Martial Peak
chapter-4962

This matter was extremely important; therefore, it was not something Dong Guo An Ping could decide on his own. They had to wait until the Old Ancestor fully recovered and returned from retreat before they could make a full report and plans could be made.

Even if they prepared for a crusade against the Black Ink Clan, this endeavour would involve more than just Blue Sky Pass. All the great passes would have to contribute to the crusade. The troops from each great pass would need to march forward together in order to eliminate and eradicate the Black Ink Clan completely. The advance preparations for the crusade would not be something that could be accomplished in a short time. Nevertheless, such a glorious future filled their imaginations vividly.

“To see whether or not this Old Master’s idea is feasible, the battlefield around Blue Sky Pass is the perfect place to experiment.” Dong Guo An Ping retracted his gaze, “I have already contacted the four Army Commanders, so they should be arriving soon. This Old Master will explain this matter to them later, but the final decision on how to proceed will ultimately depend on them. In any case, we will need you to work hard when the time comes, Yang Kai.”

“This Junior will do his utmost!” Yang Kai cupped his fist.

When the results of the experiment came out and the application of the remodelled warship was confirmed earlier, Dong Guo An Ping immediately sent a message to the Army Commanders. Four figures quickly arrived one after another before the people on the ship had even waited for a stick of incense worth of time.

The Eastern Army’s Army Commander, Ding Yao, came from Great Battle Heaven; the Southern Army’s Army Commander, Liang Yu Long, came from Crape-Myrtle Cave Heaven; the Western Army’s Army Commander, Zhong Liang, came from Blue Sky Paradise; and the Northern Army’s Army Commander, Shen Tu Mo, came from Azure Clouds Paradise.

Every one of them was an Eighth-Order Ancestor; moreover, they were considered the best of the best among the Eighth-Order Masters. The war was currently ongoing, and these four were in charge of guarding the East, South, West, and North directions around Blue Sky Pass respectively; therefore, they would not carelessly leave their positions before the war ended.

The last time they left their positions, it had been because Zhong Liang claimed that he had an important matter to discuss. This time around, Dong Guo An Ping had summoned them for another matter of great importance. It was something that required the Army Commanders to come forward in person; otherwise, he would not have dared to disturb them so easily.

They did not have much time, so they immediately inquired about the situation as soon as they arrived. Zhong Liang was well aware of Yang Kai’s recent activities. Feng Ying, who had been serving beside Yang Kai all this time, would periodically send messages to him about the situation; however, the other three did not know much.

Upon listening to Dong Guo An Ping’s outlook on the war in the future, their eyes involuntarily lit up with hope. If that was truly the case, then Yang Kai’s arrival would not only give Blue Sky Pass the means to resolve Black Ink Strength, but also give the Human Race the power to launch a crusade against the Black Ink Clan’s domain. Such a matter was extremely important.

Ding Yao was dressed in golden armour, looking absolutely imposing. All the cultivators from Great Battle Heaven generally dressed in this manner. After he entered the large ship and inspected the interior, he turned to the side and asked, “Does it work?”

“It should work fine,” Yang Kai nodded in response.

Ding Yao frowned, “We cannot afford to be negligent in this matter. We need to take careful measures to ensure that this endeavour is feasible.”

While he was talking, he suddenly noticed a figure flying over at a high speed. It was a Human cultivator who had been corroded by Black Ink Strength and came here to seek treatment. As soon as he saw the four Army Commanders standing there, he visibly jumped in surprise and hurriedly cupped his fist in greeting.

The four men waved their hands dismissively, indicating that there was no need for such courtesy.

Yang Kai smiled, “Whether or not it works, we will know after this.”

There was no need to prepare anything on his part since people would come to him for help with dispelling Black Ink Strength every single day. In fact, he was waiting for this very moment in the first place.

The four Army Commanders immediately understood. Nodding lightly, they waited quietly. Meanwhile, Yang Kai stepped forward and guided the cultivator corroded by Black Ink Strength to the Space Array. Despite activating the Spirit Array and transporting that person into the cabin, he did not follow along.

A short while later, that person came out of the cabin again. He looked slightly dazed and in shock. Although he had heard about the person in the Inner Sanctum who had the mysterious ability to dispel and purify Black Ink Strength from his allies, those were merely rumours that he had heard. He had not experienced such miracles himself, so he did not have much understanding regarding the matter.

Now that he had experienced the situation for himself, he finally understood what the word ‘incredible’ meant. The Black Ink Strength inside his body had been dispelled cleanly in such a short period of time. Furthermore, not the slightest trace remained. He was no longer at risk of becoming corrupted by it. On the contrary, the gentle white light in the cabin had been as comfortable as the spring breeze.

[This is a true life-saver!] He was extremely grateful to Yang Kai

Nevertheless, the four Army Commanders were not reassured just yet. They carefully inspected that person’s Small Universe and confirmed that he was perfectly fine before they released him.

During this interval, Yang Kai took the chance to enter the cabin and check on the loss of the Purifying Light. The Black Ink Strength had been brought into the cabin to be dispelled and purified, so the Purifying Light was bound to have been consumed to a certain extent. However, the results were as expected. The loss was almost negligible. He had drawn upon the power of many Yellow and Blue Crystals in the cabin previously, so the Purifying Light sealed in the cabin remained quite dense.

Dong Guo An Ping said, “Brothers, this method is feasible.”

The method had been verified, so there was no need to harbour further doubts. There was a faint sense of excitement burning in their hearts now. Had the Human Race finally gained the means to support a crusade? If they could perfectly end the war on the Black Ink Battlefield one day, then those trapped here for so long would finally have hope of going home.

Liang Yu Long nodded, “This matter is extremely important, so we shouldn’t reveal anything for the time being. We should limit this knowledge to the people present here.”

Needless to say, everybody understood what he meant. It was impossible to hide the existence of this ship. All the people who sought help would eventually need to enter the large ship in order to dispel and purify the Black Ink Strength in their bodies. Therefore, what Liang Yu Long had been referring to was the matter regarding the future crusade. The Human Race was not ready for such an enormous campaign yet. What’s more, the Old Ancestors had yet to make a decision regarding this matter. If news about the crusade were to spread, it would only give the people hope and expectations; however, their hope and expectations would turn into disappointment if their plans failed to materialize.

Yang Kai and the others naturally accepted the order.

Zhong Liang patted Yang Kai’s shoulder with a chuckle, “You’ve worked hard recently, Martial Nephew.”

Yang Kai truly was a treasure! How many losses had been prevented since he arrived at Blue Sky Pass!? If nothing else, he had rescued all those who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength recently; otherwise, those people would either have been forced to sacrifice a part of their Small Universe and suffer a decline in their strength or have been converted into Black Ink Disciples and defected to the Black Ink Clan. However, such incidents no longer occurred after Yang Kai came to Blue Sky Pass. Not a single Black Ink Disciple had been converted by the Black Ink Clan.

The more Zhong Liang looked at Yang Kai, the more he approved of this boy. It was fortunate that Feng Ying had encountered Yang Kai back in the Black Ink Clan hinterland and brought him to the great pass. Blue Sky Pass would not have been blessed with such great fortune otherwise.

“It is this Junior’s responsibility,” Yang Kai replied humbly.

“Old Ancestor!?” Ding Yao’s expression suddenly changed, and he glanced in a certain direction.

Startled by his words, everybody else turned to look in that direction only to see that there was nothing there. The Old Ancestor was nowhere to be seen. While they were caught up in their confusion though, a surging force suddenly erupted from Ding Yao’s body. The force immediately sent Yang Kai and the others flying backwards. Since they never expected to be attacked here, they were completely caught off-guard and could not react in time; hence, all of them were sent drifting in all directions like fallen leaves in the middle of a storm.

Suspended in mid-air, Yang Kai heard Zhong Liang shouting furiously, “Ding Yao, what are you doing!?”

His heart sank abruptly, wondering why Ding Yao had committed such an outrageous act. [Could it be that Ding Yao was a Black Ink Disciple? Now that the Purifying Light has been revealed, is he planning to kill me? But, something doesn’t add up. His actions might have been forceful, but there was no intention to harm. At the very least, I didn’t sense any danger. I’ve only been sent flying by the impact.]

After he finally managed to stabilise his body, Yang Kai looked over and felt his face twitching at the sight.

In the sky above the Central Square, Ding Yao was standing alone on the deck of the new ship. Moreover, the warship had been turned around and was currently facing the eastern defence lines. Looking at the situation, it would seem that Ding Yao had taken control of the ship and was trying to fly it towards the East. It was just that his path forward had been blocked, so he was forced to stop.

Combined with Ding Yao’s position as the Eastern Army’s Army Commander, Yang Kai had a vague idea about the current situation.

At this moment, Liang Yu Long, Zhong Liang, and Shen Tu Mo were standing in front of the large ship and blocking the path forward. Like Yang Kai, these three had been caught off-guard and sent flying backward by the impact just now. It was just that they were Eighth-Order Masters, so not only was their foundation strong, but their reflexes were also quick. The sudden attack only stunned them for a moment before they immediately adapted.

“Ding Yao, your actions are dishonourable,” Liang Yu Long’s expression darkened.

Shen Tu Mo frowned, “What are you doing?”

Zhong Liang was polite and roared furiously, “Do you even need to ask!? As soon as this hooligan made his move, I already knew what he had in mind! This old fart is planning to steal the ship!”

Ding Yao did not deny his actions. His intentions had been seen through anyway, so he cheerfully said, “From now on, this ship will belong to the Eastern Army.”

“On what basis!?” Liang Yu Long yelled inquiringly.

Ding Yao looked down condescendingly from above, “Based on the fact that I’m standing on it while the three of you aren’t.”

Shen Tu Mo chuckled, “What does that prove? That only happened because you made a sudden move and we were caught unprepared. If it really came down to it, this ship should belong to the Northern Army! Take a look at the emblem on the ship. Don’t you see that the emblem belongs to the Thunder Battalion of the Northern Army’s Left Wing Third Division? Disembark, Ding Yao. I’m bringing this ship back to the Northern Army!”

The ship was something Dong Guo An Ping had taken out of the storehouse. It had originally been severely damaged and was barely usable after he made some repairs to the ship. Upon a closer look though, it turned out that the ship once belonged to the Thunder Battalion of the Northern Army’s Right Wing Third Division.

Ding Yao sneered coldly and responded with three words, “In your dreams!”

Zhong Liang persuaded earnestly, “Ding Yao, why don’t you come down first? Let’s talk things out peacefully.”

Ding Yao snorted, “I’m not coming down. You will definitely board the ship as soon as I come down!”

Zhong Liang was speechless. [Senior Brother, you’re not a child anymore, why are you acting like a little brat fighting over a toy!? What would others think if they learned about this!?]

Nevertheless, he could understand Ding Yao’s motives in snatching the ship. Bringing this warship back to the battlefield might not directly increase the army’s combat ability, but it would greatly cut down on the travel time needed to purify Black Ink Strength. Furthermore, the existence of the ship itself would be a tremendous stabilising force. The morale of the army would be greatly improved as a result. It wasn’t just Ding Yao who wanted the large ship, he wanted it too!

“We all belong to Blue Sky Pass. Although we are the Army Commanders of our respective armies, we cannot only think about ourselves. Ding Yao, if you take this ship away today, what will happen to the Southern Army, the Western Army, and the Northern Army?” Zhong Liang asked gravely.

Ding Yao snorted and motioned to the side, “Isn’t Yang Boy here? You can just go to him. The Eastern Army is having a difficult time on the battlefield. The presence of this ship might be able to change the war situation.”

“Don’t exaggerate,” Liang Yu Long clicked his tongue, “The Eastern Army is having a hard time on the battlefield, but so is the Southern Army! Why are you only focusing on the Eastern Army and ignoring the lives of the disciples in the three other Armies? Ding Yao, you are an Army Commander. How can you be so selfish!?”