Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 652: Chapter 652. The Prophecy of Demise

”... You can communicate with the creator of this world?” Amon asked.

”Not communicate. It’s more like I received his message,” Xuan Ming answered. ”I have no say in the matter. When the message comes, it comes. I can neither ask nor refuse it. I can’t even forget about it if I try. It just lingers inside my mind until I deliver it to the ones it is intended for.”

”So, these prophecies you gave Kazhan’s tribes, they were messages from the creator?”

”They were.” Xuan Ming nodded.

”Is it also the creator’s will that prompts you to have those Kazhan tribes cooperate with me?”

”It is,” Xuan Ming confirmed. ”I don’t see or know anything about the future. I am simply a messenger. Speaking of which, I have a message specially for you. The message is pretty loud, mind you. This is the first time I’ve gotten anything like this. I feel like my head might burst because of it. You are one special person. That’s why I’m glad you finally showed up.”

”Interesting,” Amon uttered. He never believed in the existence of an omniscient and omnipotent being that the people of his old world called God. He still didn’t. Yet, he couldn’t dismiss Xuan Ming’s claim. If she were a simple lunatic with a screw loose in her mind, she wouldn’t have been able to acquire such authority from Kazhan’s old tribes. Her words must have proven true on most occasions, if not all, to award her such influence.

”Lay it out then, whatever message this creator of yours wishes to convey,” Amon said.

”I can hear the skepticism in your voice. I don’t blame you,” Xuan Ming said. ”I just felt nostalgic. When I started assuming this Tribe Mother’s role, skepticism and dismissal were daily experiences. It was such a long time ago...”

”How long ago is that?” Amon asked.

Xuan Ming smiled. ”It is not polite to ask for a woman’s age. Aren’t you aware of it, General Amon?”

”Mm, whatever. The message?”

”Before I say it, I need to ask first. This message says something about your demise. Do you still wish to hear it?” Xuan Ming asked. ”As you said, you have achieved your objective here. If you want to leave now, I won’t stop you.”

”You mentioned something that can help me in my endeavor.”

”I did,” Xuan Ming said.

”That is the reward for hearing you talk about my possible death?” Amon asked.

”The message from the creator is not a possibility. It’s a certainty. Also, we will all die someday.”

”The cultivation tale said that we can achieve immortality when we reach the Divine Realm.”

”An immortal cultivator can still die for various reasons other than age. As I said, we will all die someday. Do you truly wish to hear this fate of yours?”

”I don’t believe in fate,” Amon stated.

”I can see you are such a person. Anyway, may I?” Xuan Min asked.

”Go ahead,” Amon replied.

Xuan Ming cleared her throat before she began. When she spoke, it was as if she were reciting a poem instead of delivering a message.

*

”Take heed of the traveler from another realm,

He came not for peace,

He came not to avert the calamity,

He is the bringer of calamity,

Heaven and Hell will quiver at his feet,

Centuries of chaos and misery follow his rule,

There is but one remedy for the world,

A tool brought by siblings of different blood,

The traveler will meet his end,

When he peers into the mirror of God and Demon.”

*

Xuan Ming’s voice continued to reverberate inside Amon’s mind even after she stopped speaking. The voice was like a melody that kept playing over and over in his mind. These words had an inexplicable power that seemed to keep him in a trance.

Amon didn’t know how much time had passed before he finally looked at Xuan Ming and said, ”Does your creator always talk in riddles? I assume the traveler mentioned in that message is me?”

Xuan Ming shrugged. ”I can’t presume to know the meaning of the message. All I know is the message is meant for you, and it had something to do with your fate.”

”I said it before, I don’t believe in fate. I shape my own fate using my own strength. My end? Hah!” Amon laughed. ”Whatever this mirror of God and Demon is, I will shatter it with my hands!”

”Everyone is free to believe what he or she wishes. But tell me this. Even if you managed to do what you claim to, like shattering this mirror, literal or figurative, how can you be sure you have changed your fate? For all you know, it is your fate to destroy the mirror. For all we know, it is your fate to hear this message and then proceed to do the opposite. One can never tell unless one can see the future. Even if one does, perhaps it is his fate to see the supposed future and act differently. It’s no different from how you are now thinking about killing me to prove that there is no such thing as fate, to prove that I can’t see my own demise.”

Amon frowned upon hearing that.

”Oh? You are surprised that I know?” Xuan Ming chuckled. ”Why do you think I told Xan Chi and Fen Nu to cooperate with you, no matter what happens during our meeting?”

”Who says I want to kill you? It brings me no benefit,” Amon crossed his arms.

”A selfish and powerful person can kill another simply to prove a point, even when there is no benefit,” Xuan Ming said. ”If I end up still breathing after you leave, then perhaps it is because I have told you that I know of your intention. That way, you want to prove that you defy fate by not killing me, but how can you know it is not fate that compels you not to kill me? As I said, you can never know for sure unless you have lived in the future and returned to the past to do things differently.”

”I’m not interested in wasting time on such philosophical debate,” Amon said and stood. ”Unless you have more pointless prophecies to deliver, I must leave to attend more important matters.”

”I see... So, it is not my fate to die today,” Xuan Ming uttered.

”... You sound disappointed?” Amon asked.

”You are overthinking things, General. In this case, I have another message for you. Don’t worry, this one is less cryptic.”

”Spill it,” Amon said.

”Go to the peak of Zanbu Mountain in the first week after the beginning of the year.”

”Zanbu Mountain? That place is in Oredolia,” Amon said.

”It is,” Xuan Ming confirmed.

”The beginning of the year...? I can’t say if I will not be occupied when the time comes.”

”You don’t have to go next year. It can be any year, so long as it is the first week of the year.”

”Why do I want to go there?” Amon asked.

”I am a messenger. I deliver many messages that I don’t understand myself. You will not get the answer from me.”

”Mm... Very well. Any more pointless messages?” Amon asked.

Xuan Min smiled. She wasn’t offended by the sarcasm. ”The voice is silent. That is all I wish to convey. I guess this is goodbye, General Amon. We will probably never meet again.”

”That is fine by me,” Amon turned toward the door.

Before Amon exited, Xuan Ming called, ”Wait, General! I have become forgetful. This woman is old now, even if my appearance is not. I did say I would give you something depending on how things proceed, didn’t I?” Xuan Ming said. She produced a large talisman.

”This...” Amon didn’t know what the talisman did, but the aura he sensed from it was similar to the Teleport Stone in his possession. He asked, ”A low-tier ancient grade talisman?”

Xuan Ming nodded. She proceeded to tell Amon the effect of the talisman. Amon was elated after hearing it. One problem with his plan was how to deal with Kazhan’s current ruler, who was an Intermediate Lord Stage. Even with the two high-tier runic battle puppets in his possession, the chance of winning against an Intermediate Lord Stage was slim.

He planned to send Gyleth Marx a message after forcing Kazhan’s force to retreat from the front line. The message was to strike Kazhan’s army from both sides and had Gyleth Marx’s empress fight Kazhan’s king, with him aiding the empress.

This plan, however, would require the empress to agree to his plan. This might put him in the empress’ debt. Even if he had helped Gyleth Marx by forcing Kazhan to retreat, the empress might not consider that an aid, for she didn’t ask for it. From what he heard about the empress, she was a proud and self-centered woman.

With this talisman, he no longer needed to rely on the empress to face Kazhan’s king.

”I need to learn how to activate this talisman before I can use it,” Amon said.

”I know. I will teach you,” Xuan Ming said. ”Aside from that...”

Xuan Ming performed incomprehensible hand movements above the talisman. Complex lines made of light appeared, following her hand movements. These complex lines shrank to a tiny dot at the tip of her finger. She pointed that finger at Amon. The dot of light shot toward Amon and entered him.

Amon didn’t dodge the light because he didn’t sense any hostile attempt from it. ”What was that?” He asked.

”It’s not surprising for you to ask. The people in the surface world rarely encounter a talisman above the Runic grade, after all,” Xuan Ming said. ”For talismans of Ancient grade and above, aside from needing the required expertise or training to use the talisman, an imprint can also be applied. If a talisman is imprinted, it can only be used by the person the imprint is matched to. The owner of the imprint can transfer it to a new owner.”

”The imprint of this talisman is the thing you transferred to me just now?” Amon asked.

Xuan Ming nodded. ”Now, only you can use this talisman. Alright, let’s start teaching you the necessary technique to use this talisman, shall we?”