Yu Daohen gripped the Kang Long Jian, using it to support himself as he stood, though the searing pain in his chest made him grit his teeth.
"Damn it, two of my ribs are broken."
Yu Daohen's face was grim as he eyed the three men stirring restlessly.
Escape was impossible now.
Was he really going to perish here today?
Just as Yu Daohen was preparing to fight to the death, he heard an explosion.
Immediately, the energy barrier shattered, and a wave of energy surged towards them.
Shen Fengqing and the other two quickly raised their hands to shield their faces, and Yu Daohen did the same.
As the energy wave dissipated, the surrounding trees were all snapped, and everything returned to a semblance of peace.
"Could the battle over there have ended?"
Yu Daohen's face was filled with bewilderment as he awaited the outcome.
It seemed this terrifying energy fluctuation was likely Shen Tianming's self-detonation.
Huang Yueji's face was a mask of disbelief and shock. "Master... he self-detonated!?"
Li Tiandao, though also finding it hard to believe, accepted the fact and nodded. "Such terrifying energy could only be caused by Master's self-detonation."
"No, impossible, Master cannot be defeated."
Huang Yueji shook her head frantically, refusing to accept the reality.
Shen Fengqing's expression was unreadable as he slowly spoke, "Let's go. Those three old fellows are coming."
"No, I will wait for Master to leave with me!"
Huang Yueji roared, clenching her whip.
"Li Tiandao, take Huang Yueji, let's go."
Shen Fengqing turned to leave after speaking.
Li Tiandao looked at the now unhinged Huang Yueji beside him and tried to persuade her. "Master is gone, but we are still here. We must fulfill Master's aspirations."
Huang Yueji clenched her fists, her fingernails digging into her flesh and drawing blood. Finally, she turned and followed Shen Fengqing.
As the three walked away, Shen Fengqing suddenly stopped, as if remembering something. He turned back to Yu Daohen and smiled.
"I must admit, you are strong. Although we are adversaries, I still wish you freedom from your destiny in this life, as this is your last."
Yu Daohen nodded and teased, "Your words make it hard for me not to interfere with your plans."
Their eyes met, and they shared a smile.
Shen Fengqing said no more, leading Li Tiandao and the other away.
"Good luck."
Seeing the three depart, Yu Daohen finally lost his strength and collapsed onto the ground with a thud. Leaning against a large tree, he coughed up blood, muttering to himself.
"It seems the damage from enduring those two palms was more than I imagined."
Feeling as though he might pass out at any moment, Yu Daohen immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating his energy to heal.
Although he hadn't managed to retrieve all the compasses this time, there was good news.
Shen Tianming had likely self-detonated, and the three senior experts had probably not perished together.
By that logic, they should have achieved a minor victory.
However, the sudden appearance of Shen Fengqing was a troublesome opponent.
His strength, experience, or perhaps his demeanor, none of it seemed fitting for someone his age.
Coupled with his words just now, he must be an old fellow who had lived for two to three hundred years.
Just as he was about to begin his healing, Yu Daohen sensed three terrifying auras rapidly approaching.
Yu Daohen smiled faintly. "No wonder Shen Fengqing was in such a hurry to leave. He was afraid of these three."
If they had killed him before leaving, they would have been caught by these three.
*Whoosh—*
In a moment, three figures appeared before Yu Daohen.
Looking at the three before him, Yu Daohen's face broke into a smile. He said respectfully, "Forgive this junior for not being able to bow, for I am injured."
The three remained silent, their expressions grave.
Yu Daohen immediately sensed something was amiss.
Despite having just gone through a fierce battle, why were the three seniors unharmed? Their auras and appearances seemed even more refined than before.
Given Shen Tianming's personality and methods, he would never fight a battle he wasn't sure of winning, especially at the cost of self-detonation.
Could it be... a final burst of energy?
Yu Daohen's face contorted in shock. "Seniors, are you now...?!"
Before he could finish, Li Shaohun nodded. "Indeed, we are merely experiencing a final burst of energy."
Upon hearing this, Yu Daohen's expression turned grim.
It seemed this was all part of Shen Tianming's plan.
Ma Shaogang, standing beside him, inquired, "Do they still have the compasses?"
The monk Ni Cang shook his head with resignation, clasping his hands together. "Amitabha, it is too late to pursue them now."
Yu Daohen shook his head and recounted the situation of regaining one compass and the battle that had just transpired.
The three were filled with relief. Ma Shaogang even clapped his hands in praise. "Excellent, I knew I was right about you, kid, hahaha."
Li Shaohun condensed a bead of golden energy in his hand and spoke slowly, "You must have also sensed the changes within your body."
"Could it be that Senior Li knows about the changes in my body?"
Yu Daohen was somewhat surprised.
Truthfully, he himself didn't understand the changes occurring within him.
Since regaining his memories, Yu Daohen had felt three forces within him repelling each other.
He understood what these three forces were.
One was his own power, another was the power of absorbing ghost qi, and the third was the power of the Flood Dragon.
These three forces repelled each other yet did not interfere with one another.
The fusion of these three forces was the source of his current strength.
Li Shaohun spoke slowly, "You must have also noticed the three forces within you repelling each other."
"That's right."
Yu Daohen nodded truthfully, inwardly admiring the sharp insight of this Celestial Master Li.
Even his own grandfather had not noticed the changes in his body.
Li Shaohun continued, "The world is nothing more than Yin and Yang forces. Yin force is the qi of ghosts and Yin creatures, while Yang force is the qi cultivated by us cultivators. Yin belongs to water, and Yang belongs to fire. These two forces should not be compatible, yet you possess both. As for the third force, it should be demonic power."
Seeing that Li Shaohun's words were perfectly accurate, Yu Daohen was greatly impressed and nodded. "Senior Li is absolutely correct."
Li Shaohun then asked, "Do you feel unable to mobilize the ghost qi within you?"
Yu Daohen nodded repeatedly. "Indeed."
After regaining his memories, he had tried to mobilize the power of ghost qi but found it impossible.
Moreover, whenever he meditated, he discovered that he was not only cultivating his own power but also the power of the Flood Dragon and the ghost qi together.
He had initially thought that after consuming the Flood Dragon's inner丹 and integrating the ghost qi, his strength had greatly increased.
But now, it seemed that was not the case.
His entire line of thinking was flawed.
The only reason for his significant increase in strength was the Flood Dragon's inner丹.
As for the ghost qi within him, it not only had no effect but was also unusable.