Zhong Liang was thoroughly stunned!
The fact that Yang Kai possessed the Heaven and Earth Springs had been a great surprise and delight to him, but compared to the existence of that Purifying Light, what did that matter?
The Heaven and Earth Springs were indeed powerful, granting their owner immunity to the erosion of Ink Force and eliminating any worry of being Inked. But that benefit applied only to the owner alone — no one else could enjoy the Heaven and Earth Springs' advantages.
The Purifying Light, however, was something else entirely. It was a means of dispersing and purifying Ink Force, a power that could benefit an entire race.
Those several hundred people who had been brought back were living proof.
Humanity had struggled against the Ink Clan for far too many years. Though they had successfully sealed the Ink Clan within this Ink Battlefield, preventing them from easily invading the Three Thousand Worlds, they had never found an effective countermeasure — especially against the erosion of Ink Force. Throughout the ages, how many human elites had been Inked, transforming them into enemies?
Faced with those who had once been comrades-in-arms, friends, and even family, the humans had no choice but to tearfully cut them down.
It was not that they hadn't tried to save them. They had even captured Ink Disciples alive and attempted to find ways to purge the Ink Force from their bodies. But even a Ninth-Order Grand Elder's intervention had proven powerless against it.
And now, someone had actually accomplished what even the Grand Elders could not. How could Zhong Liang not be shocked? In an instant, he realized that Yang Kai's existence was of paramount importance to all of humanity. This means of purifying and dispersing Ink Force could absolutely rewrite the age-old stalemate.
He seized Yang Kai's arm, gripping it tightly, his expression brimming with emotion. "Come! Come with me to see the Grand Elder!"
This matter was far too important — he had to report it to the Grand Elder in person. Besides, humanity had been bogged down on this Ink Battlefield for far too long. Such wonderful news would surely lift everyone's spirits.
"As you command, Senior!" Yang Kai nodded. He had been planning to meet the Ninth-Order Grand Elder stationed here anyway — there was the matter of the Void Corridor he needed to report as well.
Zhong Liang grabbed him and hurried inward, then suddenly remembered something. He turned back to look at Feng Ying. "How many people know about his possession of the Heaven and Earth Springs?"
He didn't ask how many knew about the Purifying Light. Since those people had all been rescued, they must have witnessed the white light firsthand — there was no need to ask. Moreover, there was no need to keep that secret. On the contrary, it should be publicized widely to let their people know this good news. Such news could largely eliminate their worries on the battlefield, allowing them to fight the Ink Clan without reservation.
Feng Ying replied, "Among those who returned, all the Fifth-Order Open Heaven should know. They were sheltered within Yang Kai's Small Universe."
The three hundred or so Ink Disciples who had been rescued earlier had all been housed in batches within the Small Universes of Feng Ying and the others. Yang Kai's cultivation was only Sixth-Order Open Heaven, so the Fifth-Order disciples had naturally been assigned to him.
Hearing this, Zhong Liang furrowed his brow slightly. This was problematic. The Purifying Light needed to be publicized, but the Heaven and Earth Springs had to remain secret. If word got out, it could cause considerable trouble.
Yang Kai spoke up. "Rest assured, Senior. Though I took some Fifth-Order disciples into my Small Universe, I did not reveal the existence of the Heaven and Earth Springs."
His Small Universe held far too many secrets — to say nothing of the large group of Little Stone Race beings and the creatures he had raised within it, along with the countless yellow and blue crystals stored inside. Yang Kai would not expose any of this lightly. So when he had taken in those Fifth-Order Open Heaven, he had deliberately blocked their perception, restricting them to a small designated area for their activities. Beyond that boundary, they would see nothing.
Even when he had just allowed Zhong Liang to inspect his Small Universe, he had only revealed the Heaven and Earth Springs and the Ink Force sealed within his body, showing Zhong Liang nothing more than what he intended him to see. Everything else remained hidden.
Zhong Liang nodded slightly. "That's good."
He had originally intended to have Feng Ying instruct those Fifth-Order Open Heaven to guard the secret of the Heaven and Earth Springs, but it seemed that wouldn't be necessary now.
It was clear that Yang Kai was a meticulous person.
"You go rest. I'll take him to see the Grand Elder," Zhong Liang ordered, then hurried inward.
Feng Ying bowed to see them off.
Once they stepped outside the hall, a large group of people was waiting — their fellow warriors from the earlier battle, along with the three hundred or so Ink Disciples Yang Kai and the others had brought back.
Seeing Yang Kai emerge, those warriors who had been Inked into Ink Disciples — led by Shen Ao and the others — cupped their fists toward him in gratitude, their thankfulness plainly written on their faces. However, with Zhong Liang present, they didn't dare approach to express their thanks directly.
For them, this had been nothing short of a rebirth. Had Yang Kai not purged the Ink Force from their bodies, they would still be Ink Disciples, perhaps trailing behind their Ink Clan masters on the battlefield, cutting down their own people without mercy.
That group of Seventh-Order Open Heaven who had been guarding and monitoring the Ink-Revealing Formation watched Yang Kai with expressions of bewilderment. If the Ink-Revealing Formation had reacted, it meant the person detected definitely had Ink Force in their body — in other words, an Ink Disciple. Yet Elder Zhong Liang had brought him inside the fortress. They couldn't make heads or tails of it.
Moreover, judging by the reactions of those around him, this suspected Ink Disciple actually commanded an extraordinary level of respect among a certain group of people.
What on earth was going on? The Seventh-Order Open Heaven exchanged bewildered glances, momentarily speechless.