Before long, Tang Qiu was crouched in the corner of the wall, his face swollen and mottled with bruises, with three towering figures before him cutting off every escape—upward to heaven or downward into the earth.
All three were eighth-order powerhouses at the legion commander level. In a one-on-one fight, none could best the others, but one against three? How could he possibly stand a chance?
Had he not been quick-witted enough to give up resisting, there was no telling how badly he would have ended up.
"Speak. What exactly did you come to Biluogate for?" Zhong looked down at him from above.
Tang Qiu's mouth twitched. "Brother Zhong, I really did come to find Yang Kai to replenish the Purification Light..."
"Nonsense!" Zhong cut him off without hesitation. "If it were truly about replenishing the Purification Light, sending a single seventh-order would suffice. Why would you need to come in person? Does Yinyang Pass have so many resources that you have nowhere to spend them? The cost of using a spatial formation to transport an eighth-order and a seventh-order are completely different."
With that, Zhong's voice grew heavier. "For something to trouble you into coming personally—something major must have happened at Yinyang Pass, hasn't it?"
Ding Yao spoke up. "And what does any of this have to do with Yang Kai, that you'd rush all the way to Biluogate demanding to see him?"
Tang Qiu smiled bitterly. "I'd tell you, but you wouldn't believe me..."
"Brother Tang!" Zhong's expression turned grave. "If you won't tell the truth, then please turn around and go back."
Tang Qiu's expression shifted several times before he finally sighed. "Fine. Since it's come to this, I'll tell you the truth. Is there somewhere private we can talk?"
Zhong exchanged a glance with Ding Yao, vaguely sensing that whatever had brought Tang Qiu here was no ordinary matter—otherwise he wouldn't be this cautious.
"Follow me." Zhong said, and took the lead.
Before long, the four of them arrived at a grand hall.
The hall's doors were shut tight, with powerful restrictions activated to seal the interior from the outside world.
Zhong looked at Tang Qiu. "Brother Tang, speak freely. Though we belong to different war zones, we are all part of the human race. If there is anything Biluogate can help with, we will not refuse."
Tang Qiu let out a deep sigh, produced a jade slip, and flicked it with his finger. "Before we get to the heart of things, take a look at this first."
The force of his flick was perfectly calibrated—the jade slip burst open mid-flight, releasing specks of luminous light that spread outward. Rather than dissipating and falling to the ground, the light continuously shifted and rearranged itself, forming a scene that imprinted upon everyone's vision.
This was undoubtedly a remarkably sophisticated technique—sealing scenes of past events within a jade slip using great divine abilities, ready to be displayed at any time one wished to show them.
The scene depicted some unknown location within the Ink Battlefield—a stretch of open void.
In the scene, the formations aboard a human warship were flashing with light. As the formations activated, attack after attack lashed out like bolts of silk.
On the other side, another warship was dodging desperately, managing to fire back on occasion.
However, this warship was unlike any human vessel that Zhong and the others had ever seen. It was massive in size with a crude, rugged design. Though its attack frequency was low, each strike carried overwhelming force.
Near the two warships, seventh-order Open Heaven human cultivators and Ink Clan Lords were locked in a desperate battle to the death.
Zhong and the others fixed their gazes on the larger warship. Though the projected scene lacked fine detail, it was clearly visible that Ink Clan giants were moving about aboard the vessel.
The longer they watched, the graver their expressions became.
After a short while of fierce combat, the larger warship suddenly let out a violent hum. Formation after formation flared with unstable light before the entire network collapsed on its own, destroyed in an instant. A warship without its formations was like a tiger with its fangs pulled—completely stripped of any defensive or offensive capability.
The human warship seized the opportunity and unleashed a devastating barrage, tearing the massive warship apart. Countless Ink Clan perished aboard.
Having dealt with their own opponent, the human warship turned to assist its allied seventh-order cultivators, quickly driving the Ink Clan Lord into retreat.
The shifting scene came to an end, dissolving into motes of light that vanished without a trace.
The great hall fell utterly silent, the atmosphere heavy.
After a long moment, Zhong finally spoke. "That was something the Ink Clan created?"
"Correct." Tang Qiu nodded.
"When did this happen?"