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

Chapter 7 The Old Man of the Sacred Mountain
Why are you looking for us?

"Because we all have the same goal!"

"That is to destroy the armor and dominate the Earth!"

……

ERP Research Institute
"Da da da!"

In the cold, metallic corridor, the sound of boots hitting the ground was like a countdown to death.

Li Yan's slender fingers slowly traced the familiar emergency light switch on the wall, the dark energy leaping from his fingertips causing the light bulb to flicker with a "buzzing" sound.

"What a memorable place."

His voice echoed eerily in the empty corridor.

Behind her, Meizhen's high heels followed hesitantly, her usually efficient steps now disordered.

The moment the surveillance cameras turned towards them, all the lenses simultaneously emitted sparks.

"You say it," Li Yan suddenly stopped in front of the door, his scarlet pupils reflected in the iris scanner of the access control system, "Aren't those old guys at headquarters regretting it to the core now?"

Meizhen's nails dug deeply into her palms. The blue light of the holographic projection reflected on her pale face, shattering her forced smile.

She recalled the grim faces of the headquarters executives during the video conference three days prior.

When the footage of the Dark Emperor Armor easily defeating two other armors was played together with the footage of the Dark Wind Eagle Armor defeating three other armors, those usually arrogant leaders showed unusual emotions for the first time.

“They…have rescinded all measures against you.” Her voice was hoarse, unlike her own. “You can come back, any terms you want.”

"Snapped!"

The gate was vaporized by dark energy.

Li Yan stepped over the glowing red molten metal slag, and the core control area of ​​the research institute was now in full view.

On the circular screen wall, which is three or four meters high, dozens of split screens are monitoring the situation in various regions.

Moreover, in the research institute's control room
Li Yan didn't see those annoying people either.

That makes sense, considering how badly he was injured. It would be strange if he were still here!

Even with the advanced treatment techniques here, they won't recover in less than ten days to half a month.

Dongshan, in particular, has broken several ribs and will need several months to recover.

However, to put it simply, there are only two words.

Live it!

"Wood Shadow Stone!"

Li Yan turned his gaze to the energy chamber where the light and shadow stones were stored.

A deep blue energy field cast flowing patterns of light on the metal wall, and three suspended light and shadow stones, like sleeping stars, slowly rotated in the specially designed force field.

Three light and shadow stones are suspended in the quantum force field, slowly rotating in a triangular array.

The Fire Shadow Stone resembles a pulsating magma core, with intense red light flowing within the crystal.
The Water Shadow Stone resembles the essence condensed in the deep sea, its azure light rising and falling like the tides.

The green halo flowing across the surface of the central Wood Shadow Stone is just like the shimmering light on the wings of a soaring eagle armor.

Li Yan walked towards the energy room.

"You promised to only take the Wood Shadow Stone!" Meizhen's voice rang out behind Li Yan, sounding somewhat hurried.

Meizhen stood at the door, her fingers gripping the door frame tightly.

Her expression of reluctance and unwillingness could not conceal her pale face.

As she watched Li Yan approach the Wood Shadow Stone, she felt a sense of powerlessness.

“Actually, even if I take all three Light and Shadow Stones this time, you will be powerless to stop me.” Li Yan suddenly spoke, his fingertips lightly tracing the glass outside.

"You said you would only take the Wood Shadow Stone!"

Meizhen's emotions surged instantly, and she shouted at Li Yan, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

"Take it out." Li Yan withdrew his finger, his voice turning cold again.

Meizhen walked stiffly toward the control panel.

Her fingerprints left sweaty marks in the recognition area, and she blinked three times more frequently than usual during the iris scan.

When all three authentications are successful, the quantum field emits a soft hum, and the protective shield dissipates like a curtain of water.

The Wood Shadow Stone seemed to sense something, and its emerald green light suddenly intensified.

Meizhen instinctively reached out to stop him, but then slumped down halfway—she remembered Bei Miao's broken ribs and the mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs that Dong Shan had vomited.

If he could be so ruthless towards Dong Shan and the others, she didn't believe Li Yan wouldn't retaliate against her.

"Wise choice."

Li Yan raised his hand and took back the wooden shadow stone that belonged to him.

His gaze then fell upon the remaining two light and shadow stones.

Hokage Stone and Mizukage Stone!
I wondered if I should take both of them with me so they could keep the Wood Shadow Stone company, and prevent the Wood Shadow Stone from looking lonely.

Meizhen watched as Li Yan stared intently at the two remaining light and shadow stones, lost in thought. Seemingly sensing Li Yan's thoughts, she quickly reopened the protective shield of the energy chamber to prevent Li Yan from having any other ideas.

The energy shield slowly opened, and the Wood Shadow Stone floated in Li Yan's palm. The emerald green light reflected on his cold and handsome profile, outlining a sharp contour.

He lowered his head slightly, gazing at the life energy flowing within the crystal, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Meizhen stood three steps away, her fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of her long gown, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Her gaze was fixed on Li Yan, as if if she relaxed her guard even slightly, he would do something uncontrollable.

"Heh, why are you so nervous?" Li Yan raised his eyes, his gaze shifting from Mu Yingshi to Meizhen, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

Meizhen didn't answer, but her jaw tightened, and the wariness in her eyes didn't lessen at all.

Li Yan chuckled softly, his fingertips gently stroking the surface of the Wood Shadow Stone. Energy flowed between his fingers, emitting a faint hum.

“I said I’ll only take the Wood Shadow Stone, and I will only take the Wood Shadow Stone.” He spoke casually, as if he were talking about the weather today.

"That's hard to say." Meizhen's voice was a little tense. "It's always good to be wary of someone like you."

Li Yan raised an eyebrow, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before he chuckled softly.

"Someone like me?" he repeated, a hint of amusement in his voice. "What, in your eyes, am I now a completely wicked person?"

Meizhen pursed her lips and didn't answer, but her eyes already gave the answer.

Li Yan chuckled and ignored her, turning around to look around, his gaze sweeping over every detail of the control room.

"Everything here is still the same old awful," he remarked casually, tapping the control panel lightly with his fingers, the metal surface making a crisp sound. "Not a single change."

Meizhen stared at his back, her chest heaving slightly, clearly trying her best to suppress her emotions.

"You've got what you wanted." She took a deep breath, pointed towards the door, and said in a cold, hard voice, "Please leave the research institute immediately."

Li Yan acted as if he hadn't heard anything, and walked to the monitoring screen in the training room. He skillfully tapped the control panel a few times and brought up the latest battle data.

“Dongshan’s training record…” He glanced at the screen, a mocking smile playing on his lips, “Still only three seconds of explosive power? I really don’t know how he passed the selection.”

Meizhen's face instantly turned ugly.

“His strength doesn’t need your judgment,” she said through gritted teeth.

"Oh?" Li Yan turned his head to look at her, his eyes filled with undisguised mockery. "So your standards have fallen to this level? No wonder even a few ordinary mutant beasts can push you to the brink of despair."

Meizhen's fingers tightened suddenly, her nails almost digging into her palms.

"Enough!" she hissed, her voice filled with suppressed anger. "What exactly do you want? We've already given you the Shadow Stone, how long are you going to keep humiliating us?"

Li Yan looked at her quietly, the playfulness in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a deep indifference.

“Humiliation?” he said slowly, his voice low. “I’m just stating the facts.”

Looking towards the virtual training room, Li Yan began to hesitate.

In the past, when he was the summoner of the Wind Eagle Armor, he could also go to the virtual training room.

But given his current state, he was genuinely hesitant.

The Old Man of the Divine Mountain, the first summoner of the Emperor's Armor, defeated the Shadow Emperor a thousand years ago, ending the conspiracy of the five Shadow Guardians and sealing them away, thus maintaining world peace. Even though the Old Man of the Divine Mountain no longer has a physical body and only his consciousness exists, Li Yan is still unsure of what to do.

Moreover, the old man from the sacred mountain used to address him in the same way he addressed them: simply the Wind Eagle Armor Summoner.

I just don't know what it will be like now.

Thinking this, Li Yan still walked towards the virtual training room.

We can always retreat.

Meizhen watched Li Yan walk into the virtual training room, wanting to stop him but not knowing how, and in the end could only glare at his back with resentment.

As Li Yan entered the virtual training room, Mei Zhen abruptly stopped in her tracks the moment the door closed.

"Hey!"

Mei Zhen sighed helplessly.

They easily made their way to the center and stood firmly.

The next second, a white light appeared in the training room, illuminating the entire room!
A moment of dizziness came

Next second

The white light gradually dissipated, and Li Yan's feet firmly landed on a void.

The surroundings were no longer the metal walls of the ERP Research Institute, but an endless sea of ​​clouds. The mirror-like water reflected the sky, and every step created ripples, yet remained silent.

The old man of the sacred mountain stood not far away, his white robe fluttering without wind, his aged face displaying unprecedented emotional fluctuations.

Those deep eyes seemed to penetrate Li Yan's soul, causing him to unconsciously tense up.

"The Judge..." the old man of the sacred mountain repeated, his voice deep and resonant, as if it came from a distant time and space.

Li Yan frowned slightly, and his right foot unconsciously took a half step back, entering a defensive stance.

"What did you call me?" Li Yan asked in a deep voice, his sharp gaze fixed on the old man of the sacred mountain. "The Judge? What does that mean?"

The old man of the sacred mountain did not answer immediately, but slowly raised his hand, and a soft light appeared in his palm.

In the light, countless scenes flashed like a carousel—the battle between the Armored Warriors and the Alien Beasts, the birth of the Light and Shadow Stone, and even... the scene where Li Yan was stripped of his summoning qualification.

"Light and darkness coexist, good and evil are intertwined." The old man of the sacred mountain finally spoke, his voice carrying a kind of fatalistic heaviness, "There is no absolute justice in the world, nor is there absolute darkness."

Li Yan sneered: "So what? Are you trying to tell me that what I did was neither righteous nor evil?"

“No.” The old man of the sacred mountain shook his head, his gaze intense. “I want to tell you that you were the chosen one.”

"Chosen?" Li Yan raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Chosen by whom? And for what purpose?"

The old man of the sacred mountain did not answer directly, but instead gently waved his sleeve, and the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

The sea of ​​clouds surged, and a huge crack appeared in the sky, where darkness and light intertwined into a vortex.

At the center of the vortex, an ancient altar could be vaguely seen, and floating on the altar was a crystal emitting chaotic light—neither a light and shadow stone nor a product of dark energy, but a being never seen before.

“That is…” Li Yan’s pupils contracted slightly.

On that rock, he felt an unprecedented longing!
"The Stone of Judgment," the old man of the sacred mountain said slowly. "When the balance is broken, when the boundary between light and darkness is blurred, the judge will descend and reshape the order."

Li Yan was silent for a moment, then chuckled: "So, you want me to be this 'judge'? To decide who is right and who is wrong?"

“No.” The old man of the sacred mountain shook his head. “The judge is not the adjudicator, but the balancer.”

"balance?"

"When light is too bright, darkness arises; when darkness rages, light retaliates." The old man's voice seemed to carry an ancient rhythm. "But you belong neither to the light nor are you succumbed to the darkness. You are the only one who can stand in the middle."

Li Yan's eyes flickered slightly.

He certainly didn't consider himself to belong to the righteous camp of ERP, but he was by no means purely evil either.

His actions were more like a form of revenge, a resistance against injustice.

"So, you want me to put aside my hatred and become this so-called 'balancer'?" Li Yan sneered.

The old man from the sacred mountain gave him a deep look: "Hatred will only blind you. What the judge needs is to see the true nature of things."

Li Yan did not answer.

"What if I refuse?" He suddenly looked up, his gaze sharp as a knife.

The old man of the sacred mountain sighed: "Then, the unbalanced world will eventually face destruction."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding scenery changed again.

The sky shattered, the earth collapsed, and countless mutant beasts crawled out of the abyss. The mass-produced armored vehicles fought valiantly, but were defeated time and again. In the end, the entire world was swallowed by darkness, leaving only endless despair.

Li Yan watched all of this quietly, his eyes deep.

He knew that what the old man on the sacred mountain was showing was not an illusory prophecy, but a possible future.

"Why do you think I would care about the survival of this world?" he asked in a low voice.

The old man of the sacred mountain smiled slightly: "Because what you care about has never been destruction, but fairness."

Li Yan's fingers tightened slightly.

Yes, he hated the ERP headquarters and those high-ranking decision-makers, but he never intended to drag the whole world down with him.

He still has his bottom line, though it's not much.

"What do I need to do?" he finally asked, his voice low.

A hint of relief flashed in the old man's eyes: "Accept the trial of the Judgment Stone and master the true power of balance."

"Trial?"

"The power of the Judge is not simply light or darkness, but a fusion of the two." The old man of the sacred mountain raised his hand and pointed to the altar at the center of the vortex. "Only through trials can you master it."

Li Yan was silent for a moment, then suddenly curled the corners of his mouth: "That sounds interesting."

He strode forward, ripples spreading across the water beneath his feet, each step firm and powerful.

The old man from the sacred mountain watched his retreating figure and murmured softly, "I hope you can find your own answer."

The moment Li Yan stepped onto the altar, a burst of chaotic light erupted, completely engulfing him.
-
external
ERP Research Institute
Meizhen stood outside the virtual training room, staring at the tightly closed metal door, her brows furrowed.

Two hours have passed, and Li Yan still hasn't come out.

"Something's not right..." she muttered to herself, her fingers flying across the control panel as she tried to retrieve data from the training room.

However, all that was displayed on the screen was gibberish.

"How is this possible?!" Meizhen's pupils contracted sharply, and she immediately switched to the emergency communication channel. "Headquarters! An anomaly has occurred in the virtual training room. Requesting investigation!"

A noisy response came from the other end of the communicator, but Meizhen had no time to pay attention to it.

Because in the very next second—

"boom--!!!"

The door to the training room was blasted open by an invisible force, and a blinding light burst forth from within, instantly engulfing the entire corridor!
Meizhen was thrown over by the blast wave and slammed heavily against the wall.

She managed to lift her head and, through her blurry vision, saw a figure slowly emerge from the light.

As the light faded, Li Yan's face became clearly visible.

In his eyes, his left pupil was as deep as the night, while his right pupil burned with a blazing white light.

“Now…” He looked down at his palm, where energy swirled like flowing water, “it’s time to redefine the rules.”

He turned and walked toward the door, his boots making a dull thud on the floor.

“I really should leave this time.” He stopped at the door, turned his head slightly, and glanced at Meizhen out of the corner of his eye. “After all, there’s no point in staying here.”

Meizhen stared intently at his back until he completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, then she leaned against the control panel as if all her strength had been drained.

Her breathing was a little rapid, her fingers trembled slightly, and Li Yan's words kept echoing in her mind.

"Have your standards fallen to this level?"

She slowly closed her eyes, a dull pain rising in her chest.

Because... he's right.

(End of this chapter)