The Xiaogang surrounded by darkness in front of Bai looked at the one holding the grimoire "Good job, Pao." The truth behind the second Xiaogang was that he was his spirit San Luo Pao. After Xiaogang reached godhood, San Luo Pao had transformed becoming his shadow, being able to imitate his powers and even use his divine tool.
"I thought that he would never fall for it" Pao holding the grimoire turned towards Chenxiang and Tang San, grinning at them showing triangular sharp teeth of a predator "I need to thank at the little lady. Hahahaha"
"Bastard!" Chenxiang charged against, her body flashed, the yellow aura around her instantly turning violet, a translucent rapier appearing over her hands, shining brightly.
Seeing her approaching, Pao's grin became even wider. Pao opened the grimoire to a specific page "
Chenxiang thrust her rapier"
"Ahhh!" Pao shouted in pain a half meter hole appearing over his stomach, divining his body in two.
Having reach godhood, Chenxiang's techniques could finally show their true power. Speed, power and control had reached a completely new level, Chenxiang capable of absolutely controlling it.
"Ahhh!" Pao contorted in pain "Ahh! Ah! Ha! Ha! Hahahahahah" Pao couldn't resist it more and started laughing madly, using his hands to hold his vanished stomach "I can't, I can't keep it more. Hahaha!" He continued laughing, the darkness around his body twirled, accumulating over him, his body completely regenerating "Such a pitiful attack, what a good method to tarnish a god's name." He laughed at Chenxiang.
"Pao. Stop it, there is no need to laugh" Xiaogang scolded Pao.
"Always so serious, Gg! You should learn to enjoy these little moments" Pao said waving his arms "I'll take care of the little lady, you can take the other" The pages of the grimoire started passing "
"Oh, before I forgot. You might need this. I surely won't" With a final grin, Pao closed the grimoire and hid it inside his black coat, before the darkness completely swallowed them, creating a black cocoon around Pao and Chenxiang where not even sense could go through it.
"Do not play too much" Xiaogang lastly warned. He put his hand inside his coat and took the exact same grimoire. Xiaogang turned towards Tang San and hid the grimoire again "It seems like an eternity had passed since we saw last time. You have grown Tang San."
Tang San kept a cool face, glancing at Xiaogang "What's the meaning of this, master?"
"Master?" Xiaogang smiled like remembering the past, before turning serious "There is no need for that word anymore. I am no longer in need of you. You can stop calling me master, as you are no longer my disciple."
"How can you said this?!" Shouted Tang San shocked "All the time that we passed together, all that knowledge that you taught me. I wouldn't be able to reach where I am today without your help. I consider you as a father. Teacher for a day, father for life." he emotionally said.
"Very emotive and even with some truth in it" Answered Xiaogang "Both, fathers and teachers, teach for their experience and dreams, passing them to the next generation. My relation with you it never went more than that." Said coldly "I had a dream, the dream of making my name known and respectable to all the continent, my own clan regretting kicking me off. It was an impossible dream for myself, and I was about to give up when I met you."
Xiaogang scoffed "You were so talented and quickly accepted me as a master. Seeing your talent, I knew what I should do, you could be used. I would make you the strongest of the world following my knowledge."
"This is what I was for you? A mere tool to your ambitions?!" Shouted Tang San with a sad and angry face.
"Of course, you were nothing more." Answered coldly Xiaogang "Once you reached the peak, I would be known across the world as your master, respected to be able to teach such a monstrous talent. It wasn't the best end, but at least it was at my reach."
"However, all of this changed. I obtained power, true power." Xiaogang said clenching his hand with a smile "With it, I accomplish it all my ambitions. I got my own revenge, recover my lost and true love, and reach the peak. My name will be remembered eternally!"
"You want to be remembered like this?!" Tang San shouted swinging his arms, indicating the darkness and death that surrounded them "As an evil tyrant that killed countless people."
"The end justifies the means" Xiaogang smiled "Especially when the means did not matter at all for me" Xiaogang extended his arms "This world, this death, this resentment is what Dong'Er desire. I already obtained all that I wanted. Now, I will use all in my power to make Dong'Er's dreams true."
Xiaogang turned cold "Now, tell me, Tang San. Why should I need you as my disciple? For me, you are useless now."
"It's like this" Tang San breathed, recovering his calm, his trident appearing from his forehead, Tang San taking it with both hands "It doesn't matter if it's for revenge, power or even love, you already succumbed to evilness. I will stop you!" San twisted his trident, pointing at Xiaogang. Waves
"Ah!" Xiaogang sighed "You could simply run away and hide, wait until this formation disappears and quietly ascend to the Divine Realm, even with some company seeing you are a 1st class god. Why are you fighting, Tang San?" Xiaogang asked curiously.
"For peace! To revenge all that had suffered under Spirit Hall! To avoid countless death!" Tang San stated. Blue torrents of light particles surging from him, expanding over his surroundings, turning it again to a blue sky. San thrust his trident, waves of water surging from it towards Xiaogang
"Hum!" Xiaogang scoffed "Peace? In our darkness, there won't be more wars" Xiaogang lifted his right hand, a twirl of darkness creating a shield in front of him, blocking the water "Spirit Hall is no more. All of killed by Dong'Er's and my hands!" The darkness started swallowing San's water.
"Bibi Dong is alive, I will get my parent's revenge against her!" Tang San pushed his trident, the water crashing against the darkness in a stand-still.
"Really? Dong'Er is the one that killed the last Supreme Pontiff, it was her not your father who killed the culprit of your mother's sacrifice. All over the continent, there is no other person that helped more in Spirit Hall's destruction than Dong'Er" Xiaogang's darkness swallowed all the water, extinguishing San's attack.
"Your resolve is too shallow!" Xiaogang darkness expanded, black spears forming around him "About avoiding death, what sophistry to say as the head of a sect that mainly produces weapons to kill. Also, if you love Xiao Wu, you must be aware of how much damage humans are doing at the spirit beasts, after us cleaning half of the human population, the spirits beasts would finally be able to take a breath!" The black spears shot towards San.
Tang San tried to block them, but he found himself being slowed down by dark shackles that were stealthily produced by Xiaogang's last attack. San twisted his body, swinging his trident at the same time cutting the shackles. He avoided most of the spears, but one of them pierced over him, breaking his left side armament.
"It does not matter if is evil, good or greedy, you need a conviction to fight in this battle of gods!" Xiaogang shouted "I put all myself for Dong'Er, Dong'Er to her dream world, Renxue to discover her mother's feelings, Bai to make Renxue's desire true, Xiaogang to protect and get revenge for Bai. All of them are fighting with their conviction and desires in line. You are the only one that hides your own with excuses like good or evil. While you are not accepting your own resolution, you do not have the right to fight here!"
Darkness exploded over Xiaogang, like a wave it crashed with San's domain, slowly swallowing his blue sky. Tang San tried to struggle against it, but his mind was in turmoil due to Xiaogang's words, especially because they were true. San couldn't focus his divine sensed, his strength not enough to break through the darkness.
(Why am I fighting?) Tang San asked himself as the darkness closed over him.