In the vast expanse of the void, ripples gradually appeared. As the ripples spread, a gateway materialized, and moments later, figures filed out of it one after another.
Yang Kai resealed the gateway, leaving the void looking no different from before.
Ouyang Lie had already taken out the Universe Map of the Ink Battlefield. After comparing it, he confirmed that this was the former Biluo Theater—a territory once occupied by the Ink Clan. It was still a long distance from Biluo Pass, and actually closer to the Ink Clan's Royal City.
Biluo Pass was where Yang Kai had first risen to prominence. It was he who had brought the Purifying Light to the human race and designed the Ink-Expelling Warships. Biluo Pass, once unremarkable among the various strongholds, had thereby distinguished itself.
From that point on, things only escalated. Biluo Pass became the first stronghold to establish a forward base outside the Ink Clan's Royal City. Moreover, by leveraging the numerous Universe Paradises and Universe Grotto-heavens beyond the pass, they dealt a devastating blow to the Ink Clan. In that battle, countless Ink Clan Domain Lords fell, dealing a severe blow to their vitality.
This laid the groundwork for the Biluo Army to become the first to conquer the Royal City after the great human expedition, earning them fearsome renown.
Yang Kai also took out his Universe Map, identified the direction, and then led ten Eighth-rank cultivators deep into the void.
Ouyang Lie followed behind Yang Kai, completely bewildered, and transmitted his voice: "Junior Brother, you're heading the wrong way, aren't you? No-Return Pass isn't in this direction."
Their current heading was practically the opposite of No-Return Pass, leaving Ouyang Lie utterly confused!
Yang Kai wanted to tell him the truth, but considering the consequences, he held back and said: "Senior Brother, please be patient. I'll explain later."
Ouyang Lie suppressed his doubts and followed in silence without further questions.
Along the way, Yang Kai left behind several Spirit Beads as positional waypoints. After all, once he delivered Ouyang Lie and the others to their destination, he would need to return.
They passed through the Ink Clan's former Royal City. The once-magnificent city, ravaged by war, had long since fallen into ruin. The entire floating continent had shattered into countless fragments scattered across the void, offering a faint glimpse of how brutal that battle had been.
When the Biluo Army joined the great expedition, the Ink Clan in the Biluo Theater had not yet recovered their strength. Thus, facing Biluo Pass's overwhelming might, they had little power to resist. The city was breached and the Ink Clan annihilated. In that battle, the Biluo Pass Ancestor, with the assistance of numerous human Eighth-rank cultivators, personally beheaded the Ink Clan King.
The King's death marked the complete defeat of the Ink Clan in the Biluo Theater.
But those were matters of the past. By that time, Yang Kai had long since left Biluo Pass. When the expedition was underway, he had been with the Dayan Army, leading the Dawn cultivators into battle.
To avoid running into the Ink Clan's resource-harvesting parties, the humans would need to venture deeper into the Ink Battlefield. Only by putting sufficient distance between them could they minimize the risk of unfavorable encounters.
A month after passing through the region where the Ink Clan's Royal City stood, Yang Kai finally halted in a stretch of void. He extended his divine sense to survey the surroundings—there were numerous dead Universes here, with hardly any signs of harvesting. He figured they could expect considerable yields from this place.
"This will be the place," Yang Kai said.
The Eighth-rank cultivators naturally had no objections. Only Ouyang Lie sat with a grim expression, saying nothing. He might be somewhat rash in temperament and no master of schemes, but that didn't mean he was truly foolish. The various anomalies throughout this journey had made him realize that this trip might not be what he had imagined.
It was almost certainly another one of Big-Headed Mi's schemes!
While Ouyang Lie was lost in thought, Yang Kai and the other nine Eighth-rank cultivators had already spread out. They opened the gateways to their personal Universes and released the warriors who had been stored inside. In addition to the warriors, they brought out numerous warships—two Ink-Expelling Warships among them.
Ouyang Lie took one look and felt even more certain that something was wrong.
The warriors before him were mostly at the fourth and fifth ranks, with some even at the third, and the majority were advanced in age. This was hardly a lineup for undertaking any great mission. If anything, it looked more like a retirement settlement.
Yang Kai addressed the Eighth-rank cultivators: "I'll leave matters here in your hands. These are Spirit Beads—please each keep one on your person. I'll come find you once every hundred years to collect whatever you've harvested."
Transporting the harvests of tens of thousands of people back would be a considerable hassle, and only Yang Kai could manage it. By distributing the Spirit Beads, he made it easier to locate them in the future. As long as the distance wasn't too great, he could use the Spirit Beads to pinpoint their positions and arrive in an instant.
The Eighth-rank cultivators accepted the Spirit Beads and stored them carefully. Only Ouyang Lie glared at Yang Kai with eyes blazing with fury.
Yang Kai smiled wryly, grabbed Ouyang Lie's arm, pressed a Spirit Bead into his hand, and said with an apologetic tone: "Senior Brother Ouyang, if there's anything you wish to know, you can ask the other Senior Brothers later. Junior Brother still has important matters to attend to and cannot stay long."
In truth, he simply didn't know how to face Ouyang Lie's disappointment...
He turned to the other Eighth-rank cultivators and added: "If you truly encounter a danger you cannot resolve, please lead them to the Primordial Heaven Great Seal. There is an Ink-Expelling Army garrisoned there, and the dragon clan elder Fuguang is also stationed in the area."