Chapter 5288, Endurance Contest Translator: Silavin & Raikov Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys The Humans did not have the innately strong physical bodies of the Black Ink Clan, and their growth cycle was also much longer, but the Humans also had their own racial advantages, and that was the variety of strange artifacts and techniques that they possessed. Especially their Secret Techniques, which practically every Territory Lord had eaten a loss from. Of them, some Soul Secret Techniques were difficult to guard against and were the most troublesome. If they could really refine this Soul Warming Lotus, then what Soul-type attack would they have to fear in the future? If the Humans dared to perform those Soul Secret Techniques again, then it would only be lifting a stone and dropping it on their own feet. That was why Hong Di was so impressed with the old man’s proposal. And, as the most senior Territory Lord here, Hong Di would naturally not step down from this opportunity, “I will try and refine it.” Saying so, he took a step forward and his Spiritual Energy surged, enveloping the Soul Warming Lotus. Even though the other Territory Lords were displeased, there was nothing they could say. The 2 Black Ink Disciples exchanged glances and stepped back, looking for their companion that was injured by Yang Kai before and helping him to resist the Soul Rending Thorn that was shot into his body earlier. Upon entering the Black Ink Nest Space, Yang Kai first killed a Black Ink Disciple before injuring another. The Black Ink Disciple who was injured earlier had been fending off the power of the Soul Rending Thorn this whole time, but he was only a Black Ink Disciple after all, not a true Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it was a difficult struggle for him. His 2 companions came at just the right time. If they had been any later, then he may not have been able to hold on. Even with 2 companions helping, it took a lot of effort for the Black Ink Disciple to stabilize his condition, but if he wished to force out the Soul Rending Thorn, it would be a long and gruelling task. Moreover, the entire process was bound to be fraught with ups and downs. The slightest misstep could result in a fatal end for him. The Black Ink Nest Space was quiet for a while, with only the constant fluctuations of Hong Di’s Spiritual Energy breaking up the monotony. After half a month, Hong Di finally lost patience and withdrew his Spiritual Energy, “Not a single drop is going through this thing. It’s impossible to refine. If any of you are interested, you’re free to try!” He spent half a month and wasted a lot of Spiritual Energy, yet he came out completely empty-handed, which was extremely vexing for Hong Di. However, he needed to let the other Territory Lords have a try; after all, just because he could not refine it did not mean that others could not. Anyone would want to give it a try. After he stepped down, another Territory Lord took his place eagerly. However, half a month later, he stepped back in disappointment just like Hong Di. The other 4 Territory Lords tried one after another, but they all failed. This showed the Territory Lord that this Soul Warming Lotus probably wasn’t so easily refinable, especially when its owner was still alive. If they wished to refine this Supreme Treasure, there was no choice other than to kill its owner first. However, that Human had been hiding inside of the lotus bud ever since the Soul Warming Lotus appeared, and the Territory Lords had no idea what his condition was currently. How were they going to kill this guy off if they could not break through the Soul Warming Lotus’s protection? This was simply a problem with no solution. Just then, the old man came over with bad news, “Sirs, Brother Wan is on the verge of death. Could Sirs please open the space and allow him to return to his body so that he may recover?” The Brother Wan that he spoke of was the Black Ink Disciple that Yang Kai injured previously. Hearing his words, Hong Di turned around and saw that, sure enough, the Soul of the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan was unstable and weakening continuously. Hong Di frowned, “Wasn’t he fine before? Why did this suddenly happen?” The old man smiled bitterly, “Sir may not know, but for the three of us to remain in a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests with our consciousness connected to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness, we must use our World Force as a bridge. In other words, as long as the three of us are in here, the Black Ink Nest will constantly be devouring the World Force inside of our Small Universes. Counting the time, it has been 2 months since we entered this place. We may be in the Eighth Order with deep heritages, but Brother Wan’s Soul was severely injured, and with the World Force inside his body gradually running out, he can no longer hold on. Not to mention Brother Wan, even he and the other unharmed Black Ink Disciple could not remain inside of the Black Ink Nest’s space forever. Otherwise, once all the World Force Inside their Small Universes were devoured by the Black Ink Nest, there was a risk of it collapsing, which was the same as them dying. Their situation was unlike the Black Ink Clan, the Territory Lords may not be significantly stronger than them, but the power within the Black Ink Clan was Black Ink Strength that could connect with the Black Ink Nest at will without the same risks that they had to take on. The Territory Lords could stay in their Black Ink Nests for as long as they wanted, but the same could not be said for the Black Ink Disciples. Before the power in their Small Universes dried up, they had to return their Souls to their bodies and seal off their Small Universe. Otherwise, they would be sucked dry and turned into withered corpses by the Black Ink Nest. However, as these two were unharmed, they were able to last longer than Brother Wan. After hearing what the old man said, Hong Di realized that he had overlooked the predicament of these Black Ink Disciples. However, he was still hesitant to open up this space. That was because the Human hiding inside of the Soul Warming Lotus would be allowed to escape once the space was opened. Only the Heavens knew what condition he was in right now, so who could say if he was capable of escaping when given a chance? The Territory Lords had already paid a very heavy price and even asked the Royal Lord for help just so they could trap this Human here, so how could they be willing to let him escape? However, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were currently a force that the Black Ink Clan relied on, so Hong Di was also reluctant to have that Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan just die in vain here. It was a difficult choice! Hong Di was indecisive when faced with this predicament. However, the eyes of another Territory Lord suddenly lit up, “If you Black Ink Disciples are facing this problem, then it must be the same for that Human. Since he could enter this place, it means that he must have connected his consciousness with the Black Ink Nest just as you have, using the World Force of his Small Universe as a bridge. So, there’s simply no need for us to try so hard to refine the Soul Warming Lotus or even attack him. We only need to wait until the power inside of his Small Universe is exhausted, then sooner or later, he will die!” Hong Di thought it was very logical when he heard it and nodded repeatedly, “That’s right, that’s exactly it!” The old man’s heart went cold upon hearing this. It seemed like the Territory Lords were saying that they would rather sacrifice the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan than open this space. However, it must be said that what the Territory Lord said was indeed the best solution at hand. The old man was merely a Black Ink Disciple after all, so despite how unbearable it was, the Territory Lords had already made their decision and he was in no position to try and convince them otherwise. He could only turn around and glance at the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan, sighing. However, Hong Di said, “You do not need to worry either. I’ve just thought of something.” The old man bowed, “Please, Sir.” “You said before that this Soul Warming Lotus was grows from three colours, five colours, and seven colours, correct? Now that this Soul Warming Lotus has already reached seven colours, it means that this man has possessed it for a long time, correct?” “Exactly so.” “Based on your speculation, how many years do you suppose this Human has possessed the Soul Warming Lotus?” “At least 1,000 years, if not several thousand,” the old man reported. “That’s right,” Hong Di’s eyes shone brightly, “If my guess is not wrong, then there is a great possibility that this Human is not in the Eighth Order.” “Not in the Eighth Order?” The Territory Lords and the old man were stunned. They had no idea why Hong Di would make such a guess. “I had a strange feeling when I fought him before; however, I couldn’t tell exactly what that feeling was. He just seemed different from the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters I’ve faced in the past. Knowing what I know now though, it is obvious that the reason his Soul has reached the intensity of the Eighth Order is because he had the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus. As such, it’s likely he is only in the Seventh Order! If he was truly in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then his Soul should have been far more powerful than an ordinary Eighth-Order Human.” Hong Di’s speculation was also logical, and the Territory Lords who heard him all nodded repeatedly. And this indeed made sense, for if this Human was truly in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then after his Soul was nurtured by the Soul Warming Lotus for several thousand years, there was no way his Spiritual Energy would remain at the same level as an ordinary Eighth-Order Human. It would definitely far surpass that. Now, the Spiritual Energy of this Human was merely on par with an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it was clear to see that his true strength was not in the Eighth-Order. The old man was even more delighted than the Territory Lords at that and exclaimed, “In that case, this man’s strength lies entirely in his Soul, while his true strength should be far inferior to ours.” Hong Di smiled, “And so, he will not be able to hold out longer than you can.” “Sir is absolutely correct!” The old man bowed. If that were the case, then the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan might still have a thin hope. As long as he could outlast the man inside of the Soul Warming Lotus, then once their opponent’s Small Universe dried up, their predicament would be solved and there would be no need for them to seal the Black Ink Nest’s space any longer. ….. At the same time, at the outpost with the Black Ink Nest in its centre. Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple were standing by, next to Yang Kai. Several months had gone by with Yang Kai remaining in this living corpse state without any trace of a ripple from his Soul, yet also with no physical abnormalities showing in his body. Ou Yang Lie had also invited several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were proficient in Soul cultivation to come and take a look at him previously, but they all came to the conclusion that the connection between Yang Kai’s Soul had been cut from his body, and it should be suppressed and sealed inside of the Black Ink Nest Space. Since only a single person could connect to a Black Ink Nest at any one time, there was nothing they could do to help on the Human side even if they wanted to. In this situation, Yang Kai could only protect himself. While being idle and having nothing to do, Gong Lian suddenly said, “Honoured Master, this Disciple heard that Brother Yang’s Small Universe is raising countless living beings. Even if he doesn’t cultivate, the heritage of his Small Universe is constantly increasing. Is that true?” Ou Yang Lie smacked his lips, “I’ve heard that too, so it is most likely not false. That means that this boy is a lucky one. Not even an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would dare to raise living beings in their Small Universe, yet he, as a Seventh-Order brat, had done so. Only the Heavens know how many years of cultivation that will save him in the future.” Gong Lian looked impressed, “If I were to raise living beings in my Small Universe too, then would I not have to cultivate in the future?” For him, this was a perfect solution as he always felt cultivation was a huge hassle. If he could increase his cultivation even while lying down and sleeping, nothing would make him happier. Ou Yang Lie glanced at him, “He has the capital to do so, but do you? The Four Universe Pillars aren’t cabbages you pick up in the market. Without one of the Four Universe Pillars to fortify your Small Universe, once you fought against a powerful foe, your Small Universe would certainly be shaken. When the time came, it would be a disaster for all the living beings inside. Such a sin would not be beneficial to your future cultivation.” Gong Lian felt a little dejected upon hearing that. Looking at Yang Kai, he really had to sigh with envy. Ou Yang Lie smacked his lips again, “However, we should be thankful to those living in this boy’s Small Universe. If not for them, he might have been sucked dry by the Black Ink Nest after not returning for such a long time.”