Now that the Ink Clan had reappeared in the world, no one could guarantee whether they would encounter them again or not. At a critical moment, this sealed Power of Ink might just save their lives.
Who could have guessed that the Power of Ink would be swept aside by Brother Huang with a single wave of his hand?
Yang Kai knew firsthand just how troublesome the Power of Ink could be. It possessed an extremely corrosive nature—Yu Xiangdie and those other high-rank Open Heaven cultivators didn't dare let even a wisp touch them, for fear that their Small Universes would be corroded by it.
If one were simply corroded by the Power of Ink, the odds of being converted into an Ink Servant were actually rather low. But should that happen, a high-rank Open Heaven cultivator would be forced to sever a portion of their Small Universe to neutralize the crisis, dealing devastating damage to their foundation. No one wanted to face such a scenario.
The Ink Bugs were the primary means of conversion into Ink Servants!
Yang Kai didn't know what to say. Could you have at least consulted me before sweeping it away? But facing Brother Huang's cold, stern countenance, he didn't dare voice the thought.
Faintly, Yang Kai sensed that Brother Huang and Sister Lan harbored a deep-seated loathing toward the Power of Ink. Otherwise, there was no reason for them to act this way.
Fortunately, he still had one Ink Bug in his possession. The Power of Ink within his Small Universe had been purged, but the Ink Bug remained.
Brother Huang and Sister Lan clearly had no intention of explaining themselves further on this matter. After the Power of Ink had been dispersed, Sister Lan turned to gaze in a particular direction—toward the lands where humanity survived. "So many people. Are you wanting us to take disciples here?"
Yang Kai gathered his thoughts and waved a hand. "Forget about the taking-disciples idea. I don't mean to look down on you two, but while your abilities are extraordinary, you probably know absolutely nothing about how to teach a disciple. Any promising talent that falls into your hands would never amount to anything—it would only ruin their future."
Though Yang Kai's words were blunt, neither of them offered a rebuttal.
He pointed in another direction. "Please, look over here!"
As their gazes followed, clusters of Small Stone Tribe settlements came into view. These settlements varied in size—some held populations of over a hundred thousand, while others numbered only in the hundreds. They were scattered throughout the Small Universe, each carrying out its own duties, bustling with activity.
"What is this? How strange," Sister Lan asked with surprise.
"The Small Stone Tribe. They behave just like ants."
"What are ants?" Sister Lan looked at him.
Yang Kai realized he couldn't easily explain. After a moment's thought, he gave them a brief rundown of the Small Stone Tribe's nature and habits.
Brother Huang nodded. "So what would you have us do?"
Yang Kai's enthusiasm was palpable. "It's simple! You two each select a Stone King of roughly equal strength, then carve out a territory of your own. Raise them carefully, and use the Small Stone Tribes you've cultivated to wage war against each other. Whoever wins becomes the king!"
Brother Huang's brow arched upon hearing this, and he sank into contemplation.
Sister Lan, on the other hand, came to a realization. "So this is what you meant by 'taking disciples.'"
Yang Kai nodded. "Something like that. But the Small Stone Tribe have very limited intelligence. You don't need to formally take them as disciples or teach them anything—you just need to raise and nurture them."
Sister Lan was momentarily stunned, then clapped her hands together. "That's a fine idea! You're truly clever!"
Yang Kai chuckled. "You flatter me."
Seeing her look so eager and interested, he couldn't help but feel relieved.
As long as they were interested, that was all that mattered. The last thing he wanted was for the two of them to find this sort of thing unappealing. If that were the case, Yang Kai would have had to consider persuading them to take disciples within his own Small Universe instead.
But upon reflection, the two of them had been thoroughly entertained by that game not long ago. Raising Small Stone Tribes to war against each other would naturally capture their interest as well.
The Small Stone Tribe were simply built that way. Over the years, while the total population of the Small Stone Tribe within Yang Kai's Small Universe had been growing steadily, their various settlements had been perpetually locked in conflict. Had that not been the case, their numbers would have been even greater.
Yang Kai turned to Brother Huang. "What do you say?"
Brother Huang gave a slight nod. "We'll do it."
Yang Kai said happily, "Then it's settled! You two pick out your territories and select your Stone Kings."
The moment he finished speaking, Brother Huang and Sister Lan sprang into action simultaneously. There were quite a few Small Stone Tribe settlements within the Small Universe now, and no shortage of Stone Kings—selecting two of comparable strength from among them was no difficult task.
With Yang Kai's cooperation, dividing up their respective territories was a piece of cake. But whether it was Brother Huang or Sister Lan, both showed extreme attention to every trivial detail, as though the slightest nuance might affect their eventual victory.
Yang Kai naturally did his best to accommodate them.
The house-playing game was over. The countless Yellow Crystals and Blue Crystals in this Chaos Death Domain weren't something Yang Kai could easily obtain either. But if he could get Brother Huang and Sister Lan to raise the Small Stone Tribes, that in itself would be a different kind of harvest.
After all, raising the Small Stone Tribes required a massive expenditure of resources. Previously, Yang Kai had been the one feeding resources to the Small Stone Tribe himself. Now, he no longer needed to worry about it at all.
Once the territories had been divided, Sister Lan and Brother Huang each took up positions within their own domains, continuously drawing Yin- and Yang-attributed resources from outside to nourish their Stone Kings.