Rise of The Demon General

Yao Ai didn’t answer for a long time. Her face didn’t betray her feelings.

Amon waited patiently and let her ponder her options, which were, in fact, no options. If she refused, her head would blow up. Even if she somehow didn’t die from the initial explosion, which was unlikely, the resulting wound would render her defenseless against a killing blow. Hence, her option was either to submit or die, and she knew that too.

”How exactly are you going to take out Hai Di?” Yao Ai asked.

”Accept my offer, and you can see for yourself,” Amon replied.

”Do you know he has a protector?”

Yao Ai’s words caused Amon’s brow to move slightly. It was subtle, but Yao Ai noticed it.

”Hehe. It seems you are not aware of this,” Yao Ai sniggered. ”Whatever your plan to take down Hai Di is, you will fail if you don’t consider his protector in the equation.”

”Who is Hai Di’s protector? Is it Lord Mo Wang? If it is, you can rest easy. I have a blessing from Lord Mo Wang to replace the domain lords so long as I can topple them.”

Amon wasn’t lying, but after the incident with Di Yu, he wasn’t exactly on good terms with Mo Wang. Nevertheless, he wasn’t worried about Mo Wang. The guy was terrified of the Divine. After Di Yu was set free, Mo Wang had for sure gone into hiding. Amon only brought him up to fish for Yao Ai’s reaction.

”Lord Mo Wang never cares if we, domain lords, kill each other. No, Hai Di has a different protector, and if I didn’t gauge wrong. It is not weaker than Lord Mo Wang.”

”It?” Amon asked.

”It,” Yao Ai confirmed. ”Hai Di’s protector is not a human. It is a spirit beast.”

”... How do you learn of this protector?”

”How do you think I lose to Hai Di? If not for his protector, I would have had his head. I will be the sole remaining domain lord and the ruler of this lower world.”

”If you had, you would have been the one facing what Hai Di is facing now.”

”What exactly do you throw at him...? Never mind. Whatever it is, it will fail if it doesn’t have the power to challenge a Mid Deity Beast.”

”Hai Di’s protector is a Mid Deity Beast?” Amon’s forehead creased from the revelation.

”It is. One that is very powerful for its class, if I may add. I almost died from a single blow of its attack.”

”What spirit beast is it?”

”I don’t know. It hid in the shadows. It attacked before I could get a good look at it. If I hadn’t utilized the force of its blow to escape, I would have died.”

Amon pondered the matter. This new revelation put a crack in his plan. If the Hyanids failed to take out Hai Di in this battle, he didn’t think he would have a second chance, at least not for a long time. He could not fail here. The information about Hai Di’s protector came as a surprise, but he was glad he learned it before it took him by surprise in the battle.

He took out a message talisman. ”Too bad,” he thought. He planned to save this for Mo Wang, but it seemed he had little option. He wrote something on the talisman and activated it.

”What was that about?” Yao Ai asked.

”You don’t need to worry about it,” Amon answered. ”So, will you accept my offer? I don’t have all day. I will give you one minute to reply. You are a domain lord. Be decisive!”

”Tch!” Yao Ai was furious to be treated this way by someone who used to be her subordinate, but she also understood that nothing was over as long as she still breathed. She would have to bear the shame if she wanted a chance to return to glory.

”Very well. I submit,” Yao Ai uttered.

Amon grinned. He knew Yao Ai’s submission wasn’t genuine. If given the chance, she would stab his back. He didn’t worry. All he needed to do was not give her the chance to do that. Once his cultivation level overtook hers, he would then make her submit for real.

”Alright. I will release your binding. But before that, one thing you should know.”

Lin Li appeared beside Amon. She held the control talisman Amon showed Yao Ai earlier, the one that could blow up the device in her head.

”She is my tamed beast,” Amon said. ”She lives inside this black space ring. If you think you can ambush and kill me before I have the chance to use that control talisman, know that she will use it in my stead. She will know the instant I lose my life, and I have instructed her to use that talisman the moment it happens. She will still do it even if you have nothing to do with the loss of my life. In other words, my life is tied to yours. If I die, for whatever reason, you will as well. So, give it your all to ensure I don’t die, eh?”

Yao Ai gritted his teeth. She was thinking exactly about waiting for the right moment to strike Amon. That option was gone now.

Lin Li returned to the black space ring. Amon operated the panel that deactivated the prison enchantment. Even without the enchantment, Yao Ai was still weak from the drugs. Amon gave her an antidote and took off the chains that bound her. After she was free, Amon gestured for her to follow.

Amon led her directly to the exit portal. Arriving outside, he was surprised to see Surressh.

Her gaze then went to the battling army in the distance. Seeing the Cryanid horde, a realization came to her. She turned to Amon with a scowl. ”So, you have planned this from the start...”

”Of course, I do,” Amon replied. ”I have found a perfect army. It will be a waste not to utilize it.”

”This is the Cryanid-human hybrid you mentioned?” Yao Ai referred to Surressh.

”They call themselves the Hyanids.”

Surressh asked Amon, while gesturing at Yao Ai. ”Have you successfully tamed her?”

His remark caused Yao Ai to throw him a sharp gaze. Amon stepped in between them to prevent anything bad from happening.

Amon didn’t answer Surressh’s question. He asked another question, ”How is the battle going?”

”As well as can be expected. The human force is too outnumbered. They are still resisting, but it’s only a matter of time before they are overwhelmed.”

While hearing the explanation, Amon also observed the battlefield. The Cryanids and altered Hyanids used their massive numbers to encircle the enemy, limiting their movement and wearing them down bit by bit. The city itself was riddled with smoke. Many Cryanids had entered the city, causing wanton deaths and destruction. Even the officers in the field command center near Hai Di’s ruined castle were fighting. It was, as Surressh said, their victory was a matter of time.

”What about Hai Di?” Amon asked.

”He never stopped slaying anything we throw at him. The space around him is a slaughter zone. He hasn’t used his domain art again since their reinforcement arrived, but he should have expended much of his energy fighting like that.”

”A domain lord like him should have plenty of Aether Pills in possession to replenish his energy.”

”Repeated consumption of aether pills in a short period will decrease their effectiveness,” Yao Ai said. ”He wouldn’t be able to keep doing that for long.”

Amon turned to Yao Ai and asked, ”You mentioned you saw Hai Di’s protector inside his castle?”

”Yes. Though I doubt it is still inside there,” Yao Ai said while gazing at the ruined castle.

Surressh, who heard them, asked, ”What protector?”

Amon ignored him. He asked Yao Ai, ”Do you want to fight Hai Di and finish what you failed to accomplish in your last battle?”

”Is that an order?” Yao Ai asked back.

”There is no need to,” Surressh told them. ”Supreme Leader Krassazh has decided to act.”

He was pointing at the distant sky while he spoke. Amon and Yao Ai looked at where he pointed. They saw the shadow of something large with wings flying toward them.

”... What is that?” Yao Ai asked. With how large the winged thing was at this distance, its size must be enormous.

”It is a Cryanid King,” Surressh answered.

Like the Cryanid Queen, there was only one Cryanid King in a Cryanid swarm. Both were Higher Primordial Beasts, but in terms of pure battle power, the Cryanid King was stronger. Though stronger, it remained under the influence of the Cryanid Queen. Hence, the Hyanids could use it in this battle.

Amon and Yao Ai only knew about this spirit beast from books. This was the first time they laid eyes on it. As it approached, they got a better look at it. Its appearance was like a colossal beetle with three horns. It was held in the air by four furry moth wings. It had eight legs, with the frontmost pair ending in long scythed blades. Its tail was long and ended with a hook.

Amon noticed that it carried several Hyanids on its back.