Martial Peak
chapter-4941

What’s more, the one presiding over this matter was a Black Ink Territory Lord! That was an existence on par with an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If they ran into a Master of that calibre, nobody could be his opponent.

Upon learning the seriousness of the issue, they did not dare to delay any longer. They quickly prepared for departure and hastily left the scene after the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered all the other cultivators into their Small Universes.

Their swift response allowed them to safely make their escape. Not to mention, the Black Ink Clan did not expect the Black Ink Disciples who originally belonged to them to leak their information to the enemy.

An hour later, the group of five hid inside another Black Ink Cloud and quietly focused their minds to conceal their auras. They did not dare to act rashly and instead laid low inside the Black Ink Cloud for the next half month.

From time to time, they would detect hundreds of Black Ink Clansmen passing by in the vicinity. It was obvious that the Black Ink Clan was searching for them. Fortunately, the Black Ink Clan only managed to infer that the enemy was a small team of Human cultivators causing havoc at the rear. They did not know who these people were or how many people were involved.

Every time Yang Kai and the others made a move, they would ruthlessly wipe out all the Black Ink Clansmen they encountered, so it was only natural that their information was not spread to the Black Ink Clan. In any case, the thought that the enemy was hiding inside a Black Ink Cloud would never occur to the Black Ink Clan. That was also why they failed to discover their targets despite searching very thoroughly and even passing by the spot where Yang Kai and the others were hiding a number of times.

On the flip side, the group of five were no longer free to take action as they pleased. It was fortunate that Yang Kai had created a safe area inside the Black Ink Cloud, so they could hide without worrying about being corroded by the Black Ink Strength.

Although they were safe for the time being, hiding like this was not a viable long-term strategy. The Black Ink Clan had failed to obtain results after searching for so long, so there was no saying whether they would begin to investigate the situation inside the Black Ink Clouds as a result. If they were to do so, then Yang Kai and the others would not be able to remain hidden for much longer. It would only be a matter of time before their whereabouts were exposed. At that time, they would fall into a situation where they could no longer take the initiative.

Inside the Black Ink Cloud, Feng Ying looked at the others with a solemn expression, “It’s time to take a risk.”

Ning Qi Zhi frowned, “Senior Sister Feng, what do you mean…”

She turned back to look at the front lines, “Aiming for stealth will only make our situation more and more difficult. I want to try and see if we can return to the great pass. What do you think?”

Everybody fell silent for some time. They were once Black Ink Disciples corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Having served the Black Ink Clan as servants for so long, it had been a long time since they returned to the great passes guarded by the Human Race. What they wanted more than anything in the world was to return. Unfortunately, under the current circumstances, they could not return just because they wanted to. There was bound to be a certain degree of risk involved.

Shen Ao said, “The Black Ink Clan has already been alerted to our presence, so choosing to remain here will not be beneficial to us. Although we don’t have many on our side, our numbers are not few. If we can find a suitable opportunity, we might be able to forge a path through the Black Ink Clan army. We still stand a chance to return.”

Qi Tai Chu nodded in agreement, “I agree. Back when I was corrupted by Black Ink Strength, this old man had already died once. Now that I have been given a second chance at life, it won’t be a loss if I can drag a few Black Ink Clansman down with me. In fact, it’s already a win if I can slaughter two Black Ink Clansmen. Therefore, this old man will go along with whatever you decide. I may not have the brightest mind, but I can contribute in terms of strength.”

Shen Ao added, “Let’s return then.”

Seeing as nobody else had any objections, Feng Ting nodded in satisfaction, “Then, let us return!” She turned to look at Yang Kai, “Please be careful. You must stick close to me.”

There were two reasons why she insisted on going back at this time. The first reason was that their current situation had gotten dangerous, and the second reason was that she wanted to send Yang Kai back. Yang Kai’s cultivation might not be high, but his very existence was extremely important to the Human Race as a whole. He could not risk himself by accompanying them here.

If not for these considerations, she might not have been so desperate. If possible, she even wanted Yang Kai to hide inside her Small Universe without revealing himself. In that way, he would not be in danger as long as she did not die; however, she could not do so because of his ability to dispel and purify Black Ink Strength. During a battle against the Black Ink Clan, his ability could be critical at any moment.

Once they finished their discussions, the group of five did not procrastinate. They immediately rushed out of the Black Ink Cloud and sped directly towards the front lines of the battlefield. Since they had already decided to return, then there was no need to hesitate or take detours.

The Black Ink Clan’s search had been ongoing all this time; moreover, they had increased their manpower since they failed to locate their targets after searching for so long.

As a result, the whereabouts of these five were exposed in just half a day! Even if they had expected this situation, they couldn’t help feeling flustered when they were found so quickly.

The ones who discovered their whereabouts was a small team consisting of no more than ten individuals. They immediately killed their enemies without mercy; however, more and more Black Ink Clansmen began to surround them from all directions.

The Black Ink Clan seemed to have divided their teams in order to perform an exhaustive grid search. By keeping in contact and exchanging news with each other, they could trigger a rapid response throughout the network if any issues cropped up somewhere.

Yang Kai’s group of five massacred their enemies along the way and slaughtered many Black Ink Clansmen as a result, but every attack exposed their own position

A few days later, an imposing and oppressive aura entered their perception from a great distance. When they looked up, they saw a rich darkness approaching them at a high speed from the direction where the aura originated.

“A Territory Lord!” Feng Ying, who was in the lead, shouted suddenly. Her expression instantaneously changed drastically.

What made her speechless was that the Black Ink Territory Lord gave her an extremely familiar feeling. If she remembered correctly, he was the one who tried to corrupt her with his Black Ink Strength previously.

At the time, he had poured his Black Ink Strength into her, and thinking that he had successfully corrupted her, he then rushed off to the battlefield after briefly instructing her to follow once she recovered her strength. How could he have known that one of the Human Masters had planted a Secret Technique inside Feng Ying’s Small Universe that allowed her to resist the Black Ink Strength corruption once?

In the end, Feng Ying killed Nu Yan as soon as she recovered. She initially thought that it would be difficult for them to meet again, but who knew that he would be the one overseeing the search for their whereabouts?

If the five of them had noticed the Territory Lord, then it was a given that the Territory Lord had also noticed them. It was just that they were too far apart, so nobody could do anything to the other yet.

A look of hesitation flashed across Feng Ying’s face. She was one of the strongest among the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and was only one step away from advancing to the Eighth-Order. On the other hand, Shen Ao and the other two had recently consumed Profound Yin Spirit Fruits. Their Small Universes had been repaired, so their strength was no longer compromised.

If the four of them joined hands to fight the Territory Lord, they might stand a chance against him. Even if they were not his opponents, they would not suffer a crushing defeat.

Nonetheless, this was not the time to pick a fight with a Black Ink Territory Lord. The Black Ink Clan army was closing in on them from all sides, and it would be difficult for them to escape if they were encircled. That was why Feng Ying shouted after a moment of hesitation, “Let’s go!”

She took the lead and sped in a certain direction. Yang Kai and the others quickly followed.

The Territory Lord chased after them like maggots on rotting bones. Moreover, his speed was strangely fast. Despite their best efforts, the distance between them continued to shrink.

At this rate, it would not take longer than a few days before the enemy caught up to them and a massive battle became unavoidable.

To make matters worse, the Black Ink Clan had regrouped and formed several hundred-man teams that blocked the way ahead. Although the five of them discovered this situation early, they had no other option but to change directions and take detours that delayed their escape.

After several days of repetition, a look of despair appeared on the faces of Feng Ying and the others. Leaving aside the Territory Lord who was gradually closing in on them, the encirclement by the Black Ink Clan’s teams had forced them into a corner where they could not take a step forward. They could only keep running around in a fixed region. Unfortunately, as the encirclement shrank steadily, there was less and less space for them to manoeuvre. If this situation were to continue, they would eventually become a turtle hiding in its shell.

During the chase, Feng Ying turned to look at Yang Kai, desperately trying to think of a solution. It did not matter if the rest of them died here, but the loss would be far too heavy if they failed to send Yang Kai back. The abilities he wielded were vital to the Human Race’s war effort.

Just as her thoughts were swirling around in her head, Yang Kai suddenly looked at her, “Senior, we should flee towards the rear!”

She glanced in the direction he was pointing and shook her head, “Although there is a gap in that direction, it is obviously part of the Black Ink Clan’s plan. We would be playing right into their hands if we did that. Even for us, that will be nothing more than a futile struggle prolonging our deaths.”

They came from the Black Ink Clan hinterland in the first place, so wouldn’t all their previous efforts be in vain if they were to go back there now?

Yang Kai insisted, “I have a way to get us out of this situation. Please trust me.”

“You have a way?” Feng Ying was astonished by his proposal.

Similarly, Shen Ao and the others looked at him in surprise. In this situation, it could be said that they were at the end of their rope. Their only option was to fight their way out. Even they were helpless, so how could he have a solution?

“What is your solution?” Ning Qi Zhi couldn’t help asking.

Yang Kai shook his head, “You will understand later. There’s no need to inquire further, Senior.”

Ning Qi Zhi smacked his lips and said nothing.

Feng Ying hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth, “Good!”

Taking the lead to turn around, she sped towards the rear. The others had no choice but to follow her and change their direction. At this point, they were truly heading towards a dead end. Not knowing Yang Kai’s plan, they couldn’t help feeling rather anxious.

The Black Ink Clan clearly did not expect the Human cultivators to make such a decision. Seeing that the other party was heading deeper into Black Ink Clan territory, they quickly gave chase.

Meanwhile, the Territory Lord in the lead sneered coldly. From his point of view, these damned Human cultivators were simply prolonging their deaths. As long as he could catch up to them, he would show them just how powerful he was.

During the chase, the Territory Lord’s oppressive aura grew closer and closer while the expressions on the faces of Feng Ying and the others turned ugly.

Half a day later, Ning Qi Zi lost his patience, “Little Brother, if you have a plan, then you should act now. It will be too late if you don’t. If you don’t have a solution, then be honest with us. If we put our lives on the line, we might even be able to kill that Territory Lord.”

Killing a Territory Lord was far-fetched as his strength was not just for show after all. Even so, they could injure him to a certain extent.

After listening to those words, Yang Kai looked behind him. The Territory Lord was almost upon them, and if he closed the gap any further, he would be able to start attacking them.

Therefore, Yang Kai immediately nodded, “It’s about time.”

His figure stopped moving all of a sudden.

Feng Ying and the others quickly came to a stop. Caught off guard by his actions, they quickly turned to look back at him.