Martial Peak
chapter-4939

Shen Ao then turned to look at Feng Ying, “Senior Sister, what are your plans?”

The two of them were in the same Order; in addition, they had never encountered each other before. Since he did not know who was older or younger, addressing her as ‘Senior Sister’ was simply a sign of respect. There was no special meaning behind his words.

Feng Ying replied, “The Black Ink Clan army is probably gathering on the front lines to attack the great pass. I plan to gather more people and launch a surprise attack from the rear. That way, even if we are unable to break the siege on the great pass, we can still create some confusion among the Black Ink Clan. What do you think, Junior Brother?”

Shen Ao nodded in agreement, “I heard some information regarding the front lines while travelling beside Xiao Yue. There are indeed many Black Ink Clansmen gathering on the front lines to storm the nearest great pass; however, throughout the ages, the great passes guarded by the Cave Heavens and Paradises have never fallen. There is no need to be too worried. On the contrary, we will need to gather enough strength if we wish to return.” He turned to look at Yang Kai and continued, “With Little Brother’s means though, gathering more people will not be too difficult. Let us proceed as you planned, Senior Sister. I have no objections.”

Nodding, she said, “Good. Let’s recover our strength for now. If we want to gather more people, we will need to search for more Black Ink Clansmen.”

Shen Ao added, “I’m sure you know about my current condition, Senior Sister. Even if we encounter a strong enemy, I will have to rely on you to take action.”

She nodded in understanding, “Rest assured. I will do my best.”

Yang Kai suddenly turned to look at Shen Ao and asked, “Senior, is your Small Universe damaged?”

Generally speaking, most Black Ink Disciples had a damaged Small Universe. During the previous battle against the Black Ink Clan, the strength displayed by Shen Ao was somewhat inconsistent with the strength of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.

Shen Ao looked slightly depressed, “That’s right.”

This was a lingering regret of his. Many years ago, he had accidentally gotten corrupted by Black Ink Strength during a battle against the Black Ink Clan and was forced to sacrifice a part of his Small Universe as a result. Unfortunately, that battle had been extremely fierce and he had been exhausted from fighting with no time for him to rest or recuperate. In the end, he was unwittingly corrupted by the Black Ink Strength again and became a Black Ink Disciple. He had lived in a daze until now. Nevertheless, it truly was amazing to regain his clarity.

Hearing this, Yang Kai took out an object and handed it to Shen Ao, “Senior, please take a look and see if this is useful to you.”

Shen Ao took the object suspiciously and opened the box. His expression immediately stiffened in surprise, “Profound Yin Spirit Fruit!?”

Even Feng Ying looked over with a shocked expression. It was only natural that she recognised this object; after all, it was considered a precious treasure in the Black Ink Battlefield since it had an extremely significant effect on repairing one’s Small Universe.

“Where did you get that?” Feng Ying asked in astonishment.

Yang Kai shrugged, “I found it by accident.”

It was inconvenient for Yang Kai to explain any further as this was something Meng Qi had given to him, meaning he could not explain the circumstances. He looked at Shen Ao and inquired, “Will this help to repair your Small Universe, Senior?”

Shen Ao clutched at the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit tightly with a look of excitement in his eyes, “Of course! This is the only thing that can help me!”

As a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, his mental fortitude was quite strong, and there were few things in the world that could make him so excited. Even when he was rescued by Yang Kai, he had not been so emotional. Be that as it may, when he held the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit in his hand, he couldn’t help being shaken by the hope of restoring his Small Universe.

“How long will you need?” Feng Ying probed.

Shen Ao shook his head, “I don’t know. I have never used this before after all, but I don’t think it will take too long.” Turning to look at Yang Kai, he added, “Little Brother, this object is extremely useful to me. I will not refuse your goodwill. I will definitely reward you handsomely in the future!”

Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, “If your strength is restored, Senior, it will also be very helpful to our plans.”

At the moment, Feng Ying and Shen Ao were the only two Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters by his side. While there was nothing to worry about when it came to Feng Ying, Shen Ao was only a Pseudo Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Not only was his strength lower than average, his resistance against Black Ink Strength also left much to be desired. Shen Ao’s current condition would be highly detrimental to their future plans.

If a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit could resolve these issues, then there was no reason for Yang Kai to be stingy.

Yang Kai continued after some deliberation, “I still have a few more Profound Yin Spirit Fruits. Should we have some of our allies consume them?”

In his opinion, under their current circumstances, they should increase their combat power as much as possible. Besides, the restoration of one’s Small Universe would also increase their resistance towards the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength.

[He still has more…] Feng Ying and Shen Ao immediately became shocked to the core. The Profound Yin Spirit Fruit was extremely rare and precious. In the Black Ink Battlefield, only a few special Sealed Worlds could produce them. It was the blessing of a lifetime just to find one, but Yang Kai had more than one in his possession. Moreover, although they did not know how many Profound Yin Spirit Fruits he had, the number was definitely not few.

This was not something Feng Ying could decide for the others, so she responded after a short pause, “I’ll ask and see.”

Unexpectedly, Shen Ao laughed bitterly, “I don’t think anybody would take them.”

“Why not?” Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling astonished.

The Small Universe of the Black Ink Disciples they rescued earlier should be in a damaged state; hence, the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit should be extremely attractive to them. Why would anyone refuse such an offer?

Shen Ao did not explain and simply said, “You’ll soon find out.”

Meanwhile, Feng Ying closed her eyes and said nothing, probably communicating with the Open Heaven Realm Masters inside her Small Universe. A short while later, she opened her eyes and looked at Yang Kai, “You should hold onto those Profound Yin Spirit Fruits for now.”

As predicted, nobody wanted the Profound Yin Spirit Fruits.

Seeming to understand Yang Kai’s confusion, Shen Ao explained, “When they come across such opportunities, they will always choose to leave them for the High-Rank Open Heaven Masters. Forget the Spirit Fruits in your possession, even if they obtained one themselves, they would not consume it easily. On the contrary, they would choose to turn it over to the higher-ups.”

After saying that, he patted Yang Kai on the shoulder and walked over to the side. Sitting down cross-legged, he swallowed the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit.

Yang Kai stood in silence for a long while, but in the end, he just sighed softly. He never expected the people they rescued to resist the temptation and refuse the Profound Yin Spirit Fruits. Nevertheless, this incident allowed him to experience the difference in culture on the Black Ink Battlefield.

In the 3,000 Worlds, such a precious treasure would have attracted the greed of countless people. On the contrary, the hearts and minds of the people were united as one on the Black Ink Battlefield. Everybody would choose the option that was most beneficial to the overall situation. They would never disregard the bigger picture just to satisfy their own selfish desires.

The Black Ink Cloud was filled with silence as the trio focused on their respective recovery and meditation.

From time to time, subtle fluctuations in the World Force would radiate from Shen Ao, most likely the result of the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit at work to mend his Small Universe. It took more than twenty days for the intermittent fluctuations coming from him to finally subside. Another half day later, he slowly opened his eyes.

Yang Kai had been paying close attention to the changes in Shen Ao. Looking at Shen Ao at this moment, he could sense that Shen Ao’s aura seemed to be different from before and he had become much more confident.

When their gazes met, Shen Ao nodded lightly at Yang Kai to express his gratitude.

Feng Ying spoke up from the side, “Are you prepared?”

“Yes,” Shen Ao nodded.

“In that case, let us depart,” she said as she climbed to her feet.

Before their departure, the three of them made some preparations. All the Open Heaven Realm Masters they previously rescued were currently hiding inside Feng Ying’s Small Universe. As a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, her Small Universe was big enough to accommodate these people; however, accommodating too many of them placed a burden on her and affected how much strength she could wield. In addition, if they were to launch another surprise attack on the Black Ink Clan like before, it would take some time for her to release all of them from her Small Universe.

Following a brief discussion, a dozen or so Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were taken into Yang Kai’s Small Universe while the rest were split equally between Feng Ying and Shen Ao.

At this point, the expression on Shen Ao’s face when he looked at Yang Kai could only be described as flabbergasted. They had not known each other for long, but Yang Kai had already sprung so many surprises on him in such a short period.

Yang Kai had the means to restore order to chaos, which could rescue the Black Ink Disciples corrupted by Black Ink Strength. He had also given a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit to Shen Ao, and now, he could even accommodate living beings inside his Small Universe… Leaving aside the matter of the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit, the two other matters could be said to be unprecedented in all the years that Shen Ao had been alive. These two events had certainly given him quite a huge shock.

Feng Ying observed Shen Ao’s expression and smiled slightly, [This brat also has a World Spring, one of the Four Universe Pillars. I wonder what Shen Ao would think if he found out about that.]

In all honesty, she herself had been shocked by Yang Kai on numerous occasions. She had never met a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him before. There were always all kinds of bizarre things about him, so she was often astounded by the unexpected incidents that he accidentally created.

There were times when she simply could not understand. Somebody like him should be carefully protected, so how did he end up in the depths of the Black Ink Clan’s domain where he had to disguise himself as a Black Ink Disciple to survive?

The main force of the Black Ink Clan had been gathering successively on the front lines, but there would always be some scattered Black Ink Clansmen who were slower to head for the battlefield. They were not as orderly as the Human Race, so they moved in a more scattered fashion. What’s more, the territory occupied by the Black Ink Clan in the Black Ink Battlefield was too vast. Even under the Royal Lord’s call to arms, there was bound to be a difference across the various territories in terms of the Black Ink Clan’s response speed. There were also Black Ink Clansmen who would delay or find excuses to refuse joining the front lines of the battlefield.

More importantly, these Black Ink Clansmen who belatedly rushed for the battlefield usually travelled in small groups, which gave the trio numerous opportunities to act.

If there were too many in a group, the trio would remain hidden and not reveal their whereabouts. If it was a small group, then they devoured their prey in one bite. They slaughtered all the Black Ink Clansmen and did their best to rescue as many Black Ink Disciples as they could.

In the past, just Yang Kai and Feng Ying were enough to kick up a storm in the Black Ink Clan’s rear lines. Now that they not only gained an additional helping hand in Shen Ao, but also dozens of helpers, it was only natural that these activities became even easier to carry out.

As the days passed, more and more Black Ink Disciples were rescued. Their lineup grew from tens to hundreds and soon breached the 200 mark. Among these people, they also gained two additional Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Including Feng Ying and Shen Ao, they now had a total of four Seventh-Order Masters on their side.

Needless to say, the two newly rescued Seventh-Order Masters received a gift from Yang Kai. They consumed the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit and restored their Small Universes.

Over the recent period, at least 2,000 Black Ink Clansmen had died at their hands, including a dozen or so Feudal Lords. It could be said that their battles had been very fruitful.

After a particularly large battle, Yang Kai and the four Seventh-Order Masters hid themselves inside a Black Ink Cloud to rest and recover their strength. During such times, Yang Kai would always think about Meng Qi. The current situation could be said to have been jointly created by Meng Qi and Feng Ying with their own hands.

Meng Qi was not as powerful as Feng Ying in terms of strength, but he was also in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. If he had not chosen to commit suicide back then and instead leave with Yang Kai, he might have been able to survive. Be that as it may, he had resolutely chosen to sacrifice himself because there was always a chance that something detrimental might happen.