My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

"Damn it, chase after them!"

Watching Li Xuancang escape alive, Wu Xiaotian and the others were furious.

They were furious that Li Xuancang could escape even in a seemingly hopeless situation.

"He has fled to our territory; he is certain to die."

The group quickly calmed down. Li Xuancang had fled into the barbarian lands, so they still had a chance.

"Li Xuancang, carrying the critically injured and dying Shen Qingshan, can't have gone far."

Li Xuancang himself was seriously injured and had a burden to carry, making it extremely difficult for him to escape.

The group quickly gave chase, and the army launched a full-scale search.

The barbarian lands were desolate. Li Xuancang found a mountain range with ancient trees reaching the sky and miasma floating around it, and plunged into it.

"Huff, huff..."

After confirming that there were no pursuers behind him for the time being, Li Xuancang put Shen Qingshan down from his back and gasped for breath.

His body was covered in wounds, not a single piece of healthy flesh was visible, and he was in excruciating pain. Every movement made him grimace in agony.

"Thank goodness, we almost didn't make it."

Li Xuancang was still shaken. If he hadn't acted decisively, the barbarian siege would have had a slim chance of survival.

Ignoring his own injuries, Li Xuancang hurriedly checked on Shen Qingshan's condition.

After checking Shen Qingshan's condition, Li Xuancang's heart sank, and then a surge of anger ignited in his chest.

"Damn it, damn it!"

He gritted his teeth, wishing he could rush out now and fight the barbarians to the death to avenge Shen Qingshan.

Although Shen Qingshan did not die, his cultivation was destroyed, his foundation and meridians were completely ruined, and he had become a cripple.

Even if he recovers from his injuries, he can only live as an ordinary person at best, and will never be able to cultivate again.

For cultivators, having their cultivation destroyed and becoming a cripple is a blow worse than death.

Li Xuancang couldn't imagine how he would bear the consequences if Shen Qingshan woke up.

The thought that all of this was caused by his request filled Li Xuancang with guilt.

After his anger subsided, Li Xuancang carried the unconscious Shen Qingshan away.

They arrived at a dark cave, which served as their temporary lodging.

Li Xuancang sat cross-legged, his body faintly surrounded by blood-red hues, gradually refining the demonic poison that had invaded his meridians.

Previously, in order to conserve his strength, he did not expend his vital energy to eliminate the demonic energy that had entered his body. Now that he is out of danger, he has time to deal with the demonic energy.

"Sizzle, sizzle sizzle..."

With abundant vital energy, the demonic energy within his body was quickly dissolved.

Li Xuancang treated his injuries briefly, and some wounds had already begun to scab over.

The injuries this time were more numerous than those in the battle of Cangyun Ridge, but there were not many fatal wounds, and he would be fully recovered in two days at most.

An hour later, Shen Qingshan, who was lying on the ground, suddenly trembled slightly at the tip of his finger.

Then, his dry eyelids slowly opened.

He glanced blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings, his gaze finally settling on Li Xuancang, who was sitting cross-legged beside him, healing his wounds and covered in blood.

"Li...Li..."

Shen Qingshan's voice was hoarse and broken, so weak that it was almost inaudible.

This soft call made Li Xuancang, who was concentrating on healing his injuries, hurriedly open his eyes.

Seeing Shen Qingshan awaken, her tense heartstrings relaxed, and a trace of warmth and relief appeared in her eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, you're awake."

After the initial joy, a hint of undisguised heaviness and regret flashed across Li Xuancang's eyes.

He hesitated whether he should tell Shen Qingshan about his physical condition, worried that Shen Qingshan would not be able to withstand this cruel blow.

After a moment of silence, Li Xuancang decided to tell him the truth.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, your dantian is shattered, your meridians are severed, and your martial arts cultivation is completely gone."

He looked at Shen Qingshan, bracing himself for Shen Qingshan's breakdown, despair, screaming, and loss of composure.

For cultivators, cultivation level is life itself, glory, and the foundation of their existence.

To lose all one's cultivation is more painful and cruel than death.

Anyone who learns that their life's cultivation has been completely lost in a single day, that they have become a cripple with no future in martial arts, will inevitably suffer a mental breakdown, unbearable pain, and go insane.

But Shen Qingshan's reaction the next moment was beyond Li Xuancang's expectations.

Shen Qingshan's face showed no madness, no despair, no grief.

He simply blinked, his cloudy gaze unusually calm, without a trace of emotion.

It was as if he wasn't hearing the devastating news that his life's martial arts had been rendered useless, but rather just an ordinary little thing.

He slowly moved the corners of his mouth, pulling out a pale, weak, yet frank smile.

"I know."

His tone was extremely calm, devoid of sadness, joy, anger, or resentment.

Li Xuancang was slightly taken aback: "You knew all along?"

"When I was captured, my dantian was shattered by the Xuan Yin Elder, and the demonic energy continued to corrode my meridians... In that instant, I knew that I could not protect my martial arts foundation."

He looked at Li Xuancang, who had a somber expression, and offered words of comfort.

"Lord Li, you need not take it to heart, nor do you need to feel guilty."

"Slaying demons and eliminating evil is my mission, and dying at the hands of demons and evil cultivators is my honor."

"Countless disciples of the Bi'an Division have vanquished demons and protected the righteous path. Countless people have died at the hands of demons and evil cultivators, suffering torture and leaving no trace of their bodies."

"I only lost my cultivation, but I survived. Compared to them, I'm already much luckier."

Shen Qingshan looked completely at ease, not like he was just trying to comfort himself. This composure moved Li Xuancang.

There was no devastating breakdown, no hysterical resentment, and no bitterness or blame.

"I am ashamed to admit that I am inferior to Fellow Daoist Shen in terms of character and integrity, and I sincerely admire him."

Li Xuancang was filled with awe and respect for the Bi'an Division.

"Your injuries are severe. Rest for a while, and I will take you back to the human race."

Shen Qingshan's injuries were too severe, and he had no medicine on him. Unlike Li Xuancang, he could not recover on his own. He needed to return to the human territory as soon as possible, otherwise his condition would only worsen.

"I'll leave everything to Lord Li."

Shen Qingshan didn't say anything more about Li Xuancang giving up on him and leaving. He knew that if Li Xuancang really wanted to give up on him, he wouldn't have risked his life to save him and break through the encirclement.

Shen Qingshan accepted Li Xuancang's arrangement with a calm expression.

Li Xuancang left the cave and soon returned after hunting a wild deer.

He gave Shen Qingshan deer blood to drink, hoping to restore some of Shen Qingshan's strength.

He devoured the remaining venison with gusto, filling his stomach.

Li Xuancang dared not light a fire, lest it attract barbarians; everything was kept simple.