Chapter 4946 – Entering the Great Pass
Translator: Silavin & Tia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
It could be said that the warships played a huge role in the reason why the Humans managed to persevere for so long on the Black Ink Battlefield. They were the most effective means to resist the corrosion of Black Ink Strength after all.
It was not as though the Black Ink Clan had never thought of getting their hands on a warship before. The truth was that they also yearned to refine warships for themselves; however, a warship was not something that could be refined by just any random person. The Black Ink Clan simply did not have any talented individuals who could refine a proper warship for them.
Every single cultivator proficient in Artifact Refining was carefully protected by the various great passes. No matter the situation, these cultivators would never be allowed to step foot onto the battlefield. As long as they never entered the battlefield, they would not be corrupted by the Black Ink Clan. In that way, they would never be converted into Black Ink Disciples who would help the Black Ink Clan refine a warship.
Both the Humans and the Black Ink Clan fought each other ferociously on the battlefield.
At the beginning, the Black Ink Clan army managed to fight back against the Human Race to a certain extent. Be that as it may, the balance of the battle slowly tilted with the passing of time. The clash of the warships and the agile movements of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters eventually brought a crushing defeat to the Black Ink Clan army. As a result, many Black Ink Clansmen lost their lives with every passing moment.
In such an environment, the strength of an individual no longer influenced the circumstances of the overall situation. It was only by uniting together that the outcome of the war could be determined. On that point, the Black Ink Clan in this particular sector of the battlefield was currently leaderless and lacked coordination. In contrast, the Human Race advanced in an orderly manner and supported each other in battle.
Less than an hour later, the Black Ink Clan army had lost more than half of their forces. There had been many Feudal Lords who could direct and command the Black Ink Clan in battle, but Martial Uncle Zhong viciously targeted and eliminated them. The Black Ink Clan army eventually fell into utter chaos after Martial Uncle Zhong killed more than a dozen Feudal Lords in succession. Under the brutal onslaught of the Humans, they were steadily forced to retreat while leaving behind a trail of corpses in their wake.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had gone on a wild rampage after transforming into his Grand Dragon Form. He made his way through the ranks of the Black Ink Clan army with his spear in hand, charging forward wherever there were enemies. Countless Black Ink Clansmen died to his Azure Dragon Spear, and the murderous intent around him had intensified over time until it was almost tangible. Everywhere he passed, the Black Ink Clansmen quickly scrambled to get out of his way.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai heard the deep sound of a horn entering his ears. It was immediately followed by a gentle but firm voice beside him, “Yang Kai, let’s go!”
He looked up only to see the pale-faced Feng Ying calling out to him from within her battered Sword Dragon. Using her Divine Manifestation against the Black Ink Clan for such a long period had truly exhausted her.
He shook his enormous head slightly to clear his mind, then he turned around and rushed towards her. Casually swinging the Azure Dragon Spear in front of him, he helped to eliminate the group of Black Ink Clansmen around her.
“Go where?” He asked in a thunderous voice.
Feng Ying looked at the enormous Grand Dragon Head with a complicated gaze. She could clearly sense the terrifying murderous intent radiating from his body. She did not know how many Black Ink Clansmen he had killed to amass such horrifying momentum, but the murderous intent prickled her skin with a sense of cold as though it was something tangible.
“It’s time to go back!” She explained.
Yang Kai looked around him and abruptly realised that the Human army had begun to retreat after the horn sounded. It would seem that the horn was the signal to retreat. Since the army was withdrawing, he could not stay behind alone even though he had not killed enough to satisfy him; thus, he immediately nodded lightly in response.
One big and one small, the two Dragons chased after the Human Race Army and sped towards Blue Sky Pass. It was just that Yang Kai’s transformation into a Grand Dragon stemmed from his Dragon Vein while Feng Ying’s transformation came from casting her Sword Dragon Divine Manifestation.
Along the way, they did not run into any notable obstacles and the occasional Black Ink Clansman in their path was swiftly dispatched by them.
The defensive barrier around Blue Sky Pass had already been opened and the warships rushed inside, one after another. Meanwhile, Martial Uncle Zhong waited outside until he met up with Yang Kai and Feng Ying. Then, he entered together with them. Afterward, the barrier sealed shut to isolate the inside from the outside.
Yang Kai dismissed his Dragon Form and turned to look back with a regretful expression, “We could have wiped them out.”
The Black Ink Clan army had been unable to put up an effective defence just now, and the Human army was enjoying great momentum. In his opinion, it was perfectly possible for them to clean up all the remaining Black Ink Clansmen on that battlefield. Therefore, he did not understand why they signalled the retreat and allowed this opportunity slip out of their fingers for no reason.
Feng Ying stood beside him and slowly shook her head, “The Black Ink Clan reinforcements from the other battlefields are coming. Besides, the longer the battle drags on, the more disadvantageous it becomes for us. Not to mention, the current environment is not suitable for our allies to fight.”
As if to confirm her statements, Yang Kai saw that the Black Ink Clan reinforcements were approaching from multiple directions and their numbers were not few. Hence, he immediately realised something. If the Human army had not retreated in time and was surrounded by the Black Ink Clan reinforcements, their advantageous position would have been immediately reversed.
Furthermore, there was the situation on the battlefield at this moment. Due to the deaths of countless Black Ink Clansmen, Black Ink Strength released from their corpses had formed Black Ink Clouds of varying sizes throughout the void. While he was not afraid of these Black Ink Clouds, even Seventh-Order Masters could not fight in such an environment for long periods of time despite having a certain degree of resistance to the corrosion. This environment was certainly very disadvantageous to the Human Race.
After understanding this point, he couldn’t help grimacing slightly. The overall environment in the Black Ink Battlefield was too unfavourable towards Humans. It was amazing how they had persistently defended the great passes for so many years and prevented the Black Ink Clan from invading the 3,000 Worlds.
“Are you alright?” Feng Ying asked in concern.
Shen Ao and the others were observing Yang Kai with still slightly stunned expressions, as though they had seen a ghost during the day. The main reason was that Yang Kai’s previous performance had stood out too much. Since they first became acquainted with him, it was not until today that they learned he was a Grand Dragon. The sight of the 20,000 metres long Golden Dragon Form carrying out a brutal massacre in the pitch-black darkness had left a great visual impact on them.
More importantly, Yang Kai had used his body to protect hundreds of their allies when he transformed into a Grand Dragon earlier. As a result, he had suffered innumerable attacks from the Black Ink Clan army. Now that he returned to his Human Form, it could be said that he was covered in wounds. There was not a spot on his exposed skin that was unscathed, and his clothes were dyed in his brilliant golden blood.
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s nothing serious.”
For him, he was fine as long as he did not suffer a fatal wound. As a Dragonkin, he had an inherently strong restorative ability in the first place. Combined with the Wood Element Power that he condensed from the essence of the Immortal Tree, in terms of recovery, nobody in this universe would dare to call themselves the best if he claimed to be second best. Although his injuries looked extremely bad at the moment, they would only take a few days to heal.
While the others were speaking, Martial Uncle Zhong walked over in large strides and came to a stop in front of Yang Kai. He briefly swept his gaze over Yang Kai before patting his shoulder with a look of approval, “Very good!”
Everything Yang Kai did earlier had not escaped his notice, so it was only natural that he was very impressed with Yang Kai’s performance.
Nevertheless, he had some doubts in his heart. It was rumoured that the Dragon Clan was very arrogant. Even though they were responsible for guarding the No-Return Pass, they never bothered to be friendly towards the Human Race. In fact, they always gave off the feeling that they were better than others.
Unexpectedly, from what he saw so far, Yang Kai’s attitude did not seem to match the rumours. If anybody told him that a Dragon Clan member would use their own body to shield Humans, he would never have believed such words a few days ago.
Feng Ying introduced them, “Yang Kai, this is Zhong Liang of Blue Sky Paradise. Martial Uncle Zhong is the person in charge of this sector of the battlefield.”
Yang Kai quickly cupped his fist, “Yang Kai greets Senior Zhong!”
[How polite!] Zhong Liang raised his brow. The feeling that Yang Kai was very different from the Dragons that he heard about in the rumours grew stronger. Nevertheless, he said nothing and simply nodded in acknowledgement, “We can finish our talk later. Let’s get inside first.”
He had many questions that needed answers from Feng Ying.
Yang Kai nodded and glanced at the back with a suspicious look, “What are they doing?”
After entering Blue Sky Pass, the people hiding inside the warships came out only to crowd around this area in small groups. Many of them stared at Yang Kai and whispered among themselves. It was clear that Yang Kai’s performance on the battlefield when he transformed into a Grand Dragon had surprised them.
There was an enormous gate at the front of this area and Yang Kai could not see what was beyond it. All he could see was a group of 100 entering the gateway, followed by another group of 100 a short while later. In this way, the cycle kept repeating over and over.
As soon as those words left his mouth, the people beside him glanced at him in confusion. Zhong Liang even furrowed his brow together into a scowl. Logically speaking, anybody from the Human Race would know what they were doing right now, yet for some reason, Yang Kai was ignorant of this fact.
Likewise, Feng Ying was filled with puzzlement. During the time they spent together previously, she had not noticed anything strange. Nevertheless, some of his actions today gave her the impression that he was completely clueless about the great passes. That was the case back when he first saw Blue Sky Pass, and that was the case now.
Despite her confusion, she quietly explained, “Everybody who returns from outside must be checked; otherwise, they will not be allowed into the Inner Sanctum.”
Yang Kai immediately understood upon hearing her answer, “Are they worried that Black Ink Disciples might have infiltrated our ranks?”
In terms of external appearance, Black Ink Disciples who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength looked no different from usual. If they mixed themselves into the crowd, they would not be exposed easily.
Feng Ying nodded, “It is not as if such incidents did not occur in the past. A single Black Ink Disciple can cause great losses to a great pass after all. That is why this rule was created. Regardless of who it was, as long as they leave the great pass, they would need to undergo a check upon their return.”
“How do they perform the check?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
She understood his concerns and secretly sent a transmission to him, “Don’t worry. They will not be inspecting your Small Universe. We have other means to perform the check. You will understand later.”
After hearing her say that, he did not ask any more questions and waited patiently.
In any case, their brief exchange had strengthened her belief that Yang Kai was completely clueless about the situation in the great passes. He would not have asked these questions otherwise.
Zhong Liang glanced at her with a hint of enquiry in his eyes. Feng Ying simply shook her head in response, indicating that she did not know anything either.
The speed of the inspection was very fast. Almost as soon as the previous batch entered, the next batch would prepare to enter. In this way, it only took about an hour for the entire Human army that had participated in the battle earlier to enter Blue Sky Pass. Only Zhong Liang, Yang Kai, Feng Ying, Shen Ao, and the others remained.
“Let’s go!” Zhong Liang beckoned and took the lead to step forward. The others quickly followed behind him.
Yang Kai looked around. Although two to three years had passed since he first came to the Black Ink Battlefield, he had spent most of his time serving under Nu Yan. It was not until today that he finally arrived at a great pass guarded by the Human Race; therefore, it was only natural for him to be curious about the situation here.
After entering the gateway, they appeared inside a Grand Hall. The floor of the Grand Hall immediately glowed with mysterious and complicated patterns that released faint Spirit Array fluctuations. Looking around, there was indeed a Spirit Array engraved into the ground of the Grand Hall.