Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 484: Chapter 484. The Culprit Behind the Assassination Attempt

Once the last man of Prince Huang Zhan’s soldiers was eliminated, Amon swooped in. Riding his Sun Hawk, he caught the Yao Birdlings by surprise.

The Sun Hawk was one tier stronger. Combined with the surprise assault, it quickly took out one Yao Birdling. Its claws pierced into the Yao Birdling. With a violent rip, it tore open the birdling. The birdling’s innards poured out of the huge gape.

While the Sun Hawk killed the Yao Birdling, Amon captured the rider using the Corporeal Shifting Branches. The vines from his back grabbed the surprised rider and bound him.

The other two Yao Birdlings were shocked by this ambush. They thought they had already won after slaying the second great eagle. They looked at where their leader used to be. They couldn’t find him. There was a large black cloud not far away. They recognized the cloud as something formed from Yao Bird’s black smoke, but the Yao Bird was nowhere to be seen.

They weren’t given the leisure to ponder for long because Amon was heading toward them. The riders steered the two Yao Birdlings to fly in opposite directions before coming at Amon from different directions.

Amon reequipped his crossbow and shot at one while the Sun Hawk charged toward the other.

The rider of the Yao Birdling used a rope dart for his weapon. He was twirling the weapon while his steed flew at high speed. He would throw it forward by utilizing the momentum once he got into range. But before he could throw his weapon, the Sun Hawk acted first. It unleashed a burst of flame once the two beasts got near each other. The Yao Birdling tried to dodge, but it was too close. It was burned by the hot flame.

The Yao Birdling’s rider still threw his rope dart. But due to the heat and the sudden jerk of his ride, he missed his target by a large margin. Amon helped him, though. He extended his hand at the rope dart’s trajectory and caught the rope. He then pulled. The rider wasn’t Amon’s equal in terms of strength. He was yanked out of the harness.

The vines on Amon’s back caught this rider and bound him as well. The Sun Hawk continued to pour flames onto the Yao Birdling, forcing it to flee.

The last Yao Birdling’s rider saw that his odds were not good after his two comrades were captured. He decided to turn tail.

Amon didn’t let him off that easily. He instructed the Sun Hawk to give chase. While in pursuit, he shot using his crossbow to disrupt the Yao Birdling, reducing its flight speed.

The Yao Birdling didn’t have high stamina. It had fought a long battle and suffered many wounds, so it was getting slower as the pursuit continued. The rider kept looking back with fearful expressions.

”Stay away!” He shouted in fear. He also used a rope dart as a weapon but didn’t dare to throw it after seeing what Amon did.

It didn’t matter because it didn’t change his fate. Amon threw his ceremonial dagger. With the dagger as the counterweight, the Xian Cloth wrapped around the rider at high speed. Amon yanked the bound rider toward him.

The Yao Birdling stopped to save its master. The Sun Hawk didn’t slow, so it rammed into it. The Sun Hawk had been gathering fire aether as it flew. It released the collected energy then. Explosive flame burst out, cooking the Yao Birdling at close range. The birdling shrieked in agony as its body was bathed in flames. It fell toward the ground like a burning meteor.

Amon looked at his three captives. They all showed fearful expressions.

”Let’s find somewhere we can talk,” Amon uttered.

Amon had the Sun Hawk descend to the ground. They were in the middle of nowhere. No settlements nor roads for travelers were seen nearby, only a vast expanse of woods and hills. Amon chose one of the visible clearings. He flew around the clearings and used his Mystic Sense to ensure no strong spirit beasts were nearby. After making sure, he landed on the clearing.

He used engraved ropes to replace the binding on his three captives before interrogating them. With the Eternal Anguish Poison, it didn’t take long for the three to tell him everything.

The three assassins admitted to Amon that they were also members of the Royal Assassins. The Royal Assassins were neither part of the military nor civil courts. They were a specialized division under the command of the Prime Minister.

It was not the first time the Royal Assassins targeted a member of the kingdom, but Zhu Yao wouldn’t have sent these assassins to assassinate Amon. After seeing the interaction between Zhu Yao and Huang San, Amon knew Zhu Yao secretly supported the thirteenth prince, as the current king did. So, it was unlikely Zhu Yao targeted Huang San’s aide.

After the interrogation, the three assassins confessed they were here on an unofficial mission. Even though Zhu Yao was their direct superior, the royal families had access to the Royal Assassins.

The three informed Amon that they followed Gui Xa because they were promised rich rewards and possible promotions. They didn’t meet directly with the person who sent them to assassinate Amon, but Gui Xa had let slip that it was the Crown Prince who hired them. They didn’t have proof, though. The one who received the order directly was Gui Xa.

Amon originally planned to bring them back and hand them to the royal court. He was unlikely to bring down Prince Huang Zi with the allegation even if he had proof of his involvement, but it should smear the crown prince’s reputation enough and give Huang San more chance to gain support from those who disagreed with Huang Zi’s method. However, there was no direct proof to link Huang Zi. A testimony about something they heard from someone already dead was not a strong case. If Gui Xa was still alive, that was a different matter.

He chose to capture the low-level assassins instead of Gui Xa because Gui Xa was too dangerous. Gui Xa could divulge more secrets, but his cultivation was too high. Amon didn’t want to take more risks than necessary by trying to capture a Spirit Stage cultivator alive.

Since it was this way, Amon disposed of the three. He let Bo Wu snack on one. The other two he gave to Yuka.

Amon traveled the rest of the way home riding the Sun Hawk. He had more flexibility when traveling alone. He took a more inconspicuous path and flew low. He was ready to land and hide if he saw anything suspicious. Luckily, there were no more surprises.

*

”You should have informed me first before you go visit my eighth brother,” Huang San said. He came to Fort Fresh Maw after receiving the news that Amon had returned.

”You can’t expect me to report everything I plan to do,” Amon returned.

”This one you should have. That brother of mine is not exactly what you can call a sane man. There have been rumors about people he invited that never came back home. He doesn’t care about reputation. If he wants you gone, he will do it in a heartbeat.”

”Well, I did have an altercation when I first arrived at his base. I thought for sure he was trying to kill me,” Amon said.

”See? You should be more careful. I’m saying this because I’m worried about you.”

”You are worried because I am the only one who knows the plan against the rebels. If I am gone, you will be at a loss.”

”Well, it’s that reason and because you are my friend. One of those two might be a bigger reason than the other. Which one is not a big deal,” Huang San said with a grin.

Amon chuckled. ”I might have faced danger on this trip, but it has been useful.”

”How so?” Huang San asked.

”I know more about the eighth prince. I can say that he is not what most people think. If I hadn’t gone on this trip, I may have made a mistake when we go up against him during the Ancient Ascension Trial.”

”Oh? What makes you say that? To me, Brother Huang Zhan can be considered the most open book compared to my other siblings. He rarely hides things and always expresses his feelings and desires out in the open.”

Amon simply smiled without giving a response to the subject. He instead told Huang San about the assassination attempt on him during his trip back.

”Bastard!” Huang San slammed the table. ”That fox always likes to use dirty tricks. Everyone said he was the one behind the death of my first and third brothers. I guess there are truths in those words. I must go to His Majesty and report this!”

”There is no point doing that,” Amon advised against it. ”I have no concrete proof or witnesses. You will just be wasting your time. The fourth prince might even use this chance to accuse you of slandering him. We have no time to deal with such petty quarrels. We should focus on our goals.”

”You truly will just let this go?” Huang San asked.

”I will deal with him when it is time,” Amon replied. ”More importantly, you should start compiling all the information from Zong Hua.”

”Oh? Are we going to act soon?” Huang San asked. His tone was hopeful.

”Soon,” Amon confirmed. ”Thanks to the supply of Zillium from you and the Xei Clan, added with Ji Zhi’s outsourcing, we have almost completed our battle puppet army. It will not be long before we make our big push.”