Martial Peak
chapter-4945

The commotion at the back of the Black Ink Clan army soon caught their attention. When Shen Ao looked in that direction, he immediately became joyful and shouted excitedly, “Hold on a little longer! Reinforcements from Blue Sky Pass have come to aid us!”

The others who were trapped and struggling to advance instantly felt their spirits lifting at those words. At the same time, their attacks became more and more relentless in order to stem the Black Ink Clan’s offensive.

Many people glanced at the wounded Grand Dragon beside them with solemn and thankful expressions.

They would have suffered great losses if the Grand Dragon had not used his tough body as a protective shield. He not only blocked most of the Black Ink Clan’s attacks, but also kept the Black Ink Strength away so that they would not be distracted by the worry of being corrupted. His efforts had allowed them to fight to their heart’s content without any worries.

The Masters who rushed out of Blue Sky Pass caused great chaos for the Black Ink Clan; as a result, the Black Ink Clan had to divide their forces to confront the incoming enemy. In this way, the pressure bearing down on Yang Kai and the others was reduced considerably.

Feng Ying’s Sword Dragon in the lead swiftly charged forward again. Riding the waves, she broke through the blockade of the Black Ink Clan army and formed a pincer attack with the people from Blue Sky Pass.

It didn’t take long for both parties to meet up.

Yang Kai raised his Dragon Head slightly and glanced in that direction. The person in the lead was an elderly man. His attacks were brutal, and he exuded the aura of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.

It was obvious that he was the one who had previously been fighting the Black Ink Clan Territory Lord just now. The battle had ended in a draw where both parties were heavily injured. There was no saying which Cave Heaven or Paradise this Ancestor figure came from.

However, Feng Ying clearly recognised this person and a shout came out from within the Sword Dragon, “Martial Uncle Zhong!”

Martial Uncle Zhong nodded at her lightly. His gaze swept over Yang Kai’s enormous Dragon Form, but he did not have the time to say anything. The space around him shuddered briefly, and a violent force radiated outward to push back the Black Ink Clan in the surroundings before he beckoned loudly, “We withdraw!”

Behind him, various warships approached and activated their shields. There was no need for any command or dispatch. The Fifth and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters protected by the Grand Dragon quickly slipped into the warships.

Shen Ao and the other Seventh-Order Masters did not follow as there was no need for them to borrow the strength of the warships. They could defend themselves just fine while dealing out enormous amounts of damage.

Likewise, Yang Kai did not enter. His Grand Dragon body swayed slightly, and a flick of his Dragon Tail swept across a large patch of the void.

“Go!” Martial Uncle Zhong shouted. The numerous warships forged a path of retreat, rushing towards Blue Sky Pass. Feng Ying, Shen Ao, and the others stood guard on the flanks while Martial Uncle Zhong and Yang Kai brought up the rear.

The Black Ink Clan Territory Lord overseeing this area of the battlefield was dead, so although there were some Black Ink Clan Feudal Lords who could issue orders, the Black Ink Clan in this region were basically in a leaderless state for the time being. Faced with the aggressive breakout from Blue Sky Pass, they were unable to form an effective blockade.

Along the way, the Black Ink Clan suffered massive casualties in their wake. It didn’t take long for them to reach Blue Sky Pass where a hole in the defensive barrier was opened and the warships quickly entered. Only then could they be considered safe.

Meanwhile, the Black Ink Clan army continued their pursuit, clearly unwilling to accept defeat.

Seeing that everybody else was safe, Yang Kai who was bringing up the rear abruptly spun around. His 20,000-metre-long Dragon Body was armed with the 10,000-metre-long Azure Dragon Spear. With a single wide sweep, the Black Ink Clan charging forward was cut down as easily as though he was harvesting wheat, and a large area in the void was swept clean in an instant.

Yang Kai was not finished yet as a Dragon Roar shook the skies. The Grand Dragon shook its head and flicked its tail before slamming directly into the Black Ink Clan army to carry out a massacre.

What happened just now had vexed him greatly. While protecting hundreds of his allies from danger in his Grand Dragon Form, Yang Kai could only endure being attacked passively. There were few opportunities for him to fight back, and as a result, his enormous body had been reduced to tatters. Now that he no longer had to worry about others, it was only natural for him to go on a rampage.

After transforming into his Grand Dragon Form, his strength was on par with a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. In addition, he was not afraid of being corrupted by the Black Ink Strength. In this environment, as long as he didn’t face a Territory Lord, he could be said to be invincible.

The Dragon and his spear roamed the ink-coloured void freely, fighting from one end to the other. Looking at him from Blue Sky Pass, they could only see a 20,000-metre-long strip of gold navigating through the pitch-black darkness like a fish in water. The contrast between the colours was striking.

Yang Kai’s Dragon Form was enormous, his Dragon Pressure was imposing, and he even wielded a 10,000-metre-long spear in his Dragon Claws. The sight of him was truly a little excessive.

With just the strength of a single Dragon, the Black Ink Clan army that had already been disrupted suddenly lost ground and sustained heavy losses within a short span of time.

Martial Uncle Zhong had originally planned to return to Blue Sky Pass; unfortunately, he could not walk away just like that after what Yang Kai did. He turned to look back, his brow twitching violently at the sight. Then, he questioned Feng Ying, “Where did this Dragon come from?”

Feng Ying did not know how to explain. If she had to be honest, she herself only just learned that Yang Kai was part of the Dragon Clan! Throughout their journey together, Yang Kai had shocked her so many times that she was practically numb to surprises regarding him, but just now he had revealed himself to be part of the Dragon Clan! She had been shocked once more.

In response to Martial Uncle Zhong’s question, she could only answer, “I don’t know where he comes from either. I met him deep inside the Black Ink Clan’s domain. It’s a long story.”

Martial Uncle Zhong grimaced slightly. Logically speaking, it was impossible for the Dragon Clan to appear on the Black Ink Battlefield even though there were many other Divine Spirits scattered about.

The Dragon and Phoenix Clans guarded the No-Return Pass, an extremely heavy responsibility. Even though the Dragon and Phoenix Clans were tyrannically powerful, they would never come to the Black Ink Battlefield so easily. That was because the No-Return Pass was the Human Race’s actual last line of defence. Nothing could be allowed to happen to it.

[I can’t believe a Dragon Clan member appeared at Blue Sky Pass…] Martial Uncle Zhong could not be certain whether or not Yang Kai had come from the No-Return Pass. Be that as it may, it seemed unreasonable for them to simply watch without doing anything in this situation. The Dragon Clan member was fighting hard on the front lines, so how could they hide in the shadows and watch without doing anything?

The gears in his head spun quickly, and Martial Uncle Zhong swiftly came to a decision. With a sharp look in his eyes, he shouted, “All forces, attack!”

Inside Blue Sky Pass, the Human cultivators had long since gotten hot-blooded and impatient after observing the battlefield from the ramparts. As soon as Martial Uncle Zhong’s order rang out, they hurriedly leapt into action.

Their efficiency was very high, and in less than ten breaths of time, the shields were released and numerous warship artifacts charged out of Blue Sky Pass like a school of fish. There were so many that they seemed to block out the sky. Following behind the warships were countless Seventh-Order Open Heaven Masters.

The battle environment on the Black Ink Battlefield was special. Not only did the Human Masters have to guard against enemy attacks, they also had to defend themselves against the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength. That was why only those in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm could rush into the battlefield without relying on the warships for protection.

Those below the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, be they in the Fifth or Sixth-Order, had to borrow the help of warships for defence. That was the only way for them to effectively defend against the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength. Otherwise, they might be corrupted by the Black Ink Clan as soon as they stepped onto the battlefield.

There were several benefits to using warships. The first being that those in the Fifth and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm would be protected from the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength. As long as the warship was not damaged, the Black Ink Strength would not be able to harm them. The second reason was the power of the warships themselves, which was generally higher than what a Fifth-Order or Sixth-Order Master could wield. Many warships had offensive and defensive Arrays that could compare with what a Seventh-Order Master could produce. In that way, they also enhanced the strength of the Human Race.

The Human Race had been fighting the Black Ink Clan for countless years since ancient times; therefore, they had their own strategies on how to deal with the Black Ink Clan.

Martial Uncle Zhong had not allowed many warships to accompany him just now on the rescue mission to help Feng Ying and the others. On the contrary, under the orders of a full-frontal assault, all the soldiers who could be mobilised had been dispatched into battle. Only those necessary to protect and maintain the operations of the great pass remained behind.

The figures of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the lead formed countless streams of lights while behind them, the innumerable warships sailed forward in a mighty procession.

The Black Ink Clan, who was currently besieging the Grand Dragon, quickly discovered the movement coming from Blue Sky Pass. Under the orders of the Feudal Lords, the Black Ink Clan army in the rear turned around to meet the enemy.

Before the armies collided with each other, the lights from various Divine Abilities and artifacts flashed through and illuminated the void. The colourful lights seemed to fall into the pitch-black darkness like a stone falling into a lake, creating layers and layers of ripples that spread out across the void and sending the Black Ink Clan tumbling.

Faced with the Humans’ attack, the Black Ink Clan naturally did not just sit around waiting for death; instead, they returned the gesture. Divine Abilities gathered and Black Ink Strength rained down on the Human army.

Without needing any commands, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the lead hurriedly scattered to the sides. Their actions exposed the numerous warships behind them.

The warships quickly moved around and adjusted their positions so that they formed small groups of three to five. It didn’t take long for them to assume a profound Formation. Then, mysterious energy fluctuations spread out from the warships as large rune patterns illuminated the void. These patterns formed a solid and impenetrable protection in front of them like a powerful shield that blocked the attacks of the Black Ink Clan.

This layer of protection would be broken from time to time, forcing the warships in the rear to scatter and avoid the attacks. At the same time, their defensive barriers would light up to mitigate the damage they received.

The collision of Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques only lasted for several breaths of time before the armies on both sides entered close quarters. Various screams and roars rang out as the two Races fought each other. During this time, the aura of many lives withered and vanished.

Judging from the number of people alone, the Black Ink Clan undoubtedly had a huge advantage. They had almost ten times more people than the Human Race; however, the Human side had the advantage in terms of average strength.

That couldn’t be helped. Since ancient times, the only ones who were qualified to enter the Black Ink Battlefield were the elite disciples of the major Cave Heavens and Paradises. Even the weakest among them were in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm when they first arrived. The reason why there were Fifth-Order Masters on the Black Ink Battlefield was that they had originally fallen from the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.

The major Cave Heavens and Paradises had always maintained the rule of dispatching their most elite fighters to the Black Ink Battlefield. That was because entering the Black Ink Battlefield with low strength was pointless. On the contrary, they would easily be converted into Black Ink Disciples and enhance the strength of the enemy instead.

In comparison, the Black Ink Clan was different. The Black Ink Clan army not only consisted of powerful Masters like the Territory and Feudal Lords, but High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen, and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen were also common.

The High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen were not too bad as they were on par with Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in terms of strength; however, the Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen were only equivalent to Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. How could such weaklings possibly be a match for the Human Race Army? That was why they immediately suffered horrible casualties at the first encounter.

On top of that, each Human warship was stronger than an average Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in terms of pure battle strength. How could the Human Race be at a disadvantage simply because there were fewer of them?