Elder Zuo lunged forward with his long sword, aiming a close-range thrust.
Seeing this, Yu Daohen raised his mace to parry. Elder Zuo seized the opening, channeling the qi within his body to his fingertips and slashing down with immense force.
The distance was too short to evade, and it was already too late to retract his mace for defense. There was only one option…
Without a word, Yu Daohen condensed the Dikun Hand with his other hand, preparing to meet the sword qi head-on.
Fortunately, the Dikun Hand was sufficiently tough. Otherwise, he would have been severely injured, if not killed, by this blow.
Shock!
Elder Zuo felt a chill run down his spine. He turned his head and saw that drop of black liquid.
Not good!
Elder Zuo’s expression changed drastically. He had witnessed the penetrating power of this black liquid before.
What was even more deadly was that at such close range, it was impossible to dodge.
Elder Zuo instinctively raised his hand to block, though he wasn't entirely sure of the black liquid's penetrating power.
The concentrated blood tear, version 2.0, pierced directly into Elder Zuo's palm.
*Splat—*
Immediately, Elder Zuo’s entire arm began to swell, and blood burst forth from every pore.
Seeing this, Yu Daohen flicked away the sword qi with his backhand, letting out a sigh of relief.
It was fortunate that the Dikun Hand was tough enough, but it was already at its limit.
Seeing that his concentrated blood tear, version 2.0, had hit Elder Zuo, Yu Daohen no longer lingered. He turned and fled.
The result had been determined; further fighting was meaningless.
In this battle, he had gained a slight advantage.
That was enough.
Seeing Yu Daohen sprint away, Elder Zuo had no intention of pursuing. Instead, he focused on stopping the bleeding in his injured arm, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.
It seemed he had underestimated the young man's strength.
No.
It was his own arrogance.
New talents emerge in every generation, with the new replacing the old.
He had not lost this battle unfairly!
Yu Daohen ran forward frantically.
He didn't know if Shen Fengqing and the others would pursue him.
But he was certain that if they caught him, he would surely die.
In a one-on-one fight, he was confident he wouldn't lose to any of them, including those two old men.
But facing all four of them… well, even a celestial being would have to beg for mercy.
On the other side.
Elder Zuo walked up to the three of them.
Shen Fengqing and Huang Yueji’s expressions turned grave upon seeing the wounds on Elder Zuo’s face.
Elder Zuo had been gone for so long and returned with injuries on his face, indicating he had likely clashed with Yu Daohen.
They were unsure who had won.
However, judging by the appearance, it seemed Elder Zuo had won.
They knew Elder Zuo’s strength all too well.
His power was such that no expert on the current Jianghu Black List could match him.
Elder You, standing beside them, remained silent.
Upon seeing the blood dripping from Elder Zuo’s finger, he knew Elder Zuo had been defeated.
Elder Zuo remained silent and walked to Elder You’s side.
Shen Fengqing couldn't help but ask, "Elder Zuo, is Yu Daohen dead or alive?"
Elder Zuo shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid I must disappoint the Cult Master. This old servant did not win, but was defeated."
Hearing this, Huang Yueji and Huang Yueji were filled with shock and disbelief.
Elder Zuo had actually lost?!
The intense impact made them doubt if they had misheard.
Seeing their reaction, Elder Zuo lifted his sleeve again.
His entire arm was covered in bloody wounds.
It was evident that this was an internal injury, caused by some force directly penetrating the arm.
Such an injury was far more serious than the external wounds suggested; the damage to the veins within was more severe than what was visible.
Shen Fengqing and Huang Yueji's expressions grew even more grim.
Seeing Elder Zuo so severely injured, Elder You frowned, "Carelessness?"
Elder Zuo shook his head, "It had nothing to do with carelessness. That kid's strength was on par with mine. I lost this bout by one move."
"On par with you?"
Elder You grinned, his interest piqued. "Interesting. If there's a chance, I'd like to meet that kid myself next time."
Shen Fengqing narrowed his eyes, his fists clenching with a cracking sound.
Elder You glanced at Shen Fengqing beside him and said with a smile, "Cult Master, admitting that someone is stronger than you is not a disgrace. I will handle that kid. You just focus on completing the great plan. From now on, you can command all the forces of the Divine God Cult, including myself and Elder Zuo."
Shen Fengqing nodded, looked back in the direction Yu Daohen had fled, and said slowly, "The momentum is lost. Let's go."
Shen Fengqing led the group away.
The road ahead was long, and a temporary setback was nothing!
Yu Daohen stopped running only after confirming that the four were not pursuing him. He leaned against a large tree, panting heavily, his expression becoming serious.
Based on the situation just now, the strength of those two old men was definitely enough to rank within the top five, or even top three, on the Black List.
Currently, those two old men, Shen Fengqing, Huang Yueji, Li Tiandao, Chen Shan, and He.
These individuals combined numbered six, and each was at the level of a Black List expert.
This put immense pressure on the current Jianghu.
It seemed he had underestimated Shen Tianming.
Those two old men were likely his final trump cards.
With the strength of those two old men, it would be easy for them to encircle and kill any expert on the current Jianghu Black List.
This matter needed to be reported to the various sects of Jianghu as soon as possible.
After the fierce battle, it was already four in the morning.
Shi Bingzhi, observing from below the mountain, had noticed a large number of Divine God Cult apostles infiltrating the back mountain and had led his men to prepare for a decisive battle against them.
However, by the time they arrived, the Divine God Cult apostles had already withdrawn.
Shi Bingzhi looked up at the peak of the back mountain, a sense of awe filling him.
Young Master Yu could truly hold back the Divine God Cult's attack single-handedly.
Just then, someone suddenly shouted from behind.
"Sect Leader."
"Sect Leader."
"..."
Shi Bingzhi turned around and saw Yu Daohen walking towards him, smiling, "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."
Yu Daohen didn't reply, his expression turning serious.
Seeing this, Shi Bingzhi frowned and asked, "Young Master Yu, are you injured?"
"No," Yu Daohen shook his head.
Relieved by Yu Daohen's answer, Shi Bingzhi let out a sigh of relief and chuckled, "If you're not injured, why the long face?"
Yu Daohen didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lowered his voice, "Old Shi, can I speak with you privately?"
Seeing Yu Daohen's serious expression, Shi Bingzhi had a premonition that something big was about to happen. He followed Yu Daohen to the side.
The two moved aside. Yu Daohen took out a cigarette pack from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, lit it, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled. Then he said, "Old Shi, we need to be prepared. The pressure in the future might be even greater!"
Hearing Yu Daohen's cryptic words, Shi Bingzhi became even more confused. "Young Master Yu, there's no need for us to beat around the bush. Just say what you mean."
Yu Daohen recounted the events with the two old men in detail.
Upon hearing this, Shi Bingzhi's expression changed drastically, and he fell silent. After a long while, he slowly asked, "Young Master Yu, in your opinion, what is the ranking of those two old men among the Black List experts?"