After the Fall (Continued)

Faced with this question, Murong Wu really couldn't answer. After all, Ba Shenhuang was speaking from the perspective of a senior to a junior, and whether the junior was male or female really didn't matter.

The atmosphere was awkward when Ying Zhou and Xia Guanxue rushed back. The former exclaimed, "That guy seems to have been chased away, and he ran incredibly fast. We couldn't stop him. Did you do it, Little Wu?"

Murong Wu said, "I threw a Fire Lotus Bomb, which was a hidden weapon made with Si Ming's True Qi, but it was mainly Senior War God who scared him away with a finger strike."

Ba Shenhuang snorted, too lazy to explain why Mengying had escaped. He said to Ying Zhou, "Your swordsmanship is laughable. You don't even have the strength to cut people. What kind of swordsman are you!"

Ying Zhou's face flushed red, but the War God was once his idol, so he couldn't confront him directly. Besides, it was a fact that he was being suppressed in strength by the Black Armor General, so he could only argue, "In terms of strength, even ordinary Spirit Transformation Grandmaster are no match for me."

"How can you grow if you only compare yourself to those trash? In terms of strength, you're actually no less powerful than that armored puppet, but it can unleash all its power without hesitation, while you always hesitate when you draw your sword, subconsciously holding back and not daring to use your full strength. With such timidity, how can you possibly defeat it?"

"However, not using one's full strength is a fundamental principle of martial arts; isn't it normal to reserve some strength in case of unexpected events?"

"The restraint I'm referring to isn't about power, but about your mind. In battle, you always shackle yourself, afraid to unleash your full potential. This results in an incomplete sword intent, preventing you from achieving invincibility. As the saying goes, 'With a sword but no heart, the sword loses its true self; with heart but no sword, the sword lacks sharpness; with both heart and sword, one reaches the pinnacle; without heart and sword, one is invincible.' Your swordplay hasn't even reached the pinnacle, let alone become invincible."

Ying Zhou was stunned. Of course he knew what was going on. He used the "Brahma Sea Asura Art" to temper his Asura Bloodline, thereby mastering the power of the bloodline and no longer losing his mind. However, this also made his temperament gradually approach that of the legendary Asura.

According to the Buddhist School concept of the six realms of reincarnation, Asura are inherently kind and belong to the good realm. However, because they often harbor hatred and are attached to the will to fight, they are not truly good. In particular, male Asura often stir up trouble in various realms, are fond of fighting, and frequently attack the heavenly kings in order to seize their thrones.

Asura Ying Zhou feared being controlled by his anger, feared becoming as volatile and unpredictable as before, and even more feared becoming like his father. Therefore, he was always on guard against this, constantly suppressing the demonic intent in his heart with the "Chan Sea Saber Technique" of Glazed Temple, and dared not release the madness in his heart.

Ba Shenhuang glanced at it and said, "Although I don't know the specifics, I can guess it's some kind of pointless worry. Haven't you ever thought about it? If you don't become a demon, how can you master the power of a demon?"

"Master the power of demons?" Ying Zhou felt as if a door had been pushed open, but he still hesitated. "But what if I become a demon and can't turn back, and am no longer myself? Even if I master the power, what then?"

"A foolish question. If you're worried about that, then you shouldn't even try. Without unwavering confidence in your ability to succeed and an indomitable determination, you're bound to fail," Ba Shenhuang asserted. "Believe in your ability to succeed, and you'll have a chance to succeed. Stay true to yourself. Power is ultimately just power; it's man who controls power, not power controlling man."

Xia Guanxue, who was standing next to her, suddenly asked, "How did the God of War God overcome his inner demons?"

"Kill anyone I see; even my inner demons cannot stop me."

"What if the inner demon transforms into your own persona?"

"Anyone who dares to block my path will be killed, even if it's myself."

This extreme self-confidence and ego left the three people present speechless. Murong Wu even thought that this was the idea of Outer Dao. On the contrary, Xia Guanxue and Ying Zhou were both touched and showed thoughtful expressions. However, the former quickly regained her composure, while the latter was still somewhat confused.

At this moment, Si Ming arrived, looked around, and said, "Everyone is safe and sound, that's wonderful."

Ba Shenhuang asked, "Who is the other Yao Qi?"

He called himself the Demon Emperor Chongjing.

Si Ming briefly recounted his conversation with the Demon Emperor and the course of their battle, concluding, "Without a doubt, he is Void Returning Great Grandmaster Refinement realm, and not Void Returning the initial stage. According to my estimation, he is no less than Yun Jinzang, the Lord of Ten Thousand Weapons."

Ba Shenhuang asked, "What are your chances of winning against him?"

"It's hard to say. We only tested each other a few times, and we were both holding back. We haven't reached a decisive point yet, so I only have a rough estimate. Moreover, he seems to have a Divine Ability for eye techniques. Before we figure out the effects, I'm afraid I have little chance of winning."

If Si Ming were to use the Wheel-Turning King Sword to activate the Buddhist formation and fight against Tathagata Indestructible Body, he would have a fairly good chance of winning. However, that would only be a victory; if his opponent wanted to escape, he wouldn't be able to stop him at all. In such a life-or-death war, a simple victory in martial arts is not very meaningful.

Compared to opening the formation, it would be better to join forces with Ba Shenhuang, as the chances of killing the Demon Emperor are actually greater.

With this in mind, Si Ming decided to find an opportunity to have Liuli Glazed Temple pass on the Wheel-Turning King Sword. Even if he couldn't kill it, being able to win was better than losing. For the past two years, he hadn't gone out and had stayed at home to cultivate, so he had left the Wheel-Turning King Sword at Glazed Temple to absorb the power of vows and hadn't taken it with him. After all, he didn't need to activate any formations for ordinary enemies; he could just knock them away with a single punch.

"A peerless expert is worth the challenge..."

As soon as Ba Shenhuang finished speaking, he couldn't help but cough a few times, his breathing fluctuating between hot and cold.

"Senior, you should take care of your injuries first." Murong Wu's eyes suddenly lit up. "By the way, with Brother Si Ming's cultivation level, he should be able to bypass the suppression of the poison and heal Senior War God's injuries first. Then it won't be difficult to dispel the cold and heat poisons."

There is no difference between detoxifying first and then healing the wound, and healing the wound first and then detoxifying. The former helps Ba Shenhuang detoxify so that his internal energy is no longer affected and he can heal himself. The latter restores his Cultivation Body to a certain level so that he can suppress the poison and then resolve it. As long as the Internal Cultivation is strong enough, the effect is actually better than the antidote. Martial artists have a far better understanding of their own bodies than doctors.

Upon hearing this, Si Ming immediately reached out to examine Ba Shenhuang's physical condition, frowning as he said, "Those two poisons with opposite attributes are a bit troublesome. My Internal Cultivation can neutralize the cold poison, but it will aggravate the heat poison. To remove the poison, I'll need to find another master who cultivates cold-attribute Internal Cultivation... It seems I really have no choice but to bypass the detoxification and focus on healing first."

Although his Blazing Sun True Qi has a detoxifying effect, it is not his strong suit. After the two forces cancel each other out, the probability of the condition worsening is greater, and it may even cause the heat toxin to mutate. There is really no need to take the risk.

"We need to find a safe place to heal our wounds first. Do you have any suggestions, senior?" Si Ming asked Ba Shenhuang.

Ba Shenhuang glanced in the direction of the imperial city and said, "Let's go to Zhenzhou. All the border armies that want to reach the capital must pass through here. We can take this opportunity to consolidate our forces."

Si Ming said worriedly, "This approach is too conspicuous. What we can think of, the Military God can also think of. I'm afraid they want to take this opportunity to kill you, senior. After hearing about your news, they will definitely send experts to assassinate you, and even the Demon Emperor may take action personally."

His idea was to find a deserted mountain forest to hide in, and then reappear after Ba Shenhuang's injuries had healed. At that time, if the two of them joined forces, even if the Demon Emperor came with four Demon Kings, they wouldn't have anything to fear. Otherwise, they would easily become targets.

The opponent will definitely not let go of this great opportunity to kill Ba Shenhuang. Being too high-profile is tantamount to revealing one's whereabouts to the opponent. Si Ming himself is not afraid of facing the Demon Emperor, but it will be very difficult to protect others from the Demon Emperor.

Ba Shenhuang said, "I know, but as a soldier, it is my duty to protect my country. The capital has already fallen, and I cannot allow them to continue to run rampant on this land. Besides, if what you say is true, the Demon Emperor possesses the cultivation of Void Returning Great Grandmaster, and no one in the country can stop him. If I do not stand up, Nation of Valor may be doomed..."

Si Ming was silent for a moment, then said, "I understand. Then please heal your injuries as soon as possible, senior. I will protect your safety during this period."

"No, go back. This has nothing to do with you. I am fighting to protect my country, but you have no need to risk your lives for Nation of Valor," Ba Shenhuang refused.

"The Demon Emperor has emerged, an unprecedentedly powerful enemy. He has also gathered four Demon King under his command, clearly harboring grand ambitions. It is likely that the number of Demon Beast they bring to this war will be even greater than the last time. This is no longer the internal affair of a single country, but a matter of great importance concerning the entire Human Race. Everyone has a duty to stand up and fight."

Si Ming paused, his expression relaxing as he said, "Besides, you still owe me a favor. If you die, where will I find the money to repay it? Even loan sharks know that it's most advantageous for them to have a living creditor."

"... Since that's the case, then I won't be coy."

"Don't worry, senior, I'll take care of everything."

On the day Si Ming escorted Ba Shenhuang to Zhenzhou, he used the Mohist Knight Guard's network to request that the country send people over immediately. At the same time, he notified several seniors of the Heaven's Will Palace, and even contacted Xiao Xuan. In any case, he would bring as many people as he could. When dealing with an unprecedentedly powerful enemy like the Demon Emperor, it was never too much to be cautious. Anyone who acted like a hero was a fool.

The reason we didn't do this before was because we were afraid of causing conflict between the two countries. Now that Nation of Valor is on the verge of collapse, why should we care about such things anymore?

However, instead of immediately launching an attack on Zhenzhou after occupying the capital, the Demon Race launched a campaign of surrender and a large-scale purge.