Chapter 5148, The Limit
Translator: Silavin & VictorN
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Although he had succeeded in obtaining a sub-nest, Yang Kai was not sure if it would work given the special connection between the Territory Lord Black Ink Nests and the Feudal Lord Black Ink Nests.
Even so, he had to try it out to be sure.
After putting the sub-nest into his Small Universe, Yang Kai did not rush to hatch it. He just temporarily placed it somewhere isolated.
A little while later, he, along with Feng Ying, left the place.
“Squad Leader, do you intend to destroy the Black Ink Nest?” Feng Ying asked.
Yang Kai nodded, “Of course, I can’t leave it for the Black Ink Clan to use.”
Feng Ying flicked out her sword, sending out a flying slash that split the Black Ink Nest in half in an instant. Rich Black Ink Strength gushed out from the two halves and it began to wither away.
Yang Kai kept checking up on the sub-nest in Small Universe, and after a moment, he could not help but sigh, “I thought as much.”
The sub-nest that he had spent a lot of resources to obtain withered rapidly after the Territory Lord Black Ink Nest was destroyed. Although he had expected this outcome, he still felt disappointed.
It seemed that the connection between this Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest and the Low-Rank Black Ink Nests bred from it was unbreakable, and not even moving it to his Small Universe could isolate it. If the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest connected to it was destroyed, the Low-Rank Black Ink sub-nests would not be spared either.
It was only when the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest was left in place, that Yang Kai would be able to preserve the sub-nest.
However, this was obviously unrealistic. No matter how strong the Expeditionary Force was, they would not be able to fully eliminate all Black Ink Clansmen around Blue Sky Pass. As long as the Black Ink Clan here had not been completely annihilated, leaving any Black Ink Nest around would only benefit the Black Ink Clan.
After composing himself, Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to check the area and ascertained that this place was already empty. His allies who had stayed behind to collect resources had already left.
Thus, he and Feng Ying used the Universe Transference Law to return to Dawning Light.
For a time, the Expeditionary Force’s momentum was unstoppable. As it marched on, the Black Ink Clan was unable to form any effective resistance against its overwhelming power, and most fled before they even arrived.
Half a year after the Expeditionary Force’s initial sortie, they had captured four domains owned by Territory Lords. They had also destroyed four Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests and swept clean several dozen Feudal Lord Fiefs.
This was when the Expeditionary Force advanced in a straight path. It had to be said that they could have achieved much more if they were willing to take some detours.
After six months, the Expeditionary Force finally encountered a tough battle.
The Black Ink Clan’s counterattack became fiercer as the Expeditionary Force marched deeper into their territory. This Human incursion was a huge insult to their pride. They had always been the ones to attack. This was the first time in countless years that the Humans had attacked them so close to the Royal City.
Although many Territory Lords died during the most recent siege of Blue Sky Pass, they were not totally annihilated. The original number of Territory Lords was greater than the number of Eighth-Order Humans. Taking into account those who were not deployed, and those who had escaped from Blue Sky Pass though, there were at least 40 Territory Lords still alive.
The Black Ink Clan Army, led by more than 20 Territory Lords, stood in front of the Expeditionary Force.
The two sides fought nearly 100 battles in just three months. Each side incurred losses of varying degrees. The resilience and determination of the Expeditionary Force shocked the Black Ink Clan, and many were killed in this defensive battle. Still, they continued to regroup, attack, and suffer over and over again without any hesitation.
The Black Ink Clan had a huge advantage in terms of location. Their reinforcements did not have to travel far, so they could easily gather together from all sides and even look for opportunities to surround the Expeditionary Force.
The battle raged throughout this Territory Lord’s domain, and it was so bloody that this vast stretch of the void soon turned into a massive grave for the Black Ink Clan.
It was not until a year later that the Territory Lord’s domain was completely conquered. In that year of battle, more than a million Black Ink Clansmen died. The nearby void was literally covered in thick Black Ink Strength, and huge Black Ink Clouds blotted out the sky.
Other than the legions of Black Ink Clan cannon fodder that were killed, two more Territory Lords had fallen in this year-long battle.
As the remnants of the Black Ink Clan retreated to the next Territory Lord domain, and the Expeditionary Force continued to advance, it was only to be expected that the Humans would be greeted by fiercer counterattacks and resistance.
This was similar to the situation that Yang Kai encountered when he wreaked havoc in the Yin-Yang Theatre. The deeper he went into Black Ink Clan territory, the more concentrated the enemy resistance became.
The Expeditionary Force set up a temporary camp on a massive universe fragment in the domain of the recently conquered Territory Lord domain. The Array Masters arranged a massive Grand Array to isolate the surrounding Black Ink Strength so that the soldiers could rest and recuperate.
30 Eighth-Order Division Commanders, led by Ding Yao and Liang Yu Long, gathered in one of the largest tents.
Yang Kai was summoned and saluted before looking at the two men sitting in front, “What are your orders, Seniors?”
Ding Yao said, “How many Universe Arrays are needed to set up a direct link to Blue Sky Pass from here?”
The Universe Array was an extremely convenient tool that allowed cultivators to use the Universe Transference Law to return to it any time they wanted. As long as they were in the same World, there was, theoretically, no limit to the distance one could traverse. However, there were still limits to what individual cultivators could endure.
This place was very far away from Blue Sky Pass. Even so, those from Blue Sky Pass could still use the Universe Arrays aboard the Purifying Black Ink Battleships to communicate with the Expeditionary Force. However, if a cultivator really tried to teleport back directly, not many of them would be able to survive the stresses of the transit through the Void. Even a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master faced the risk of instant death if they attempted it. Perhaps only the Eighth-Order Masters could safely accomplish this.
Thus, there had to be a transit point set up using another Universe Array.
Yang Kai was the only one capable of doing this, which was why the Eighth-Order Masters summoned him.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before answering, “Considering the endurance limits of those in the Fifth Order, two should be enough.”
Ding Yao nodded and replied, “As expected.”
Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat as he asked, “Isn’t the Expeditionary Force continuing?”
Ding Yao shook his head, “We can’t. Although the Black Ink Clan suffered huge losses, we’ve also suffered casualties. The Expeditionary Force soldiers need to take Purifying Black Ink Pills every time they fight against the Black Ink Clan. After such a long crusade, the Purifying Black Ink Pill stock is running low. The Warships have also suffered varying degrees of damage, which could not be repaired in the heat of battle. Additionally, there are other considerations, so this crusade has to stop here.”
Yang Kai understood all these issues and had also anticipated this happening sooner or later. In fact, those in the Expeditionary Force with a little bit of foresight were aware that they were at the limit of what they could do so far away from Blue Sky Pass. Casualties would begin to rapidly climb if the Expeditionary Force advanced any further.
Although the crusade was not completely successful, it was still a great victory for the Humans to take the fight to the Black Ink Clan.
Privately, the soldiers were discussing when the Expeditionary Force would withdraw, but there were many different opinions and no definite conclusions; after all, only the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had the authority to decide such matters. A Seventh-Order Master like Yang Kai did not have the authority to discuss such matters with the Eighth-Order Masters.
However, what Ding Yao said seemed to indicate that he did not intend to withdraw. If they were to withdraw, why bother arranging more Universe Arrays?
Yang Kai suddenly realized something and asked, “Sirs, do you intend to permanently occupy the ground we’ve taken and reduce the territory controlled by the Black Ink Clan?”
Liang Yu Long smiled and said, “You’re a quick one. En, we intend to hold our position here, expanding our territory while reducing the Black Ink Clan’s. The Expeditionary Force has spent so much time and paid so much to gain such a large swath of territory, how could we give it up just like that? The Expeditionary Force will not move forward, but we will also not retreat. We will build a forward outpost here and repel any Black Ink Clansmen that dare to enter its range. The Black Ink Clan must be seething to have lost so much territory. Just by the losses of the Black Ink Clan after the battles, it would take them over 1,000 years to rebuild their forces. As long as the Expeditionary Force is here though, there is no way the Black Ink Clan can completely restore their foundation.
Yang Kai was shocked by the boldness of these Eighth-Order Masters.
By doing this, the Black Ink Clan would surely have hard times ahead. Not only would they lose almost half of their territories, but all the resources of those territories would be denied to them. Without those resources, rebuilding their army would take twice as long.
Thus, even if the Expeditionary Force was not as powerful as the whole of Blue Sky Pass, as long as they held their ground here, they would be able to restrict the restoration of the Black Ink Clan in this Theatre.
Yang Kai even predicted that the Expeditionary Force would continue to launch attacks from time to time in order to hamper the Black Ink Clan’s recovery efforts.
When the time was right, assaulting and conquering the Royal City was certainly a possibility. Such a glorious goal could not be accomplished overnight though and would take many years of effort.
Compared to a direct attack on the Royal City, this tactic was much slower, but it was more secure and assured. Furthermore, the current situation did not allow the Expeditionary Force to continue their march forward. Their logistics could not keep up and the soldiers of the Expeditionary Force needed to rest and recuperate just as much as the Black Ink Clan.
Blue Sky Pass only had some 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers, so building a forward outpost here would spread its forces thin. On top of that, the Universe Arrays that needed to be set up between the two had to be guarded, which would consume more manpower.
Even so, these were none of Yang Kai’s concern as the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would be the ones working out the details.
What he needed to do now was find suitable locations for the two Universe Arrays, and then link the Expeditionary Force and Blue Sky Pass together, to ensure that they could support each other rapidly.
That was the reason the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had summoned him to the meeting.
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