Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 617: Chapter 617. The Trap Inside the Rock Forest

”We must hurry,” said a Khode’s soldier named Wai Xihou. His rank was Senior Colonel. He was the commander of one of the legions sent to circle the Tusha Mountain Range and assail the enemy’s rear. He had just finished reading a message talisman containing the message from Xuang Feng.

”Once we pass the Yancheng Rock Formation, it will be flat land until Steam Water City. We should be able to pick up our speed,” replied a captain under Wai Xihou’s command, whose name was Wue Zhang. He was pointing at a series of rock outcrops shaped like giant pillars. These rock pillars were situated closely together, creating a landscape that resembled a rock forest.

Wai Xihou nodded. Going through this rock formation was the fastest route. On one of its sides was a canyon, while the other side was the end of the Tusha Mountain Range. The mountains at this end were low, but their rocky terrain made them hard to traverse. The legion would waste a long time if they went through the mountains.

The other legion took a different path, which was via a roadway opposite the canyon. That legion was two to three days later than theirs due to the extra time required to cross the other side, but the movement speed on the roadway should have been faster. So, they should arrive at Steam Water City around the same time.

”In this case, let’s not waste time,” Wai Xihou said. He turned to his legion, who rested by sitting on the ground. He yelled, ”Has everyone had enough rest?”

Wue Zhang answered for them, ”They have. Everyone, get up...!!”

The soldiers rose to their feet.

Wai Xihou was a Beginning Spirit Stage Cultivator. He levitated into the air so everyone could see him.

”Khode patriots...!” He shouted. ”The force inside Steam Water City failed to break through the enemy’s siege. They need us! Our countrymen need us!! After helping Steam Water City, we will join forces and attack the enemy’s main force in Tusha Valley. We will be the key to winning this war. You, all of you, will go down in history as Khode’s heroes! Are you ready?!”

The troops answered with a resounding battle cry. Everyone was motivated after the pep talk.

”Then, we march!” Wai Xihou exclaimed. ”Speed is the key! We will move as quickly as possible. To Steam Water City...!!!”

The legion resumed its march.

When they almost arrived at Yancheng Rock Formation, Wan Xihou flew ahead with a few Martial Realm soldiers. They flew to the top of one of the rock pillars at the outer edge. Landing on the top, they surveyed the rock formation ahead. The rock outcrops were densely spaced, which made visibility limited.

”I don’t think the enemy was aware that we approached through their back door, but it is better to be cautious,” Wai Xihou said. ”Wue Zhang, you and the others fly ahead and scout this area. Use the flare if you see anything suspicious.”

”Understood,” Wue Zhang replied. He turned to his other Mystic Stage comrades and said, ”Let’s go!”

Wai Xihou watched them spread out. He stayed there until he saw his troops start slipping through the rock pillars below. He flew down to join them.

The densely populated rock pillars made the place feel like a maze, but they had no problem knowing which direction to go. After some time, everyone in the legion had entered the rock forest.

The Yancheng Rock Formation was vast. Even after the last soldier from the legion entered, the front line was not yet halfway to the other side.

Wai Xihou led his troops while having his attention on the sky. No flare was seen, which was a good sign.

”Did you hear that...?” One of the nearby soldiers asked.

”Hm...? Hear what?” The soldier next to him answered.

Wai Xihou scolded them, ”Hey! Less chatting, more moving!”

The two displayed apologetic expressions, but not long after, the first soldier uttered, ”There! I heard it again.”

The second soldier gave the first a face that said, ’Do you want to get us scolded again?’

”Shhh...!” Wan Xihou gestured for them to be quiet.

The second soldier widened his eyes at the first with an expression that said, ’See?’

Wan Xihou, however, didn’t give them that exclamation as a reprimand. He told them to be quiet because he also heard something. It came from far away, and he tried to ensure he didn’t hear wrong.

He heard it again, in rapid succession now. They sounded like explosions, like the one produced by the Yuanxu Cannon, but much softer. He looked up. No flare yet.

He levitated again and told the army to continue marching. After reaching the top of the rock forest, he surveyed the sky for the Mystic Stage scouts whom he sent out earlier.

He was having trouble spotting any of them until he noticed two Khode soldiers flying at high speed toward him. Suddenly, the rapid, explosive sounds were heard again. Up here, without the noise from thousands of soldiers marching, he could hear the sounds more clearly.

He was about to trace where the sounds came from, but couldn’t avert his eyes from the two scouts. That was because one of them dropped from the sky after those sounds.

Another round of explosive sounds was heard. This time, he ignored the last remaining scout and looked at where the sounds were from. He noticed several people standing on the narrow ledges projecting from the wall of the rock pillars. These people wore clothes with a similar color to the wall, which made them hard to see unless one paid attention. They were holding a long stick, which they aimed at the sky.

Wai Xihou returned his attention to the scout. He couldn’t see the guy anymore.

He quickly dove back to the ground. On the way, he shouted at the top of his lungs, ”Stop marching! Stop marching...!! Enemies are hiding in this place...!”

The soldiers down there looked up at him. They couldn’t make out what he was saying. He was too far above.

”Hey, what is that glow?” One of the soldiers noticed something glowing on the wall of a rock pillar.

Another soldier, who was closer to the glow, touched his hand on the glowing wall. ”This is a cloth cover,” he said. He found that he could peel off that cloth, so he did. Revealed under the cloth was a glowing talisman.

”What the–”

He didn’t have the chance to finish his sentence because the glowing talisman exploded. The explosion did not occur only at one spot. Almost every rock pillar in the mid-section of the Yancheng Rock Formation was rigged with an explosive talisman.

The explosion not only killed or wounded the nearby soldiers, but it also destroyed the rock pillar. Soon, the heavy rock pillars crumbled from on high, crushing and burying the army marching under them.

Everything had happened so suddenly. Wai Xihou didn’t know what to do. He stopped diving and started performing evasive maneuvers when the rock pillars started to fall. He was still befuddled as he watched the devastation on the ground when he sensed something approaching fast.

He looked over and saw a gold-furred ape charging at him at incredible speed.

The gold-furred ape was Wu Di under the Saintly Ape transformation art. Wu Di arrived before Wai Xihou and punched without giving any warning.

Wai Xihou managed to bring his arms up to block. A rock shield protected that arm, but the rock shield shattered upon impact. Wu Di’s Ignition Fist generated successive explosions that not only destroyed the rock shield but also sent Wai Xihou crashing on the ruined ground below.

Wai Xihou quickly rose back up. Blood flowed from his mouth. The punch just now wounded his internal organs.

As he rose, he saw many Khode’s soldiers digging themselves out of the rubble. Blood covered these soldiers’ bodies. Being crushed by so many rocks, it was a miracle if they didn’t outright die. He looked around and saw that more than half of his troops were in the area where the rock pillars fell. Only around a quarter of the backline were spared from the misfortune.

However, their fortune didn’t seem to last long. A menacing battle cry boomed from ahead. Many soldiers in Echos’ uniforms rushed out from among the rock pillars that were still intact.

The charging Echos’ soldiers didn’t give Khode’s soldiers the time to process the situation. They hacked at those who were still trying to dig themselves out of the rubble. Many of the front-line soldiers carried rifles. They shot at the still-confused Khode’s soldiers at the rear, causing them further disorder, before crashing into them.

Wai Xihou, who wanted to rally his troops, wasn’t given the chance to, because Wu Di had come for him. He had to fly away before Wu Di’s gigantified fist crashed into the ground he was on.

”Despicable Echos pigs! You must pay for the lives of my countrymen!” Wai Xihou exclaimed.

”Go and make your case to the God of the Underworld!” Wu Di replied. His left hand, which had been glowing for some time, unleashed Evil Destroying Light.

The light washed over Wai Xihou, who screamed helplessly as his body evaporated from the light beam.