Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 589: Chapter 589. Secret Deactivation Code

Khode Army erected their tents and camped near Surly Gate Town. Following Xuang Feng’s advice, Zee Min built their camps a little further away from the town than she would otherwise have done.

While the army set up the camp, some tech specialists took Yuanxu Cannon parts out of their space rings. They put together thirty Yuanxu Cannons. Three of these cannons were nearly twice as big as the usual ones.

They also planted Faxien Radars and barrier rods all around their camp.

Inside the command tent, Xuang Feng went over yesterday’s battle to Zee Min. Zee Min listened with a furrowed forehead.

Aside from the two, another man was also inside the command tent. This man was Zee Min’s aide, a Colonel named Lang Gu. After Xuang Feng finished his story, Lang Gu remarked, ”You lost a thirty-thousand army in a single day? I can’t tell if that is utter incompetence or the worst luck in war.”

”Lang Gu, show some respect,” Zee Min chided. ”Xuang Feng is a decorated soldier even before you joined the military.”

”Forgive me,” Lang Gu said. His words might express apology, but his tone did not. Xuang Feng’s name was indeed prominent in the military, but after this incident, he considered that fame to be overly hyped.

”Furthermore, he is not the main commander of the army from Weylun Fort, so he was not entirely at fault. The commander is Won Feimao. Did he survive the battle?” Zee Min asked Xuang Feng.

Xuang Feng shook his head. ”He did not.”

”Good riddance,” Zee Min uttered.

”It’s not good to say ill of the dead,” Xuang Feng said.

”I’ve met that fatso once. I always thought the position was wasted on him. Anyway, you mentioned night raids and a spy sabotaging your camp?”

Xuang Feng nodded. ”The night raids are done under the cover of an abnormal fog that blocks cultivation senses. This fog is produced by a bird-like spirit beast. As for the spy, it turns out to be a shape-shifting spirit beast. My nephew almost caught it, but he was stopped by the enemy.”

”It seems the enemy has powerful beast tamers. Something that we are lacking... Now that you know the enemy’s methods, do you have a suggestion?”

”For now, the Faxien Radars should warn us if anything approaches this camp. You should place the Faxien monitoring device close to the border. That way, the tech specialist who reads the signal can warn our sentries in real time in case the black fog appears. We must also be vigilant not to let this shape-shifting beast enter our midst,” Xuang Feng replied.

”Why don’t we just charge into the town?” Lang Gu proposed. ”That is better than waiting outside like this for the enemy to wear us down using those beasts. We have the secret code to deactivate the town’s barrier. They can’t stop us from entering. Based on Xuang Feng’s report, we have more numbers. They should still be tired from yesterday’s battle. We should capitalize on this. Furthermore, if we attack, there will be citizens inside who support us.”

”You will regret it if you put too much faith in citizens’ support,” Xuang Feng said. ”There might be patriotic citizens willing to aid us, but they are too disorganized. They are unlikely to act unless they see the situation favors our side.”

Lang Gu treated it like he didn’t hear anything. He addressed Zee Min, ”What do you say, General?”

Xuang Feng was offended but remained silent. After yesterday’s crushing defeat, he knew it would be a major stain on his reputation.

”Hmm...,” Zee Min muttered while thinking. ”I don’t like waiting around. With the demise of Weylun Fort’s army, we are the only remaining army mobilized to face these invaders. We can expect no reinforcement, so there is no use waiting. Waiting will just give our opponents the chance to infiltrate us and hurt us from within. I agree with Colonel Lang Gu. We should go on the offensive.”

”I will issue the preparation,” Lang Gu said.

Zee Min nodded and said, ”Have them ready to move first thing tomorrow.”

Lang Gu bowed in affirmation before leaving the tent.

”You don’t seem to agree with this decision?” Zee Min asked Xuang Feng.

”You were not there. You didn’t see how helpless we were. It might be true that Won Feimao was the main commander, but I honestly didn’t think I would fare any differently even if I had the full authority. I have met the commander of the enemy army. Though we only crossed paths briefly, I can tell he is extremely dangerous. His method was meticulous and ruthless. I have a feeling he would be ready for us if we decide to attack.”

”Nevertheless, we can’t just sit back and wait,” Zee Min countered. ”I will gauge the enemy myself through battle.”

*

Nothing approached Khode Army’s camp in the night. There was no black fog. All the Faxien Radars detected were small nocturnal animals that dwelled around this place. Xuang Feng attributed the absence to the enemy taking a rest after yesterday’s battle.

The next morning, Khode’s troops lined themselves up in a formation. Zee Min inspected her army from the sky with Lang Gu and Xuang Feng. Zee Min had the same cultivation level as Xuang Feng, at the Peak Spirit Stage. Lang Gu was a beginning Spirit Stage cultivator.

Zee Min had the battle puppet legion position as vanguard. They would be the first to storm into Surly Gate Town. In terms of cultivation level, their human soldiers were lower on average, but they made up for it with their battle puppets. A quarter of their battle puppet legion were low-tier runic grades. A dozen at the forefront were mid-tier runic grades, which had power roughly equivalent to a Spirit Stage cultivator.

Zee Min was confident that her battle puppet legion alone was enough to defeat the enemies. The human soldiers were only there for support.

Once she was satisfied with the preparation, she issued the attack command.

”Everyone! It’s time we drive these invaders away and chase them out of our country. Attacckkk...!!!”

The battle puppets registered the command. Their eyes flashed red as they entered battle mode. It charged forward. The human soldiers uttered a loud battle cry before following behind the battle puppets. They also pushed their wagons, which carried their Yuanxu Cannons forward, albeit slowly.

”Lang Gu, get close enough to the town to use the secret deactivation code on its barrier!” Zee Min ordered.

”Right away, General!” Lang Gu obeyed. He flew low, following the battle puppet legion.

The uneasiness inside Xuang Feng lingered. He told Zee Min before flying forward, ”I will help with the attack.”

As Khode’s army got closer, flashes of light were seen above Surly Gate Town’s wall.

”Brace for impact...!” Xuang Feng exclaimed. He recognized the lights as the muzzle flashes of the Yuanxu Cannons. He activated a talisman in his hand, which conjured a dome-shaped energy wall. One of Yuanxu Cannon’s elemental balls struck this energy wall and exploded with a fiery torrent.

Among Khode’s soldiers were many talisman masters. These talisman masters followed Xuang Feng’s lead and used their talismans. Many energy domes appeared above the advancing army. These domes blocked the bombardment from the enemy’s Yuanxu Cannons.

Many talisman masters rushed forward to protect the air above the battle puppets. However, despite their effort, a few elemental balls still reached the ground. It exploded and wrecked whatever was in the vicinity.

The First Demon Army had fourteen Yuanxu Cannons. Four remained protecting the Eastern Wall. Amon placed the Yuanxu Cannons they looted from the previous battle on the Western Wall. Hence, ten Yuanxu Cannons were firing repeatedly at the incoming army. Because they were positioned high on the wall, their reach was also farther than usual.

All the low-tier and mid-tier runic-grade battle puppets were equipped with flight units. They took flight when they were close to the wall. Mystic Stage talisman masters followed them in the air. These talisman masters continued to use defensive talismans to protect the puppets from the Yuanxu Cannons.

Lang Gu, who sneaked among the battle puppets, finally reached a distance close enough for him to interact with the barrier of Surly Gate Town. He used a talisman in his hand and pointed in the town’s direction. Words of power floated around the talisman. It interfaced with the words of power on the town’s defensive wall, which flashed as the connection was made.

The connection lasted only a few seconds. The words of power stopped flashing.

The battle puppets arrived before the wall. They crashed into an invisible barrier and started pummeling it. The barrier flashed brightly with each impact. The defenders on the wall retaliated by sending ranged attacks at the battle puppets, while the Yuanxu Cannons never stopped firing.

Zee Min, who followed from the rear, approached Lang Gu. ”Lang Gu! Why haven’t you used the deactivation code?”

Lang Gu turned to her. His face was pale. ”I... I did... It didn’t work.”