Feng Ying quickly grasped the idea: "Junior Brother sent that World back to Biluo Pass? That way, the soldiers inside can mine resources right at their doorstep — no need to travel all this way and risk being ambushed by the Ink Clan."
"That's exactly right!" Yang Kai nodded.
"Those eight formation artifacts you used — they're what you employed?"
"Correct." Yang Kai nodded again. "All the army commanders in the Pass already know about this. Lord Shentu will come personally to inspect it shortly. I need to make a few more preparations first, so I'll have to trouble Senior Sister to stand guard for me."
Feng Ying nodded. "I'll go with you."
Before long, Yang Kai locked onto another World. It took some effort, but using the eight formation artifacts of the Void Sun Mirror, he anchored them at eight cardinal positions around the World's space.
Shentu Mo hadn't arrived yet. Though he was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator who could use the Great Array of Heaven and Earth to teleport instantly from Biluo Pass to the Ink-Dispelling Ship at Base Four, traveling from Base Four to this location still required some time. He was most likely en route.
Feng Ying was deeply curious about the Void Sun-Yin Mirror and asked Yang Kai a great many questions, which he answered one by one.
A day later, Yang Kai — who had been resting with his eyes closed — suddenly opened his gaze. In the distance, a dazzling streak of light was hurtling toward them from the direction of Base Four. It arrived in moments, resolving into the burly figure of Shentu Mo.
Yang Kai cupped his fists and bowed. "Lord Shentu."
Shentu Mo nodded and glanced at the World nearby. "Ready?"
"Everything is in order."
"What do you need me to do?"
Yang Kai explained: "Lord Shentu will need to memorize the exact positions and distances between the eight formation artifacts of the Void Sun Mirror. When we get back to Biluo Pass, you'll need to replicate the arrangement with the Void Yin Mirror — down to the finest detail. Only then will the setup be complete. When the Artifact's power is activated, the Yin Mirror and Sun Mirror will resonate, space will invert, and the displacement effect will take hold."
Shentu Mo nodded. "Very well."
The requirements were stringent — the eight artifacts had to be positioned with absolute precision — but for an Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator like Shentu Mo, this posed no real difficulty.
In less than half an hour, Shentu Mo had circled all eight formation artifacts and committed every detail to memory.
Returning to Yang Kai's side, he gave a slight nod to indicate that everything was settled.
Yang Kai turned to Feng Ying. "Senior Sister, you should head back first. I'll accompany Lord Shentu to the Pass again. If everything goes smoothly, I'm afraid I won't be back for a while, so I'll have to trouble you to look after things here."
Feng Ying replied, "Go ahead, Junior Brother. I'll take care of Dawn."
Yang Kai then addressed Shentu Mo. "After you, Lord Shentu."
Shentu Mo said nothing more and activated the Heaven and Earth Art directly. Beneath their feet, the void shimmered with the glow of a great formation, enveloping him.
Once his figure had vanished, Yang Kai activated the Heaven and Earth Art as well and returned to Biluo Pass.
Zhong Liang and the others were still waiting outside the Pass. Though Shentu Mo's round trip had taken the better part of a day, the matter was of the utmost importance — forget a day, even a month of waiting would not have been too long for Zhong Liang and his companions.
If this worked, the benefits it would bring to the human race were simply too great. What was a little wait in comparison?
"He's back." Ding Yao suddenly turned his head toward Biluo Pass, and the others looked as well. Sure enough, two figures were streaking out from within the Pass — Shentu Mo and Yang Kai.
Watching the pair approach at speed, the gathered Eighth-Order masters couldn't help but marvel at the convenience of the Great Array of Heaven and Earth.
Traveling from Biluo Pass to Base Four and back in just over a day — that would have been unthinkable in the past. But now, with the Great Array, they could shuttle between the two locations in a flash. Such convenience would prove especially invaluable in wartime.
"How did it go?" Ding Yao asked urgently the moment Shentu Mo came to a stop beside him.
Shentu Mo replied, "There's still the setup to complete. Whether it works or not, we'll see once it's done."
Yang Kai trailed behind Shentu Mo and cast a glance back at the World he had relocated. Even now, it was already a hive of activity — figure after figure flew back and forth through it, clearly extracting resources. And after only a single day, the World already appeared noticeably smaller. At this rate, it would be completely mined clean within two or three months, leaving not a scrap behind — and this was with Biluo Pass having committed relatively few hands. With more manpower thrown in, the time required would be even shorter.
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "They've already started?"
Zhong Liang snorted. "On this Ink Battlefield, meat that's in your mouth is meat that's yours. Enough talk — hurry up and take Shentu to set things up. We're still waiting to see the results."
"Yes, sir!" Yang Kai replied promptly.
The group quickly relocated to an open area, and under Yang Kai's guidance, Shentu Mo swiftly had all eight formation artifacts of the Void Yin Mirror arranged in position.