Chapter 5357, War
Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Great Evolution Pass kept going without stopping after colliding with the Universe World where the Royal City was located. At Great Evolution Pass’ Core, it took great effort for Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the Eighth-Order Division Commanders to jointly decelerate the massive Great Evolution Pass, eventually stopping it about 5 million kilometres away from the Royal City’s original position.

It was just the right distance, neither too far nor too near. Not only would this distance provide a path of retreat for the Human soldiers, but they would also have enough space to attack the Royal City without worrying about the fallout affecting the rear.

Tens of thousands of soldiers stood at the ready inside Great Evolution Pass, prepared to move out at any moment.

Meanwhile, the surviving Black Ink Clan Army around the Royal City was also re-organizing. It crossed the Royal City and came to the opposite side as they quickly deployed their defences about 1 million kilometres out.

In the end, time was too short though. Before the Black Ink Clan could finish their preparations, the Spirit Arrays and artifacts on the walls of Great Evolution Pass resumed firing towards them. The streams of lights still contained immense power, causing the enemy to scream in agony. Many of them also lost their lives with every blast.

The Warships set out from Great Evolution Pass at the same time, gathering together to form an enormous fleet, which then swiftly approached the Royal City under the leadership of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.

As the army marched forward, a few dozen figures in Great Evolution Pass transformed into streams of light and sped towards the Royal City. These figures that emitted an impressive and overwhelming aura were none other than the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who would participate in the battle.

Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao took the lead. Her figure flickered several times before she arrived above the Royal City. Slamming her slender jade hand downward, she gathered the World Force in the palm of her hand and a warcry burst from her lips, “Show yourself!”

Following her shout, the Royal Lord’s wretched figure emerged from within the Royal City. His complexion was pale and his aura was weak. Even the colour of the single pitch-black wing on his back seemed dull.

Despite being injured for so many years, he had not had a chance to recuperate from his wounds; thus, he bemoaned his poor luck and ill fate to have met such a crazy woman from the Human Race.

Now that his opponent had taken the initiative to come and knock on his door, he had no choice but to fight regardless of his reluctance. After all, there was nobody else among the Black Ink Clan here who could compete with the Old Ancestor except him. If he relied on the Territory Lords under his command, they would suffer massive casualties in a face-to-face meeting with the Old Ancestor without his protection.

It was not the first time the two top Masters had fought with each other. They had fought each other several times in the war 200 years ago, and even more times after that; therefore, they were familiar with each other’s habits and combat strength like the back of their hands.

The Humans had travelled from afar with the determination to annihilate the Black Ink Clan, so both top Masters didn’t bother probing at each other when they engaged in this battle. They immediately unleashed various lethal moves as soon as they clashed. The dense World Force and Black Ink Strength collided together, instantly causing the world around them to pale.

Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao clearly wanted to drag the battlefield elsewhere, lest they harm the Human Race Army; however, how could the Royal Lord willingly cooperate? If they fought near the Royal City, he could borrow the power of his Black Ink Nest to bolster his strength. In contrast, he could only rely on his own strength if he was dragged far from the Royal City. What’s more, he couldn’t fight Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao on equal terms in his current condition.

After some back and forth, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao finally managed to drag the battlefield about 2 million kilometres out, but she was powerless to go any further. After all, there was nothing she could do when the Royal Lord refused to move away from the Royal City.

Nevertheless, 2 million kilometres was enough. With this distance, the fallout of their battle would not be deadly to the Human Race Army, though it would still affect them greatly. Of course, if the Human Race Army was affected, the Black Ink Clan Army would not escape unharmed. Neither side would benefit from this situation.

Immediately after Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s departure, the 50 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who would be fighting in this war rushed towards the battlefield and charged straight at the Black Ink Clan Army.

If these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters fought inside the ranks of the Black Ink Clan Army, the latter would surely suffer enormous damage. The Black Ink Clan was unwilling to see such an outcome of course, so over 60 Territory Lords and 20 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were dispatched as soon as they saw that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were approaching.

In terms of numbers, they far exceeded the Eighth-Order Human Masters! This couldn’t be helped though, as no matter which realm, the Black Ink Clan would always exceed the Human Race in terms of numbers.

Although the number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Territory Lords was nearly equal after the battle to reclaim Great Evolution Pass 200 years ago, the situation was different now that they had used Great Evolution Pass to launch an offensive. 20 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were needed to remain in Great Evolution Pass at all times to provide the necessary protection for it and also to maintain a place of refuge for the Human soldiers.

During the battle, the Human soldiers would always need some time to rest and recover. Retreating to Great Evolution Pass was their best option; therefore, these 20 Eighth-Order Division Commanders could not leave their posts easily. The only ones who could actively participate in the battle were the 50 or so remaining Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.

In the blink of an eye, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters met the Territory Lords and Black Ink Disciples in the void. Following a brief moment of chaos, they split off into several groups and scattered in all directions. While they were scattering in all directions, these larger groups were further dispersed into smaller groups. The fight was intense thanks to the various Secret Techniques that were unleashed in every direction.

Many of the Eighth-Order Human Masters had to fight against two opponents. Fortunately, the Humans boasted deeper heritages, so even if they had to fight in a two-against-one battle, they were only slightly disadvantaged. Nevertheless, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who had one-on-one battles with the Territory Lords had a much easier time. They held the upper hand in the battle and were steadily forcing their opponents to retreat.

Needless to say, there was no need to worry about Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao. Even though the Royal Lord was borrowing the strength of his Black Ink Nest, he could barely stop her violent onslaught. At this moment, he only had enough strength to parry her attacks but not enough to counterattack.

The fact that the battle between the strongest Masters of both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan was the first to break out was also something that the Human Race had deliberately planned. For the Human Race Army to attack, the Black Ink Clan Army had to be restrained; otherwise, the Humans could not stop the powerful offensive of the Territory Lords.

Chaos reigned and the entire universe shook from the impact of battle. Nevertheless, the Great Evolution Army marched forward with steady purpose. Relying on the support of Great Evolution Pass behind them, the enormous fleet closed to within 1 million kilometres of the enemy lines.

The Spirit Arrays and the artifacts on the Warships hummed and glowed brightly. Then, an overwhelming wave of attacks rained down upon the Black Ink Clan Army. Naturally, the Black Ink Clan soldiers would not sit around and wait for their deaths. They surged their Black Ink Strength and retaliated vigorously.

The Secret Techniques from both sides collided with each other and vanished from existence; however, many of the Black Ink Clan’s attacks were somewhat weak due to the distance. It was the complete opposite for the Humans. By relying on the Spirit Arrays and artifacts, their attacks had far greater range and lethality on average compared to the Black Ink Clan.

As a result, the Black Ink Clan suffered heavy casualties before the two armies even officially met. This situation infuriated the Commander of the Black Ink Clan Army. With an order from him, the Army of hundreds of thousands immediately charged towards the Human fleet.

The distance between both parties rapidly narrowed. At the same time, the power of their respective Secret Techniques and artifacts burst forth without stopping. The Black Ink Clan Army suffered serious casualties while the protective shields around the Warships flickered wildly.

Just as both armies were about to clash in battle, the Human Race Army split to both sides and circled around the flanks of the Black Ink Clan Army.

In terms of numbers, the Humans had always been at an absolute disadvantage. That was why, since ancient times, the Human Race Army had always focused on mobility and hit-and-run tactics whenever they waged war on a mass scale. They avoided a direct confrontation with the Black Ink Clan to maximize their advantages and minimize the enemy’s. Every single soldier in Great Evolution Pass had experienced hundreds of battles and participated in countless life-and-death struggles. They were quite familiar with the tactics to use against the Black Ink Clan.

When the Human Race Army split, the Black Ink Clan Army followed suit and gave chase. When the Human Race Army divided their forces again, so did the Black Ink Clan Army. It was not as though they did not know that the Humans were trying to divide their forces up into more manageable numbers, it was just that the situation forced them to mirror the enemy’s choices.

In just a cup of tea’s time, the Human’s huge fleet had been divided into countless small teams that wandered around the chaotic battlefield. Each small team basically consisted of two or three Squads supporting and providing reinforcements to each other. The Spirit Arrays and the artifacts on the Warships never stopped firing and every violent blast that was fired towards the enemy would reap some Black Ink Clansmen’s lives.

Dawn was not required to cooperate with other Squads. That was because Dawn was capable of fighting alone even in this situation. There was a total of 50 members of Dawn, including 8 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, giving them a powerful line-up. Even if they encountered a Territory Lord, they would stand a fighting chance against the enemy. Not to mention, they also had a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yang Kai, who was invincible among those in the same Realm.

At this moment, with Yang Kai leading the way, Dawn’s eight Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters took up positions around Dawning Light and were slaughtering their enemies. There was nobody who could defeat them. Dawn was like a sharp blade, indiscriminately slicing through the Black Ink Clan Army. All those who dared to stand before them were killed on the spot.

As usual, Yang Kai sliced his way through the battlefield. The Azure Dragon Spear was all-conquering, cutting through enemies like dry weeds and rotten wood. There was only one issue that was giving him a slight headache. The battle between Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the Royal Lord could not be considered near, but it was not far either. The fallout from their clash heavily affected both the Human Race Army and the Black Ink Clan Army.

When he was inside Dawning Light, the impact had not been too obvious thanks to the protection given by its defensive arrays. Now that he was fighting outside Dawning Light though, he was struck by considerable shockwaves every time the two exchanged blows.

If the fallout had such an effect on him, what more need be said for the other Seventh-Order Masters? It was fortunate that the Black Ink Clan also suffered from the same detriments, so nobody gained any advantage from the situation.

The energy was extremely disordered across the chaotic battlefield. Although the Black Ink Clan died in droves, the Humans were also beginning to suffer casualties. Even with the mutual support from two or three Squads, there were bound to be times when accidents occurred.

There were simply too many Black Ink Clansmen. Moreover, the opponents were the core forces of the Black Ink Clan Army. As the elites among the Black Ink Clan, they were incomparable to the cannon fodder and miscellaneous soldiers who could be cut down without much effort.

What’s more, as the confrontation dragged on, the Black Ink Clansmen who were originally stationed at the lines of defences on the other side of the Royal City arrived to provide reinforcements. As a result, the number of Black Ink Clansmen on the battlefield seemed to increase no matter how many were killed.

In the middle of the fierce battle, Yang Kai abruptly turned to look in a certain direction. In the next moment, his figure shifted slightly and vanished from the spot. The members of Dawn were not surprised by his sudden disappearance. Shen Ao quickly took over Yang Kai’s leading position, his power in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm surging wildly. He took command of Dawning Light and continued forging a bloody path across the battlefield.

On the other side, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly appeared somewhere in the battlefield. As soon as his figure emerged, the Golden Crow’s cry sounded. A Great Sun leapt out, then the Azure Dragon Spear pierced towards a burly figure in front of him with the Great Sun at its tip.

Despite the sudden ambush, the figure did not seem surprised. He coldly snorted and ferociously slammed his fist out. The Great Sun was forcibly extinguished, and Yang Kai was thrown backwards. The vitality in his chest tumbled about turbulently.

Likewise, the Black Ink Clansman who counterattacked staggered two steps backwards before he could stabilise his figure, his expression filling with astonishment. He never expected a Seventh-Order Human to be capable of meeting his attack head-on. Not only was the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master unhurt, but the attack even managed to push him back.

This Black Ink Clansman was a Territory Lord, one who was not being restrained by an Eighth-Order Division Commander!

Now that both the Human Race Army and the Black Ink Clan Army were fighting each other, most of the higher-ups on both sides were being mutually restrained.

The battle between Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the Royal Lord was not something others could interfere with. Meanwhile, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters occupied the attention of many of the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. However, the Territory Lords still outnumbered the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, which was why the Human Army had anticipated that some of them would remain among the Black Ink Clan Army even after the battle began.