Martial Peak
chapter-5526

Yang Kai had given the ultimatum in front of an entire crowd of Human Masters, but was he truly going to kill all the Divine Spirits if they failed to meet his demand?

The Divine Spirits would not take such an act lying down, and after seeing what happened to Tao Wu, they might very well choose to rebel to defend themselves if they had no other choice. If that happened, it would be extremely detrimental to the Human Race and only benefit their common enemy, the Black Ink Clan.

Thus, even though Yu Zhen was somewhat reluctant, he softened his tone and said, “Three months isn’t very long, and it will be hard to kill two Territory Lords in that time. I’m just a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so I can’t help you with it.”

“You don’t need to help us with the act, Brother Yu,” Zhu Jian quickly said, “However, you’re aware of our situation. We don’t have much information about the different battlefields. We didn’t pay much attention to the battles back then, but now that Sir has given us an order, we’ll surely do our best to meet his expectations. How’s this? When you go back to the Supreme Headquarters, please put in a good word for us, Brother Yu, and find out which battlefield requires the most assistance right now. We’ll head over at once, and we won’t stop until we kill a few Territory Lords!”

Yu Zhen stared at Zhu Jian in surprise, as if he was startled to find that Zhu Jian had a brain after all.

Zhu Jian just flashed him a simple-minded smile.

It was indeed a good strategy. The Human Race were clashing with the Black Ink Clan on over a dozen different battlefields, and the fights were getting more intense by the day. Those at the Supreme Headquarters had overall command of the war, so naturally, they knew exactly what was happening on all the fronts. If Yu Zhen could find a way to get some information from the Supreme Headquarters and give the Divine Spirits a few pointers, then it would be fairly easy for the latter to kill two Territory Lords within three months.

After all, these Divine Spirits could not be considered weak, and there were many of them.

Yu Zhen was laughing happily on the inside. Those at the Supreme Headquarters had been extremely resistant to sending out the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary because they were too unreliable. The Human Race would not have sent these Divine Spirits to Profound Nether Territory as reinforcements if they had other options available.

Even though Yu Zhen was sent along to supervise the Divine Spirits, they were still able to play a few tricks.

[Well, now that Yang Kai has set an example by executing Tao Wu, I bet the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary won’t have the gall to disobey orders again.]

Yu Zhen nodded and said, “That’s not a problem. I’ll help you get this information.”

Zhu Jian quickly cupped his fist, “Many thanks, Brother Yu.”

Zhu Jian finally exhaled, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest. With Yu Zhen’s help, they would most likely be able to overcome this challenge. [But, in the process of killing two Territory Lords… who knows if we might suffer any casualties…]

Zhu Jian shuddered when he recalled the way Yang Kai executed Tao Wu. He made up his mind to talk to the rest of the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and warn them to do as told, lest they follow in Tao Wu’s footsteps.

…

“Brother Ou Yang, how do you feel about all of us coming together and submitting a request to the Supreme Headquarters for Yang Kai to become the Army Commander here and oversee Profound Nether Territory?” Wei Jun Yang abruptly asked from his spot on the Universe Fragment.

Ou Yang Lie was taken aback, “Let him be the Army Commander of an entire battlefield? He’s… strong enough, but not experienced enough, don’t you think?”

[I can’t believe Wei Jun Yang would even suggest that.]

No one could deny Yang Kai’s strength. Even after killing three Territory Lords in a row, he could still kill the Divine Spirit Tao Wu with a single thrust of his spear despite being heavily injured. Based on strength alone, none of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Profound Nether Territory were his match; however, Ou Yang Lie did not think it was a wise decision to make Yang Kai the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army.

Yang Kai was too young, still a rising star by all measures. There were many more experienced people above him, including Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were even more experienced in strategy and command than Ou Yang Lie and Wei Jun Yang.

Although there were quite a number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on the Profound Nether Territory battlefield, none of them was the actual Army Commander who presided over the entire situation. Wei Jun Yang was considered the leader, but he, Ou Yang Lie, Fei Yong Ze, Kong Cheng De, and two other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters all currently shared that responsibility among them.

Whenever a decision needed to be made, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would come together and form a joint plan of action based on the directives set by the Supreme Headquarters.

As it was, Ou Yang Lie was mainly a silent member of this team of Commanders. All he ever cared about was charging at the enemy so he did not get involved in the day-to-day operations of the Army.

Even so, Ou Yang Lie was shocked that Wei Jun Yang suggested having Yang Kai assume full command of Profound Nether Territory. Wei Jun Yang was a powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and would not easily defer to someone else’s authority, though this was not because he was wildly ambitious or power-hungry, it was simply because it was hard to be convinced by someone’s leadership if that person was neither powerful enough nor experienced enough.

“Do you think so highly of him, Old Wei?”

Wei Jun Yang eyed Ou Yang Lie a little helplessly. Everyone else liked saying that he and Ou Yang Lie were two peas in a pod, so that was why they considered each other confidants. Still, why would the Supreme Headquarters feel it was safe to let him be in charge at Profound Nether Territory if he did not have some wits about him?

[Brother Ou Yang is the only one who doesn’t think at all…]

“Why do you think Yang Kai executed Tao Wu?” All of a sudden, Wei Jun Yang asked an off-topic question.

Ou Yang Lie stared at him blankly, “He killed a Divine Spirit who hindered military operations. What other reason could there be?”

[I knew you wouldn’t have picked up on anything else.]

However, Ou Yang Lie seemed to have an epiphany, “That Brat is young and impulsive. He doesn’t have much tolerance and can’t hold himself back. It wouldn’t be good if he was put in charge of the Profound Nether Territory battlefield.”

Wei Jun Yang smirked and shook his head, “What you saw was only the surface intent.”

“Don’t tell me you think there was a deeper meaning behind Yang Kai’s decision to kill Tao Wu,” Ou Yang Lie retorted, frowning before asking, “What was he considering?”

Wei Jun Yang glanced at Bi Xi’s Soul Clone and said, “It’s true that he’s young and impulsive, but I think he executed Tao Wu more to send a warning to the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and to open up an opportunity for reconciliation between them and we Humans.”

Ou Yang Lie paused in thought. He was reckless, but that did not mean he could not think, he just couldn’t be bothered to spend time mulling things over. However, now that Wei Jun Yang pointed this out to him, he had a vague idea of what Yang Kai’s motives had been.

“The Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary have a pretty bad reputation; however, they haven’t committed any grave mistakes thus far, so those at the Supreme Headquarters can’t be too harsh on them. This time around though, their delay led to the deaths of two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. If word of this got back to the Supreme Headquarters, Xiang Shan, Mi Jing Lun and the rest wouldn’t let it slide so easily. According to the rules of the Army, Tao Wu would have to be executed, but could they do that? Perhaps it wouldn’t have been difficult to kill Tao Wu, but it would mean offending all the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and they’re a group with significant strength. Yet, if the Supreme Headquarters did not punish Tao Wu, how would they appease the rest of the Human Army? They would’ve had to choose between two extremely difficult decisions if Yang Kai hadn’t executed Tao Wu.”

Ou Yang Lie nodded in agreement, “Yes. That’s right. That’s what I thought too.”

[As if you can think of this with that dull head of yours…] Wei Jun Yang ignored him and continued, “Once the news got out, it would’ve caused a rift between the Humans and the Divine Spirits. Now that the Black Ink Clan has invaded the 3,000 Worlds, the Humans and the Divine Spirits need to stand together, but this rift might even affect the Divine Spirits from the Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass since at the end of the day, they’re also Divine Spirits, just like the ones from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. With how things are going in the 3,000 Worlds, who knows when the tides will turn against us? If the Humans and the Divine Spirits can’t work together to fend off our common enemy, then it’ll lead to endless troubles!”

Ou Yang Lie nodded fervently, “En en, that’s just what I was thinking.”

“That’s why Tao Wu had to die, and Yang Kai had to be the one to kill him! That way, the Human Race wouldn’t bear animosity towards the Divine Spirits even after the fact.”

Ou Yang Lie slapped his thigh, “That Brat takes after Big Head Xiang and Big Head Mi! From now on, I’ll call him Big Head Yang.”

He turned around and eyed Gong Lian who was right behind him and admonished him sternly, “You should learn from your Senior Brother Yang! Don’t rush into the battlefield like a fool, use your brain more often.”

Gong Lian was so exasperated he could only feel tired, [I’m not the one who rushes into the battlefield like a fool, that would be you, Honoured Master! Also… when did Yang Kai become Senior Brother Yang to me? He’s a lot younger than me… Well, he’s stronger than me now, so I guess it’s not wrong to call him Senior Brother.]

Naturally, Gong Lian dared not refute Ou Yang Lie aloud.

“Yes, this Disciple will remember,” Thus, he just respectfully replied.

After telling off his Disciple, Ou Yang Lie began discussing with Wei Jun Yang, “I don’t mind if Yang Kai becomes the Army Commander here, but I’m not sure how Old Fei and the others will feel about this.]

Wei Jun Yang chuckled and said, “What’s there for them to think or feel about it? The Old Ancestors are tied up in Wind Mist Territory and can’t leave, and all the battlefields lack capable people who can take charge and be the pillar for others. Yang Kai is powerful and has an enormous Small Stone Race Army with him. If he assumes command over Profound Nether Territory, then he will be the rock that everyone can depend on. Old Fei and the others would want nothing more than that.”

“That’s true!” Ou Yang Lie imagined what the situation at Profound Nether Territory would be like in the future and grinned, “It’s decided, then! Let Yang Kai be in charge of Profound Nether Territory. We’ll be his subordinates and run his errands for him.”

He did not care about prestige or glory. Even though Yang Kai was younger than him, he believed that the Profound Nether Army would be blessed to have Yang Kai as their Commander.

Out of the blue though, a thought occurred to him, “Would Yang Kai be willing to take up the role?”

“He will,” Wei Jun Yang declared with full confidence, [And even if he isn’t, he will have to!]

Aboard the Warship made from Bi Xi’s Soul Clone, Yang Kai closed his eyes and focused on recuperating while Su Yan and the others gathered around him as they did the same.

In reality, if Yang Kai heard Wei Jun Yang’s analysis about appeasing the Human Race Army and mending the rift between the Humans and the Divine Spirits, his response would have been simple, [What the hell are you talking about?]

He did what he did without considering anything else. He executed Tao Wu simply because the latter disobeyed orders!

In Yang Kai’s mind, it was all very straightforward, [I brought you out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to help us kill off our enemies, so why would I keep you around if you don’t put in the effort to do just that?]

Of course, he did mean for it to serve as a warning to the rest of the Divine Spirits and he was fairly certain that they would not have the courage to behave impudently again.

Right now, however, Yang Kai was facing a far more difficult challenge. Even though he was focusing on his recovery, he could sense that Yu Ru Meng was glaring at him.

[Ru Meng, your beloved Husband is truly injured!]

In total, Yang Kai used four Soul Rending Thorn in quick succession, and his Soul was heavily damaged. Thankfully, it had not been four times in a row, as there had been a short break before the last one was unleashed. He was fairly certain he would be unconscious right now if he had used those four Soul Rending Thorn all at once.

While Yang Kai had the Soul Warming Lotus, which meant that the core of his Soul would not be affected, ripping out four large pieces of it within a few days was by no means easy! It would take him quite some time to recover.

[Ru Meng needs to be taught a lesson!] Yang Kai fumed to himself, swearing to spend many long, arduous nights with her doing just that once he recovered.

The Human Race Army was busy tending to their wounds and other cleanup tasks after the battle.

Though the Profound Nether Army suffered significant casualties in this battle, the Black Ink Clan did not have it any better. After such an intense battle like this one, it was likely that Profound Nether Territory would experience a long period of calm.

If nothing unexpected occurred, then it was unlikely that a huge battle would break out for many years, though smaller skirmishes were inevitable.

This was not only true of Profound Nether Territory, but also of all the other Great Territory battlefields.