Chapter 5338, It’s Not a Coincidence
Translator: Silavin & Ashish
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Dawning Light continued drifting forward, silently and stealthily.
Although they were still at the edge of the enemy defence perimeter, they would still occasionally encounter a few patrolling Black Ink Clansmen. All of these patrols were led by Feudal Lords with a dozen or so lower-rank Black Ink Clansmen following them.
Judging by this, it was quite apparent how much importance the Black Ink Clan attached to this defensive line, and how afraid they were of some Human Master breaking into it.
The more this was the case, the more it showed that the Black Ink Clan was at the end of its rope.
Since ancient times until now, when had the Black Ink Clan ever been so passive on the Black Ink Battlefield? They had always been the ones attacking the Great Passes on a large scale. Even if they suffered heavy casualties, they would quickly refill their ranks and make a comeback within a few decades.
Every time, the Humans warded off the Black Ink Clan, but only after painstaking efforts and sacrificing countless lives. Generation after generation, elites were sent from the 3,000 Worlds to the Black Ink Battlefield, but they barely managed to hold the line.
Now, the Black Ink Clan in Great Evolution Theatre no longer had the capital to act arrogantly.
This was the dawn of Humanity’s victory, the glory of Great Evolution Pass.
About half a day later, another team of Black Ink Clansmen flew towards Dawning Light, but they left soon after a brief investigation and finding nothing unusual.
Yang Kai and Shen Ao, who were standing on the deck, looked at each other with serious expressions on their faces.
It wasn’t just a coincidence. The Black Ink Clan could notice any intrusion of their defence line.
“I did not notice anyone spying on us, so how did the Black Ink Clan discover us?” Shen Ao asked in confusion.
Yang Kai thought for a moment before replying, “Perhaps it’s because of the Black Ink Nests.”
“The Black Ink Nests?” Ning Qi Zhi was confused.
Yang Kai slightly nodded, “Old Ancestor told me a few things about the Royal City. After the withdrawal of the Great Evolution East-West Army, there was nothing unusual about the Royal City at first, but after a decade or so, the Black Ink Clan began to set up this kind of defensive line. So where did the Black Ink Strength come from? Naturally, it came from Black Ink Nests.”
Bai Yi suddenly interjected, “I spotted two Black Ink Nests from where we just passed by. Judging by their sizes, they should be Low-Rank.”
Shen Ao was beside himself in shock, “You can see them?”
Bai Yi looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Squad Leader, you can see them too, right?”
The reason she could see this was because as a disciple of Divine Feather Paradise, she had to cultivate Eye Secret Techniques in order to facilitate her archery skills.
Yang Kai also cultivated special Eye Techniques. The Eye Secret Techniques of Myriad Demons Heaven were not inferior to those of Divine Feather Paradise, perhaps even superior in some aspects.
Shen Ao and the others all looked towards Yang Kai with a look of curiosity on their faces.
Yang Kai gave the confirmation, nodding, “Indeed, there were two Low-Rank Black Ink Nests. Just as the Old Ancestor suspected, the Black Ink Clan seems to have gathered all the Black Ink Nests outside the Royal City to set up a defensive line filled with Black Ink Strength.”
Originally, there was one High-Rank Black Ink Nest and nearly 100 Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest in Great Evolution Theatre. Furthermore, there were a few dozen Low-Rank Black Ink Nest under each Territory Lord.
In short, there were at least 1,000 Low-Rank Black Ink Nests spread throughout the Great Evolution Theatre, and that was not even counting the High-Rank and Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests.
Although a number of them had been destroyed during the Great Evolution East-West Army’s incursion, that was only a small part. The Black Ink Clan still had a lot of Black Ink Nests remaining.
Where did these Black Ink Nests go? Others might not know, but how could the Old Ancestor who had attacked the Royal City repeatedly not?
The dozens of Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests had all been moved to the Royal City to be better protected.
The Black Ink Clan had no choice in this matter, as there was no safe place for the Black Ink Clan in the entire Great Evolution Theatre apart from the Royal City. If the Black Ink Nests remained outside, they were at risk of being destroyed by the Humans at any moment.
Furthermore, many more Low-Rank Black Ink Nests were arranged in the periphery of the Royal City, which were then used to produce Black Ink Strength using large amounts of resources, creating a strong defensive line.
In other words, Low-Rank Black Ink Nests could be found almost everywhere in the periphery of the Royal City. These Black Ink Nests would constantly generate Black Ink Strength, filling the defensive line and expanding it outward.
Every time the Old Ancestor attacked, she would destroy many Black Ink Nests, but once she made a move, her position would be exposed, and the other Black Ink Nests were quickly evacuated.
Dawning Light entered the range of two different Low-Rank Black Ink Nests, and they were detected every time. So, it was obvious that the Black Ink Strength did serve as a monitoring tool.
Perhaps the Feudal Lord in charge of the Black Ink Nest could sense when something came into contact with the surrounding Black Ink Strength.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai ordered, “Inform the other three Squads about this and tell them to be on guard.”
The current situation was a bit problematic. If they were lucky, they might be able to smoothly bypass the enemy patrols, but if they were down on their luck, and if one of the Black Ink Clansmen who came to investigate launched an attack at them, Dawning Light would instantly be exposed. The Illusion Array set up on the Dawning Light only had concealing effects, it didn’t provide any form of defence.
Having received the order, Shen Ao quickly took out some Space Beacons and sent messages to Chai Fang and the others.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai turned his gaze in the direction of the Royal City. They were about a month’s journey away from the Black Ink Clan Royal City, so when Great Evolution Pass arrived, it would definitely be discovered by the Black Ink Clan. At that time, the Royal City would quickly be able to gather its forces and prepare for the incoming attack.
A month was more than enough time for the Black Ink Clan to prepare completely.
Whereas Great Evolution Pass would lose its element of surprise.
Was there any way to hoodwink the eyes and ears of the Black Ink Clan?
The only way to do so would be to take down some of the Black Ink Nests in the outer ring without being discovered.
It would be difficult, but not impossible!
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai ordered, “Carefully retreat from here and follow along the edge of the defensive line.”
He planned to first investigate the situation of the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line. The defensive line built using many Black Ink Nest might have appeared like one enormous wall, but in reality, it was bloated and uneven, so there may be some flaws.
The reason why Yang Kai wanted to withdraw was because he did not want to intrude into any Black Ink Nest domains anymore. After all, they would be investigated every time they entered a new detection range.
They might have been lucky so far, but each new inspection increased the risk of getting caught.