Martial Peak

Chapter 5548: Hunters

“Is he dead?” You Gong murmured under his breath in disbelief.

Yang Kai and that woman had completely vanished without a trace. Even expanding his Divine Sense to its limits, he could not sense the slightest trace of aura from them.

[Did that powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who killed four out of five Territory Lords in less than a cup of tea’s time, die just like that? Is he really dead? Was he blown apart to the point where not a single bone remained?]

“That can’t be right!” He suddenly realised something. The death of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was bound to cause a large disturbance.

Having killed countless Human Race Masters on the battlefield, You Gong knew that upon death, the Small Universe of an Open Heaven Realm Master violently ruptured more often than not, and the greater their strength, the greater the commotion caused by this explosion. Even if their Small Universe did not rupture though, it would still appear briefly before burrowing into the Void and becoming a Universe Paradise or a Universe Cave Heaven.

It was true that Yang Kai and the woman had vanished without a trace, but there were no accompanying signs to indicate their deaths. Even You Gong had figured out this point, so naturally the others had their doubts as well.

Mo Na Ye’s expression was extremely solemn. His Divine Sense spread out like a tidal wave, constantly exploring into the distance, yet he still failed to detect Yang Kai’s whereabouts. There were only two possibilities that could explain this situation. The first possibility was that Yang Kai was dead, but that was extremely unlikely. The second possibility was that Yang Kai was outside his detection range.

One of the Territory Lords stepped forward to examine the scene, and it didn’t take long before he shook his head and announced, “There are no signs of blood. He probably survived!”

At this moment, Mo Na Ye sensed something. Turning his head to look in a certain direction, he cursed vehemently, “Bastard!”

He finally discovered some unusual spatial fluctuations that were very familiar to him at an extremely distant point. They were the traces left behind whenever Yang Kai activated Space Principles.

[How did he teleport that far?] He simply could not understand. Having seen the way Yang Kai escaped earlier, Mo Na Ye could tell that Yang Kai was heavily wounded. The distance Yang Kai’s figure could teleport had also been quite limited all this time; however, now, Yang Kai had managed to flee to a place that was beyond his detection range in a single leap. That was why he failed to detect the other party’s whereabouts immediately.

[He’s heading towards that Universe Cave Heaven again!]

“After him!” Mo Na Ye was livid. Rallying the other Territory Lords, he sped in the direction where the Universe Cave Heaven was located. At the same time, he sent a message to the Black Ink Clan Army and ordered them to form a heavy guard around the portal. No matter what, he could not allow Yang Kai to enter that Universe Cave Heaven.

At this moment, Yang Kai was urging his power to wrap around Feng Ying while fleeing desperately. He even coughed up blood from time to time. His injuries were severe in the first place, and after the latest battle of wits, his wounds had only worsened. It was lucky that he managed to escape the pursuit of the six Territory Lords with the help of a Space Beacon; otherwise, he would have been in deep trouble by now.

Mo Na Ye had wrongly assumed that Yang Kai was trying to divide the Territory Lords by repeatedly separating and meeting back with Feng Ying. The truth was far from that. After suffering the previous losses, how could the Territory Lords dare to act alone so easily? Yang Kai was simply heading off to secretly place Space Beacons.

The tiny Space Beacons were very difficult to detect unless one was carefully searching for them. Back at the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai had used a Space Beacon to escape the pursuit of the Royal Lord and even wheel around to attack again. His actions had thrown the entire No-Return Pass into a fog of gloom. He had used the same trick today and successfully escaped from the six Territory Lords pursuing them.

Nevertheless, time was short as Territory Lords had great speed. If Yang Kai failed to enter the Universe Cave Heaven before the six Territory Lords caught up again, the situation would become dire.

At the moment, he might not have the strength to kill a Territory Lord even if they met alone. If he disregarded the consequences and used a fourth Soul Rending Thorn, he might stand a chance; however, the greater likelihood was that he would become delirious. He could not take such a huge risk; therefore, he had to enter the Universe Cave Heaven to recuperate as soon as possible.

As to whether or not he could successfully enter the Universe Cave Heaven… Yang Kai himself was not confident; after all, he did not know how many troops the Black Ink Clan had stationed there! He could only hope that there were not too many.

An hour passed, and from a distance, Yang Kai saw a Black Ink Clan Army forming a tight blockade around a certain spot in the void. Moreover, the auras of numerous Feudal Lords flared majestically.

[It’s here!] They had finally arrived at the location of the Universe Cave Heaven in Acacia Territory!

What gave Yang Kai a sense of relief was that not too many Black Ink Clan troops had been deployed here, only 100,000 or so. Although there were many Feudal Lords, it was still a far cry from the million-strong force posted at the five Territory Gates.

In truth, Yang Kai had already guessed that not many Black Ink Clan soldiers would be stationed here. The Black Ink Clan wanted to use the trapped Human refugees here as bait to lure out as many Hunters as possible, so they had put on a good show. If there were too many troops stationed here, then the Hunters would not take the bait. 100,000 troops was neither too many nor too few. Be that as it may, it was enough to build a solid defence around the Universe Cave Heaven yet still tempting enough for the courageous and daredevil Hunters to risk the danger.

Unbeknownst to Yang Kai, if news of his departure from Profound Nether Territory had not spread, then only 600,000 Black Ink Clan troops would have been stationed across the entire Acacia Territory. The initial deployment was 100,000 troops at the Universe Cave Heaven and another 100,000 at each of the five Territory Gates.

It was Mo Na Ye who immediately mobilised all the available troops from the surrounding Great Territories after hearing that Yang Kai might come to Acacia Territory. That was the reason why there were armies of at least a million standing guard at the Territory Gates.

The individual strengths of the Black Ink Clansmen here varied greatly, but most of them were nothing more than cannon fodder. If not for their overwhelming numbers, it would be impossible for them to stop the advance of a vicious fiend like Yang Kai.

Furthermore, Mo Na Ye made sufficient preparations. Not only did he mobilise the nearby armies to increase his available forces, but he also requested the support of five additional Territory Lords including You Gong. It was a pity he failed to predict that You Gong and the others would have such poor luck. All the reinforcing Territory Lords besides You Gong were killed almost as soon as they arrived in Acacia Territory, and You Gong was now essentially traumatized by the enemy.

The Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000 had received the message from Mo Na Ye in advance, so they knew that two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were coming to attack. As a result, the Feudal Lords in the lead were extremely nervous. If not for fear of being held responsible for this incident, they would have fled by now.

At this moment, Yang Kai and Feng Ying were charging forward with a ferocious momentum, so how could the Black Ink Clan fail to notice them? Fortunately, there were only two of them…

They might not be worthy opponents, but Mo Na Ye had ordered them to keep the enemy busy at all costs. Six Territory Lords would arrive soon! An army of 100,00 trying to hold back two heavily injured Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters… should not be an issue! Probably!

Without waiting for Yang Kai and Feng Ying to approach, one of the Feudal Lords in the lead gave a loud shout, “The Humans are coming! Stop them!”

The words had just left his mouth when the two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the distance suddenly appeared right in front of him. The man covered in bloodstains reached out a hand and grabbed him. Before he could react, he felt the world spinning around him and his vision turning upside down.

Yang Kai held up the Feudal Lord’s head and tossed it aside with a cold snort. It was bad enough that he was being chased by six Territory Lords, but how dare a mere Feudal Lord challenge him? Who else was he supposed to slaughter if not that particular Feudal Lord?

Beside Yang Kai, Feng Ying summoned her Divine Manifestation as 10,000 sword waves gathered and transformed into the Myriad Swords Dragon. Unleashing her power in all directions, she massacred countless Black Ink Clansmen in an instant. While she might be inferior to an Innate Territory Lord, an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would have no problem dealing with these Black Ink Clansmen that were no stronger than Feudal Lords.

A portal to Yang Kai’s Small Universe appeared behind him, and the three Warships he sheltered inside sailed out grandly.

“Kill!” Shen Ao yelled from where he stood on the battered Dawning Light. Following a slash of his sword, Blood Crow and the others attacked in unison.

The other two Warships had already received instructions from Yang Kai in advance and split up and moved in two different directions, decimating the Black Ink Clansmen and preventing any chance of them coordinating their response.

Since the Black Ink Clan Army was stationed here, then the portal to the Universe Cave Heaven must be located somewhere nearby. As for the exact location, Yang Kai would need some time to search; after all, he had never been here before.

The three Warships contained nearly 30 Seventh-Order level Masters. Combined with Feng Ying, they surrounded Yang Kai and massacred all the enemies within range. The Black Ink Clan Army were mowed down like wheat in a field, and even the Feudal Lords were rapidly being culled.

The sudden outbreak of battle stunned the numerous figures who were hidden in the void. These people were the Hunters who had been lured over. They formed groups of around five people each, with the largest being ten people in total.

The Black Ink Clan’s plan was very successful. When they actively leaked the news about the trapped Humans in Acacia Territory, many Hunters from the nearby Great Territories snuck in in hopes of rescuing their trapped compatriots.

Before Yang Kai’s arrival, many battles had already erupted across Acacia Territory. Leaving aside others, even Yang Xiao’s Squad had encountered several Black Ink Clan patrols. They had killed numerous enemies and even rescued a few Hunters whose whereabouts had been exposed.

Despite these losses, Mo Na Ye and the other Territory Lords had remained in hiding, causing the Hunters to mistakenly assume that there were no Black Ink Clan Masters in Acacia Territory. Hence, they quickly gathered around the vicinity of the Universe Cave Heaven.

Nevertheless, a Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000 was quite a large force, too much for a few lone Hunters to oppose, so they had been trying to make contact with those hiding in the Universe Cave Heaven. If they could coordinate a joint attack with the Humans inside the Universe Cave Heaven, they might be able to destroy the blockade and seek a way out.

Unfortunately, their efforts had shown no progress after so long. Not daring to act recklessly, these Hunters had remained in hiding and waited for an opportunity. In the end, they managed to wait until Yang Kai arrived!

As soon as the battle broke out, the Black Blood flowed like rivers. The Hunters hidden in the shadows were surprised and excited by this sudden development. What surprised them was that somebody had dared to charge into battle against the Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000! On the other hand, what excited them was that the power emanating from the attacking party was very high. This kind of strength could only be shown by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!

For a time, various messages spread across the void.

Most of the Hunters were in contact with each other already, but they had not gathered together out of fear that they might be completely wiped out by the Black Ink Clan. If they were scattered around, the risk of annihilation was lowered. It would not matter too much if one of their parties were found by the enemy as the others could take that opportunity to ambush their enemies and provide support.

“What’s going on? Why did a battle break out without any warning? Did you detect the energy fluctuations of an Eighth-Order Master?”

“There is indeed an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master there. A Division Commander must have come forward. The news about what happened here must have spread to the outside.”

“I knew the Supreme Headquarters would not ignore the situation in Acacia Territory. They must have sent some experts to rescue them.”

“Could this be part of the Black Ink Clan’s schemes?  It’s strange that there are trapped Humans in Acacia Territory. If this is all a big conspiracy, then they must be tempting us to reveal ourselves.”

“Bullshit. What schemes are you talking about? Even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master has made an appearance. How can you claim that it’s a conspiracy? Don’t tell me you’re insinuating that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master is a Black Ink Disciple.”

“It’s not impossible… The Black Ink Clan has one remaining Royal Lord. The Royal Lord Secret Technique is not something an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master can resist.”

“They are people from the Star Boundary! I saw Yang Xiao and the others! Do you see that White Dragon? That’s Yang Xiao! He is part of the Dragon Clan!” One of the Hunters who was previously rescued by Yang Xiao and the others sent the voice transmission.

“The High Heaven Palace Squad? Is it really them!? In that case, there’s no problem!”

The Hunters were not completely isolated from each other and many even kept in contact, and among them, the High Heaven Palace Squad was quite famous.