Rise of The Demon General-Chapter 406. Pushing for a Spar

"New member? I never agree with joining whatever organization you have here," Bu Zheng said.

"When you choose to go through that door, you already made your decision to be a member," Amon said. "You are either a member or leave this place as a corpse."

Bu Zheng frowned upon hearing that. A pressuring aura radiated from him. He said, "Are you sure about that? I know you are at the Beginning Mystic Stage. I am much stronger than you. Don’t think you can win against me even with the others backing you."

Amon grinned. "I know you are at the Peak Mystic Stage. Still, I can defeat you if I go all out, and I say that not because I am relying on the others to help me fight."

Bu Zheng eyed Amon with a mixed expression. He could hear and see the confidence in Amon’s voice and face. The young man truly believed he could win despite possessing a much weaker cultivation.

"I will let that slide, considering I owe you my freedom," Bu Zheng said. He retracted his aura.

"Heh," Amon scoffed. He didn’t push the issue.

After the tension died down, Gao Lan told Amon, "Boss, I’m glad we saved our people. I don’t mean to be a downer, but we still have a major problem. We can’t continue our production while our workshop is sealed by the kingdom. Most of our alchemist equipment and ingredients are stored inside that workshop. We have a smaller secret workshop, but the output is not much. Without resuming the production of Thousand Dream Powder and Serene Tranquilize Powder, we won’t have enough to keep our organization moving."

"I’m sorry, boss," Ah Bin said. "You went through the trouble to get us out, but we can’t help much without the equipment and ingredients."

"That’s okay. I have already thought of a solution to our financial problem," Amon responded.

"You have?" Gao Lan asked with surprise.

"Before I lay out my plan to deal with this matter, we wait for San Guo to return first. The information he brings will be crucial to this plan. Everyone stays here in the meantime. Do not go out. The city should be under lockdown due to the jailbreak."

Everyone went and did their own things. Most spent their time cultivating. Qiang Dan and Lu Fei came not long after. They were among those who assisted with the jailbreak from outside.

Bu Zheng walked around the hideout. He was impressed. Although the hideout was not big, it was nicely organized and well-furnished. There were even words of power along the walls of the hideout. Comparing this hideout with the ones he used to frequent when he was still a rebel, it was like heaven and earth.

There was also a large bathroom. Bu Zheng immediately used the room without bothering to ask for permission. It was a long while since he took a bath.

He spent quite a while inside. After bathing, he found a set of clean clothes waiting for him outside. He ditched his dilapidated prison clothes for this new one. He felt very refreshed. He thought he might like this place, after all.

He noticed Amon performing shadowboxing in a small practice room inside the hideout. He was intrigued. Shadowboxing was not a common practice in this world. Cultivators trained by cultivating, practicing their arts, or sparring.

"Are you going to just watch, or do you want to spar with me?" Amon asked without turning back.

Bu Zheng was surprised. Not because Amon noticed him, but because of the spar invitation.

"You are not letting this go, are you?" Bu Zheng asked as he entered the practice room. "I backed off because I didn’t want you to lose face in front of your underlings. Do you truly want to push this?"

"Hehe. Everyone, come here!" Amon called.

After everyone gathered, he announced, "I’m going to spar with this gentleman here. No one may interfere, no matter what. If I am wounded, no retaliation should come to him."

He told Bu Zheng, "If you win, you can leave this place in peace. You no longer owe me anything."

"Are you for real?" Bu Zheng asked. He still couldn’t believe Amon was serious about this.

"As real as I can be," Amon said. He used his ceremonial dagger to carve a line in the ground. The line formed a circle with the two at the center. "Now, let’s set the ground rules. No weapons and no arcane arts. The first one driven out of this circle or falls to the ground loses."

Bu Zheng shrugged. "Fine by me," he said. He then added, "If I win, my debt is squared. What about if you win? Not that it is going to happen, mind you."

"If I win, you must serve me for five years," Amon answered.

"Five years...?"

"After five years, you may choose to remain or leave," Amon added.

"Hm, interesting, but that’s not going to happen, anyway. You could have just left me alone, and I would have followed you until I repay my debt. It will not be five years, but it will still be longer than it is now because I will be leaving after this spar ends."

"Confident, aren’t you? Be careful it doesn’t become your downfall," Amon said.

"That should be my words to you," Bu Zheng returned.

The two took ready positions while the others watched from outside the circle.

"Considering you are a junior, you may make your move first," Bu Zheng said. He placed his left hand behind his back. His pose implied that he was going to use only one hand to face Amon.

Amon smiled in response. He started poking his body.

"Body-strengthening meridian points technique? Well, that makes sense, but it won’t be enough to cover our power differences," Bu Zheng uttered.

"Hehe." Amon turned invisible after his chuckle. He was using Silent Swift Shadow Fist.

This martial art was largely ineffective against Martial Realm cultivators, mainly because the invisibility was rendered useless by Martial Realm’s ability to sense presence. However, Amon dialed his Concealed Ghost Body to the peak the same instant he turned invisible. This, in turn, caused Bu Zheng to waver. He not only lost Amon visually but also failed to sense him. It was a double blow.

Still, he wasn’t a greenhorn who panicked at the first sign of unforeseen circumstances. He used martial arts that caused his skin to tighten, improving his defense. He also placed his hand before his head as a shield. As long as he protected his fatal part, he was confident his physical superiority could endure any assault Amon dished out.

He felt an impact on his side. The power of the impact surprised him. His feet skidded on the floor as the force from the impact pushed him away.

He quickly forced himself to stop before he flew out of the circle on the floor. The floor cracked from the pressure. He stopped skidding but noticed multiple energy fists coming his way. He no longer underestimated his opponent. His left hand left his back. He used two hands and slapped all the incoming energy fists.

After parrying all the energy fists, he saw Amon grinning. Amon said, "Thank you for allowing me the first move."

Bu Zheng grimaced. He felt pain where Amon had punched. Blood trickled from his mouth. He didn’t understand. The power he felt from the punch was on par with his strength. Even with the body-strengthening meridian points technique, it was impossible for a Beginning Mystic Stage to generate power rivaling a Peak Mystic Stage.

Bu Zheng was unaware that Amon’s base physical trait was already way above the norm due to the constant usage of the Spring of Life and his transformed blood from the Poison Blood Infusion Method. His body could be said to have mutated. In addition, the body-strengthening meridian points technique bestowed his demon body with a buff far surpassing what was attainable by normal cultivators. These two factors provided Amon with sufficient power to go head-to-head with a Peak Mystic Stage cultivator.

Bu Zheng wiped the blood from his mouth. He started poking his body with the same meridian points technique. Amon didn’t interrupt him. After he was done, he rushed forward. His Crushing Palm swiped at Amon. The palm was not especially fast, but it created a field that applied pressure in the direction the palm was heading. This pressure hindered the target’s movement.

Amon didn’t plan on dodging, though. He faced the palm head-on. His Bone Shattering Shadow Fist collided with the Crushing Palm. The collision caused a shockwave that threw both combatants back.

Amon was forced back two steps more than Bu Zheng. Even so, Bu Zheng was shocked. Even after using the body-strengthening meridian points technique, his power didn’t surpass Amon by far.

While Bu Zheng’s reaction slowed because of his shock, Amon shot back toward him. This snapped Bu Zheng back to attention. He again slapped forward using the crushing palm.

Amon used a backhand punch to parry Bu Zheng’s crushing palm from the side. His fist then turned into a claw that grabbed Bu Zheng’s elbow. It was not a simple grab. His fingers pressed on Bu Zheng’s pressure points. Bu Zheng felt his arm losing strength.

When Amon was about to make a follow-up attack, he sensed irregularities from the arm he was holding. It was getting bigger. He didn’t take any chance. He let go of that arm and jumped back just as a sweeping kick swooped past where he was a split second ago.

Landing a few meters back, Amon observed that Bu Zheng’s appearance had undergone a drastic change. His body was covered in thick furs, and his face had the features of a boar.