Strip me of my armor? I'll summon the Emperor in a flash!

Chapter 13 Armor Evolution
Li Yan leaned back lazily in his chair, his arms crossed, his long fingers tapping lightly on his elbows.

His posture was casual, yet it carried an unsettling sense of oppression, like a beast feigning sleep, ready to pounce and injure at any moment.

"Don't be so tense." He chuckled, his gaze sweeping over the tense faces of the group, his mockery undisguised. "You all acting like you're facing a formidable enemy is quite amusing to me."

Meizhen took a deep breath, her nails digging deeply into her palms: "Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

"What do you want?" Li Yan tilted his head, a strand of black hair falling across his forehead, obscuring the dark glint in his eyes. "I've already said, I'm very interested in your Light and Shadow Stones."

He slowly sat up straight, a dangerous smile playing on his lips. "Not just these few pieces."

His voice suddenly lowered, becoming seductively gentle: "Those two pieces you have will be mine sooner or later."

"Li Yan!" Bei Miao slammed her hand on the table, splashing tea everywhere. "Are you declaring war on ERP?!"

Li Yan casually brushed off non-existent dust from his sleeves: "Declare war?"

He scoffed, "If I really meant that, what do you think?"

He raised his eyes, a glint of crimson flashing in his dark pupils. "You're still sitting here unharmed?"

The temperature inside the store seemed to drop suddenly.

Xin Nan's hand was already on the Flame Dragon Summoner, his knuckles turning white;

Dongshan's breathing became heavy, and anger burned in his eyes;

Bei Miao's muscles tensed, ready to strike at any moment.

Meizhen, her face pale, stared intently at Li Yan, refusing to back down an inch.

"Heh," Li Yan suddenly chuckled, his laughter filled with undisguised contempt, "Seriously, just the few of you..."

His gaze swept over the crowd, as if assessing a group of weak prey. "So what if they have the Light and Shadow Stones?"

He stood up, his tall figure casting a shadow under the light: "Even dealing with a few mutant beasts was a struggle."

As she turned, a gentle breeze stirred her clothes. "I might as well retire early and save myself from embarrassment."

Just as he was about to step out of the store—

"and many more."

Xin Nan's voice suddenly rang out from behind, sounding somewhat urgent.

Li Yan stopped at the threshold, the hem of his black trench coat swaying slightly, drawing a cold, hard arc in the morning light.

“Shadow Guardians.” Xin Nan’s knuckles tapped unconsciously on the table, making a dull thud. “They’ve colluded with some mysterious organization. That group is very strong.”

Li Yan's back remained motionless, but Min Ci keenly noticed that his fingers, hanging at his sides, tightened slightly for a moment.

Sunlight streamed in obliquely from outside the door, casting his shadow long enough to almost touch Xin Nan's toes.

“Yes.” Li Yan’s voice was so calm it was completely unreadable. “I’ve met them.”

After saying this, he didn't turn around and stepped straight out the door.

The wind chimes tinkled crisply on the doorframe, as if putting an end to this unpleasant conversation.

As Li Yan walked out of the dumpling restaurant, his gaze fell on the distant horizon.

The clouds there had an unnatural dark red hue, as if they had been stained with blood.

He narrowed his eyes, a dangerous smile curving his lips.

"Oxer"

These three words were so soft they were almost inaudible, yet they caused the surrounding temperature to drop several degrees.

Passersby couldn't help but shiver and quickened their pace to walk around him.

……

In the brightly lit, enclosed room, the Golden Shadow Stone and the Earth Shadow Stone floated silently in mid-air, emitting distinctly different energy fluctuations.

The Golden Shadow Stone is as if it were forged with gilded metal, and its surface is filled with sharp Geng metal energy. Every ray of golden light seems to be able to cut through the air.
Earth Shadow Stone, on the other hand, is heavy and stable. Its brown luster is as all-encompassing as the earth, yet it also contains a sense of oppressiveness that makes one's heart tremble.

Li Yan sat cross-legged, gazing at the two stones of light and shadow, a hint of weighing in his eyes.

"The coloring agent for the Earth Shadow Stone Earth Tiger Armor and the Emperor Armor, but it is ultimately only a part of the Emperor Armor." He muttered to himself, his fingertip lightly tracing the surface of the Golden Shadow Stone, and was immediately cut by the sharp Geng Metal Qi, leaving a small wound.

"But the Snow Mastiff's killing power..."

Without hesitation, he slammed his palm onto the Golden Shadow Stone!
"boom--"

The violent Geng metal power surged into his body like a flood bursting its banks, and Li Yan's body instantly stiffened.

Those sharp energies surged and crashed through his meridians, each impact feeling like a thousand sharp blades churning inside his body.

His pupils suddenly contracted, and the Dark Emperor Armor emitted a groan of strain.

“Ugh!”

The pain, ten times more intense than when he absorbed the Wood Shadow Stone, swept through his entire body.

Li Yan's fingernails dug deep into his palms, and blood dripped from between his fingers, only to evaporate into a blood mist the moment it touched the Golden Shadow Stone.

His bones creaked with a sickening groan, as if they could be crushed by that force at any moment.

But at the same time, the phantom of the Dark Snow Mastiff Armor slowly appeared behind him.

The phantom was initially blurry, but as the energy of the Golden Shadow Stone was continuously injected, it gradually became more solid.

The black patterns on the armor began to gleam with a metallic sheen, and the claws on the arm guards extended by three-tenths of an inch, radiating a chilling sharpness.

"Not enough," Li Yan gritted his teeth, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

He forcefully activated the chaotic power within his body, transforming it into a giant net to gradually gather and refine the rampant Geng metal energy.

This process lasted for a full three hours.

When the last trace of Geng metal power was tamed, the Dark Snow Mastiff Armor suddenly burst forth with a dazzling black-gold light.

A brand-new armor form appeared before Li Yan's eyes—sharp metal barbs extended from the shoulder guards, ancient killing patterns appeared on the breastplate, and even the visor became more ferocious, like a beast ready to devour its prey.

"Ding! Detection indicates the host has absorbed the Golden Shadow Stone!"

"Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Dark Rage Gold Emperor form!"

"So this is the evolved Dark Snow Mastiff, the Wrathful Golden Emperor form!" Li Yan gasped as he raised his hand and gently clenched it, causing a metallic clang to resound in the air.

He could sense that the Snow Mastiff Armor not only retained its original power characteristics, but also gained the extreme sharpness of Geng Metal power.

But at that moment, the earthen shadow stone floating to the side suddenly began to tremble violently!
As if stimulated by the absorption of the Golden Shadow Stone, countless fine cracks appeared on the surface of the Earth Shadow Stone, and the immense power of the earth leaked out uncontrollably.

The entire chamber began to shake, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the walls.

"It activated on its own?" A hint of surprise flashed in Li Yan's eyes, but he quickly made up his mind. "In that case, I'll take it all!"

Without hesitation, he grabbed at the Earth Shadow Stone!
Unlike the sharp and unrestrained power of Geng metal, the power of earth is as heavy as a mountain.

When the energy of the Earth Shadow Stone surged into his body, Li Yan felt as if a massive boulder was pressing down on his chest.

His bones groaned under the strain, and his internal organs were displaced by the pressure.

"puff--"

He spat out a mouthful of blood, but it was assimilated into brown light spots by the energy of the Earth Shadow Stone in mid-air.

Cracks began to appear on Li Yan's skin, and a yellowish-brown light shone through the cracks.

Like the cracked surface of the earth. His consciousness gradually blurred, as if he were being swallowed up by the endless earth.

At this critical moment, the power of the Golden Shadow Stone that had been absorbed earlier suddenly started to operate automatically!

The sharp, metallic energy transformed into countless fine threads, constructing a sturdy framework within the body that forcefully withstood the oppressive power of the earth.

Metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, and fire generates earth—the principle of the five elements generating each other is vividly demonstrated here.

Li Yanfu was inspired and immediately guided the power of the Wood Shadow Stone within his body as a medium to achieve a delicate balance between the metal and earth elements.

"Boom!"

The phantom of the Dark Tiger Armor burst forth from the sky, undergoing an astonishing transformation under the infusion of Earth Shadow Stone energy.

The originally smooth surface of the armor now features rock-like patterns, making the overall design more substantial and solid.

Most astonishingly, a gravity field automatically formed around the armor, causing even light to be slightly distorted when it passed through.

When the last bit of earth power was absorbed, Li Yan slowly opened his eyes.

His pupils were simultaneously shimmering with golden and brown light, and his aura was several times stronger than before!
"Is this the secret of the power of the Five Elements?"

He looked down at his hands, and when he gently clenched them, a slight indentation appeared in the space between his palms.

Now, not only have the Dark Snow Mastiff and Earth Tiger Armor evolved, but even the Dark Emperor Armor, which is his origin, has undergone a qualitative leap.

The patterns on the armor's surface became deeper, and within those dark blue patterns, the colors of gold and brown could be faintly seen flowing.

"Ding! Host has absorbed Earth Shadow Stone!"

"Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Dark Earth Tiger King form!"

Current progress on unlocking the Dark Ultimate Emperor Armor: 50%

"Phew, fifty percent! Halfway done."

Inside the secret room, Li Yan was surrounded by lingering turbulent energy.

A golden and brown halo flowed beneath his skin, and with each breath, it stirred up the dust in the air, creating tiny vortices.

"Phew—fifty percent done."

The system's mechanical voice echoed in his mind, and Li Yan slowly opened his eyes.

His originally dark pupils now displayed an eerie two-colored vortex—his left eye pulsated with the sharpness of Geng metal, while his right eye held the weight of the earth.

He looked down at his palm, the surface of his skin flashing with a metallic sheen from time to time, before returning to its bronze color.

The Dark Emperor Armor automatically attaches itself, with new patterns interwoven into ancient totems on the breastplate.

Those once azure energy channels are now half stained with a dark gold color, like molten metal flowing in blood vessels.

"It's already halfway done."

The whispers echoed multiple times in the confined space. Li Yan suddenly clenched his fist, and the energy bursting from between his fingers instantly shredded the alloy target three meters away into fragments.

The overwhelming power he exuded with every move made a dangerous smile unconsciously creep onto his lips.

"If we get the last two Light and Shadow Stones," Li Yan slowly licked his canine teeth, tasting a slight metallic flavor of blood, "we can unlock at least twenty percent more."

"Unfortunately, it's not the right time yet."

Suddenly, he clenched his five fingers and crushed the energy ball that had gathered in his palm.

The flying arc of electricity illuminated half of his face, revealing the scheming churning in his eyes.

Making a move now would only alert the enemy, and besides—

He wasn't ready yet!

……

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's neon lights blurred into hazy spots of light in the rain.

A middle-aged man stood in front of the panoramic glass, wisps of smoke rising from his cigar, casting distorted shadows on the bulletproof glass.

"When will your strength be restored?"

As he turned, his custom-made leather shoes tapped out a cold rhythm on the marble floor.

In the shadows in front of the desk, four hazy black wisps twisted and deformed, occasionally revealing ferocious faces and terrifying roars.

"Uncertain," the狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) face of the evil metal emerged from the black mist, flickering with an unstable red light, "but it possesses the essence bestowed by the Great Emperor."

The black mist suddenly surged violently, and the necrotic soil struggled to coalesce into half a charred face: "As long as...we recover..." His voice was like a broken cassette tape, intermittent and fragmented, "we...will be stronger than before."

"snort."

The cigar was stubbed out hard in the crystal ashtray.

The middle-aged man unbuttoned his suit jacket, revealing a silver badge pinned to his tie—a bizarre pattern composed of an umbrella and a skull.

"A gift from the Shadow Emperor?" He suddenly kicked over the coffee table in front of him, the sound of shattering glass echoing in the empty office.

"The five guardians are now reduced to four defeated foe! If I hadn't intervened that night, you would have been blasted to smithereens by that armor!"

The roars and howls from the black mist abruptly ceased.

The murky water, attempting to solidify into a liquid form, suddenly froze, and ripples of fear spread across its asphalt-like surface.

The middle-aged man loosened his tie, revealing the dark veins spreading across his neck.

His pupils suddenly split into compound eyes, and his voice took on an inhuman emphasis: "When your emperor appeared, did he even glance at you?"

The silence pressed down on the space as if it were a physical presence.

A bolt of lightning struck outside the window, illuminating the biological culture chamber in the corner of the office.

“Now,” the middle-aged man pulled a metal syringe from his suit pocket, the tube bubbling with scarlet liquid, “you must learn to recognize your new master.”

When he pressed the hidden button under his desk, the entire glass curtain wall suddenly turned into a display screen.

The scene shows dozens of monsters roaring and tearing at each other.

"See this? This is our plan for the future." The syringe needle popped out and was shown to them.

Next second

The middle-aged man's black suit suddenly burst open, and countless tentacles tore out from his back.

His head stretched and deformed, eventually settling into the form of an umbrella demon wearing a top hat—his pale face covered with stitches.

"Now, you can only rely on me!" the middle-aged man sneered. "Only I can keep you alive. If you don't want to die, you'd better show some backbone. Otherwise..."

"Let you follow in the footsteps of evil fire!"

suddenly
"Chairman Ma, they're here!"

A voice rang out, breaking the tense atmosphere in the office.

The middle-aged man's gaze instantly turned icy, and a chilling aura emanated from his body.

"Let them in!"

"You should hide first."

(End of this chapter)