After waiting for a moment, the cultivator who sent the message received a reply and looked up, saying, “Senior Brother Jing, Martial Uncle Tang is not in the pass, he seems to have some matters to attend to. The Military Department asked us to arrange for his stay, Martial Uncle should be able to return in a few days.”
Hearing this, Jing An nodded, “Since that’s the case, we will follow the orders.”
Turning to Yang Kai, he said, “Junior Brother Yang, please follow me.”
Saying so, he led the way and Yang Kai followed closely behind.
After a short while, the two of them arrived at a secluded courtyard. This courtyard wasn’t very big, so it should have been used to accommodate outsiders. Blue Sky Pass also had such a place, but it wasn’t normally used.
Although no one had lived here for a long time, the courtyard was clean and tidy.
“Junior Brother Yang should rest here for a few days. When Martial Uncle Tang returns, I will report to him,” Jing An said.
“Thank you, Senior Brother Jing!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Jing An smiled and said, “If Junior Brother is bored, you can walk around to pass the time.”
After sending off Jing An, Yang Kai entered a room and sat down cross-legged.
Originally, Zhong Liang had given him the old ancestor’s token and was prepared to take it out when someone asked about his identity, but now it seemed he didn’t need it.
On the other hand, the fact that Tang Qiu wasn’t in the pass was somewhat surprising to Yang Kai. It was obvious that something big had happened at Yin-Yang Pass and he had no choice but to personally take action.
However, inside the Yin-Yang Pass, Yang Kai had some acquaintances.
Immediately, he took out his communication device and sent out a message.
However, there was no response. This meant that the person he wanted to contact was either not in Yin-Yang Pass or was in secluded cultivation, cutting off all contact with the outside world.
Either way, Yang Kai obviously couldn’t contact them for the time being.
He had just sent a message to Xu Linggong, but Xu Linggong couldn’t be reach, so he tried to contact Qing Kui and Su Yingxue.
Unexpectedly, there was no response.
Yang Kai’s brow wrinkled slightly. It seemed that it was very likely that these people weren’t in the pass, or else there would have been some kind of news. Su Yingxue and Qing Kui were Xu Linggong’s disciples after all, so if they were out on business, it would be reasonable for them to go together. It was even possible that they were with Tang Qiu.
Since he couldn’t contact them, Yang Kai didn’t insist. This trip was only to infiltrate the Black Ink Clan’s hinterlands of the Yin-Yang War Zone to gain information.
Recalling the jade slip Zhong Liang had given him before he left, Yang Kai decided to take it out and examine it since he had nothing to do.
The jade slip contained some basic information about the Yin-Yang Pass and the Yin-Yang War Zone, obviously to allow Yang Kai to learn more about this place.
The overall strength of each human race mountain pass was basically the same, and the layout and structure were similar.
The Human Race soldiers guarding Yin-Yang Pass also numbered more than thirty thousand. These were the elite Open Heaven cultivators from the various Cave Heaven Paradise, and it had taken them a long time to accumulate such strength. During this time, many of them had died on the battlefield while the 3000 worlds behind them had constantly sent people to replenish their forces.
It could be said that eighty to ninety percent of each Cave Heaven Paradise's elites had been sent to the Ink Battlefield, while only a small number of them remained in the 3000 Worlds. This was also the reason why Yang Kai had felt that the Cave Heaven Paradise's heritage was somewhat lacking.
Too many elites had been sent to the Ink Battlefield, so naturally not many remained.
Similar to Blue Sky Pass, Yin-Yang Pass was divided into four great armies.
Eastern Army Regiment Commander Tang Qiu, Southern Army Regiment Commander Wu Qing, Western Army Regiment Commander Liu Zhiping, and Northern Army Regiment Commander Fei Yushan.
When he saw Liu Zhiping, Yang Kai was slightly stunned. From the name, it was obvious she was a woman. It wasn’t that women were inferior to men, it was just that among the Eighth Order Open Heaven, there were fewer women than men, and to be able to become the Regiment Commander, this Liu Zhiping’s strength was obviously extraordinary. She was definitely one of the best among the Eighth Order. Perhaps her strength had reached the peak of the Eighth Order, but due to her limited aptitude, she was unable to advance to the Ninth Order.
The Black Ink Clan corresponding to the Yin-Yang War Zone was the Twilight Royal Lord, and the entire Yin-Yang War Zone could be said to be his territory.
The Blue Sky War Zone corresponded to the Evil Royal Lord, which was the same principle.
In each of the war zones, the Human Race has Old Ancestor-level master overseeing them while the Black Ink Clan has a Royal Lord.
Twilight Royal Lord has over a hundred Territory Lords under his command, far more than the number of Eighth Order Open Heaven masters in Yin-Yang Pass, and this was only a single war zone. In the entire Ink Battlefield, there were countless Black Ink Clan masters. If not for this, the Human Race’s resistance wouldn’t have been so difficult.
[Hoogsway: Why didn't the Black Ink Clan gather together and attack one place, since they have greater number. LOL]
There wasn’t much information recorded in the jade slip, after all, it was just some basic information. Yang Kai quickly finished reading it, and since he had nothing to do, he took out a set of seventh grade resources to refine and cultivate.
He sat there for half a month.
During this time, no one came to find him, and Tang Qiu did not summon him, causing Yang Kai’s brow to furrow. Yang Kai didn’t know what had happened to Tang Qiu that had delayed him for so long. He knew that Tang Qiu would return in a few days, but now, the deadline was clearly over.
However, Tang Qiu was still an Eighth Order Open Heaven cultivator, so there shouldn’t be any accidents.
Yang Kai thought about it for a while before deciding to go out and explore the Yin-Yang Pass.
Yin-Yang Pass’ side was completely calm, and there were no signs of a battle breaking out. Presumably, after defeating the Black Ink Clan’s invasion, the Black Ink Clan under the command of the Twilight Royal Lord were recuperating just like the Blue Sky Pass side.
There weren’t many people coming and going inside the pass. After all, this kind of peaceful time was the best time to cultivate. Many Open Heaven masters were making use of this time to increase their strength and prepare for the next battle.
The layout of the entire Yin-Yang Pass was similar to Blue Sky Pass, and as Yang Kai walked, he soon lost interest.
After all, this place wasn’t one of the 3000 Worlds, so there wasn’t much to see here. In the end, each of the Human Race’s mountain passes was a massive palace artifact, a military fortress.
The tens of thousands of soldiers guarding it were all elites who had fought against the Black Ink Clan for countless years.
On his way here, no one came to investigate his identity. Among the tens of thousands of soldiers in Yin-Yang Pass, no one was able to identify everyone. Naturally, no one would care about a stranger like Yang Kai.
Just as he was about to return home, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed as he listened carefully.
A moment later, with a slightly strange expression on his face, he turned a corner and saw a bustling street.
The street was not very spacious, only allowing two carriages to walk side by side, but the streets were bustling with people.
On both sides of the street, there were many shops, all of them selling a dazzling array of goods, making it difficult for one to take in all of them. There were also many shouts.
Yang Kai even saw someone carrying a bunch of candied fruits while shouting and selling them!
The scene in front of him left Yang Kai dumbfounded. If he didn’t know he was still in Yin-Yang Pass, he would have thought he had returned to a city in the 3000 Worlds.
There was a constant stream of people pouring into this street, and there were also people leaving. The number of cultivators who came and went was like a school of carps crossing a river.
Yang Kai looked up and saw a huge plaque above the street with the words ‘Marketplace’ written on it.
There is a stone tablet on the left, which is written with 'The World’s Observation'.
On the right, there was a stone tablet which is written with 'Bustling World'.
Yang Kai frowned as he looked around, instinctively feeling that this street was somewhat unusual. At the very least, he had never seen such a scene in Blue Sky Pass.
This piqued his curiosity and made him want to investigate further. Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai stepped forward and the noisy atmosphere was immediately filled with shouts.
“Candied fruit, selling candied fruit.”
“Steamed buns, steaming hot buns.”
“This little shop has just opened, so all dishes will be sold at a seventy percent discount. There are only a limited number of places, first come first serve.”
…
Yang Kai immediately felt a wave of dizziness, as if he had taken a blow from the Black Ink Clan’s Territory Lord, causing even his Soul to become unstable.
The old man who was selling candied fruits just so happened to be walking over, carrying a string of red candied fruits on his shoulder, looking extremely attractive. The old man wasn’t young, his hair and beard were all white, and he wore a black robe, making him look like an ordinary old man. As he walked, he suddenly grabbed the collar of a young man who was walking past him and asked, “Boy, do you want some candied fruits?”
The young man’s face immediately became bitter, “Martial Uncle, I just bought it a few hours ago.”
The old man who was addressed as Martial Uncle said, “You bought it a few hours ago, you can't buy it this time? Don’t worry, this old master’s personally made candied fruits will definitely make your teeth ache!”
The young man wore a bitter expression, “Martial Uncle, can I not buy it?”
The old man smiled and stretched out his hand, “Ten copper coins!”
The young man couldn’t resist and sighed heavily before taking out ten copper coins and handing them to the old man.
The old man immediately took out a stick of candied fruit and stuffed it into the young man’s hand.
The young man was about to leave when the old man grabbed his collar again, “Eat, why aren’t you eating?”
The young man was on the verge of tears, “Martial Uncle, must I eat it now?”
“Eat it now, otherwise you’ll be looking down on this old master’s cooking!” The old man glared.
The young man immediately took a bite of the candied fruit, his expression instantly becoming extremely brilliant as he praised, “Martial Uncle’s craftsmanship is really… amazing!”
The old man laughed loudly, “Of course, you should take a look at who this old master is.”
Saying so, he let go of the young man and watched as the young man walked forward while biting his candied fruit, the smile on his face extremely… strong!
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he stared at this scene, unable to believe his eyes. If he wasn’t mistaken, the young man who bought the candied fruits was obviously a Seventh Order Open Heaven cultivator, and the one selling the candied fruits was even more incredible, definitely an Eighth Order.
What was happening?
“Young man, how about a stick of candied fruit? My ancestral craftmanship will not let you down.”
Just as Yang Kai was lost in thought, the old man suddenly stood in front of him and smiled at him.
Yang Kai glanced at the old man and then at the string of candied fruits he was carrying on his shoulder, wondering if these candied fruits were made from some kind of spirit fruit, otherwise he wouldn’t be selling them here.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Martial Peak