"The Ink Clan Master holds these matters in the highest regard. With Nie An attempting his breakthrough this time, the Ink Clan Master will surely lend his full support — it's even possible he might lend a hand personally. If the Master himself intervenes, Nie An may very well succeed."
Whether Nie An succeeded in his breakthrough or not was directly tied to the future of the Ink Clan warship. How could the Twilight Master not take it seriously?
Yang Kai had originally believed that Nie An forcing his way into the Eighth-Order Realm had no chance of success, but with the Ink Clan Master's backing, that was no longer certain. No one knew what methods the Master possessed, or whether he could help Nie An circumvent certain risks.
But regardless, this had to be guarded against. Otherwise, even if Yang Kai successfully spirited away every Artifact Refiner in this Secret Realm, he would be unable to halt the Ink Clan's grand scheme.
This left him caught in a dilemma. He had originally planned to set his plan in motion today, but who could have anticipated this complication with Nie An?
Fortunately, there was still room to maneuver. Yang Kai was all the more grateful that this Secret Realm had not been permeated by the Ink Force — otherwise, his plan having progressed this far, it would have been nearly impossible to bring it to a close.
As things stood, the original plan would need to be modified.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Yang Kai said, "Senior Brother Wu, Nie An's fate must be determined. If he fails his breakthrough and perishes, that would be ideal. But if he returns having succeeded, he will likely have ascended to the Grandmaster Realm, and the Ink Clan warship will be able to reach completion."
"What do you intend to do?" Wu Xinghe asked.
Yang Kai shook his head. "There's no good solution — we can only wait. After all, we can't very well approach the Ink Clan to inquire about Nie An's status. In the meantime, Senior Brother, please exercise caution and avoid direct contact with the Ink Clan as much as possible. This Secret Realm is free of the Ink Force, so as long as you don't have any direct confrontation with the Ink Clan, you won't be susceptible to its corruption. Should you somehow come into contact with the Ink Force, inform me immediately, and I will purify and cleanse it for you."
"Understood." Wu Xinghe nodded, then suddenly asked, "As for Wang Sibo and Guan Ning — do you plan to cleanse their Ink Force when the plan is set in motion, or deploy ahead of time?"
"What does Senior Brother Wu think?" Yang Kai countered.
Wu Xinghe considered briefly. "Deploying ahead of time carries slightly increased risk, since each person restored to their true selves represents another point of potential re-exposure to the Ink Force. However, the two of them are both Seventh-Order — Grandmaster-level Artifact Refiners who interact with me frequently in the course of their work. Guan Ning in particular is extremely perceptive. I worry that if anything were to slip…"
"Then we'll deploy ahead of time," Yang Kai decided. "But this will require Senior Brother Wu's cooperation."
"I understand. I'll notify you when the time comes." Wu Xinghe gave a slight nod.
"Additionally, I'd like to take control of this Secret Realm's gateway in advance. That way, when the plan is executed, our escape will be far more convenient."
Upon hearing this, Wu Xinghe shook his head. "That will be difficult to arrange. Mie Qiong has been stationed here permanently and has never left. How do you expect to seize control of the gateway?"
Yang Kai smiled. "I have my methods, but I'll need to pass through the gateway once before I can manage it."
"You mean you'll need to leave the Secret Realm?" Wu Xinghe understood.
Yang Kai nodded. "That's right. Does Senior Brother Wu have any suggestions?"
Wu Xinghe thought for a moment. "I could send you to the Royal City on my behalf to purchase some Artifact Refining materials. I doubt the Ink Clan would refuse that."
"That could work."
"However, that does mean an Ink Clan member would accompany you. The two Domain Lords stationed here won't leave easily, so it would likely be one of the Ink Clan Lords who goes with you."
"That's fine. Even if I were to make any moves, a Domain Lord accompanying me wouldn't be able to detect them."
Seeing his confidence, Wu Xinghe dropped the matter.
The two continued their discussion for a while longer before Yang Kai took his leave and returned to his quarters to rest.
Several days later, atop the open-air platform overlooking the valley, Qing Lei sat in a position of authority, gazing down below. From this vantage point, the entire valley lay before him in full view — not so much as a rustle of wind could escape his notice.
Yet ever since he had received orders to take up station here, nothing untoward had occurred. The human Artifact Refiners had remained diligently focused on refining and perfecting that palace Artifact.
A pity that after all these years, what they produced was still far from useful.
A figure soared up from below and came to a halt before him.
Qing Lei raised his eyes and recognized the newcomer — one of the three Grandmasters among the Artifact Refiners, Wu Xinghe.
Wu Xinghe bowed respectfully. "Lord Qing Lei."
"What is it?" Qing Lei asked flatly.
Wu Xinghe replied, "I require certain Artifact Refining materials. Our reserves in the Secret Realm are running low, so I would like to apply for permission to travel to the Royal City and procure some."
Qing Lei frowned at this. "What materials require a trip to the Royal City?"
Wu Xinghe rattled off a list of material names, every single one exceedingly rare and precious.
Qing Lei said, "Noted. I'll have someone deliver them to you." These materials, while valuable beyond measure, were never in short supply among the Ink Clan. Refining the warship was a grand undertaking backed by the Master himself — whatever was needed, one simply had to send word to the Royal City and the supplies would be delivered promptly.
Wu Xinghe appeared to have anticipated this response. He said, "My lord, these materials are of critical importance, and someone unfamiliar with Artifact Refining may not be able to identify the correct varieties. I would therefore like to make the trip to the Royal City personally."
"You want to go personally?" Qing Lei was somewhat surprised. In the past, whenever Wu Xinghe needed materials, he would simply relay his request and wait for delivery — he had never once asked to go to the Royal City himself.