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Many of the Sealed Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield were clustered because they originated from the Small Universes left behind by Human Masters after their deaths in ancient times.
The more people passed away on any given battlefield, the more Sealed Worlds would be left behind.
In this area of the void, those from Blue Sky Pass had discovered a Sealed World 1,000 years ago. Even though they speculated that there were more hidden Sealed Worlds around this area, they could only give up as they didnât have the means to find and open the portals to them.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was a Master in the Dao of Space, so he was the best person to find these Sealed Worlds and open up the portals.
As the ripple of Space Principles spread further, the traces of the Sealed Worlds were revealed. As long as he could find these traces, it wouldnât be hard for him to pry the portals open.
After an inspection, he found three Sealed Worlds in a radius of several hundred kilometres.
The number wasnât staggering, but it was impressive enough.
They would always find some good things in these Sealed Worlds. For example, the World Treeâs clone was found in a Sealed World. It was the biggest reward the soldiers from Blue Sky Pass had obtained so far after years of exploring Sealed Worlds.
A moment later, Yang Kai forcefully opened the first portal, whereupon the aura of a Sealed World was felt wafting from it.
Dawning Light then came forward and stopped in front of the portal.
Yang Kai ordered, âAll of you, stand guard here. Iâll have a look inside.â
Upon finishing his words, he directly plunged into the portal. Feng Ying didnât even have time to stop him.
Fortunately, there was no danger in the Sealed World. A dozen breaths of time later, Yang Kai returned and beckoned to the members of Dawn, âCome in.â
Feng Ying asked, âShould we let some people stay outside?â Even though the Black Ink Clan were resting and recuperating, no one could guarantee that some of them wouldnât come over. By letting some people stay outside, they could monitor their surroundings lest they were later ambushed.
Yang Kai shook his head, âThereâs no need for that. There are only a few of us, so we should stick together.â
Since he had said so, Feng Ying naturally wouldnât have any objections.
Figures started dashing out of Dawning Light and disappeared into the portal. After they all entered the Sealed World, Yang Kai put Dawning Light inside his Small Universe and stepped into the Sealed World. Following that, he used a simple trick to cover up the portal.
There were 36 people in Dawn in total, all of them at or above the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Among them, there were 6 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters; therefore, it wouldnât take them a long time to explore a Sealed World, though picking herbs would be pretty time-consuming.
They fully explored the Sealed World in half a month, and all the valuable items had been collected. With Yang Kai leading the way, the members of Dawn Squad left this place and headed to the next Sealed World.
Two months later, all 3 Sealed Worlds in this area were fully explored. They had obtained a lot of rare herbs and quite a number of Profound Yin Spirit Fruits, so it could be said to be a fruitful trip.
The members of Dawn were all elated, thinking that this task was easy and rewarding. Certainly, they would love to be given more of these tasks.
With that said, they were aware that it was all thanks to Yang Kai that this task felt easy. If not for the fact that he could find those portals, the members of Dawn couldnât have collected any Spirit Herbs.
Yang Kai then fished out Dawning Light from his Small Universe. After they boarded the vessel, Feng Ying piloted the ship to their next destination.
In the two years that followed, the members of Dawn continued to navigate through the void. Whenever they arrived at a new area, Yang Kai would manipulate Space Principles to locate hidden portals. They would always be rewarded handsomely for their hard work.
Over the years, the soldiers from Blue Sky Pass had found a lot of Sealed Worlds on the battlefield; however, upon taking Dawnâs safety into consideration, Zhong Liang only wanted Yang Kai to explore the areas within a 10-day journey from Blue Sky Pass. He didnât provide any information for the areas that were further away.
Therefore, it only took Yang Kai and Dawn Squad 2 years to go through all the places they had to explore. It had been peaceful during this period of time as they never came across any Black Ink Clansmen.
The members of Dawn then returned to Blue Sky Pass aboard Dawning Light.
After that, they returned to their own places to get some rest. Meanwhile, Yang Kai and Feng Ying brought the harvest to the Merit Hall to get their Military Merits.
Before they arrived, a figure descended from the sky and cupped his fist, âThe Army Commander would like to see you, Brother Yang.â
Yang Kai instantly recognised that the person was Zhong Liangâs adjutant, so he put on a helpless smile, âThe Army Commander is quick to gather the latest information.â
The members of Dawn had just returned to Blue Sky Pass, but Zhong Liang already knew and told someone to summon him. That was truly quick.
Yang Kai then told Feng Ying to head to the Merit Hall on her own. She naturally wouldnât object to it.
After she was gone, Yang Kai gazed at the adjutant and said, âPlease, Senior Brother.â
âThis way,â the adjutant replied politely, then led the way for him.
They soon arrived at the Army Headquarters of the Western Army. Yang Kai had visited this place more than once, so he was familiar with the area; however, Zhong Liang didnât ask Yang Kai to see him in his office. With the adjutant leading the way, they soon arrived at a vast hall in the deepest part of the Headquarters.
The adjutant stopped in his tracks, âThe Army Commander is inside, Brother Yang.â
âMany thanks.â Yang Kai nodded and shuffled forward. At the same time, he wondered why Zhong Liang wanted to see him in such a place.
There was a restriction around the hall. Yang Kai flicked the restriction and revealed a portal, after which he stepped inside.
It was luminous and spacious inside the hall and a person standing there with his hands behind his back. He was none other than Zhong Liang. In front of him was a huge object.
Standing in front of this object, Zhong Liang looked up in a dazed state.
Yang Kai went over and saluted him.
Zhong Liang turned to look at him and nodded, âWas it a fruitful trip?â
Yang Kai replied, âIt was. Weâve found more than 30 Profound Yin Spirit Fruits.â
Zhong Liang nodded, âWith these Spirit Fruits, 30 soldiers from Blue Sky Pass will be able to restore their full strength. Youâve done well.â
Yang Kai replied, âI was only responsible for opening up the portals. I didnât really do anything else. Is there anything you need to tell me, Sir?â
After a moment of silence, Zhong Liang said, âLook at this thing.â He pointed at the gigantic object in front of him.
Yang Kai already noticed it the instant he entered this place, but he didnât pay any attention to it. He initially thought that Zhong Liang was just looking at something left behind by some Senior. It wasnât until this moment that he realised it was more complicated than that.
He then activated his Divine Sense and examined it carefully.
A moment later, Yang Kai frowned and asked, âIs this a Warship?â
The large Mobile Palace Artifact before his eyes didnât seem like a simple flight-type artifact; instead, it somewhat resembled a Warship. He had also found a lot of Arrays on the artifact, ones that would only be present on a Warship.
âYes, itâs a Warship,â Zhong Liang nodded.
Yang Kai shot into the air and carefully inspected the ship. A while later, he landed on the ground and shook his head, âThis Warship is terrible. Many of the Arrays are faulty. It wonât be useful on the battlefield. If the Arrays are frequently activated, they will fall apart on their own. By then, not only will the vessel be incapable of defending itself, but even the people on the ship will have to be wary of being injured by the explosions of these Arrays. Who made this?â
Even though Yang Kai wasnât an expert in the Dao of Artifact Refining, he knew a thing or two about it; otherwise, he couldnât have created the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
However, he never spent any time consciously improving his Dao of Artifact Refining.
Despite being an amateur though, Yang Kai was still able to see the flaws in this Warship at first glance. It couldnât be said that the Artifact Refiner who made this thing was unskillful, just that he wasnât skilled enough to make a Warship.
âMoreover, this thing is too big. Itâs not suitable for Humans to operate.â
Zhong Liang asked dispassionately, âWho do you think this ship is suited for if itâs not for Humans?â
Yang Kai replied with a smile, âGiven the size of an average Black Ink Clansman, it would be perfect for them to pilot this thing.â
There was a cold expression on Zhong Liangâs face.
Yang Kaiâs smile froze as he felt a chill rising from within. He then asked with a frown, âSir, where did you get this thing from?â
Zhong Liang replied, âYour Martial Uncle Ding captured it from the battlefield.â
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was flabbergasted, âDid the Black Ink Clan refine this?â
âYes.â
A sense of unease overwhelmed Yang Kai as he sported a dark expression, âI was told that the Black Ink Clan couldnât refine Warships. What is going on?â
After a sigh, Zhong Liang explained, âWeâve been fighting against the Black Ink Clan for countless years. While the Humans are constantly innovating, the Black Ink Clan naturally wonât stay stagnant. Perhaps one of the Black Ink Disciples on their side has been studying how to refine a Warship, and he happened to be gifted in Artifact Refining. Thatâs how this thing came about.â
Yang Kai felt his heart sinking, âIn that case, when that person masters the art of refining Warships, our biggest advantage will be gone for good.â
Zhong Liang nodded, âThatâs what weâve been worried about.â
âHowever, why didnât we discover that the Black Ink Clan were using Warships when we were battling against them back then?â
âThis thing didnât come from the Blue Sky Theatre, it was found in the Yin-Yang Theatre.â
âYin-Yang TheatreâŚâ Yang Kai muttered under his breath upon learning that the vessel was found on the battlefield that those from Yin-Yang Pass were in charge of. After giving it a thought, he asked, âWhen did Martial Uncle Ding obtain this thing?â
âHalf a year ago,â Zhong Liang replied, then added, âIt was only a short time ago that those from Yin-Yang Pass found this Warship, roughly two years ago.â
âTwo years agoâŚâ Yang Kai fell into his thoughts, âIn that case, the Black Ink Clan in the Yin-Yang Theatre have only developed this Warship recently. Since itâs not perfected yet, it hasnât been widely adopted by the Black Ink Clan in other war zones. Itâs no wonder that we didnât see it in the Blue Sky Theatre.â
Zhong Liang nodded, âItâs not widely adopted yet, but it doesnât mean it wonât be someday. Once that person manages to build a functioning Warship, the Black Ink Clan will be equipped with such vessels. It will be a disaster for the Human Race.â
âHave those from Yin-Yang Pass come up with a strategy to handle this situation?â
Zhong Liang gazed at him, âIf you were in charge, how would you deal with this situation?â
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Kai replied in a grim voice, âWe have to nip the crisis in the bud by finding the Black Ink Disciple who made this Warship. If possible, weâll bring them back; however, if we canât achieve that, we have to kill them.â