The Eastern and Western Armies set out from their base Worlds, heading for Great Evolution Pass. If everything went smoothly, they would reach Great Evolution in just one month.
Ten days of rest had given the armies enough strength to fight and march, but they were far from fully recovered. Wounded soldiers rested and healed aboard their respective squad ships, while formation masters and artifact refiners bustled between vessels, repairing damaged Artifacts and formation arrays, working frantically.
Over on Dawn's Light, the newcomers Wen Chengjing and Zhang Yang quickly grew familiar with the other squad members. Feng Ying assigned them duties and tasks. Blood Crow, however, remained conspicuously apart from everyone else, standing alone at the front of the deck with no clear thought behind his eyes.
Yang Kai paid him no mind. Expecting Blood Crow to integrate with the others was impossible. The man's origins, past, and temperament made it certain he never could.
And yet, the Blood Crow of today was different from the Blood Crow of before. Yang Kai could sense it.
The Blood Crow of old had fought the Ink Clan only because circumstances had forced him onto this battlefield. Now, his reasons for battling the Ink Clan went beyond mere circumstance—they touched upon his very Dao Heart.
Even if the members of his former squad had saved his life, Blood Crow might never have felt grateful. He would only have thought their sacrifice foolish. But a debt of life was still a debt of life. He might not feel gratitude, but he could not refuse to repay it.
This was Blood Crow's Dao.
Inside a cabin, Yang Kai finished examining Ning Qizhi's body and instructed, "Rest and recover properly these coming days. If there's another battle, you must not fight."
The previous battle had claimed Qi Taichu's life and left Ning Qizhi gravely wounded. His injuries were severe—his Small World had taken the brunt of the damage. Had Yang Kai not intervened in time, his Small World might have been shattered entirely.
If that had happened, it would not have been Qi Taichu alone who perished.
Though Ning Qizhi had survived, his Small World had been left in a state of ruin.
Fortunately, Yang Kai possessed Xuanpin Spirit Fruits.
Back when he had been stationed at Azure Sky Pass, Yang Kai had deliberately transplanted several Xuanpin Spirit Fruit trees and a large quantity of medicinal herbs used to refine Ink-Cleansing Pills into his Small World.
These had all been placed in the medicine garden, where two small Wood Spirits—Mu Zhu and Mu Lu—tended to them. Every herb flourished under their care.
Given that the flow of time inside a Small World differed from the outside, a thousand years had already passed. The Xuanpin Spirit Fruit trees transplanted long ago had long since flowered and fruited. Yang Kai had surrendered ninety percent of the harvest for the soldiers' use, keeping only ten percent for emergencies.
The Xuanpin Spirit Fruit was, to date, the only spirit fruit the Human Race had discovered capable of repairing a Small World.
Ning Qizhi owed his life to it. Though the Xuanpin Spirit Fruit's effects were remarkable, repair still took time. Until his Small World had fully recovered, Ning Qizhi would not be able to fight lightly again, lest his condition worsen.
Hearing Yang Kai's words, Ning Qizhi nodded repeatedly, though there was little joy in his expression.
Qi Taichu was gone. Within Dawn's Light, Qi Taichu, Ning Qizhi, and Shen Ao—all three had been Ink Slaves rescued by Yang Kai from the Ink Clan. Among them, the three had been the closest of friends, fighting side by side on countless battlefields, sharing life and death.
Now, there would be no one left to drink with him and Shen Ao, no one to debate the Dao.
Yang Kai gently patted his shoulder, turned, and walked out. His eyes immediately fell upon Blood Crow on the deck—solitary, a picture of desolation.
He paid the man no mind and headed to his own quarters to meditate.
Pushing open his door, Yang Kai blinked, paused for a moment, then quietly closed it again.
A voice reached his ears: "Come in and talk!"
Yang Kai clicked his tongue and helplessly pushed the door open again, stepping inside. He bowed to the figure sitting on his bed. "Ancestor!"
No one knew when Ancestor Xiaoxiao had come aboard Dawn's Light, but with her Ninth-Order Supreme cultivation, if she wished to conceal her presence, no one on the ship could detect her.
Ancestor Xiaoxiao glanced at him sideways and teased, "What's this? Leaving your door wide open on purpose—afraid of gossip?"
Yang Kai denied it flatly: "No. Absolutely not."
Ancestor Xiaoxiao snorted softly.
Yang Kai asked with concern, "How is the Ancestor's injury? Should we find a place for you to recuperate?"
The Ancestor waved her hand dismissively. "No need to heal for now. We can deal with it once things have settled down. My injuries from the last battle weren't too serious."
Yang Kai asked curiously, "Then has the Ancestor come to offer some guidance?"
The Ancestor had appeared here unannounced, which clearly meant she wasn't here for idle chatter.
Ancestor Xiaoxiao dispensed with pleasantries and extended her hand. "Give me a few sets of Kongling Pearls!"
After living together in Yang Kai's Small World for many years, they had chatted frequently. Yang Kai had once spoken of his Dao of Space, seeing whether the Ancestor might offer some insight.
The Ancestor naturally knew what Kongling Pearls were.
Yang Kai didn't ask what she wanted them for. He immediately produced several sets and handed them over.
The Ancestor took them and vanished in a flash.
Yang Kai blinked, and the room was already empty—save for the Ancestor's voice reaching his ears: "Tell your people to relax. There will be no more fighting on the way to Great Evolution!"