Martial Peak

Chapter 5466: Swindled and Abducted

The man surnamed Wu did not understand, [Don’t you know the person who appeared in your own territory? Why would you still need to ask?]

Faced with Tan Chuan’s question, the mysterious man covered in darkness answered lightly, “Don’t ask so many questions.”

After saying that, a powerful aura suddenly erupted outward before disappearing in a flash.

The expressions of everybody in the Grand Hall, including the man surnamed Wu and his Junior Sister, changed drastically. That was because this mysterious person was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!

He had concealed his aura previously, so nobody could determine anything about him; however, how could they fail to perceive his strength when he deliberately released an Eighth-Order aura?

Tan Chuan and the three others hurriedly bowed respectfully, “Greetings, Sir!”

Under the cover of the darkness, Yang Kai nodded lightly and made a non-committal sound in response, perfectly displaying the demeanour of a senior expert.

In reality, being in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm meant that there was indeed no need for him to pay much attention to these Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciples. If not to figure out the source of these Black Ink Disciples in the Shattered Heaven, he would have just captured them from the start.

Yang Kai had received guidance from Ji Lao San earlier and pursued those traces until he reached Bamboo Basket Province; as a result, he happened to overhear the Heavenly River Divine Monarch’s command that was conveyed by the man surnamed Wu and his Junior Sister; thus, he secretly concealed himself and snuck into the Grand Hall.

Although he knew that the Jade Spirit Fruit that the Junior Sister ate had been tampered with, he did nothing to stop her so that he did not alert the enemy to his presence.

If he still had Yellow and Blue Crystals in his possession, then he wouldn’t have needed to resort to such troublesome methods. He would only need to activate the Purifying Light to expel and purify the Black Ink Strength from the bodies of the Black Ink Disciples inside the Grand Hall, then they would willingly help him. Unfortunately, he no longer had the means to create Purifying Light and could only rely on petty tricks.

Yang Kai made a mental note to visit the Chaotic Dead Territory as soon as possible so that he could obtain more Yellow and Blue Crystals from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. In addition, he wanted to ask them about the Primordial Light…

On the Black Ink Battlefield, he had disguised himself as a Black Ink Disciple for years, and was so familiar with the act that even the Black Ink Clan could not see through him, so what more these Black Ink Disciples?

Although Tan Chuan and the others did not know Yang Kai’s identity, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in front of them was clearly a Black Ink Disciple like them. How could they suspect him?

Every one of them became animated. They had been worried about failing their task because they were only Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciples; therefore, it was a pleasant surprise to have an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple appear before them.

One of the Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciples beside Tan Chuan asked respectfully, “What brings you here, Sir?”

Yang Kai replied indifferently, “I just happened to be passing by and wanted to gather some manpower, but it seems someone made their move in advance. Seeing as that’s the case, this King will not snatch another person’s property. You’ve done well. Since these two are part of Heavenly River Palace, we can send them to the other Spirit Provinces after enlightening them with Black Ink Strength. That will certainly allow us to act more easily.”

The Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple was ecstatic, “This subordinate had the same idea. That’s why I asked Brother Tan to invite them back to his palace.” After a pause, he continued, “Sir, this subordinate has a favour to ask.”

“Speak!” Yang Kai waved his hand slightly.

The Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple said, “Sir, I’m sure you’ve seen the situation here. Our forces in Bamboo Basket Province are too weak. Although we have several Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciples on our side, it will take great effort for us to corrupt all the cultivators here with Black Ink Strength. This subordinate implores you to take action, Sir. With your help, Bamboo Basket Province will definitely fall into our hands!”

Following that statement, the man surnamed Wu felt the colour draining from his face. It was difficult to imagine what the situation would be like if all the cultivators in Bamboo Basket Province were corrupted by Black Ink Strength.

“You want me to take action?” Yang Kai raised his brow at those words, and his smile deepened meaningfully, “Is the one behind you willing to accept such an arrangement?”

The Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple replied straightforwardly, “Please rest assured, Sir. It is pure coincidence for this subordinate to meet you here. After gifting me with Black Ink Strength, he only gave me orders to convert more companions with Black Ink Strength. There were no other orders.”

Yang Kai frowned and looked displeased, “Whoever it is sure is careless. Where did he go?”

During this brief exchange, he managed to figure out that the person who actually held decisive authority here was not the Master of Bamboo Basket Province, Tan Chuan. On the contrary, it was this Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple who was speaking to him.

This Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple had most likely encountered a higher Order Black Ink Disciple somewhere. After he was corrupted by Black Ink Strength, he was released with the goal of corrupting all the cultivators in Bamboo Basket Province.

He probably bumped into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master during his return trip. Seizing the opportunity, he had taken action out in the void to quickly subdued the latter.

That would explain why Yang Kai and Ji Lao San first found traces of Black Ink Strength on a Universe Fragment some distance from here. It was because this person used Black Ink Strength to corrupt the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and left traces behind, allowing Ji Lao San to notice.

Afterwards, this Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple brought the Fifth-Order Master back to Bamboo Basket Province with him. It was here that Tan Chuan and the other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master were also corrupted by Black Ink Strength.

Although they were all in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Tan Chuan and the other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master were likely caught unprepared. Combined with the powerful corruptive nature of Black Ink Strength, they were practically powerless to resist.

Yang Kai secretly heaved a sigh of relief. It would seem that the situation was not too bad. Seeing as he managed to arrive here in time, the only Black Ink Disciples on Bamboo Basket Province were probably the ones standing in front of him right now. If he had been a few days later, the situation might not have been so easily resolved.

Even though his question earlier seemed casual, it was the one that Yang Kai was most concerned about getting an answer to. He wanted to know the whereabouts of the Black Ink Disciple, who corrupted this Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple with Black Ink Strength! Only by finding the original Black Ink Disciple could he get to the bottom of this matter and figure out the source of Black Ink Strength in the Shattered Heaven.

Faced with Yang Kai’s inquiries, the Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple did not suspect anything and quickly answered, “Sir did not tell me where he was going, but this subordinate noticed that he and another companion were travelling towards the Shattered Ruins.”

Beneath the darkness, Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly, [The Shattered Ruins!?]

The Shattered Ruins was the most dangerous Forbidden Zone in the Shattered Heaven, as well as the location of the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land. Surrounding the Shattered Ruins was the Divine Ability Sea, which was filled with enormous dangers.

[Why is a Black Ink Disciple heading in the direction of Shattered Ruins? And judging from what this Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple had said, it sounds like there was more than one Black Ink Disciple! In fact, there are two of them! What is their realm? Where did they come from?] Yang Kai did not know anything.

“Did they mention why they were heading there?” Yang Kai inquired.

The Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple shook his head, “No.”

“What were their cultivations?”

Although Yang Kai’s questions puzzled the Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple, he did not think too deeply into the matter and answered honestly, “The person who enlightened me with Black Ink Strength is probably in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm like you, Sir. The other person did not take action, but his cultivation was likely not inferior!”

[Two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples! I can’t believe there are two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples in the Shattered Heaven!] Yang Kai suddenly realised that he had greatly underestimated the severity of the situation.

Aside from the three Great Divine Monarchs in the Shattered Heaven, Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters only existed in the Cave Heavens and Paradises; however, they were existences regarded as Ancestors or Supreme Elders.

Were these two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples originally hiding in the 3,000 Worlds? Or, did they sneak in from the Barren Territory?

Regardless of which scenario was the truth, the situation was absolutely terrible. If it was the former, then many of the Masters in the Cave Heavens and Paradises on this side had probably been corrupted by Black Ink Strength. If it was the latter… Seeing as the Barren Territory battlefield had not been breached, then there was only one other possibility. There was another passage connecting to the 3,000 Worlds!

At that moment, various thoughts swirled around in Yang Kai’s mind as a dull and ominous premonition made him feel very uneasy. He felt as though he had overlooked something very important, but he could not remember what it was in the heat of the moment.

Numerous expressions flitted across his face as he remained silent in thought.

Meanwhile, Tan Chuan and the others looked at each other uncertainly for a moment before the Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple hesitantly called out, “Sir?”

Yang Kai returned to his senses and nodded, “This King will take action in Bamboo Basket Province, but this King has another task for you.”

The expression of Tan Chuan and the others brightened, and they cupped their fists respectfully, “Please enlighten us, Sir!”

“Enter my Small Universe first.” Yang Kai commanded and opened the portal to his Small Universe.

Tan Chuan and the others exchanged a glance with each other, but they did not suspect him and quickly rushed into his Small Universe.

“Oh, right,” Yang Kai suddenly asked another question, “Are there any other Black Ink Disciples here in Bamboo Basket Province?”

Just for safety’s sake, he decided to confirm the situation.

The last Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple who was the last one remaining outside quickly replied, “No, we are the only ones at the moment. This subordinate only returned not long ago, so there was no time to take action.”

“En,” Yang Kai nodded, and when the last Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had entered his Small Universe, he closed the portal and withdrew his Black Ink Strength around him to reveal his face. Then, he turned to look at the man surnamed Wu.

At this moment, the man surnamed Wu was filled with despair. He had mustered the courage to fight back when his opponents had been Tan Chuan and the others; however, the person in front of him was an authentic Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. How was he supposed to fight back? His opponent could crush him to death with a mere flick of his finger!

Seeing Yang Kai looking at him, the man surnamed Wu tried to act strong and shouted loudly, “My Honoured Master is Heavenly River Divine Monarch Tian Luo! If you dare to raise a hand against us, then Honoured Master will never forgive you!”

Yang Kai chuckled and reassured the other party gently, “Don’t be scared. I’m not a Black Ink Disciple.”

The man surnamed Wu reacted with an expression that seemed to say, “Who will believe you?”

Regardless, Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered to explain himself. He then raised his fingers and flicked a Purifying Black Ink Pill towards the man surnamed Wu, “Give this pill to your Junior Sister. I guarantee that she will be safe.”

If the woman had been completely corrupted by Black Ink Strength, then the Purifying Black Ink Pill would no longer be effective. Be that as it may, the medicinal efficacies of the Purifying Black Ink Pill would still be effective under the current circumstances.

The man surnamed Wu took the Purifying Black Ink Pill, but he clearly did not trust Yang Kai.

Yang Kai pointed out, “Things have already come to this point. What can be worse than becoming corrupted by Black Ink Strength? If I were you, I would take a gamble!”

The man surnamed Wu had been confused and at a loss for what to do after experiencing such a huge turn of events, but after listening to Yang Kai’s words, he couldn’t help feeling that what he said made sense.

There really was nothing for him to do but take a leap of faith. In any case, if an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master truly wanted to kill them, they would die regardless of how they tried to resist. As for whether the Spirit Pill would be effective, he would know once he gave it to his Junior Sister.

Gritting his teeth, he turned around and placed the Purifying Black Ink Pill into his Junior Sister’s mouth. Then, he stood guard over her while secretly being vigilant towards Yang Kai.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai ignored the man surnamed Wu as he was now thinking hard.

For some reason, he had the feeling that he had forgotten something important ever since he stepped foot in the Shattered Heaven; however, he simply could not remember what he had forgotten despite racking his brain for so long.

In addition, he was extremely concerned about the origin and whereabouts of those two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples.

It was not easy to corrupt an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with Black Ink Strength. The Human Race had been fighting against the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield for countless millennia, but there were very rarely cases where an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was corrupted by Black Ink Strength.

Thanks to the immense strength of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, they had a strong resistance towards Black Ink Strength. What’s more, even if they were accidentally invaded by Black Ink Strength, they could prevent themselves from becoming corrupted by sacrificing a part of their Small Universe.

The most common method to convert an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master into a Black Ink Disciple was for a Royal Lord to personally take action, using their Royal Lord Secret Technique.