Chapter 5257, Accumulated Advantages Translator: Silavin & Jon Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys While the Black Ink Clansmen were puzzled, an unusual energy fluctuation was felt coming from the depths of the void. The direction was where the two top Masters were clashing. Although they had gone to a battlefield that was far away from the Royal City, the fallout of their battle was still transmitted to this place clearly; therefore, both the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Territory Lords could sense what was going on over there. Basically, the two top Masters were equally matched every time they fought, and neither of them could gain the upper hand. They would always end up being mutually wounded. However, something was different this time. Suddenly, the Old Ancestor’s aura spiked and the strength and the intensity of her attacks increased dramatically. On the other hand, the Royal Lord’s aura weakened by the breath. The realisation horrified the Territory Lords. The outcome of the Old Ancestor and Royal Lord’s battle would critically impact the outcome of the entire war. The two of them had always been equally matched, so why was the Royal Lord suddenly at such a massive disadvantage today? His weakening aura proved this point, and it was not a good sign for the Black Ink Clan. Initially, the Territory Lords prayed that the Royal Lord was simply caught off guard somehow and found himself temporarily at a disadvantage; after all, when these two Masters fought, there were naturally times when one of them appeared stronger. Every now and then, one of the two would use a powerful Secret Technique, granting them a slight edge in momentum; however, this kind of situation never lasted long and they would soon return to a state of equilibrium. Nevertheless, as time passed, the Territory Lords realised that something was terribly wrong. The Royal Lord’s aura continued to weaken, and there were no signs of him turning things around. There was no doubt that he was being completely suppressed now. On the other hand, the Old Ancestor’s aura stopped surging as it had already reached its peak, a kind of pinnacle that the Black Ink Clan had never felt before. The Territory Lords had no idea what was happening between these two top Masters, nor did the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples understand what was going on. However, the difference between the two auras made it clear who was winning. Compared to the Old Ancestor’s dominance, the Royal Lord’s performance was the exact opposite. All the Human Warships were connected as one, and all their defensive arrays were fully activated. With the help of the Intertwining Branches Formation, the entire fleet was wrapped in a powerful defensive barrier. As a result, the Human Army’s attacks were weak, but their defence was impenetrable. Furthermore, they maintained a high degree of mobility, so the bombardment of attacks from the Black Ink Clan could not harm the Humans at all. The anomalies such as the Humans’ unusual tactics, the Old Ancestor’s sudden dominance, and the Royal Lord’s weakening aura threw the Black Ink Clan into a fluster. The Territory Lords faintly realised what was happening, and following Che Kong’s order, the Black Ink Clansmen hurriedly increased the force behind their attacks on the Human Warships in the hope that they could achieve a breakthrough. Nevertheless, their attempts were futile. Then came the moment when the World Force in the distance erupted, after which the Royal Lord’s aura took a sharp dive. A terrified Che Kong turned to look in that direction, then passed down an order. The next instant, a few Territory Lords led 8 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and 100,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers out of the battlefield towards the place where the top Masters were fighting. It was at that moment that the Humans, who had always been on the defensive, suddenly launched an all-out attack. As the Spirit Arrays were activated, countless Secret Techniques and artifact attacks were shot from the fleet of Warships and struck the Black Ink Clan soldiers, Meanwhile, in the depths of the void, far from the Royal City, two figures were flying forward, one escaping, one chasing. The person in front was covered in thick Black Ink Strength. It was the Royal Lord. There were originally two black wings on his back, but only one of them remained now. The other one seemed to have been ripped from his body. The wound was still splattering out black blood, with raw flesh being exposed to the void. He looked extremely miserable. As the Royal Lord escaped, a look of terror filled his face. This couldn’t be helped though, as the opponent that was supposed to be his equal suddenly exhibited a power that far surpassed his own. How was it possible that he could remain calm and collected? He had never suffered from such a huge setback since his ascension to the rank of Territory Lord. Over the years, he had clashed with many powerful Human cultivators, and he even successfully launched a sneak attack on an Old Ancestor 30,000 years ago after he became a Royal Lord. As he collaborated with another Royal Lord, they managed to kill that Old Ancestor. Therefore, he had always felt that the Humans were nothing much. On this day though, the Old Ancestor who had been in a confrontation with him for more than 100 years suddenly experienced an unprecedented surge in strength. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised what was going on. It wasn’t that he was weaker than the Old Ancestor. If both of them were at their peaks, he wouldn’t have been so battered even if he was slightly weaker. However, since he was injured by this Old Ancestor for the first time back then, his wounds had never properly healed. What’s more, he would be injured again and again every 20 years. Before his old wounds could heal, new ones would be inflicted. The same thing repeatedly happened over the past 100 years, and so his injuries had only exacerbated. Initially, he thought that it was the same case for the Human Old Ancestor. If the information given to him was correct, it was extremely difficult for this female Old Ancestor to recover from her wounds, so how much could she recover in a mere 20 years? Over the years, the Old Ancestor would always appear to be injured whenever they fought, resulting in them indeed being equally matched. It wasn’t until this day that he realised he had been deceived. The Old Ancestor had fully recovered; not just this time, but every time in the past when they clashed. She just pretended to be wounded so that he would drop his guard. As they engaged in intense fights over the years, she gradually ensured that his injuries only deepened. After accumulating such a huge advantage, she finally bared her bloody fangs today. Both of them were supposedly equally matched, but one of them was in peak condition while the other was plagued by numerous heavy injuries. There was no doubt about who would win such a fight. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was just about deciding victory or defeat, but what the Royal Lord was terrified of was that since the Old Ancestor had patiently spent 100 years laying out this trap for him, her intention definitely wasn’t just to injure him again. What she was after this time was his life! An Old Ancestor would only exercise such patience and prudence in order to kill a Royal Lord. Presently, he was remorseful of his own fallibility. He should have figured out that this woman wasn’t as badly injured as he thought. He also shouldn’t have left the Royal City and followed her to such a distant battlefield. More than anything, he was resentful of the Royal Lord from the Yin-Yang Theatre, who had misled him. If not for the fact that he completely trusted the information she had given him, he wouldn’t have fallen into such a pitiful state. Regardless, it was pointless to cry over spilled milk. Now, he had to focus on how he could escape from the Old Ancestor and return to the Royal City. As long as he could return to the Royal City, he could make use of his Black Ink Nest to repel his opponent. With it, he would have the capital to fight back. However, his chances were slim. The Old Ancestor had been preparing for this moment for more than 100 years, so she certainly wouldn’t give him a chance to flee. Proof of this was that at the start of the fight, she had lured him somewhere much further away from the Royal City than normal. Now, in his current state, it would take him at least an hour to return to the Royal City. An hour was more than enough time for the Old Ancestor to cut off his head. While he was running away, he felt horrifying Secret Techniques coming at him from behind. Although he had been trying his best to dodge and resist, every time he was struck his strength sank even further. Behind him, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was relentlessly chasing after him. As she performed different hand seals, she cast Secret Techniques that she had never displayed before. Her expression was calm. She didn’t show any elation or expectation about killing a powerful foe of the same calibre. That was because she knew that everything was still uncertain before the last moment came. Even the Territory Lords and Feudal Lords had methods to save their lives at the critical moment, not to mention that she was after a Royal Lord. If he didn’t still think he had a chance to survive, instead of fleeing, he would have turned around and tried to bring her down with him. Although she had been patient over the years waiting for this day, and had made a lot of prior arrangements, she didn’t have the confidence that she would succeed in the end. She could only do her best and let the Heavens make the decision. However, from the looks of it, it was highly likely that she would succeed. ….. Presently, several Territory Lords were leading 8 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and 100,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers over from the Royal City to assist the Royal Lord. The Human soldiers also chose to strike at that moment. Just by looking in the direction the detachment of Black Ink Clan soldiers was heading, Xiang Shan knew where they were going. If everything went well, this would be the final battle here at the Royal City. The Old Ancestor was the key to winning the war, so the Humans definitely couldn’t let those Black Ink Clan soldiers disturb her. Therefore, under Xiang Shan’s leadership, the Human Warships did their best to intercept them. On the other hand, Che Kong led even more Black Ink Clan soldiers to stop the Humans. As both parties clashed, the originally dry battlefield was filled with rivers of blood as countless people on both sides lost their lives. In the end, the East-West Army was unable to stop the detached force from the Black Ink Clan. Although they had done their best, there were too few people on their side. With Che Kong and his Army restraining the Humans, the Territory Lords still managed to leave with those Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers. During the intense battle, both parties used all sorts of amazing Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities. Be it the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were already aware of it or the Territory Lords who had figured it out, they knew that this clash would determine the future trend of the entire Great Evolution Theatre. None of them would hold back their powers in such a fight, all of them bringing out their hidden trump cards in hopes of settling things here once and for all. One hour later, in the depths of the void, the Royal Lord’s injuries had grown worse. Faced with the Old Ancestor’s relentless attacks, he was unable to keep himself safe even though he had focused all his efforts on defending himself and escaping. If this dragged on, he would perish before he returned to the Royal City. He had never expected that he would be so close to death one day. Since the day he became a Royal Lord, he had always believed that he had become immortal and indestructible. However, only 30,000 years had passed, and it was just the first war he had against an Old Ancestor on his own. It never crossed his mind that this female Old Ancestor would have the capability to kill him. Compared to others, he had only been a Royal Lord for a very short time. The Royal City was within his sight, and as long as he persevered for a while more, he could connect with his Black Ink Nest and make use of its power. Unfortunately, he didn’t expect to have that chance. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂 Just as dejection was setting in, he saw a large number of Black Ink Clansmen coming to his rescue from the Royal City. At that, he was ecstatic.