Bai Zemin was about to turn around and leave when he suddenly perceived a group of people approaching in his direction. There was no need to ponder the Soul Power of the other party as among them was an existence that shined so brightly in comparison to the others that comparing it was like trying to compare the brightness of the moon to the brightness of the stars.
Looking back over his shoulder, Bai Zemin's eyes met Shangguan Bing Xue's worried eyes.
Behind her, Sun Ling and all the others except for a small number who were left protecting the soul evolvers and soldiers who had been knocked out after fainting were looking at him with concern and eyes that were filled with doubt.
Bai Zemin said nothing, he merely nodded. However, even though it was just a small gesture that could easily go unnoticed unless one was paying full attention to him, everyone felt as if a giant rock that was balancing on their hearts and could fall and crush them at any moment was suddenly lifted.
"Thank god..." Zhong De sighed in relief and subconsciously took a step back.
He had just been reunited with his mother after so many hardships and Zhong De was the only thing she had in this world. Although Zhong De was willing to die for Bai Zemin as he owed him everything; from his current life to his strength and possessions, he naturally did not want to die before securing a good future for his loved one.
"It's no thanks to god." Nangong Lingxin corrected in a clear and relieved voice. She looked at Bai Zemin with bright eyes and said with unhidden admiration, "It is thanks to Bai Zemin. The gods have nothing to do in it."
Hearing the words spoken by Nangong Lingxin, everyone fell silent and took a moment to observe the surroundings, trying to imagine in their heads how fierce the previous battle must have been based on the map that surrounded them and the fierce explosions from before.
The stone square that could not be damaged even by the attacks of golden golems was so badly battered that it was a miracle that the magic circle was still working properly, cracks stretched all over the floor and some of them were even as wide as a grown man's arm. The five pagodas that seemed indestructible and had been unaffected even with Bai Zemin's attacks, at this point were covered with cracks and it looked like a snort could bring them all down together.
In the distance, the trees that stood over 600 meters high could not be seen no matter where they looked and the mountains that rose right at the back of the stone square had been semi-destroyed.... They could not even hear the roar of a mutant beast and the pervasive smell of blood still lingered in the vicinity.
"This... Was it really caused by the fight between two humans?"
No one knew who said those words, but everyone knew that they were the words that no one dared to say out loud.
When they looked at Bai Zemin now, it was as if they were looking at a completely different person compared to several minutes ago.
Before, Bai Zemin was the incarnation of a god who had descended to the human world to save his race from possible annihilation. However, the current him was basically a true god in the eyes of these people.
Even Sun Ling couldn't help but look at him in a new light and it would probably take her a few days to be able to talk with him again in a natural way.
Sweeping everything tens of kilometers away, destroying mountains, obliterating every sign of life for who knows how many kilometers around.... This kind of destructive power was currently in the hands of the person in front of them; a power that only the most powerful and destructive weapon in the history of mankind could reach was being wielded by a 20-year-old man at will.
Sun Ling and those who were at the welcoming party two or three days ago could not help but remember the words Chen He had spoken back then.... He had asked Wu Keqian in an honest voice to surrender.... Because Bai Zemin was so powerful that his existence was no different from a moving nuclear bomb; a bomb which could be activated depending on his mood.
Feng Tian Wu looked at Bai Zemin with complicated eyes. That young man whom she had disdained and ignored during her years of youth and immaturity, had now reached a height so high that she not only could not see but also could not comprehend.
They could all feel the traces of mana lingering in the hot air, but none of them dared to try to study it. That kind of vicious mana that had resulted from the collision between two monsters could easily turn their bodies into a mass of bloody mist if they made the mistake of absorbing it.
Shangguan Bing Xue ignored whatever the others might be thinking. In her eyes, there was not a powerful man who had just somehow "defeated" a Fourth Order existence but a valuable and important friend who had just engaged in a deadly battle which could have taken his life if he committed a single slip-up.
"Your body..."
She bit her lower lip hard as she realized Bai Zemin's current state and a flash of pain crossed her usually ice-cold and expressionless blue eyes.
Among those present, she was the only one who using quantity and purity could barely come close to Bai Zemin's Soul Power. Therefore, only Shangguan Bing Xue could feel how weakened he was at this moment.
The current Bai Zemin was so weak that even a First Order existence had no small chance of defeating him in combat; that was how bad his current situation was, and Shangguan Bing Xue could see it after several careful glances.
Bai Zemin took a step forward to walk toward them at the same time as he opened his mouth to tell Shangguan Bing Xue not to worry. However, he was only able to take half a step before he stopped dead in his tracks at the same time as he grimaced slightly which muffled his words.
The veins in his legs that had just healed blew up again and as a result, blood spurted all over the floor as well. In addition, when he stopped abruptly, the veins in his arms that had barely regenerated also exploded and more and more blood splattered everywhere.
The expression of everyone changed abruptly as the smell of blood that was far stronger than the blood in the air-filled their nostrils and as they saw Bai Zemin suddenly turn into a person covered in red liquid several of them could not help but gasp in shock and fright.
Swoosh! Shangguan Bing Xue practically teleported next to him and with a worried expression supported his body while whispering in a low voice, "Are you okay?"
"At least, I won't die..." Bai Zemin replied before sighing. He smiled bitterly and shook his head as he said in a complicated voice, "The mana and part of brother Kang's remaining strength is still inside my body relentlessly wreaking havoc. Right now, my Mana, Health, and Stamina stats are working to expel the two malicious energies but if I move the progress gets stalled. Even if I use Blood Manipulation the improvement is between 10% and 20% at best of best."
"Brother Kang?" Shangguan Bing Xue frowned uncomprehendingly.
"Kang Guiying, he and I became brothers." Bai Zemin nodded. Seeing the doubt and even disbelief in the eyes of Shangguan Bing Xue, he slowly explained, "During the previous battle, when my attack and the one of brother Kang connected, the Earth's spatial barrier was on the verge of collapse and the entire square along with all of you about to be destroyed. But brother Kang stopped pushing me at the last second just before the energy born from the power of our two attacks burst out, saving all of you... It is also part of the reason why I emerged victorious this time."
Bai Zemin's words were no small surprise to those present. The person who was here to kill them a few minutes ago, actually turned out to be the one who saved their lives?
They all looked at each other with disbelief on their faces. It was hard for them to accept this kind of truth, let alone when they looked at Bai Zemin's miserable condition.
Shangguan Bing Xue just shook her head and instead of saying anything, she pointed to the ground in front of her with her left hand.
Swoosh!
Without difficulty and with astonishing mastery, a semi-transparent stretcher made of ice appeared as a result of Shangguan Bing Xue's Mana freezing the particles of dust, air, blood, and all sorts of other components floating in the surroundings. Moreover, the stretcher did not seem cold at all as even close up it could be seen that it did not release freezing fog.
"I'll help you lie down." She said and without caring that her beautiful hair was getting stained red, she led Bai Zemin to the stretcher where as carefully as possible she helped him lay down. "A lot has happened today. Besides, in your present condition, there is not much you can do. We'll have to delay the exploration for a couple of days."
"Yeah..." Bai Zemin sighed and closed his eyes wearily. "Bing Xue, can you sleep in my tent tonight?"
Silence reigned in the surroundings for several seconds and several weird glances fell on both of them.
"Cough! Leader, I think it's best if you refrain from strenuous physical activities." Teng Hua said with some unease in his voice.
"Mm?" Bai Zemin opened his eyes, confused. But seeing the way most of them were looking at him, he quickly understood what these people were thinking in their minds.
Bai Zemin looked at Shangguan Bing Xue and noticed that she looked a little awkward and also a little hesitant so he quickly added:
"I need you to protect me while I am weak! Not only me, but also my sister Meng Qi. The night is when the mutant beasts are most active and although my short battle against brother Kang wiped out all the living creatures in the area, we can't exclude that a zombie or any other intelligent creature might come to see what's going on here."
All those who were thinking perverted things immediately felt embarrassed upon hearing Bai Zemin's explanation and Shangguan Bing Xue even blushed for a moment before she cleared her throat and said in a flat voice:
"Of course, that's how it is. Even if you didn't tell me, it is what I was going to do. Don't worry!"
"Yeah, sure. Even she doesn't believe it." Lilith whispered from the side in a voice that only herself and Bai Zemin could hear.
Bai Zemin sighed in relief and closed his eyes quietly again, letting Shangguan Bing Xue move the stretcher carefully through the air and carry him to the camp.
A lot had happened, Bai Zemin was really exhausted and needed a good rest to recover and think with more clarity about what to do next to get out of this miserable situation he was currently in more quickly.
On the way, Bai Zemin listened as Shangguan Bing Xue and Xia Ya had a conversation.
"Xia Ya, can you heal Bai Zemin?"
"... Although yes, I can do it, I would rather wait another five hours before I do it." Xia Ya looked quite fearful as she looked at Bai Zemin's current condition.
"Mm? Why?" Shangguan Bing Xue was not happy and immediately frowned upon hearing Xia Ya's reply.
"... It's because..."
Xia Ya explained the pros and cons of her skill 'Healing of the Cursed' to let Shangguan Bing Xue understand that she also had her difficulties. The current Xia Ya did not want to antagonize either Bai Zemin or Shangguan Bing Xue as she actually planned to ally with both of them; if she managed to join them, then she would become a truly frightening existence on the battlefield and her chances of survival would skyrocket through the roof in an instant!
Moreover, Xia Ya was certain that once Bai Zemin knew the real use of her skills, he would definitely not be stingy with rewards and merits.
"... I see..." Shangguan Bing Xue frowned tightly after hearing Xia Ya's explanation, and even though she was unwilling, she finally nodded, "In that case, in five hours come to Bai Zemin's tent. You'll start healing him then."
"Sure." Xia Ya nodded easily and was visibly relieved.
She didn't want to suddenly experience 40% of the pain Bai Zemin was currently feeling! Therefore, it was best to wait for her skill 'Healing of the Cursed' to reset completely so that she could start from the minimum possible and slowly escalate to ensure that her mind did not suffer a shock too big and might even destroy her consciousness depending on the severity.
Just like that, three days passed.

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