Chapter 5353, Preparations Translator: Silavin & Ashish Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys “Great Evolution Pass is only a few days away from the Royal City, if we don’t think of a way to defend ourselves before it arrives, I’m afraid all will be lost,” a Territory Lord muttered. “How should we fight back?” One of the Territory Lords asked. “The Pass is barreling right towards us, and the Royal City cannot stop it. In that case, we have only one choice, and that is to dodge it. If the Human Race wants to destroy the Royal City using Great Evolution Pass, we must do everything possible to stop them.” In truth, the destruction of the Royal City was not that big of a deal for the Black Ink Clan. The place where the Royal Lord resided was the Royal City, so if the Royal City was destroyed, they could simply move to another location and rebuild. However, the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest was in the Royal City, and the Black Ink Nest didn’t have any real defensive capabilities. If the Royal City was destroyed, the Black Ink Nest would be destroyed along with it, and if that happened, the injured Royal Lord would not be able to borrow its power to resist the Old Ancestor. In his current state, without his Black Ink Nest, the Royal Lord was not the Human Old Ancestor’s match. His defeat or worse, death, would greatly affect the morale of the Black Ink Clan Army. In the face of the oncoming Great Evolution Pass, many Territory Lords felt that the best way to deal with it was to avoid it. Hong Di indifferently replied, “How can we avoid it? Great Evolution Pass is a Mobile Palace Artifact. Even if we could move the Royal City, our speed would undoubtedly be slower than Great Evolution Pass. Even if we managed to dodge their attack once or twice, we will have to face them sooner or later.” He had previously gone to investigate the situation of Great Evolution Pass and knew that the Royal City could not avoid it. “Are we just going to sit here and wait for the Humans to attack then?” Angrily asked the Territory Lord who had spoken up earlier. Hong Di shook his head, “Great Evolution Pass has travelled quite a long distance to reach here, so the Humans should only have enough strength to launch a single attack if we fight back. As long as we make a united effort and block that one strike, we can protect the Royal City. What follows will be a war between the two Races. Although the Humans are strong, we still hold the advantage in numbers. Whether it’s apex Masters or weaker soldiers, our Black Ink Clan has always had this advantage, so why should we fear them?” This might have been the case, but all the Territory Lords knew that the Human Race’s combat strength couldn’t be judged purely based on numbers; otherwise, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t have been so badly beaten that they were now afraid to even leave the Royal City. “We’ll have to pay a great price to stop the advancing Great Evolution Pass.” After travelling such a huge distance, the massive Pass had gained an incredible amount of momentum. The Black Ink Clan would have to put their lives on the line if they wanted to halt it. Not to mention Feudal Lords, even the Territory Lords might fall if they were not careful. “Even if we have to pay a great price, we must stop it,” Hong Di proclaimed as a stern and ruthless look took over his face. Back then, he was forced to leave behind his Black Ink Nest and all of the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples, all so that surviving Black Ink Clansmen could safely leave Great Evolution Pass. This had left a huge stain on his reputation and many Territory Lords even looked down on him over the years, feeling that he had lost the face of the Black Ink Clan. Not a moment went by without Hong Di not wanting to fight it out with the Humans again to prove his strength and that his choice that day had been forced. Now that the Humans were invading, it was a crisis for the Black Ink Clan, but it was also an opportunity for Hong Di! As long as he could inflict heavy losses on the Humans in this battle, he could wash away his previous humiliation. If he could kill an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, that would be even better. Che Kong also agreed, nodding, “Avoiding the enemy is not the strategy to win a war. We have spent so much time and effort to set up such a massive defence line, but now we want to escape with the Royal City? Our Black Ink Clan cannot afford to lose face like this. Centuries ago, the Human Race used schemes and deception to severely injure the Royal Lord, causing our Black Ink Clan to suffer heavy casualties. Their victory in that battle has blinded the Humans and made them arrogant, making them look down on us as weak and unworthy of fear. But things are different now. Since they dare to act so presumptuously, let us make sure that they all perish here.” Turning around, he cupped his fist towards the Royal Lord sitting on his throne and bowed, “Sir Royal Lord, your subordinate requests you lead all the Territory Lords to defend the Royal City to the death and stop Great Evolution Pass!” The Royal Lord remained completely silent. Originally, he had two wings filled with the Black Ink Strength on his back, but now only one remained. The other one had been ripped off by Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao in the final battle 200 years ago and he had yet to recover it even now. Since the Royal Lord had not spoken, the Territory Lords could only wait. After a good long while, the Royal Lord finally nodded, “We will use the Royal City as the battlefield. We will kill the Old Ancestor and annihilate the Human Race Army!” The Territory Lords’ spirits rose as they shouted in unison, “Kill the Old Ancestor, annihilate the Human Race’s Army!” Their morale was instantly boosted. Who knew where their confidence was coming from. A moment later, Territory Lords filed out of the palace, preparing to resist the advancing Great Evolution Pass. In a flash, the Black Ink Clan Armies in the Royal City were mobilized, forming a defensive perimeter outside the Royal City. All the Territory Lords knew that the future of both races depended on this battle. If the Humans won, there would no longer be a place for the Black Ink Clan to survive in Great Evolution Theatre, and vice versa, the Humans would perish! No one dared to lower their guard as they prepared to place all their cards on the table. For a moment, the Royal City was shrouded in a thick murderous intent. Far away, Great Evolution Pass flew forward at maximum speed. News kept coming from the frontline, allowing the Human Race’s higher-ups to keep track of the Black Ink Clan’s deployment. Inside the Main Conference Hall, a slight furrow could be seen on the faces of Xiang Shan and the others. The Black Ink Clan’s actions were truly suspicious. All of them believed that when Great Evolution Pass charged at the Royal City, the Black Ink Clan would move the Royal City, avoiding a head-on clash, but by the looks of it, the Black Ink Clan wanted to put up a stubborn resistance. But could they? And even if they somehow managed to resist the initial strike, would the Black Ink Clan be able to deal with the upcoming battle? The Royal Lord was heavily injured, and even if he could use his Black Ink Nest to resist the Old Ancestor for a time, how long could he last? Once the Royal Lord was defeated, the Black Ink Clan would not be able to resist. Where was the Black Ink Clan’s confidence coming from? Everyone was confused by the Black Ink Clan’s deployment, but there was no time to think too much about it. Great Evolution Pass’ attack was already in motion. If the Black Ink Clan tried to resist, then they would have to face them head-on. ….. Three days later, Yang Kai left his room… His injuries had completely healed after a few days of recovery, illustrating just how potent a Dragon Vein could be when it came to healing injuries. Every member of Dawn was already gathered in the courtyard. When Yang Kai walked out of his room, he swept a glance over everyone. He did not give any speech or anything, he just slightly nodded and ordered in a heavy voice, “Let’s go!” There was no need for any additional words. Everyone knew that this battle would be far more dangerous than any they had fought before. Most of these 50 members of Dawn might perish in this war, but no one had any intention of cowering. The Human Race had waited for this day for countless millennia. Even if they had to sacrifice all their lives to obtain victory, so what? One after another, Squads left their residences and headed towards the walls. Yang Kai led Dawn to a certain section of the wall at the bow of Great Evolution Pass. Looking around, he found the place completely jam-packed. Whether it was above or below, there were people everywhere. Every Array and artifact on the city walls was manned by someone, ready to activate them at a moment’s notice. Even though there were so many people present, not a sound could be heard. Everyone was eagerly waiting for the moment the clash with the Black Ink Clan would begin. When Yang Kai looked towards the horizon, he could already see the outline of the Royal City. Nonetheless, they were still quite a distance away and the Black Ink Strength was extremely rich here, so he couldn’t see it clearly. Suddenly, a figure flew to Yang Kai’s side. Yang Kai promptly turned around and greeted, cupping his fist, “Martial Uncle Xu!” Xu Ling Gong lightly nodded in response before exhorting, “The battlefield is always changing, be careful out there.” “I understand,” acknowledged Yang Kai. “This battle is not going to be easy. The Black Ink Clan will have more Territory-Lord-level Masters available to fight than we have Eighth-Order Division Commanders to contain them. We need to tighten our defences, so 20 Eighth-Order Masters will remain inside Great Evolution Pass, which will further widen the gap in numbers. We might have the Evil Purging Divine Spears now, but no one can say for sure how effective they will be in combat. If you encounter a Territory Lord or Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple on the battlefield, don’t try to fight them head-on, try to draw them to me.” “Yes!” Yang Kai silently calculated in his heart. Great Evolution Pass had a total of 74 Eight-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so if 20 remained in Great Evolution Pass to strengthen its defenses, that would leave only 50 or so who could fight. Although he had no idea how many Territory Lords the Black Ink Clan had, they should have at least 70 to 80. Not to mention, they still had many Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. The Humans were indeed at a disadvantage in terms of high-level combat power. As for how they planned to overturn this disadvantage, it would depend on how effective the Evil Purging Divine Spears turned out to be. If they managed to eliminate a bunch of Territory Lords or Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples with the Evil Purging Divine Spears at the outset of the battle, the pressure on the Human Race would be greatly reduced. More importantly, if the Humans wanted to win, they did not just need to reduce the pressure they were facing, but gain a decisive advantage. At the end of the day, the fact remained that the Human soldiers were fewer in number than the Black Ink Clansmen. Things would become chaotic during the battle, so even if Great Evolution Pass was within reach, one might not be able to reach it in a moment of crisis. Things would turn much smoother if Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could obtain a victory at the outset of the battle. As for Xu Ling Gong’s suggestion of luring any Territory Lords or Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples to him, Yang Kai had no plan to heed it. Xu Ling Gong had only just broken through to the Eighth-Order two centuries ago, so even though his cultivation had stabilized, his foundation was nowhere near as strong as the veteran Eighth-Order Masters. He might not fall into a disadvantage against a single Territory Lord, but if he was up against two, then he would most definitely be overpowered. Yang Kai, on the other hand, might appear to be just a Seventh-Order Master, but he had obtained an enormous amount of benefits at the No-Return Pass and could now transform into an Ancient Dragon, so fighting a Territory Lord was not a problem for him. The current Yang Kai could be said to be a Pseudo Eighth-Order Master! Xu Ling Gong quickly left. Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had their own assignments. They would immediately engage the Territory Lords once the battle began, so it was impossible for them to move together with a Squad. Not far away, Xiao Cai was standing next to Miao Fei Ping. She hesitated for a moment before finally urging, “Senior Brother Miao, you have to be careful. If you can’t defeat the enemy, remember to return to Dawning Light.” Miao Fei Ping’s cultivation speed was extremely fast. As the Human Race had ample resources now and quite a few years had gone by since he left Yang Kai’s Small Universe, he had already advanced to the Seventh Order a few years ago. This would be the first time he would be fighting against the Black Ink Clan after advancing to the Seventh Order. Miao Fei Ping glanced at her and assured her with a smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. But you also need to be careful.” Xiao Cai nodded, “I’ll be staying inside Dawning Light and only activating the Spirit Arrays, so it won’t be too dangerous.” On the battlefield, the ones in the most danger were the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who would have to leave their Warships to engage the enemy. On the other hand, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like Xiao Cai wouldn’t be in much danger as long as their Warship was not destroyed. Of course, if the Warship was destroyed, the Fifth and Sixth-Order Masters would likely face total annihilation. Since ancient times, there had been countless incidents where entire Squads were wiped out. “We’re just half a day away!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted. Yang Kai was able to see farther and more clearly than others thanks to his Demon Eye of Annihilation; as such, he was able to spy on the situation of the Royal City. The Black Ink Clan had deployed their Army outside the Royal City and were prepared to meet them head-on!