Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 642 - 641 Evenly Matched

He nodded, but then felt that under the cloak of night, it was really quite difficult to see clearly, "Yes, I was actually going to tell you, but since you’ve already made things clear, there’s no need for me to explain further."

"Hmph, if that’s what you think, then you’re making a huge mistake," Tian Peng laughed at the demon’s overconfidence.

"I don’t know what sort of people have come to you before, but I can tell you with certainty that you’re unlucky to have encountered us today."

The demon had consumed so many people, with such cultivation just standing there, how could it possibly think it couldn’t beat Tian Peng, especially now that it had taken out its magic artifact.

Tian Peng saw the demon preparing to attack; he intended to step back and yield the battlefield to Chen Nuo, but unexpectedly, Chen Nuo stepped back even before him.

"Shopkeeper, what, what are you doing? Didn’t you say you were here to help me?"

"Yes, I am here to help you," Chen Nuo answered, "But I never said how I would help you. You go ahead and fight him first, don’t worry, fight with all your might; this will let you see what your current strength is like, and you’ll be more cautious when you’re out and about in the future."

"What?" Tian Peng wanted to back away, but Chen Nuo had already positioned his magic artifact—the Nine-toothed Rake—behind him, "This is... isn’t this my Nine-toothed Rake? It was inside my Silken Pouch, Shopkeeper, how did you take it out?"

"Oh, that, I just used a bit of mana and got it out," Chen Nuo said with a smile, "With me here, what do you have to be afraid of? Trust me, you won’t even get a scratch."

After hearing Chen Nuo say this, Tian Peng slightly relaxed, thinking it was a relief that Chen Nuo wasn’t really going to let him be an easy target and still cared about him as his colleague.

"Shopkeeper, as we agreed, I am now a mortal, and I could really die from injuries. If I can’t beat him, you have to help me!" Tian Peng, still uneasy, once again reminded Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo nodded and asserted confidently, "I know what I’m doing; just go ahead. Isn’t this also a good opportunity to find out your true strength? You must be very curious to know, right?"

Indeed, Tian Peng did want to know, but if he had known that testing his strength would be like this, he would have preferred remaining ignorant.

But now the arrow was on the string and he had no choice but to shoot.

In the midst of their conversation, the demon had already charged over with its Crescent Moon Spade magic artifact in hand, and Tian Peng quickly lifted his Nine-toothed Rake to block the attack.

The clash of the two weapons produced a grating sound and sparks that were almost unbearable. Squinting his eyes, Tian Peng looked at the demon but still couldn’t make out anything.

All because the demon’s fur was simply too thick, covering the entire body to the point where not even the color could be discerned because of the night. Tian Peng held his magic artifact at the ready and observed the demon closely.

A Water Demon’s approach usually just involves dragging its victim into the water and then seizing the opportunity to reincarnate, but this one didn’t seem like an ordinary Water Demon.

Speaking of demons, it only then dawned on Tian Peng that this Water Demon resembled a mass of wild grass that had sprouted limbs, and it probably had fierce fangs—after all, demons are not known to be pleasant-looking.

Nevertheless, its appearance had little effect on Tian Peng; his only thought was to knock down the demon and accumulate enough Merit Points to become an immortal.

Perhaps his mind was too crowded with his own thoughts, and in a moment of distraction, Tian Peng was knocked to the ground by a fierce blow from the demon.

Thankfully, as the Crescent Moon Spade came chopping down, Tian Peng quickly recovered and evaded the deadly strike; otherwise, even if it didn’t kill him, it would have marred his face.

After a narrow escape, Tian Peng braced the Nine-toothed Rake in front of him, blocking another strike. Taking a moment, he turned to shout at Chen Nuo, "Shopkeeper, didn’t you say you’d help me? I was nearly cleaved to death, and you didn’t offer your aid."

"You were close to messing up too, weren’t you?" Chen Nuo even had the leisure to take out a teacup from his Silken Pouch and drink tea, "Focus on the fight, don’t get distracted."

Tian Peng wanted to retort, but the Water Demon’s onslaught was so fierce that if he allowed himself a moment of distraction, those sharp ends of the Crescent Moon Spade would be slashing at his own body.

Chen Nuo watched intently but had no intention of intervening. Tian Peng, left with no choice, had to lift his Magic Artifact to fight once again.

His Mana was limited—increasing his own speed while also infusing the Nine-toothed Rake with Spiritual Power was truly no easy feat. It seemed he couldn’t afford to drag this out any longer.

Tian Peng stood the Nine-toothed Rake upright and when the Crescent Moon Spade was swung at him again, he used the teeth of the Rake to hook the spade’s head, yanking it to the side so powerfully that the Crescent Moon Spade almost slipped from the demon’s grasp.

The Water Demon grew more cautious of Tian Peng. This mortal seemed a bit more formidable than he had anticipated, especially his proficiency with the Magic Artifact, which didn’t seem to fall short when compared to his own mastery of the Crescent Moon Spade.

And indeed, there seems to be a way for the Nine-toothed Rake to counter the Crescent Moon Spade. As long as he could control the head of the spade, controlling the situation beyond that wouldn’t be so straightforward.

Fortunately for the Water Demon, it appeared that the mortal hadn’t realized that yet; his attacks were still straightforward, using the front end of the Nine-toothed Rake and not knowing the trick of hooking the head of the Crescent Moon Spade.

Chen Nuo, watching from the side, actually noticed the problem with Tian Peng’s technique but now was not the time to act. He had said he would only intervene when Tian Peng couldn’t handle it, so as long as Tian Peng was still able to defend himself, he absolutely wouldn’t make a move.

Tian Peng fought hard, but as time passed, he gradually began to fall behind. As their stamina couldn’t keep up and their strengths were quite close, it was difficult to determine the victor.

Until the sky slowly transitioned from pitch black to a light that edged with dawn, and both human and demon were nearly drained of all their energy, yet the victor remained undecided.

Tian Peng, while fighting, also remembered that it was nearly time for the military camp to wake up. He couldn’t let them find out he had snuck out at night.

This momentary lapse allowed the Water Demon to catch a handle, raising the Crescent Moon Spade to chop toward Tian Peng’s face.

Tian Peng, caught off guard for an instant, did not manage to raise his defense in time and helplessly watched as the Crescent Moon Spade came striking down.

In the nick of time, Chen Nuo stepped in to block the Water Demon’s attack.

Tian Peng heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Chen Nuo saying, "That scared me to death, Shopkeeper! Thank goodness you moved, or I would have been a goner. I never thought death could come so close to me."

"If you don’t focus on the fight and get distracted, who else is supposed to die but you?" Chen Nuo pushed forward with his hand, and the Water Demon was instantly pushed into the river.

Tian Peng knew he was at fault and didn’t make excuses. But now, with the dawn breaking, if he didn’t return to the military camp, he would likely be discovered.

Chen Nuo looked at him and knew what he was thinking, "Is it time for you to head back to the military camp?"

Tian Peng nodded hastily, "The soldiers should be rising for morning training now. If I don’t get back soon, someone will likely start calling for me."

"Go then." Chen Nuo nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder, ready to use Teleportation to send him back to the military camp. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"But what about the Water Demon?" Tian Peng was torn. This was his chance. Caught between a rock and a hard place, the decision was torturous indeed.