Chapter 5827, Small Gift Translator: Silavin & June Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys In the Main Conference Hall, Mi Jing Lun looked at Yang Kai with a hint of apology, “I know it’s been tough for you to rush around, but we don’t have much time to spare. We’re counting on you to take care of the Red Flame Army’s situation.” Yang Kai chuckled, “I haven’t been in a fight for so many years. It’s time to go and stretch my muscles.” As he spoke, he stood up and walked out. When he reached the door, he suddenly threw something back that flew straight towards Mi Jing Lun. Mi Jing Lun caught it as he heard Yang Kai say, “I brought a small gift for Senior Brother. Please accept it.” By the time he looked up, Yang Kai had already disappeared. Watching Yang Kai leave, the staff members, who had been anxious for a long time, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since Yang Kai had returned and was headed towards the E-5 Territory, it was quite likely that things there would soon be under control. On the other hand, the Black Ink Clan had no idea that he had returned, and they would surely suffer a big loss once caught off guard. “Supreme Commander Mi, since Sir Yang has returned, why not gather all the Ninth-Order Masters and directly attack the No-Return Pass?” Someone suggested. The Black Ink Clan’s advantage lay not only in the number of Pseudo-Royal Lords, but also in the steady stream of troops. As long as they had enough Black Ink Nests and supplies, they could continually spawn large Armies. If they attacked the No-Return Pass and destroyed the High-Rank Black Ink Nests, they could completely cut off the Black Ink Clan’s supply of troops. Then the pressure on the Human Race would be greatly reduced. Currently, the Black Ink Clan Army seemed endless, but without the Black Ink Nests, they would eventually be eradicated completely. Roughly 500 years ago, the Humans had attempted this, but at that time, there were only four Ninth-Order Masters and unfortunately, the Black Ink Clan was on guard, so the attempt failed. But now, with Yang Kai’s return, there were seven Ninth-Order Masters in total, almost twice as many as before. If they made another attempt, there was a high chance of success. Mi Jing Lun held the box tightly and shook his head, “It’s too risky. Even if it succeeds, we may not be able to destroy all the High-Rank Black Ink Nests. If we can’t cut off the roots once and for all, this move would be meaningless and would only put all the Armies at unnecessary risk.” Today was different from the past. The 12 Armies of the Human Race were all fighting far from the rear lines and from each other, and the Black Ink Clan had their own countermeasures in place. If the Ninth-Order Masters suddenly disappeared, the Black Ink Clan would surely take advantage of the situation. Without the Ninth-Order Masters’ assuming command, the previously evenly matched situation could strongly tilt in the Black Ink Clan’s favour. By that time, the Human Race would undoubtedly suffer countless deaths and injuries, and the previously accumulated achievements might all be lost at once. The staff member who spoke thought about it and then nodded lightly, “What Supreme Commander Mi said is true. I was thinking too simply.” “At present, the situation of the two Races is such that our Human Race can only steadily fight while not showing any openings to the Black Ink Clan. You must all remember this,” Mi Jing Lun replied. “Yes,” everyone responded in unison. Mi Jing Lun withdrew his gaze and casually opened the box that Yang Kai threw to him before leaving. Since Yang Kai said it was a small gift he had brought back, Mi Jing Lun didn’t give it much thought, but the moment he opened the box, his expression froze stiff. Not only him, but all the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Main Hall were instantly attracted to the object in the box. Lying in the box was a multi-coloured light pill, with a wondrous aura emanating from it that made both Mi Jing Lun and the Eighth-Order staff feel as if the bottlenecks that had bound them for millennia were showing signs of loosening. Although they had never seen this kind of pill before, the Eighth-Order Masters who felt the abnormality at this moment recognised its origin at a glance. “A Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill!” Someone exclaimed. Mi Jing Lun became even more shocked as the words passed through his ears. [The ‘small gift’ Yang Kai brought back is actually a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill?] He couldn’t believe his eyes. But only something like the mysterious energy of such a pill could loosen the shackles of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Master; in this world, there was probably nothing else that could do this except for a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. This was a priceless treasure that all peak Eighth-Order Masters dreamed of. It was an opportunity to break through the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm Method. This Spirit Pill also represented the birth of a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master! With Mi Jing Lun’s many years of accumulation and heritage, if he were to refine it, he would surely advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm in short order. Instantly, Mi Jing Lun understood. This Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was probably snatched by Yang Kai from the Chaos Spirit King. Years ago, he had talked to many Masters who had returned from the Universe Furnace to find out about Yang Kai’s whereabouts. Some had reported feeling Yang Kai’s aura from afar, but also that he disappeared quickly. It seemed that Yang Kai was being chased by the Chaos Spirit King at that time. At that time, Mi Jing Lun speculated that Yang Kai had probably gone to trouble the Chaos Spirit King again and snatch the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill he lost in the great battle against the Black Ink Clan. However, as Yang Kai had been missing for so many years, there was no way to verify this. It wasn’t until now, with the Spirit Pill in his hand as proof, that Mi Jing Lun’s guess was confirmed; Yang Kai had indeed snatched the Spirit Pill back. No wonder the Chaos Spirit King had been chasing after him all that time. Encountering Yang Kai was bad luck for the Chaos Spirit King, who had to fight for the Spirit Pill several times. Gently closing the wooden box in his hand, Mi Jing Lun momentarily pondered before saying, “I need to enter retreat for a while. You guys can handle things here on your own. If it’s not an emergency, feel free to consult amongst yourselves.” The others nodded in agreement. After that, Mi Jing Lun stepped out of the Main Hall, holding the box tightly in his hand. At present, there were many Masters at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, many of whom had made great contributions to the Human Race on the battlefield. These individuals were commendable, having risked their lives for the greater cause. They too required Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills to break through their current bottlenecks; however, there was only one pill. Mi Jing Lun was not a selfish person. If it were peacetime, he might not have cared about the Spirit Pill because he was not someone who was obsessed with reaching the Ninth Order. But this was war! He was the Supreme Commander of the Human Race’s 12 Armies. These Armies had made continuous progress over the past 600 years, reclaiming more than 200 Great Territories. However, with such a long and distant front line, it was no longer appropriate to have the Supreme Headquarters set up in this location; after all, feedback from the front lines couldn’t be timely, and would often affect decision-making and responses. Mi Jing Lun had also thought about relocating the Supreme Headquarters to a position closer to the battlefield, but he didn’t dare to do so because he was only an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and the number of people left behind at the Supreme Headquarters was not enough to deal with a surprise attack if led by Pseudo-Royal Lords or Royal Lords. If the Black Ink Clan found the location of the Supreme Headquarters and launched an attack, it would be disastrous. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖 Mi Jing Lun’s death alone wouldn’t matter much, but if the Supreme Headquarters was wiped out, it would definitely affect the morale of the Human Race Army. Without the central coordination of the Supreme Headquarters, the various Armies would also not be able to coordinate with one another. In terms of information transmission, the Humans were not as efficient and fast compared to the Black Ink Clan. So, losing the Supreme Headquarters would be extremely detrimental to the overall situation. Mi Jing Lun knew that if he could advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, all his past plans could be put into action. The Supreme Headquarters could be deployed towards the direction of the battlefield and receive frontline information in a more timely manner. When he saw the Spirit Pill, Mi Jing Lun hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to use it to break through to the Ninth Order. After Mi Jing Lun left, the group of staff members gradually regained their calm. Although they might never have the chance to reach the Ninth Order, and the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill would not be for them, they couldn’t help but feel happy that another Ninth-Order Master was soon to be born in the Human Race. An Eighth-Order Master spoke in a low voice, “Supreme Commander Mi’s breakthrough is classified information and should not be leaked under any circumstances.” Everyone nodded in agreement. The Black Ink Clan now had a thorough understanding of the Human Race, with six Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters leading six Armies. Keeping in mind that they were probably unaware of Yang Kai’s return, it wouldn’t be long before the E-5 Territory plunged into a reign of terror. If Mi Jing Lun were to break through to the Ninth-Order Realm, the Human Race would have a total of eight Ninth-Order Masters, so concealing Mi Jing Lun’s breakthrough could potentially be used to their advantage in the future. Everyone here was smart enough to understand this. It was tacit even if Mi Jing Lun did not give any orders about it. ….. The E-5 Territory was a Great Territory with a designated code rather than a name. It had always been barren, with only a few Universe Worlds with Martial Daos even inferior to the Star Boundary before it flourished. Despite its lack of distinction, there were still quite a number of such Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds. When the Black Ink Clan invaded the 3,000 Worlds, they effortlessly took over this Great Territory, and the living beings on the few Universe Worlds here had no idea what had happened, falling victim to the disaster. After capturing this Great Territory, the Black Ink Clan did not leave too many forces here, as neither they nor the Human Race paid much attention to such a Great Territory. However, 10 years ago, the E-5 Territory had become the battlefield where the Red Flame Army and the Black Ink Clan fought. As Mi Jing Lun said, over the years, the Black Ink Clan had intentionally and unintentionally abandoned more than 200 Great Territories, forcing the Humans to extend their battle lines, which gave them a chance to strike at the Red Flame Army. Retreating at the right time would not be considered a failure; but rather, a forward-thinking plan to make for a better counterattack. Under the leadership of Mo Na Ye, despite losing many Great Territories and some troops, the Black Ink Clan’s top combat power was well-preserved. The string of losses had caused the Black Ink Clan’s anger to boil for hundreds of years, and once this kind of anger erupted, it would be unstoppable. As long as they could defeat the Red Flame Army, the Black Ink Clan’s years of forbearance would be worthwhile. That was why Black Ink Clan was determined to win this war. The reason why they chose the Red Flame Army was because it did not have a Ninth-Order Master leading it, making them easier to deal with. There were only a few Ninth-Order Masters, but the Humans were divided into 12 Armies, making it impossible for each one to have a Ninth-Order Master.