Martial Peak
chapter-4955

“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?” The Squad Leader looked at the three of them with concern.

All three of them shook their heads, indicating that they were truly fine.

Only then did the Squad Leader turn to look at Yang Kai with a complicated look in his eyes. The Eighth-Order Ancestor had informed him about this matter, but he had not dared to believe those words.

The Human Masters who remained on the Black Ink Battlefield all this time were all too familiar with Black Ink Strength. Once they were touched by it, it would cling to them like maggots on rotting bones. The only way to protect themselves was to take decisive action within a limited time after becoming corroded by Black Ink Strength.

It was only because of the Eighth-Order Ancestor’s orders that he decided to give this method a chance.

Leading his Squad members, he brought them back to Blue Sky Pass and came to the Central Square. What happened next was beyond his expectations. Yang Kai had actually managed to solve this problem that had plagued the Human Race for countless years. What’s more, judging by the way the Secret Technique was cast, performing it did not seem to be difficult. It could even be said to be extremely easy.

He had never seen such means like the white light before, but he could clearly see the Black Ink Strength dissipating under its shroud with ease.

A sense of excitement suddenly surged up in his heart. [I can’t believe the Human Race has developed the means to resolve the corrosion of Black Ink Strength! This problem has tormented us for aeons, but will no longer be a problem in the future! I can foresee just how much the morale of our people will be boosted once the news spreads to the public!]

He solemnly cupped his fist, “Thanks are not enough for this kindness. In the future, please feel free to let us know if you ever need our help, Brother Yang.”

He was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises. In terms of status and hierarchy, he was definitely in a higher position compared to Yang Kai; nevertheless, he addressed Yang Kai as ‘Brother Yang’, which showed how grateful he was.

Likewise, the six behind him also cupped their fists and bowed. In particular, the gratitude of those three who were rescued earlier was beyond words. They knew that if it was not for Yang Kai’s help, the best outcome for them would be to sacrifice a part of their Small Universe and experience a decline in their cultivation. That was something no Open Heaven Realm Master would ever want to experience.

Although the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit, which could mend damaged Small Universes, could be found on the Black Ink Battlefield, there were extremely few of them, certainly not enough to go around.

Even if they found one of the rare Profound Yin Spirit Fruits, they generally gave them up to those with higher cultivations. Naturally, that meant those with cultivation below the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm would never get the chance to consume one.

Yang Kai not only helped them to resolve the issue regarding the corrosion of Black Ink Strength, but also ensured that their cultivation remained intact. Such a grace was not something that could be made up for with simple thanks.

“You are all too polite. This is my duty!” Yang Kai returned the bow.

“The war is ongoing, so we cannot stay here for long. We will now return to the battlefield. When the war is over, if we are lucky enough to survive, we will share a drink with you, Brother Yang!” The Squad Leader cupped his fist and quickly said.

Yang Kai’s expression became solemn, “I wish you good fortune in battle!”

The group of seven came and left in a hurry. Regardless of the Cave Heaven or Paradise they came from before, they had completely placed their own survival aside on this battlefield.

Looking at the seven departing figures, Yang Kai sighed softly. He did not know when these seven people had come to the Black Ink Battlefield or how long they could endure this cruel war. There might come a day when they were killed by a Black Ink Clansman and died a tragic death. Be that as it may, it should never be forgotten that they were also the sons and daughters of their parents or the parents of their own children.

After seeing the situation on the Black Ink Battlefield side with his own eyes, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little depressed. On the contrary, these people who had been living in this situation for so long had already become accustomed to such matters.

He suddenly turned to look at Feng Ying, “Just now, those people called the person in the lead ‘Squad Leader’. Is the formation of the Human Race Army divided into individual Squads?”

Feng Ying became more and more certain that Yang Kai knew nothing about the great passes. That was because all the questions he asked were related to general knowledge and common sense issues; however, she had already experienced similar situations several times before, so she was no longer surprised by his questions and explained patiently, “A Squad is the most basic unit at any great pass. In general 10 to 15 people form a Squad, 100 people form a Battalion, and 500 people make up a Division. Of course, the numbers vary slightly from case to case, but this is the general makeup. The framework of the Human Race Army was based upon how Great Battle Heaven organizes itself since they are very experienced in army warfare.”

Yang Kai nodded lightly. He had heard of Great Battle Heaven even when he was new to the 3,000 Worlds, so he knew that this Cave Heaven was different from the others in the sense that they managed themselves like an army. He had wondered why Great Battle Heaven organized their disciples in such a manner; but now, it would seem that the reason was related to the Black Ink Battlefield.

“Tell me more about the great passes,” he said.

She asked, “What do you want to know?”

“Anything is fine.”

Feng Ying fell silent for a moment before she suddenly sat cross-legged in front of Yang Kai, stretched out her hand, and gestured on the ground in front of her. It didn’t take long for her to draw a picture of the Eight Trigrams on the ground before her.

“Generally speaking, the deployment of the troops at every great pass can be based on this diagram. I also told you just now that the framework of the Human Race Army is based on the Squad as the basic unit. Above a Squad is a Battalion, above a Battalion is a Division, and above a Division is an Army! Moreover, every great pass has four armies which are titled East, West, South, and North. This arrangement is so that four cardinal directions surrounding the great passes can be guarded at the same time.

“The formation can be further subdivided into smaller parts. Each Army is further divided into Left and Right Wings, each composed of a number of Divisions. For example, the North Army’s two Wings each have a First Division, Second Division, Third Division, and so on and so forth. Do you understand so far?”

Yang Kai nodded, “Yes!”

The situation on the Black Ink Battlefield side reminded him of the battle between Humans and Demons in the Star Boundary. At the time, all the Humans on the Star Boundary had been conscripted as soldiers. The Sixty-First Army he commanded had also made great contributions to the war against the Demon Race.

The past flashed through his mind, as vividly as though it was just yesterday.

Feng Ying continued, “Martial Uncle Zhong Liang is the Western Army’s Army Commander. He is responsible for overseeing the defence line protected by the Western Army, the direction we returned from before. Meanwhile, Elder Lu from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven belongs to the Southern Army. If I remember correctly, he serves as its Fourth Division Commander.

“Each Wing of an Army is overseen by one of the two Vice Army Commanders, while each Division is assigned a Division Commander. Only Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors are qualified to take up these positions. Naturally the same goes for the Army Commanders. They are chosen from among the strongest and most experienced Eighth-Order Masters.

“When it comes to the Battalions, Peak Seventh-Order Masters generally fill such roles. The Battalions are named after the Eight Trigrams, in other words, Heaven, River, Mountain, Thunder, Wind, Fire, Earth, and Lake. Take myself for example, formally, I hold the rank of Battalion Commander of the Western Army’s Right Wing First Division Heaven Battalion!”

“Below Battalions are Squads. There is no special naming system for Squads, and if they do have a special name, it is generally chosen by their Squad Leader according to his or her preference, or by the Squad members themselves. The higher-ups will not restrict them in that sense. Among the Squad Leaders, some may be in the Sixth Order, but most are Seventh-Order.”

Yang Kai listened silently, gradually gaining some understanding of the situation in the great passes. In any case, the division of troops was certainly very detailed and meticulous.

He raised his brow slightly after giving it some thought, “Back at the Grand Hall earlier, I saw a total of 53 Eighth-Order Masters. Leaving aside the 4 Army Commanders and the 8 Vice Commanders, does that mean that there are 41 Divisions in Blue Sky Pass?”

Feng Ying shook her head, “There are 60 Divisions in total. It is impossible for Martial Uncle Zhong Liang to summon all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors; after all, somebody needs to be in charge on the battlefield. Those who came back were just the majority.”

Yang Kai nodded in understanding and mentally calculated the total number of people in Blue Sky Pass. The answer left him feeling slightly horrified, “So there are some 30,000 people in Blue Sky Pass?”

30,000 might not seem like a huge number. Thinking back to the time he served as the Commander of the Sixty First Army in the Star Boundary, the number of people in his army had far exceeded that number. When it was first formed, the Sixty First Army had some 300,000 people in it, which was more than ten times that of the entire Blue Sky Pass.

However, the 300,000 people in the Sixty First Army were nothing compared to the 30,000 people in Blue Sky Pass, because everyone in Blue Sky Pass was an Open Heaven Realm Master. Even the weakest among them were in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm! That was a terrifying line-up.

If such a group of people were recalled to the 3,000 Worlds, they could trample all the Great Territories with ease. They would be invincible since there was nobody who could be their opponent. Be that as it may, such an impressive army with such a glorious line-up was trapped in the Black Ink Battlefield. Even though they had been fighting the Black Ink Clan for countless years, there remained no hope of victory in sight.

More importantly, this was only the situation at Blue Sky Pass. There were 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises, which meant that there were 108 corresponding great passes. And, the situation at each great pass was almost identical to Blue Sky Pass.

The deeper he thought about it, the more his scalp tingled in fear. Throughout the ages, how much manpower did the Cave Heavens and Paradises pour into the Black Ink Battlefield? How long did it take for them to accumulate the power of the Human Race to such a scale?

“More or less.” Feng Ying nodded lightly. She did not know the exact number of people in Blue Sky Pass. In fact, nobody knew the exact number because there were always a number of Humans who would meet their deaths in each battle. However, the exact number should not be too far off from the numbers that he estimated.

Although 30,000 might sound like a huge number, after dividing them to the East, West, South, and North, their numbers were not that large anymore. The four directions surrounding Blue Sky Pass would have some 7,000 or 8,000 guarding them.

“Martial Aunt Feng, you are a Battalion Commander. Is it alright if you don’t go to the battlefield?” Yang Kai asked.

She shook her head, “My subordinates can take care of themselves even if I am not there. It’s not a big deal. On the contrary, your safety is of utmost priority.”

Nodding, Yang Kai began asking about other issues, “I noticed that there were many warships on the previous battlefield.”

Feng Ying nodded and explained, “Warships can be said to be the biggest reliance for the Human Race to compete against the Black Ink Clan on the battlefield. Eighth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters have a certain degree of resistance to the Black Ink Strength even if they directly enter the battlefield. As long as the duration is not too long, the Black Ink Strength would not pose a problem for them. However, there are more than just Eighth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Inner Sanctum. There are far more Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Masters. In particular, the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters have suffered a decline in their cultivation as a result of sacrificing parts of their Small Universes. Since their Small Universes are all incomplete to begin with, they are easily corrupted by the Black Ink Strength. Without a warship’s protection, they would instantly turn into Black Ink Disciples once they come into contact with the Black Ink Strength. Therefore, you would rarely see any Sixth-Order or Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on the battlefield. They rely on their warships to fend off their enemies instead. Essentially each Squad is assigned a generic warship while Battalions have larger and more powerful Battleships.”

Yang Kai recalled the time when Feng Ying had been pursued by the Black Ink Clan army. At the time, she had leaped out of the warship to stop the enemy by herself. Judging by the situation, there was a high possibility that the people on the warship had belonged to her Battalion. They had all been her subordinates.