The Ink Clan did possess good things of their own. Artifacts custom-crafted for the Ink Clan, if brought back inside the Pass and handed over to specialists, could be dismantled into many useful materials. Those materials naturally couldn't be used for Cultivation, but they were perfectly fine for forging human Artifacts or repairing human warships.
From the bodies of the fallen Ink Clan, they had even managed to salvage a considerable number of Ink Coins. In truth, Biluo Pass had already collected quite a few Ink Coins as well. Every major battle saw enormous casualties among the Ink Clan army. Even if those dead Ink Clan weren't particularly wealthy, the sheer accumulation over time meant that Biluo Pass's stockpile of Ink Coins had grown to a truly staggering number.
The only catch was that Ink Coins were a currency used exclusively within the Ink Clan — the Ink Clan could use them to purchase whatever they wanted, but once they fell into human hands, they were utterly useless.
The only slight regret was that no Ink Disciples had appeared in this battle.
Deep within Ink Clan territory, the number of Ink Disciples was actually not small. However, during the previous battle outside Biluo Pass, many Ink Disciples had perished. Although Yang Kai possessed the Purifying Light that could save these Ink Disciples, on a battlefield where swords and blades cared not for friend or foe, who had the spare energy to capture Ink Disciples alive?
Corrupted by the Ink Force, the Ink Disciples served the Ink above all else. They showed no mercy against their former human kin. On the battlefield, encountering an Ink Disciple meant that unless the gap in strength was overwhelming, there was simply no opportunity to take one alive — the only option was to kill them.
The battle years ago had greatly reduced the number of Ink Disciples in the Biluo Theater. Many Ink Clan had left their Ink Disciples behind as rearguards when they fled, and that was likely the reason this particular Ink Clan squad had contained none.
"Are you all right?" Feng Ying asked, looking at Yang Kai from inside the cabin.
In this battle, Yang Kai had charged ahead, plunging into the enemy formation alone. Though he hadn't suffered any real injuries, there was a trace of dried blood at the corner of his right eye — a side effect of activating the Purgatory Black Eye.
His mastery of this secret technique was still far from complete. Using it against a single Ink Clan Lord had produced remarkable results, but he had paid a small price for it.
"I'm fine," Yang Kai said with a wave of his hand. "I gained some insights from this battle. I'm going into seclusion first — wake me when we arrive."
With that, he headed toward his private quarters.
This wasn't the first time he had activated the Purgatory Black Eye. He had used it before back in the Star Boundary, but this time the sensation had been entirely different from previous invocations. This eye technique still had room for improvement, and its potential was limitless.
The battlefield was quickly cleared, and the Dawn warship pressed onward.
After this encounter, the Dawn squad's morale soared. This was Dawn's first battle in the truest sense. Facing over a hundred Ink Clan and three Ink Clan Lords, they had secured victory without breaking a sweat, sustaining virtually zero casualties. Such a glorious record was unheard of — no squad anywhere on the entire Ink Battlefield could hope to match it.
The excellent start left every member of Dawn itching for more.
Having survived one ambush, Dawn's vigilance only grew sharper. But as they continued on, no further fools dared to step out and challenge them.
Two days later, a floating landmass appeared in the void ahead. From a distance, they could already see vast stretches of buildings sprawling across its surface, with squad-level warships constantly taking to the sky or returning to dock. The whole place hummed with activity.
This was Biluo Pass's fourth forward base. The surrounding region was a rich source of all manner of resources.
It had originally been under Ink Clan control, but after their devastating defeat years ago, the defensive forces here had been greatly weakened. Biluo Pass had seized the opportunity to capture it.
The base had only been taken recently — just a few months ago — so it still had the look of a place where everything was still being set up.
As the Dawn warship swept in, the base's sentries immediately spotted them. Several streaks of light shot skyward to block their path, their postures radiating vigilance.
The one in the lead called out from a distance: "Identify yourselves! State your name."
The Dawn warship was clearly a specially crafted vessel — far more imposing than a standard squad-level warship. Such a ship was welcome news if it belonged to humans, but deeply troubling if it had been captured by the Ink Clan.
Yang Kai, who had already been called to the deck by Feng Ying, flickered forward and called out in a steady voice: "Dawn squad, arriving to provide support!"
"Dawn?" The man who had hailed them raised his eyebrows in surprise. Generally speaking, every squad had a clear affiliation — which army, which guard, which garrison they belonged to. But Yang Kai had announced only the name "Dawn," which left him momentarily confused.
Still, he seemed to remember something quickly. Straining his gaze for a closer look, he said with some excitement: "Could that be Brother Yang Kai?"
"That's right!" Yang Kai nodded.
"Truly Brother Yang Kai?" The man hurried closer for confirmation. Upon verifying that it was indeed Yang Kai, he was overcome with delight.
Yang Kai didn't recognize him, but the man certainly knew Yang Kai. It was hard to find anyone in Biluo Pass who hadn't heard of him. During the last great battle between the two races, it was thanks to the Purifying Light and the Ink-Expelling Warship that the humans had suffered far fewer casualties than they otherwise would have — countless kin corrupted by the Ink Force had been saved and their crisis resolved. And the source of it all was Yang Kai.
It could be said that nearly every guard in all of Biluo Pass had members who owed Yang Kai their lives, directly or indirectly.
After that battle, Yang Kai's name had blazed across Biluo Pass like the midday sun, known to one and all.