The figure that shot up from the seabed was, naturally, Number One Hundred and Eight, the one who had just been smashed down by the Old Ancestor of the Yu family.

In Hao Xue’s memory, Number One Hundred and Eight’s arms had been violently blown apart during his confrontation with the Old Ancestor. Given such severe injuries, followed by a direct hit to the chest that sent him plunging into the sea, he should have been irrevocably dead.

For such grave wounds, even a peak Human Dao expert, let alone a Great Venerable of Five Energies, would struggle to survive. Perhaps only those belonging to the mythical Divine Dao lineage would retain a faint chance of escaping death.

Yet, the Number One Hundred and Eight soaring up from the depths now showed not a single scar on his body. Not only was the spot where his chest had been struck completely healed, but even his previously shattered arms were fully restored, their metallic sheen betraying no hint that they had ever exploded.

At that moment, Hao Xue began to doubt whether he had merely seen things earlier, or if this person was not Number One Hundred and Eight at all, but perhaps a twin brother.

A resounding crash echoed again, the sound of the unadorned collision between Number One Hundred and Eight and the Old Ancestor of the Yu family booming across the sea surface. The sailors, who had only just started to recover, clamped their hands over their ears once more. The sheer force of such powerful experts clashing caused them immense, unbearable pain.

He Yiming’s thoughts shifted, and he instantly surged forward. A curtain of Five Elements light suddenly spread out, churning in the air, condensing into a massive fist that he hurled toward the Old Ancestor of the Yu family, who was encased in an armor of true energy.

The five-fold amplification of his strength was being pushed to its absolute limit at this moment.

The Old Ancestor of the Yu family unleashed both the Five Elements light screen covering his body and the blood-like power of the Blood Coagulation Technique simultaneously. Facing the pincer attack from the two masters, He Yiming and Number One Hundred and Eight, he showed no fear whatsoever. His fists, heavy as small mountains, hammered towards He Yiming and Number One Hundred and Eight with relentless force, his raw strength and speed entirely dominating the pair.

Little Pig’s small eyes darted around, and the nine fire dragons immediately dispersed. Swinging their massive bodies, they flew towards the Old Ancestor of the Yu family. However, under Little Pig’s exquisite control, these fire dragons skirted around He Yiming and Number One Hundred and Eight. Using their ethereal bodies as pillars, they spewed forth raging flames, doing their best to restrict the Old Ancestor’s maneuverability in the sky.

Although the Old Ancestor of the Yu family had reached the peak of the Human Dao realm and was shielded by an impervious armor of true energy, he was still considerably wary of these massive fire dragons. Especially when the breaths of several dragons converged, his caution grew even more profound.

He Yiming and Number One Hundred and Eight exchanged a glance, and their speed abruptly increased. They began circling the fire dragons in the sky, turning this aerial battlefield into a game of cat and mouse against their opponent.

After a brief entanglement, the blood color in the Old Ancestor of the Yu family’s eyes intensified, becoming startlingly vivid. A vast expanse of crimson suddenly erupted from his body. This color was distinctly different from the fire element within the Five Elements; it was the potent manifestation of the Blood Coagulation Technique.

Then, he pointed a finger, and a thread of blood, so fine it was imperceptible to the naked eye, shot out. While the Old Ancestor’s primary target was He Yiming, he attacked Number One Hundred and Eight at this moment. This was because He Yiming was also currently clad in a five-colored true energy armor. With the power of the Five Elements World arrayed against him, the Old Ancestor knew that even the Blood Coagulation Thread would fail to pierce that armor.

The streak of blood moved with lightning speed, instantly piercing into Number One Hundred and Eight’s body. This thread seemed to possess an intense suction force, momentarily locking Number One Hundred and Eight’s body in place.

The Old Ancestor of the Yu family suddenly accelerated, his fists glowing with dazzling light that was impossible to look at directly. With a deafening roar, both fists struck Number One Hundred and Eight mercilessly in the abdomen and waist. The destructive power erupted completely at that instant—the Old Ancestor’s combat instinct had dictated the optimal response.

Following the violent sound, two large, circular holes appeared in Number One Hundred and Eight’s midsection, causing his body to violently invert. Hao Xue’s eyes lit up; he clearly saw that after the Old Ancestor’s attack, only a thin strip of flesh connected Number One Hundred and Eight’s upper and lower halves. The might of those two punches nearly split Number One Hundred and Eight in two on the spot.

Such grievous injury was something even Number One Hundred and Eight could not endure. His body tumbled like an unbalanced bird, crashing down into the sea.

A flicker of relief crossed Hao Xue’s face. Finally, one of them was dealt with. However, his smile instantly froze. He sensed, vaguely, that something was profoundly wrong. Number One Hundred and Eight had indeed fallen into the sea, but why did his heart still churn with unease? After a moment of hesitation, his eyes snapped wide open, for he had grasped the crucial point.

Despite being mangled so terribly, there wasn’t a trace of blood on Number One Hundred and Eight’s person. It was as if all his blood had already drained away. Furthermore, within those two massive holes, there appeared to be no human organs, only muscle that also shimmered with a metallic luster.

A deep chill permeated Hao Xue’s heart. Witnessing such a bizarre sight completely overturned his understanding of reality. In that moment, his gaze towards He Yiming and the others in the sky became laden with escalating dread.

With a splash, Number One Hundred and Eight surfaced again. Ignoring the people on the sea vessel entirely, he shot straight towards the sky. Under Hao Xue’s horrified gaze, this seemingly unkillable being, whose vitality rivaled that of a cockroach, engaged the Old Ancestor of the Yu family in a brutal clash once more.

Hao Xue’s face had gone utterly pale. If He Yiming had been immensely shocked upon seeing the Old Ancestor—that someone could be resurrected from a seemingly certain death—the impact felt by Hao Xue upon seeing Number One Hundred and Eight again was far greater. A frantic thought churned in his mind: What is this thing? What in the world is this thing…

With Number One Hundred and Eight’s interference gone, He Yiming’s situation immediately became precarious. Although the nine fire dragons held the Old Ancestor of the Yu family in some check overhead, unless the Ancestor stood motionless, those dragons were dreaming if they thought they could inflict damage on a peak Human Dao expert.

Fortunately, He Yiming’s own strength was immense. While his five-fold power boost still couldn't match the Old Ancestor, it was enough to prevent him from being completely helpless. His form flickered continuously, moving lightly over the bodies of the fire dragons like a fish, trying his best to avoid direct confrontation with this formidable enemy.

After circling once, the Old Ancestor of the Yu family suddenly stopped. His body began to spin like a human gyroscope, rotating at incredible speed.

Little Pig’s eyes lit up, and it immediately directed the nine fire dragons to charge at the old man. Regardless of what technique he was employing, if he were subjected to the Nine Dragon’s Breath for a quarter of an hour, even a ninth-heaven peak Human Dao expert would struggle to last.

However, the ensuing change was far beyond everyone's expectations. Just as the nine fire dragons were about to encircle the spinning Old Ancestor, a brilliant light erupted from his body. It was a five-colored light, yet interwoven within it was a powerful energy bearing the essence of blood. Having been turned into a puppet, the Old Ancestor had flawlessly fused these two energies.

Following this, a violent explosion of Five Elements power erupted centered on him, saturating the entire area with the energy of the Five Elements Cycle. Though the Old Ancestor of the Yu family did not wield the Five Elements Ring, this seemed to pose no obstacle to his manifestation of Five Elements power.

Following a tremendous roar, the armor on the Old Ancestor’s body vanished. He had evidently detonated even his innate Five Elements True Energy Armor in the preceding attack, demonstrating that he had exerted his utmost effort in that single move.

Although the Old Ancestor did not unleash any divine weapons or artifacts, relying only on his inherent strength, speed, combat instinct, and the light of a certain artifact that sustained his flight, his profound strength as a peak Human Dao expert still displayed an astonishing ability that left He Yiming and the others dumbfounded.

In this explosion, the nine fire dragons that had been closing in were all blasted into wisps of scattered fire, drifting in the void, flickering clusters that seemed ready to extinguish at any moment.

Little Pig let out a mournful cry. The toothless rake floating in mid-air shook erratically, and the scattered Five Elements energy was summoned by it, rushing back towards the rake as much as possible. After the last recoverable spark of fire energy entered the rake, Little Pig instantly converted it into white light and swallowed it into its belly.

The figure of the Old Ancestor trembled, and a five-colored light once again emerged from his body. This light pulsed a few times before transforming into a second suit of true energy armor.

A shadow flickered beneath the sea, and Number One Hundred and Eight flew up again, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with He Yiming. Since the Old Ancestor of the Yu family was merely a puppet, his singular focus was He Yiming. How the person he had just bisected managed to revive was simply not within his parameters to consider.

The five-colored light burst forth from the Old Ancestor. Such pure Five Elements energy showed no sign of weakening after the recent explosion. This demonstrated just how terrifying a peak Human Dao expert truly was.

He Yiming took a deep breath, his expression extremely grave. With the combined strength of the three of them, they likely stood no chance against this entity. A strange thought suddenly surfaced in his mind: Must they now venture to Ghost Cry Ridge to seek the protection of Lord Dragon Snake once again?

Just as he hesitated, the waves on the sea surface suddenly churned, accompanied by a light flashing in alternating hues of purple and silver-white. The boiling seawater slowly parted, and a tall, imposing steed ascended from the depths. Its eyes were calm but filled with hostility, staring coldly at the Old Ancestor of the Yu family in the sky.

P.S.: Who do you hope will win? ^_^ Five chapters tomorrow, requesting monthly tickets... Thank you!