had been plaguing Yang Kai’s mind all the while, but it remained unanswered.

Silence filled the void. Everyone stared at the place where the Black Ink Master had disappeared, neither cheering nor celebrating.

The Cave Heavens and Paradises might have won, but the price they had paid was simply too great. They had lost some 300 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, as well as five Eighth-Order Masters. Each of their corpses was beyond recognition.

Not only that, many surviving High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had discarded a part of their Small Universe in order to avoid being corrupted by the Black Ink Strength. This had damaged their foundation and they would never be able to advance their cultivation again.

Such heavy casualties were unprecedented.

Everyone quietly cleaned up the battlefield, collecting the remains of their fellow disciples.

There were many shattered Spirit Provinces surrounded by the Black Ink Strength scattered in the void; some were voluntarily cut off, some were left after the explosion of the Small Universe before the death of the Open Heaven Realm Masters.

Lan You Ruo flew to Yang Kai’s side and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

She could tell that Yang Kai was somewhat distracted.

Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t understand.”

Lan You Ruo could guess what was going on in Yang Kai’s mind; after all, Yang Kai had asked the Black Ink Master his doubts out loud. She knew that he was mulling over why the Black Ink Master had not tried to escape, not even once. Nodding, she added, “I’m also a bit curious, but she’s already dead. Even if she was scheming something, she can do nothing now.”

“I hope not,” Yang Kai lightly mumbled.

Liu Mu walked over and stated, nodding slightly to Yang Kai, “You’ll have to continue working hard for a while. There is still a lot of Black Ink Strength lingering here. We need to dispel it as soon as possible.”

Yang Kai replied, “Senior, don’t worry, this Junior will take ca…”

Before he could finish his sentence though, a furrow suddenly appeared on his brow as he turned his head, looking in a certain direction. It was the direction where the Black Ink Master had fallen.

Liu Mu and Lan You Ruo, who were standing next to him, also turned their heads, but they failed to spot anything.

However, Yang Kai noticed something. His figure flickered, and he arrived at the spot where the Black Ink Master had died. He then closed his eyes and quietly sensed the surroundings.

The Eighth-Order Ancestors noticed his movements and their expressions became solemn as they slowly approached.

Someone asked Liu Mu, “What’s wrong?”

Liu Mu turned to Lan You Ruo and asked, “Do you know?”

Lan You Ruo shook her head, indicating that she had no idea.

No one had any clue what was going on, but Yang Kai’s actions had struck everyone’s taut nerves; after all, they had just fought a huge battle with the Black Ink Royal Lord and although they had won at a huge price, no one knew if she left some kind of machination behind or not.

A series of orders were sent out. The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who were cleaning up the battlefield quickly gathered around. Hundreds of people formed a huge circle around Yang Kai, staring at him as if there was another Royal Lord standing there.

After a while, Yang Kai finally opened his eyes and a solemn look filled his face.

Liu Mu lowered his voice, speaking like a thief, “Yang Boy, what did you find?”

Yang Kai turned around and replied in a heavy voice, “There seems to be a Void Corridor here!”

Everyone’s expression changed when they heard this. Liu Mu even rushed forward to Yang Kai’s side and focused his senses.

A moment later, he nodded, “There is indeed something here.”

Although his cultivation was much higher than Yang Kai’s, he wasn’t proficient in the Dao of Space. Even if Yang Kai was able to sense something, he might not be able to; however, being directed by Yang Kai, he meticulously probed the surrounding space and finally found something was wrong.

Other Eighth-Order Ancestors also investigated. Some noticed something, while others failed to.

However, they all knew that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, and since he had said so, he must have noticed something.

“Where does it lead to?” An Eighth-Order Ancestor asked.

Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t know! Moreover, this Void Corridor shows signs of being sealed. Judging by the method used to seal it, it should be quite old, but the seal has become loose for some reason. As for where it leads… I have a guess.”

Liu Mu’s face went pale and snapped, “Don’t make wild conclusions!”

He vaguely understood what Yang Kai was thinking. If his guess was true, then the 3,000 Worlds would definitely face a great catastrophe.

Yang Kai remained silent, but someone answered in his place, “The Black Ink Battlefield!”

Everyone’s hearts sank. The Black Ink Battlefield was the place where countless Cave Heaven and Paradise Masters fought against the Black Ink Clan, a place only accessible through the No-Return Pass.

It was precisely because there was only one entrance to the Black Ink Battlefield that the 3,000 Worlds could remain safe until now.

However, if there was a Void Corridor that led directly to the Black Ink Battlefield, the No-Return Pass would become meaningless, and the sacrifices that the Cave Heavens and Paradises had made over the years would be for nothing.

A heavy sigh escaped someone’s lips as he stated, “It seems we’ve all made a mistake. The Super Array in the Black Prison was not meant to imprison that Black Ink Royal Lord, but rather to seal this Void Corridor.”

Perhaps the Royal Lord was even a part of the Black Prison’s Super Array!

The Black Ink Master’s snide remark before her death rang in everyone’s ears.

‘Do you think you’ve won? If you want to kill me, then get on with it! Let’s see if you can still laugh after I die!’

Everyone thought she was just venting before her death, so none of them understood the hidden meaning behind her words. She would not reveal this secret to everyone either, because her death meant that the Super Array in Black Territory had been completely broken and the sealed Void Corridor would soon be revealed, connecting the 3,000 Worlds and the Black Ink Battlefield.

In other words, the Black Ink Clan could come through this Void Corridor at any moment.

A silent and heavy aura enveloped the crowd, causing everyone’s expressions to turn extremely solemn.

They had thought that after experiencing so much hardship, they had finally obtained victory, but who would have thought that this was just the beginning of a disaster?

“Enough nonsense, how do we know if this Void Corridor is connected to the Black Ink Battlefield?” Liu Mu scolded.

“What if it does?” Someone asked.

Liu Mu was speechless.

They could not take the chance, nor could ignore the situation. Even if there was a one-in-a-million chance, it concerned the lives of everyone in the 3,000 Worlds.

Liu Mu turned to Yang Kai and asked, “Can you determine where it leads to?”

Yang Kai shook his head, “This Void Corridor has been sealed once. That Black Ink Royal Lord might have been a part of the seal, but this seal will not be breaking anytime soon just because she is dead. I need a few more days until the seal loosens before I can confirm the situation on the other side.”

“Then, we’ll wait!” An Eighth-Order Ancestor quickly added, “Yang Kai, we need you to guard this place and observe this Void Corridor at all times. As soon as you get a chance, investigate the situation on the other side.”

“Of course!” Yang Kai cupped his fist.

Finished speaking, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged on the spot to recover and monitor the changes in the Void Corridor.

The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters held a discussion before stationing some guards here while the rest dealt with the other problems of the battlefield.

Lan You Ruo stood beside Yang Kai, quietly staring into the void. Even now, she could not sense any traces of the Void Corridor.

She had just advanced to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, so her cultivation was not as profound as those Eighth-Order Ancestors. She was not proficient in the Dao of Space either, so naturally, she could not detect anything.

After a long silence, she suddenly asked, “Is this Void Corridor really connected to the Black Ink Battlefield?”

Yang Kai shook his head, “I can’t say for sure, but that’s the most likely scenario.”

This was the first time he had heard of the Black Ink Battlefield, but he understood what kind of place it was.

After a heavy pause, he continued, “I have no idea what exactly happened in the ancient era, but by the looks of it, it’s very likely that what happened back then was like this.”

“The Black Ink Royal Lord might have been fighting in the Black Ink Battlefield, but through some kind of coincidence, she either found or created this Void Corridor and found her way to the 3,000 Worlds.”