Rise of The Demon General-Chapter 725. Light Vs Darkness
Wu Di’s Ignition Punch caused a powerful explosion that took Amon aback. He was sent crashing into the wall. It was different from before. Although Wu Di’s punch also sent him flying then, he felt very little from it. This time, he felt the punch. He even believed some of his ribs had cracked.
The unexpected power made him do something he didn’t believe could have happened. He lost grip of his dagger. The dagger was now in Wu Di’s left hand, which was covered in some sort of projection made of light.
The projection was not only Wu Di’s left hand. His two arms were now covered in what looked like a gauntlet made of light. This was the arcane art Wu Di was in the process of creating. Before, he could only bring out a small portion of the art’s power. The near-death condition and his wilful determination gave his half-completed art enough soul power to complete itself.
The bright light of Wu Di’s soul gauntlet burned the dark shadows that coated the black sword in his hand. The darkness dispersed, revealing a black dagger. He knew this dagger well.
"It truly is you...," Wu Di uttered. With the black sword gone, blood poured out from the hole in his chest. He used the meridian points technique to stop his bleeding and pop a regrowth pill into his mouth.
"That pill won’t help you," Amon said.
"I won’t give up as long as I can still breathe," Wu Di replied.
"Such a pity... I have high hopes for you. You are not supposed to serve your purpose until far in the future. I truly regret that I must end your road here."
"Whatever purpose you have for me, I want nothing to do with it. That said, whether my road ends here or not, it’s not yours to decide. Even if my road does end here, I am happy to know that I stopped you from assassinating our king."
Amon chuckled. "Are you sure about that?"
Amon’s question made Wu Di glance in Huang San’s direction. After Amon stabbed him, Amon sent all the Alpha Flying Knives after Huang San. The six knives harassed Huang San like bothersome flies, but they couldn’t stop him from moving away.
However, the other end of the cave, where Huang San was heading, suddenly brightened. A fierce torrent of flames surged and rushed at Huang San. The abrupt blaze took him by surprise. He stopped advancing. The long vines extruding from his body rolled into one and formed a shield that blocked the flames from washing over him.
When the blaze was over, they heard a shriek. Out of the other end of the cave, the Great Sun Hawk emerged. By its side were the Beta Puppet and Lin Li. Amon put those three in reserve to stop anyone from escaping. Now that his identity had been revealed, he saw no point in keeping them hidden.
"No! Zen...!!" Huang San cried when he saw the thing in Lin Li’s hand. It was Huang Zen’s head. Huang Zen was only at the peak Mystic Stage. He was a goner when he encountered the three during his escape.
The sight sent Huang San into a frenzy. He charged at Lin Li, who slinked to Beta Puppet’s back. Huang San’s vine-enhanced longsword clashed with Beta Puppet’s energy shield.
The damage to the Beta Puppet’s body from the battle against Mu Qin was still apparent. Amon hadn’t had the time to repair it yet. Much of its outer plating was missing, exposing its internal circuits and gears, but its power remained whole. The energy shield had no trouble withstanding Huang San’s furious blow, and it still had the physical strength rivalling a Beginning Lord Stage.
It pushed, and Huang San staggered back. It might not have weapons like its damaged cousin, but its simple punches and kicks were enough to injure a Peak Spirit Stage opponent.
Even when angered, Huang San didn’t lose his mind. The push from the Beta Puppet reminded him of his predicament. It was unlikely he could defeat these opponents. He wished to avenge Huang Zen, but his priority should still be to escape from this place.
He lunged again, making a show that he was delivering another reckless strike. The Beta Puppet used one hand to form an energy shield for blocking. His other hand punched forward for a counterattack.
Huang San had seen the Beta Puppet in action. He knew this blue puppet’s primary function was for defense. He had predicted the punch. He ducked away while continuing to advance. As he neared the Beta Puppet, the vines from his nature armor lashed at the puppet. They wrapped around it and bound its movement.
With much of the Beta Puppet’s body without its protective layer, the vines slipped inside and wreaked havoc on its internal mechanism. Huang San’s move was both to incapacitate the Beta Puppet and damage it in the most efficient way possible.
However, the Beta Puppet was not his only opponent. The Alpha Flying Knives never stopped harassing him. He used the vines from his nature armor to swat them away. Then, raging flames assailed him when he was about to charge past the Beta Puppet.
Huang San gritted his teeth and tanked through the flames. Although the flames were searing hot, the Great Sun Hawk was only a Lower Mythical Beast. With the protection of his nature armor, the fire would only cause discomfort.
He still had another opponent, though. Lin Li’s claws came swiping the moment Huang San almost charged through the fire. His sword flashed and clashed with the claws. Unlike the Great Sun Hawk, he couldn’t just brush off Lin Li’s assault. She was a Mid Mythical Beast whose power was around the Intermediate Spirit Stage.
Though the clashes sent Lin Li reeling back, his advance was also stopped. By then, the Beta Puppet had readjusted its position to block his path again. It had used raw strength to rip out all the vines that bound it. Sparks were seen in its internal circuit. The vines managed to cause slight damage, but it wasn’t severe enough to hamper the Beta Puppet’s function.
Like Wu Di, Amon also glanced to the side to see how his subordinates fared in obstructing Huang San. What he saw was neither encouraging nor discouraging. Nevertheless, he must quickly end the fight here before more variables show up. The other Echos’ Spirit Stage cultivators might be on their way. He had instructed Xin Wuming to lead the others away from this cave, but he couldn’t count on everyone listening to Xin Wuming.
Their glances lasted only a brief second. Amon acted first. While his ceremonial dagger was in Wu Di’s hand, it was tied to the Xian Cloth. The shadows of his dark suit crept through the Xian Cloth to reshroud the ceremonial dagger, but the shadows disintegrated every time it touched the light from Wu Di’s soul gauntlet. Since Amon couldn’t gain elemental superiority, he used raw strength. He pulled hard on the cloth to snatch the ceremonial dagger from Wu Di’s grip.
Wu Di’s grip was solid. He knew how dangerous Amon’s dagger was. He didn’t let go of it and didn’t fight Amon’s pull. He utilized it to lunge instead. His right hand punched in Amon’s direction.
Amon blocked the punch using his left arm. Unlike Wu Di, both his hands were free. He could control the Xian Cloth using his mind. So, he was prepared to deliver a counter-punch using his right fist after the block. However, he was alarmed when he sensed Wu Di’s soul gauntlet burned through the shadows that protected his left arm.
He redirected his right arm to support his left, just as Wu Di’s punch arrived.
*BOOM!*
Wu Di’s ignition punch erupted again. Amon was sent crashing into the wall by the same martial art for the third time. This time, his body sank deep into the wall, causing cracks that spread a long way to the cave’s floor and ceiling.
"Ugh..." The pain in Amon’s arm was stinging. If he failed to block in time, he might have suffered a serious injury. The shadows that shrouded his left arm had been disintegrated. His left arm was revealed. His dark suit slowly spread to shroud that arm again.
"Impossible," Amon uttered. "Light and darkness countered one another. My cultivation is higher than yours. In theory, my darkness should have devoured your light."
"Well, I am never one for theory," Wu Di responded. "All I know is that good will always prevail against evil, and the light of righteousness in my heart will never be extinguished! Especially when I see an evildoer conducting evil deeds in my presence. I created this soul gauntlet especially to punish evildoers like you! Prepare to face the light of justice!!!"
Wu Di’s light gauntlet flared brighter when he spoke. Amon understood then that the arcane art that formed the gauntlet reacted to its user’s willpower. The more determined Wu Di was, the more powerful the soul gauntlet became.
"Pah! What a load of bull," Amon uttered. He pushed himself out of the hole in the wall. "Good always prevail against evil? My existence is proof that such a thing was a lie!"
The Xian Cloth twirled and wrapped around Wu Di’s left arm. Wu Di didn’t mind. He was okay with using only one hand so long as Amon didn’t get his ceremonial dagger back. His right fist turned into a blur as he delivered countless light-speed punches.
Amon returned in kind. Light and darkness stormed at each other. Both vied for supremacy. Their contest was not only between their elements but also their beliefs. Whether good would prevail or evil would. They would decide this in this fight.
