Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 623: Chapter 623. The Fall of the Grand Militia

Xuang Feng sensed the back attack when it came, but it was too close and too sudden. Before he could react, he already felt the stab. He turned back, disbelief written across his face.

”Wai Ling! What have you done?!” Wai Kung, who was nearby, came rushing.

Wai Ling moved away. In her hand was a bloodied dagger.

”Ling...,” Xuang Feng uttered. His hand moved to his back and touched the wound caused by Wai Ling. He still found it hard to believe that he had to touch the wound to make sure. When his hand returned, it was covered in blood.

Due to his mind struggling to cope with disbelief, he was slow to notice a more immediate concern. Only when he lost the strength in his knees did he become aware of it. Wai Kung caught him before he fell.

”This... You... There is poison on that dagger?” Xuang Feng asked.

”What?” Wai Kung similarly found it hard to believe what had happened despite everything occurring before his eyes. ”Wai Ling! You ungrateful daughter! Why did you commit this treason?!”

”Don’t need to blame her. She did nothing wrong,” Wai Ling said. She swiped her arm before herself and transformed into Lin Li.

”Who are you?!” Wai Kung asked.

”It’s you!” Xuang Feng exclaimed. ”The spy from before! You are the fox spirit beast!”

Xuang Feng only saw Lin Li briefly in the past, but he could recognize her at a glance. She was the girl who sabotaged his army, except her shortest tail was now longer.

”Ugh...!” Now that he was aware of the poison inside his body, he channeled his aether to halt it. However, his attempt only made him despair. The poison was unlike any he had ever encountered. It worked fast. He felt a terrible cold spreading all over his body, and his inner energy failed to stop it.

The poison on the dagger was Amon’s Cold Stiff Poison. The dagger itself was made of rare metal. Added with Lin Li’s strength, which was now on par with an Intermediate Spirit Stage cultivator, she had no trouble piercing Xuang Feng’s defensive energy. Cold Stiff Poison wouldn’t normally instant kill a Spirit Stage cultivator, but Lin Li struck Xuang Feng in a fatal part.

”Protect the general...!” Nearby Khode’s soldiers charged at Lin Li to keep her away from Xuang Feng. They were unaware that it was already too late. Lin Li transformed into her true form and used her speed to dodge their attacks.

”General...!” Wai Kung held Xuang Feng in his arms. He offered Xuang Feng a curative pill, but Xuang Feng shook his head.

”It’s useless...,” Xuang Feng said weakly. ”The poison is... It’s too strong... and the stab... It hit my heart... It is too late already...”

”No...,” Wai Kung was at a loss about what to do.

”My friend... I leave the rest to you... Tell Wai Ling... that I’m sorry...I must go first.”

Xuang Feng became cold and rigid. Wai Kung could feel that the body in his arms was already devoid of life. ”Nooo...!!” He cried.

The nearby soldiers, who heard the cry, looked over and were shocked to learn that their commander had fallen. Many were consumed by rage and chased Lin Li to exact revenge.

Lin Li kept zooming around. Her sharp claws sliced those who got too close. Still, there were too many opponents. She was behind the enemy’s line to carry out her ambush. She had trouble fending everyone off.

Suddenly, six large flying knives swooped in and cut the Khode soldiers surrounding Lin Li. Amon flew down from the sky and released the battle puppets inside his black space ring. He grabbed Lin Li and sent her into her black space ring, which she gladly accepted.

While Amon’s battle puppets and Alpha Flying Knives kept the surrounding enemies busy, he pumped aether into his voice and shouted, ”Khode’s soldiers...!!! Your commander, Xuang Feng, has fallen! Surrender now, or you will suffer the same fate!!”

Amon’s voice reverberated all over the valley. Everyone could hear him. Echos’ soldiers who heard it let out a thundering war cry. As for Khode’s soldiers, those not yet aware of Xuang Feng’s demise turned to where he was last seen. Those on the mountain immediately saw him lying still in Wai Kung’s arms, confirming Amon’s claim.

Part of Khode’s soldiers were army veterans who were loyal to Xuang Feng. His death fueled their rage and made them swear vengeance. These soldiers fought even more fiercely after learning of his demise. Unfortunately for Khode’s army, these soldiers were the minority.

The majority of Khode’s soldiers had no emotional attachment to Xuang Feng. The Grand Militia was composed mostly of volunteer cultivators and retired soldiers. While retired soldiers knew of Xuang Feng, they had been inactive for some time. Xuang Feng was no different than a famous military leader they had heard of but never truly interacted with.

For these soldiers, Xuang Feng’s demise didn’t draw their wrath. Instead, they were discouraged since their commander had fallen. Many even viewed that they had lost the battle. Their morale dropped significantly.

Many stopped advancing, which allowed Echos’ soldiers to push back. Some took it even further. They turned around and fled. Due to a few who fled, those on the fences decided to follow. As time passed, more Khode’s soldiers left the battlefield.

The ones in the valley couldn’t confirm Xuang Feng’s death, but they could see how their comrades up on the mountain reacted. When they saw a portion running away from the battlefield, many took it as a confirmation of the enemy’s claim.

Khode’s soldiers in the valley had it the worst. They had been dying left and right from the Yuanxu Cannons and Elemental Mines’ bombardments. Hence, they didn’t need much persuasion to flee. Before long, every Khode’s soldier still inside the valley was racing to escape the place. The situation was so chaotic that some soldiers fell while running to the exit. These fallen soldiers ended up getting run over by their hectic comrades.

Wai Kung and Zue Du tried their best to rally everyone, but their call fell on deaf ears. Only Xuang Feng’s loyal followers kept fighting, but they could see they were slowly being outnumbered as time passed.

Seeing the situation, Wai Kung had no choice but to issue a retreat. He carried Xuang Feng’s body and left. Zue Du tried his best to protect the army during the retreat, but his effort was not effective.

Amon led Echos’ soldiers to chase the enemy and slay as many as possible. He only called his army to stop after the enemy left the Tusha Valley and the Tusha Mountain Range.

*

Khode’s army regrouped at their camp, which was also in a mess. Wai Ling and the soldiers she brought tried to save as many tents as they could, but more than half were burned. Seeing the state of their camp was another blow to their morale. Some immediately left without bothering to say anything. They considered the war to be lost already.

Wai Ling, who was cleaning up the camp with her soldiers, was dejected when she saw the army retreating from Tusha Valley. When Wai Kung returned with Xuang Feng’s body, she was overwhelmed with grief. She despaired even more after learning how her beloved died. The disgraceful enemy exploited their love. Her grief was unbearable. Her sorrowful wail was heard even by Echos’ soldiers inside the valley.

*

Khode’s army remained outside Tusha Valley until the next day. Half of the troops that survived the battle left, and those who remained sat silently. The entire camp was filled with grief and defeat, but Wai Kung did not have the luxury to grieve. He received a report that whatever was left of their rations would only support them for a few days. This was already taking their reduced number into account.

Hearing that, Wai Kung had no choice but to order the army to retreat to the nearest city, where they could request supplies.

The army broke camp after noon. They moved while remaining alert to their rear, in case Echos’ army utilized this chance to harass them. However, Echos’ army simply watched them retreat without showing any attempt to pursue.

Perhaps Echos’ army already knew what would happen. Even without them attacking, Khode’s army shrank with every passing day. Not because the soldiers were slain, but because the soldiers had lost faith in the cause. Every day, many groups separated from the army and walked in different directions.

Wai Kung was powerless to stop them. Most were volunteers. They were not bound by military laws. Furthermore, Khode’s military could be considered already disbanded since the Supreme Councilor came into power. These people came together for their passion to defend the nation. That passion had been crushed.

Before they even reached the nearest city, their number had waned to fewer than five thousand. The great Grand Militia of Khode was now no more.