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

Chapter 17 The End
Shadow energy and aurora energy collided violently in the center of the abandoned factory, and the resulting shockwave twisted the surrounding rusty metal supports into a twisted shape.

The Dark Emperor Armor controlled by Li Yan was shrouded in ominous black mist.

Dark golden light, like lava, flowed between the gaps in the armor, and each step left a charred, burning footprint on the concrete ground.

“That’s more like it!” Li Yan’s voice came through the mask, accompanied by a metallic hum.

He suddenly spun around, his right fist, crackling with surging shadow energy, slamming towards his opponent.

The Emperor Armor was forced back three steps by the attack, leaving two ravines with blue smoke rising from its feet.

The Emperor Armor controlled by Xiang Yang suddenly emitted a dazzling light like the sun, and the golden patterns on the pure white armor flowed like living things.

He steadied himself, and the aurora shield on his chest reflected the dark mirror image opposite him, which was similar in appearance but completely opposite.

He leaped into the air, sword in hand, the Aurora Sword tracing a dazzling path through the air, like a shooting star falling into the darkness.

Li Yan grinned as he met the attack, his Dark Aurora Sword tearing through the air with a shrill, ghostly wail.

The moment the two divine weapons collided, black and gold energies exploded in a ring, causing the concrete ground within a hundred meters to sink by two meters instantly, and the exposed steel bars turned into molten iron and splashed out in the energy storm.

"Aurora Slash!"

"Shadow Slash!"

The two shouted at the same time and then retreated at the same time.

Li Yan felt a numbing sensation coming from the tiger's mouth.

As expected of the Heavenly Dao, only he could control the Emperor of Light Armor to such an extent.

The steel beams of the abandoned factory roof groaned under the weight of the continuous energy fluctuations, and large chunks of concrete fell like rain.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiang Yang launched a surprise attack. Wings of light unfolded from the back of the Emperor Armor, and his speed suddenly increased to the level of a blur.

The Aurora Sword unleashed seven consecutive sword beams, each precisely aimed at the joint gaps of the dark armor.

Li Yan unleashed his Dark Aurora Shield to block, forming a dark barrier!
How much longer can you hold on?

Li Yan suddenly stopped and plunged the Dark Aurora Sword into the ground.

Looking at the constantly heaving chest of the Emperor Armor, Li Yan knew that Xiang Yang was about to give up.

A person's energy is limited.

Especially for a child like Xiangyang.

For Xiang Yang, summoning the Emperor Armor each time is a burden, an act of squeezing out his own potential.

Moreover, after such a long battle, Xiangyang's body has probably reached its limit.

"boom!!"

The aftershocks of the ultimate collision swept across the land like a tsunami, causing the earth to crack and dust to rise into the sky.

Li Yan was forced back dozens of meters, his chest heaving as dark purple energy seeped out from the gaps in his Dark Emperor Armor like blood, corroding wisps of black smoke as it dripped onto the ground.

On the opposite side, Xiangyang, in his imperial armor, knelt on one knee, the aurora shield on his chest mostly shattered, its golden light flickering as if it might go out at any moment.

His breathing was heavy, and the energy core inside his armor emitted an unstable hum, clearly nearing its limit.

"Heh... In the end, it was still a little short." Li Yan slowly straightened up, the Dark Aurora Sword pointing diagonally at the ground, the black mist on the blade swirling around.

He stared at Xiang Yang, his voice low and cold: "If you continue like this, I'm afraid you'll never be able to summon the Emperor Armor again."

Xiangyang didn't answer, but slowly raised his head.

Beneath the visor of the Emperor's Armor, his once clear eyes now glowed with an unnatural dark red—the shadow power of the Black Emperor was eroding his consciousness.

"not good!"

In the distance, the Black Emperor's expression suddenly changed.

He sensed that Xiangyang's will was struggling violently, and the light of the Emperor's Armor was flickering, as if it might break free from his control at any moment.

"Damn brat, you can actually resist?!" A sinister glint flashed in the Black Emperor's eyes. He clenched his fists tightly, and the power of shadow surged out like a tide, turning into countless black threads that pierced through the void and wrapped around Xiang Yang's body once again.

"—Submit to me!"

"Ugh... Ah!!" Xiang Yang roared in pain as the patterns on the Emperor Armor suddenly lit up with a blinding blood-red light, and the previously dim energy surged once more!
Strange dark purple patterns appeared on the surface of the golden armor, writhing like blood vessels, continuously injecting the Black Emperor's shadow power into it.

"boom--!!"

The Emperor Armor's energy instantly returned to its peak, even more violent than before!

The ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, and the intense golden light was mixed with the corrosive shadows, making the aura of the entire armor extremely unstable, like a volcano about to erupt.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and gripped the Dark Aurora Sword tightly in his hand.

"Sigh, it's time to end this!"

He knew that Xiangyang was now completely controlled by the Black Emperor, and the power of the Emperor Armor had been forcibly enhanced once again.

"Since that's the case..." Li Yan sneered, and the energy core of the Dark Emperor Armor suddenly spun, with violent shadow power gathering like a storm.

"Then let me see whether your light is stronger or my darkness prevails!"

"Judgment and Meditation Mudra!"

The moment [Judgment - Meditation Seal] was activated, the entire battlefield fell into an eerie stillness.

A dark purple spatial ripple burst forth from Li Yan's clasped hands, and wherever these ripples passed, even the drifting dust froze in mid-air.

That is the power of time and space!

Dark purple ice crystals condensed all over the body of the Emperor Armor.

The crystals spread along the armor's patterns like living things, consuming a portion of the light's energy with every inch they extended.

The Black Emperor, who was watching from afar, suddenly clutched his chest. His control over the Emperor Armor, Xiangyang, was getting weaker and weaker.

The control that was just forcibly seized is now about to be taken away!

"This is the true power of an emperor." Li Yan walked over as if time had frozen, the Dark Aurora Sword hovering in front of him, trembling violently.

The ancient runes engraved on the sword lit up one by one, and the shadow energy within a radius of 100 meters formed countless black streams that flowed towards the tip of the sword.

When the energy reached its peak, a vertical pupil-like slit suddenly appeared on the spine of the sword, and the Shadow Dragon burst out with a roar from the abyss.

The dragon's roar resounded through heaven and earth, its jet-black body coiling around the sword, each scale reflecting shattered spacetime.

Li Yan formed a sword with his fingers, and the Dark Aurora Sword transformed into a black lightning bolt that tore through the void.

Wherever the sword passed, the stagnant river of time was cleaved with shocking cracks, and the flying fragments of time refracted like crystals, revealing countless future scenes of imperial armor being pierced through.

"laugh--!"

With a mournful metallic clang, the sword tip pierced the emperor's armor between the eyebrows.

The ring-shaped shockwave that erupted at the point of contact pulverized all the rubble within a radius of tens of meters.

The dark dragon spiraled forward along the sword, its fangs rubbing against the armor of light, sparking dazzling purple-gold sparks.

The five elements totem on the chest of the Emperor's Armor spun wildly in an attempt to resist, but the shadow energy eroded every layer of defense like a malignant tumor.

"break!"

With Li Yan's cold shout, the sword's edge was fully revealed.

The sharp edge instantly caused the surface of the Emperor's Armor to be covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

Taking advantage of the moment, the dark dragon raised its head and roared, the annihilation beams emanating from its horns flowing into the armor through the cracks.

As the sword tip fully penetrated, the time confinement was suddenly lifted.

The Emperor Armor remained frozen in place, arms outstretched in a blocking posture, liquid golden light slowly seeping from the sword hole between its brows.

The dark dragon burrowed into the armor through the wound. Li Yan could clearly see the dark dragon moving around the outer shell of the armor, causing armor parts to explode one after another wherever it passed.

"boom!"

With a final, deafening explosion, the Imperial Armor shattered completely, transforming into golden light and dissipating into the world.

Xiangyang's frail body was thus exposed to reality.

His dazed and confused appearance was heartbreaking to see.

The Dark Aurora Sword was now only three inches away from his brow, and the sharp edge of the sword tip carved a bloody mark on his forehead.

Upon seeing this scene from afar, the Black Emperor's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints.

When the last thread of the Shadow Threads broke in the spiritual realm.

His connection with the Imperial Armor was completely severed.

All control has vanished completely!
At this moment, every muscle under his black robe was taut to the extreme—this was the frantic warning of crisis instinct honed through countless life-and-death experiences.

A sense of foreboding surged through my mind!

"Damn it. Even the Emperor's Armor..."

He stared intently at the battlefield in the distance.

He is not reconciled!
Just a little bit closer!
He was so close to defeating Li Yan!
Amidst the smoke and dust, Li Yan's Dark Emperor Armor slowly lowered the Dark Aurora Sword that had nearly pierced Xiang Yang's brow.

Black Emperor's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.

The scene of Li Yan's battle with the Shadow Emperor's clone a while ago suddenly flashed before my eyes!

Even though Li Yan was no match for the Shadow Emperor's clone, he still managed to kill one of the five Shadow Guardians!
And now, this monster has even managed to destroy the Emperor's Armor, which represents the will of Heaven...
"escape!"

The word was branded into his mind like a red-hot iron. The Black Emperor's right hand unconsciously reached for a pocket watch in his robes.

His thin, bony fingers trembled slightly when they touched the cold pocket watch.

He noticed that Li Yan seemed to glance in this direction, and although they were hundreds of meters apart, that gaze seemed to pierce through space and go straight into his spine.

It made him break out in a cold sweat!

"Shadow Vanish!"

The Black Emperor suddenly exploded into countless bat-shaped shadows, which flew away in all directions across the sky.

He could even feel the bulging veins in his temples throbbing.

Seeing the Black Emperor escape, Li Yan made no move.

It's not inaction, but rather...

Li Yan's Dark Emperor Armor suddenly let out a mournful cry of unbearable strain, turning into specks of black light and dissipating into the world.

He knelt on one knee, and large amounts of black mist continuously rose from his body—the dissipation of overdrawn shadow energy.

Only now did he truly realize the price he had paid to freeze the Emperor's Armor that had been used to subdue the Heavenly Dao.

"Ahem."

Fresh blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, turning into black smoke and dissipating the moment it touched the air.

Li Yan smiled bitterly as he looked in the direction the Black Emperor had fled, his right hand's five fingers digging deeply into the ground.

It wasn't that he didn't want to pursue, but every meridian in his body was groaning, leaving him with no strength to continue.

"Next time we meet," Li Yan wiped the blood from his lips, a dark glint in his eyes, "I'll make sure your soul is utterly destroyed."

In the distance, Xiangyang lay quietly amidst the ruins, the golden light surrounding the boy slowly dissipating—the residual power of the Emperor's Armor.

"From now on, I'm afraid you'll never have the chance to wear the Emperor's Armor again."

After this battle, Xiangyang was completely drained.

"Ding! Detection indicates the host has defeated the Emperor Armor!"

"Congratulations, host, on unlocking the Dark Ultimate Emperor!"

The long-lost voice calmed Li Yan down.

"The Dark Ultimate Emperor?"

As the system voice faded, a surge of power appeared within his body.

He could even feel the vibrant life force emanating from within his cells as it flowed through his limbs and bones!
This feeling is so familiar!
"it's over!"

Li Yan picked up the unconscious Xiang Yang and prepared to head back the way they came.

However, as soon as they came into contact with Xiangyang, the system notification sounded again.

"Ding, special light and shadow bloodline detected."

"99.9% pure, containing fragments of the will of Heaven."

Li Yan's fingers hovered over Xiang Yang's forehead, and he could clearly feel the immense energy flowing in his veins.

He paused, looked down at Xiangyang in his arms, and a strange look appeared in his eyes.

"System, if Xiangyang's Light and Shadow Bloodline is absorbed, will he still have it?"

Li Yan asked himself this question.

"Ding, nothing!"

"After absorbing it, Xiangyang will become an ordinary person, no longer possessing the Light and Shadow Bloodline, nor will he be able to summon the Emperor Armor!"

"I see!"

"Perhaps, becoming an ordinary person is the best thing for you." Li Yan looked at Xiang Yang and said softly, "When you wake up, you will be an ordinary person, no longer needing to bear those things that don't belong to you!"

The heavy burdens that once weighed on this frail body—the destiny of the chosen one, the responsibility of protecting the world, and the expectations of the descendants of Five Elements Village—have all vanished.

"absorb!"

After making his decision, Li Yan explained his choice to the system.

A faint light shone from the body facing the sun in his arms.

Passionate, just, and radiant!

This is the special light and shadow bloodline within Xiangyang's body!
The only bloodline that can make Heaven fight on its behalf!
A miraculous scene unfolded.

The golden light that rose from Xiangyang's body disappeared into Li Yan's palm like a swimming fish.

After Li Yan completely absorbed the special bloodline power within Xiang Yang's body, he saw Xiang Yang's tightly furrowed brows suddenly relax, and even a serene smile like that of a baby appeared on his lips.

The night wind dispersed the last dust from the ruins, and Li Yan, carrying Xiangyang, headed towards the city.

Starlight shone on the two of them, casting long, long shadows. At first, the shadows were clearly distinct, but as they walked, they gradually merged, until it was impossible to tell whether it was light or darkness.

After Li Yan's figure completely disappeared.

Suddenly, there was a movement in a hidden spot in the distance.

Then a head popped out.

"Is it finally over?"

"Scared me!"

The man looked around and, seeing that there was nothing amiss, breathed a deep sigh of relief.

I felt much more relaxed.

God knows how much pressure he's under hiding here!
He was terrified that Li Yan would find out and punch him to death!

Fortunately, he was good at hiding and Li Yan didn't notice.

What should we do next?

"Or, should we join them?"

(End of this chapter)