Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 331: Chapter 331. The Temple of Divinity

The next day, Amon was ready to leave with Li Shi. Ha Gild was waiting with his great eagle. Huang San was also there to send them off. He gave Amon something that looked like a badge.

”That should let you in,” Huang San told Amon. ”Also, give my regards to my sister, but don’t listen too much to what she says.”

”You think I will meet the princess?” Amon asked.

”She is in charge of receiving the dignitaries,” Huang San answered.

After a short conversation, Amon and Li Shi said goodbye and left with the great eagle.

When the great eagle soared into the sky, he sensed excitement inside his black space ring. He also heard Lin Li calling for him, so he diverted a portion of his consciousness into the ring.

”Brother, are we truly flying outside?” Lin Li asked excitedly once Amon’s phantom projection appeared. ”This is so amazing. It is the first time I ever see the cloud so close.”

Despite having lived for centuries, Lin Li was alien to the experience of flying. She was a spirit beast who couldn’t fly, after all.

Amon chuckled. He moved his real body close to the railing, allowing Lin Li to get a better view from the window in the sky.

”Is that the city we departed from? It looks so small! Everything looks so small!” Lin Li exclaimed with amazement.

Amon let Lin Li enjoy the view a while longer before he asked, ”How are you adjusting to your life here?”

”I like this place very much,” Lin Li replied. ”Though I must admit this place is rather dull. It will be better if we add more land. There is still much space we can use.”

”All right, once I have the chance, I will bring in more soil and plants,” Amon promised. ”How about your study?”

”I have read half the books brother gave me. However, to apply the theory described in the books, I will need tools from the outside world.”

”Give me the list of what you need. I will get them for you,” Amon said.

During the first few days inside the ring’s space, Amon noticed Lin Li enjoyed gardening. Not only that, but she also seemed to have a knack for it. The way she took care of the white flower garden was filled with care. She also took it upon herself to care for the various spirit plants and trees on Amon’s plantation.

Because of that, Amon decided to gather the various books inside the Pyramid Legacy that touched on the subject of the Plants Keeper job. He gave the book to her. He was worried at first that she couldn’t read since she was a spirit beast. Fortunately, that was not the case. She even turned out to be an avid reader. She managed to read many books in a short time frame.

Amon was originally interested in her because of his high-evolutionary bloodline. The possibility that she could be a Plants Keeper was a blessing. He didn’t spare much of his time learning the Plants Keeper job. He only studied the basics, which helped him to tend to his plantation. If Lin Li could apply the knowledge of Plants Keeper to his plantation, it would help the plantation grow. He might even expand it.

More importantly, Lin Li took a great interest in the Primordial Blue Lotus. She cared for it and watered it regularly. With her care, the lotus should mature earlier, which would benefit her evolution at an earlier time as well.

”I will finish the remaining books first,” Lin Li replied to Amon’s request about the list. ”I still have a few things I don’t understand. Maybe I can get a better understanding after reading the other books. Once I finish them, I will make the list.”

Amon nodded. ”If you have anything you don’t understand, just let me know. I can ask the teachers in the Royal Academy to explain.”

”I will!” Lin Li said happily.

Amon continued conversing with her while his real body cultivated. He cultivated near the railing so Lin Li could have a better view of the outside world.

Li Shi was wondering why Amon cultivated so close to the edge. Although there were words of power shrouding the outside element from entering the howdah, it was not absolute. Some winds still came through. Cultivating so close to the edge meant Amon would be constantly distracted by those winds.

She didn’t ask Amon, though. She had accepted Amon as an odd student who was difficult to be understood. Nevertheless, he was dependable. She left him alone and focused herself on her own cultivation. She had achieved a breakthrough not long ago. She was now an Intermediate Mystic Stage.

Li Shi had occasional chats with Amon during the trip. Amon was not truly interested, but he entertained her simply not to make him appear unfriendly. He gave a short reply whenever she asked something. This limited their chats to short ones. Only when she touched on the subject of Oredolia that Amon show an interest.

”Have you been to that country?” Amon asked.

”I’ve visited it twice,” Li Shi answered. ”Once, when I was young when I was still a follower of the Temple of Divinity. The second time was as a representative of Echos.”

”You were a follower?”

Li Shi nodded. ”My interest in history came from my study under the Temple of Divinity. My parents were devout followers of the temple in our hometown.”

”Why did you leave?” Amon asked.

”I couldn’t stand the rigidity,” Li Shi answered. Although most followers are decent people who practice the teachings of the temple for the sake of doing good, many of the higher-ups are fanatical elites who can’t stand people with different views. Every time I found something in history that contradicted the teachings and asked about it, I was severely reprimanded. I was told such thoughts were the roots of blasphemy. I can’t be like everyone else who simply accepts everything at face value. Hence, I left.”

”I see.”

”Don’t take me wrong, I don’t disagree with the teachings. I think they are fundamentally good. I just can’t stand the people who are running the temple.”

”Are their influence truly that widespread?” Amon asked.

”They are,” Li Shi answered. ”They have followers in every country in Aetheria except the country of Khode. You can easily find their branch temple in almost every large city. You will see one in the capital. There are plenty of the temple’s followers there.”

”Qishurg City is pretty large. Why doesn’t the temple build a branch there?”

”That is because the founder of the Royal Academy wasn’t a fan of the temple. Qishurg City existed because of the Royal Academy. The administration there put in the effort to prevent the temple from establishing a foothold.”

Amon remembered Huang San mentioned his late mother was the founder. Since the Royal Academy and Qishurg City had existed for a long time, his mother must have given birth to him at a very old age, which meant she was someone with a very high cultivation when she was alive.

”How strong is Oredolia compared to Echos?” Amon changed the subject, which was actually his main interest. He wanted to measure the risk if he remained in this country. Considering the murals, a conflict might arise between the two countries if the matter was not handled well.

”Although Oredolia has many powerful cultivators, their number is not many,” Li Shi said. ”They had the smallest territory among the six countries in Aetheria. Thus, their army is the smallest. However, all countries fear them because they have support from the masses. You can even say that two of the other five countries of Aetheria are their puppet countries. This is because the rulers of these two countries are devout followers of the Temple of Divinity. Their court advisors are cardinals of the temple. If any country dares to attack Oredolia, these two countries will not just watch on the sideline.”

”Impressive. This means any country who dares to challenge Oredolia will face the might of three countries and a possible riot from within their own,” Amon concluded.

”That pretty much sums it up,” Li Shi agreed. ”Not to mention, the Hierophant of the Temple of Divinity was a cultivator closest to becoming a demigod in this era.”

”Hierophant?”

”It is the title for the leader of the Temple of Divinity,” Li Shi informed. ”The temple itself is divided into three major sects. There are no clans in Oredolia. All the importance of bloodlines and familial connections is downplayed in that country. The most important thing is their faith and their loyalty to the temple. The three major sects were tasked with different issues. The Khei Ji Sect deals with internal matters. They decided the laws and governed the country. Xin Lai Sect deals with external matters. Jin Dui Sect was Oredolia’s military. Each sect was headed by a crown cardinal. These crown cardinals could be considered the Hierophant’s advisors.”

”I take it the dignitaries who came to visit are from the Xin Lai Sect?” Amon asked.

”That is correct,” Li Shi answered. ”A word of caution. Due to their influential dominance of this world, they are not known for humility. Please try your best not to offend these people.”

”Hm...,” Amon didn’t affirm the request. Whether he offended those people or not would depend on whether they went out of their way to provoke him.