Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 580: Chapter 580. Night Ambush

Night arrived. As Amon predicted, Khode’s army didn’t make any move. They assembled the Yuanxu Cannons, erected camps, and waited.

Most soldiers had now fallen asleep. They were dead tired because they had been rushing madly from Weylun Fort after receiving the report that a large army had breached the border. They expected to battle the enemy upon arrival. To their surprise, the enemy was already inside Surly Gate Town.

Everyone was dejected after learning this fact. The superiors ordered the soldiers to erect camps while they went into the command tent and bickered about their next steps.

The physical and mental fatigue made the soldiers more tired than usual. Hence, they quickly fell asleep as soon as they had the opportunity. The unlucky ones were those tasked to remain awake for lookouts.

One of these unlucky souls was yawning loudly at his post.

”You do know you might get a lashing disciplinary if the general heard you make that sound when you are supposed to be alert, don’t you?”

The yawning soldier turned to his partner and said. ”Screw that, I’m dead tired. Why can’t they just have someone with lower ranks to do this?”

”You know why. A lookout must have Mystic Stage cultivators so we can sense those who try to sneak under the cover of darkness. We just happen to be the ones with the lowest rank.”

”Fuck that! I will be gunning for a promotion after this.”

”Yeah. You wish. In our current state, you should be glad you still have this job and are not replaced by a battle puppet. I heard it is rough in the capital. We should be glad we are stationed near the border. Otherwise, we might have lost our jobs as well.”

The yawning soldier chuckled.

”What’s so funny?” His partner asked.

”I remembered when I was transferred to Weylun Fort, I considered it an exile. I thought to myself, What have I done wrong?”

”I get you. Nothing ever happens at the border. Everyone wonders why we need to station an army near the border anyway.”

”Well, this is why,” the soldier pointed at Surly Gate Town.

”This is because of General Xuang Feng’s army, which went to invade Echos. He brought this on us!”

”Dude, lower your voice! That lashing disciplinary you warned me about. You will be on the receiving end if someone reports what you have just said.”

”But it’s the truth! Why did he have to go and poke a sleeping enemy?”

”We are just foot soldiers. We don’t know why our superiors do half the things they do. We go wherever they tell us to go.”

”And you have no problem with that?”

”That’s why I said I am gunning for the top dog spot. Once I’m there, I will be the one who told you where to go.”

”General Lai Guan, that has a good ring to it.”

”I know, right?”

”You wish! You will still be a captain when I become the General!”

The two laughed. They continued chatting. They didn’t care if a superior came and was displeased with their casual attitude. It beats sleeping on the job. The night was still long. They tried having conversations to alleviate their boredom and sleepiness.

”Hm...?” Lai Guan stopped their conversation when he noticed something.

”What is it?” His partner asked.

”Does the night become darker?” Lai Guan said. He turned and looked in other directions.

”What the hell are you spouting about? How can night become darker?”

Lai Guan returned his attention to the spot he was gazing at before and pointed. ”I can’t see anything there. Can you?”

His partner looked in the direction he was pointing. It was as Lai Guan indicated. It was like a veil of pitch-black fabric had covered everything in that direction. He couldn’t make out anything.

”Do you sense anything?” Lai Guan asked.

His partner shook his head.

The two stood up. They held their weapons tightly. The darkness before them was unnatural. The other directions were dark, but they could still perceive something, even if not clearly. Additionally, they could sense nothing from this side with the pitch-black veil, not even small insects.

”It is getting closer,” Lai Guan said after paying attention to the blackness.

”Should we sound the alarm and erect the barrier...?” His partner asked, before answering the question himself, ”I think we should sound the alarm... I’m going to sound the alarm.”

He turned around. He was about to reach a nearby rod stuck to the ground when he sensed something from behind.

”Look out!!!” Lai Guan sensed it too.

It was too late, though. Whatever they sensed was fast. Something invisible went around Lai Guan’s partner’s neck. Before he could react, his head detached. The invisible thing also split the standing rod into pieces.

Another thing came out of the veil of darkness. It was a yellow cloth. This yellow cloth wrapped around Lai Guan and pulled him. He screamed loudly as he disappeared into the darkness.

Lai Guan failed to activate the alarm, but his scream alerted other sentries. Nearby soldiers sleeping in their tents also woke up due to the scream. The nearby sentries and soldiers came, but what they saw was a black fog slowly spreading toward their camp.

This black fog was the darkness Lai Guan and his partner saw. Now that it was close, the artificial lamps from the camp shed enough light to let them see what the darkness truly was.

”Activate the barrier!!” One of the sentries shouted.

Multiple barrier rods were placed around the camp. They weren’t activated twenty-four-seven because it consumed a lot of energy. The orbs above these rods glowed as they were turned on. An energy barrier started enveloping the camp.

Unfortunately, one of the rods had been destroyed. Thus, there was a hole in the barrier, right where the black fog was.

An alarm also sounded as the barrier was erected. When that happened, many figures charged out from the black fog. Khode soldiers were taken by surprise. They were unprepared. Many fell in the initial clash.

As more Khode soldiers woke up and joined the fight, they started to put up better resistance. The ambush only happened in one area, so there were not too many enemies. Because they could put up better resistance, they could also better analyze the situation.

”They are after the Yuanxu Cannons! Protect the Yuanxu Cannons!” One of Khode’s soldiers shouted.

”Hold them off! Our superiors will arrive soon!” Another yelled.

It was as they said. Many flying figures were seen coming over from the center part of the camp.

A whistle was heard. The enemies suddenly pulled away. As they did, the black fog that concealed their approach spread again. All the ambushing enemies disappeared into the black fog.

”What happened!” Xuang Feng flew down to the scene.

”General! We have been ambushed! They are inside that fog!” One of the soldiers reported.

”Uncle, this is no ordinary fog,” Xuang Chao informed. He approached the fog and put his arm inside. He couldn’t sense anything, even when he discharged energy using his hand inside.

”Then you shouldn’t carelessly head in,” Xuang Feng said as he pulled Xuang Chao away from the fog. In his other hand was a glowing talisman. The talisman conjured a raging wind that blew the black fog away.

They didn’t see anyone after the fog was cleared. What was left behind by the ambusher was a pile of dead Khode Soldiers and broken Yuanxu Cannons.

”Have people clean the corpses and tend to the wounded!” Xuang Feng commanded. ”Someone grabs a replacement barrier rod and seals this place! The barrier will remain active for the remainder of tonight!”

*

”What is our loss?” A large man with an equally large belly sat in the main seat inside the commander’s tent. Before him were Xuang Feng and Xuang Chao.

The large, obese man was Won Feimao, the commander of Weylun Fort. After retreating from Echos, Xuang Feng stopped at the fort. Because this fort was the closest to the border where the First Demon Army breached, they were the first responders. Xuang Feng and his troops tagged along with Won Feimao’s army.

Xuang Feng replied, ”We lost seventy-eight soldiers with more than a hundred wounded and three destroyed Yuanxu Cannons.”

”The soldier loss is insignificant, but three Yuanxu Cannons? This is unacceptable!” Won Feimao exclaimed.

Xuang Chao was irked. ’What’s unacceptable? It has already happened. Who the fuck cares if you accept it or not?’ He scolded in his mind.

”This is because of you,” Won Feimao pointed a finger at Xuang Feng. ”I don’t understand why the supreme councilor gave that invasion a go. You must truly have something on His Honor.”

”General Fei! That is not true! We did this for Khode! For Aetheria!” Xuang Chao exclaimed.

Xuang Feng gestured for his nephew to calm down.

”For Aetheria, my ass,” Won Feimao responded.

”General Won, it is pointless to lay the blame. We need to address the situation at hand,” Xuang Feng said diplomatically.

”Tch! Whatever,” Won Feimao uttered. ”How long until the Northern Army arrives?”

”From the last communication, it should not be longer than six days,” Xuang Feng answered. ”Once they arrive, we will be able to attack the town from both sides and wipe out the Echos invaders.”