Chapter 145: The Gap

"So it really is you."

Puppet One shattered the mountain firewood, leaving Ruyi Zhenxian, the Four-Headed General, and a hundred-odd demon soldiers all exposed to Puppet One's field of vision.

"You're not dead?!" Ruyi Zhenxian exclaimed in shock.

Previously, Puppet One had been heavily injured by the Bull Demon King. In Ruyi Zhenxian's eyes, having taken the full force of the Bull Demon King's attack, Puppet One was undoubtedly destined to die.

Yet now, Puppet One stood before him completely unharmed, filling Ruyi Zhenxian's heart with utter astonishment.

"Take my palm!"

"Watch out!"

Without wasting any breath on Ruyi Zhenxian, Puppet One struck directly, forming his fingers into a palm and lashing out toward the crown of Ruyi Zhenxian's head.

Naturally, the Four-Headed General could not let anything happen to Ruyi Zhenxian. The instant Puppet One made his move, the General pulled Ruyi Zhenxian behind him and countered Puppet One's attack with a palm strike of his own.

*Boom!*

The Four-Headed General's cultivation was also at the Taiyi Loose Immortal realm. With their powers being nearly evenly matched, their direct clash resulted in a draw. However, the demon soldiers brought by Ruyi Zhenxian were caught in the shockwave of their battle; those closest to the battlefield were blasted two to three miles away before hitting the ground, and even those farthest away were forced back over a hundred paces.

With neither gaining the upper hand, the two fighters simultaneously sprang apart. Puppet One originally intended to press forward and continue the fierce battle with the Four-Headed General, but Hu San and Duoyuan, who had just arrived, held him back. Upon seeing Duoyuan, the Four-Headed General also refrained from charging at Puppet One, instead pulling back along with Ruyi Zhenxian to rejoin the demon soldiers.

"Four-Headed General, he is Hu San! If we capture him, this matter is as good as done!" Ruyi Zhenxian said excitedly.

Hu San and Duoyuan had also arrived at the battlefield. Seeing his target finally appear, Ruyi Zhenxian's heart surged with excitement, causing him to completely overlook Duoyuan standing off to the side.

"We've got two tricky ones here." The Four-Headed General's expression turned somewhat grim as he caught sight of Duoyuan beside Hu San.

If there were only Puppet One, the Four-Headed General would still have had the confidence to snatch Hu San away. But now that another formidable figure like Duoyuan had popped up, the situation changed entirely.

"That fellow was heavily injured by my Big Brother previously. Who knows how he managed to survive, but he shouldn't pose much of a threat. As for Hu San, his strength is even inferior to mine. You just stall him, and leave Hu San to me!" Ruyi Zhenxian failed to realize that when the Four-Headed General spoke, he was referring to Duoyuan, mistakenly thinking the general was talking about Hu San and Puppet One.

"I am not talking about Hu San; I mean the old man beside him." The Four-Headed General looked at Ruyi Zhenxian with a peculiar gaze. *A Taiyi Loose Immortal is standing right in front of you—could you really not see him?*

"An old man?"

Ruyi Zhenxian had not been able to sense Duoyuan's aura earlier, which meant either Duoyuan's power far surpassed his own, or Duoyuan was simply an ordinary person without any cultivation. Believing that Duoyuan's strength could not possibly exceed his, Ruyi Zhenxian had written him off as a mere mortal. However, the Four-Headed General's explanation made him realize that the old man before them was stronger than he was.

*When did the Divine Ape King acquire such a subordinate whose strength actually surpasses mine?*

"Moreover, he shows no signs of injury whatsoever. His power is formidable," the Four-Headed General said, pointing at Puppet One.

From his clash with Puppet One just moments ago, he had detected no trace of heavy injuries on his opponent. Furthermore, Puppet One's immensely powerful physical body had left an even deeper impression on him.

"This..." Ruyi Zhenxian did not know how to respond. The Four-Headed General would not lie to him, which meant the general himself lacked absolute confidence to defeat them.

"Ruyi Zhenxian, with the Bull Demon King nowhere to be found, you actually dare to act alone?" Hu San scoffed dismissively.

Hu San had witnessed the clash between Puppet One and the Four-Headed General, knowing full well that the Four-Headed General was not to be trifled with. Yet he felt not a shred of fear; with two Taiyi Loose Immortal cultivators by his side, he certainly wouldn't be the one on the losing end.

"Hu San, don't think that just because you have their protection, you can rest easy! Four-Headed General, teach them a lesson!"

Instead of following Ruyi Zhenxian's prompt to charge forward and engage Puppet One and Duoyuan, the Four-Headed General kept his eyes fixed on them, his expression exceptionally grave.

"Oh? Then why aren't you attacking?!" Hu San taunted.

"Puppet One, teach him a lesson."

"Understood."

Unable to hold back any longer, Puppet One launched another assault on the Four-Headed General.

Facing Puppet One's renewed attack, the Four-Headed General wore a grim look. With Duoyuan lingering right behind Puppet One, he had to split a portion of his focus and vigilance toward Duoyuan while fighting Puppet One.

Puppet One was a Taiyi Loose Immortal proficient in fifty percent of the Metal Element, giving him an inherent advantage in combat over the Four-Headed General. Combined with the backing of a powerful physical body, Puppet One outwardly held the upper hand.

However, Duoyuan, who knew the true extent of Puppet One's condition, frowned uneasily.

The Four-Headed General was clearly just probing Puppet One's limits and had not unleashed his full strength, choosing instead to let Puppet One press the attack. Puppet One lacked profound divine arts; his current offensive already represented the maximum destructive output he could muster.

"Could it be that he is also just probing?" the Four-Headed General muttered suspiciously to himself.

"That's right, Puppet One, give him a good thrashing!"

Seeing Puppet One gain the upper hand, Hu San looked triumphantly at Ruyi Zhenxian. At this moment, witnessing the Four-Headed General fall into a disadvantageous position, Ruyi Zhenxian's anxious expression betrayed the inner panic he was trying to hide.

Duoyuan, who fully understood the situation, paid no attention to the superficial banter. Instead, he quietly searched for an opening, preparing to deal a fatal blow to the Four-Headed General.

High up in the air, the prolonged stalemate with the Four-Headed General was making Puppet One increasingly anxious. The frequency of his strikes began to accelerate, and his breath grew erratic.

The Four-Headed General narrowed his eyes tightly, his thoughts unreadable, but for Puppet One—who was currently caught up in the chaos—this was by no means a good sign.

Down below, Duoyuan saw Puppet One's predicament and inwardly cursed.

"Four-Headed Freak, take this old man's attack!"

虽然多元的肉身不是很强，但施展的神通却比傀一高深了不少，展现出来的威力也让四头将军不得不放弃对傀一的打算。

"Let's take him down together!"

The moment Duoyuan finished speaking, he feigned the execution of some immensely powerful divine art. Clueless as to the ruse, Puppet One took the lead and renewed his attack on the Four-Headed General.

Puppet One once again entangled the Four-Headed General, but this time, the general's attention was largely diverted to the rear, fixated on Duoyuan. As Duoyuan's imposing aura steadily climbed, the Four-Headed General grew increasingly unsettled.

With Puppet One relentlessly clinging to him as well, the Four-Headed General's gaze flickered with uncertainty.

"Get lost!"

Channeling his magic power suddenly, the Four-Headed General blasted Puppet One flying with a shockwave and instantly flashed back to Ruyi Zhenxian's side.

"Let's go!"

The Four-Headed General's movements were smooth and instantaneous, leaving Puppet One with no time to react before the general had already swept Ruyi Zhenxian away. Seeing their leaders retreat, the remaining demon soldiers scrambled over one another in a frantic escape.

Puppet One still wanted to give chase, but Duoyuan felt compelled to speak up:

"Stop chasing. Don't you know well enough what his true strength is?"