Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 661: Chapter 661. Convening Before the Battle

Sima Fang was placed inside a steel cage reinforced by words of power. These cages were prepared for prisoners of war. The Echos soldiers didn’t expect the first one to inhabit the cage would be one of their superior officers.

Sima Fang didn’t make a fuss. She complied with everything and remained quiet inside the cage. She sat cross-legged, passing the time by cultivating. A guard was posted outside her cage to keep watch.

At night, it was time for the guard to switch with another soldier. After checking the assignment paper that the soldier brought to confirm he was indeed the night shift guard, the day shift guard left.

Once no one was in the vicinity, the night shift guard whispered without turning. ”Mistress, should I free you now?”

”Wait an hour after midnight,” Sima Fang whispered back. ”Fewer soldiers will remain awake then. It will better ease our escape.”

”I have sent a message back to headquarters informing this incident, but I haven’t reported what caused this. None of the soldiers I asked knew what was going on. What exactly happens? Why was Mistress apprehended?”

”General Amon knows it is our clan that is organizing this war. He even got one of the memory stones containing the proof. He claimed the stone was from Sima Zhuang. He told Prince Huang Er everything, including my involvement.”

”That is alarming! We should inform headquarters about this. If Echos knows we are playing them, they will come for our clan.”

”I will do it myself once we are out of here. Don’t do anything suspicious yet. If someone glimpsed you using a message talisman while guarding me, you will be questioned.”

”Yes, mistress... But how did General Amon find out? Didn’t Master Sima Zhuang fall in Khode?”

”He fell during the war between the First Demon Army and Khode’s grand militia. The report we received never truly explained the nature of his demise. But from this development, I can safely assume General Amon had something to do with it.”

”But... Why? I thought he was already on our side since he is attacking Kazhan.”

”I thought so, too...,” Sima Fang sighed. ”It seems I have underestimated him again. That man’s objective is hard to read. When we learned from our contact in Khode regarding General Amon’s intention on Kazhan, we had our contact in Farghous convince King Dim Loog to leave Echos and join forces with Gyleth Marx against Oredolia. I thought everything was finally going our way. I’m not so sure now. I must return and discuss this with the others before we proceed. We also need to move our base from Cinder Ash Town. That place is no longer safe.”

”We will get you out of here, Mistress.”

”Are the others in position?” Sima Fang asked.

”Yes. We have our people watching Huang Er and Hua Ling’s tents, while the rest are watching the Southern part of this camp. When we move, they will help cover for us when needed.”

”Good. Now, be quiet and guard properly. Don’t do anything that draws suspicion.”

*

The next morning, the guard for the day came to take over the shift, only to find the cage was wide open. He immediately sounded the alarm. The camp and its vicinity were searched, but Sima Fang was nowhere to be found.

Huang Er sent a message talisman back to Huang San, who then ordered the mayor of Cinder Ash Town to capture members of the Sima Clan. Unfortunately, the Sima Clan was quicker. When Echos’ soldiers arrived at Sima Clan’s manor, they found no one. The Sima Clan had escaped via the secret tunnel once used during the siege.

Huang Er regretted that she didn’t immediately notify Huang San about the Sima Clan. She didn’t expect Sima Fang to have prepared a means of escaping in case her identity was discovered. She did not doubt it was Sima Fang who warned her clansmen once she was out of her cage.

It was too late already now. All she could hope for was that the soldiers in Echos could track down the clan. She wanted the clan hunted and brought to justice. She also had a squad of her soldiers to track and hunt Sima Fang.

She wanted to oversee the hunt herself, but she had a more important matter to attend to. From the latest news, Kazhan’s royal army should either arrive tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. She still wasn’t sure what she would do, but she was sure she must be here to witness the clash.

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Inside Bulo City’s castle, Amon continued to monitor the report from his scouts regarding Kazhan’s royal army’s movement. There didn’t seem to be a deviation in their march, nor did they split their army. They continued heading toward Bulo City at a steady speed.

This report matched the intel Amon had gathered regarding Kazhan’s King, Shou Zou. He was an extremely confident man with a firm pride in his personal strength. Being an Intermediate Lord Stage cultivator, he was among the strongest beings on this surface world. As such, Amon didn’t find Shou Zou’s haughtiness surprising.

The king no doubt thought he alone could win the upcoming battle. The army he brought was only to witness his greatness. In his mind, he didn’t come back to fight for his throne. He returned here to punish the trespassers who entered his castle during his absence.

When the tribe chiefs received the news that Shou Zou was about to arrive, they convened inside the throne room. Despite their passion to reform Kazhan, they were still afraid of Shou Zou. They all know how powerful this man was.

Normally, their discussion was filled with loud arguments. There were multiple times when the meetings almost devolved into a fist fight, with one that actually did, before the others quickly stopped the participants. This time, they all sat silently inside the throne room. Despite their tough talk, their worry still surfaced when it was almost time to face the man they feared.

Amon snickered at their pathetic display.

Xun Qiang noticed Amon’s ridicule. He felt insulted, but didn’t dare to act rashly. He said, ”General Amon, please don’t look down on us. You don’t feel the pressure because you haven’t met Shou Zou. He is not someone who can be defeated simply by numbers. Even with all of us in this room combined, I doubt we can defeat him.”

”That’s right,” another tribe chief added. ”I still shiver thinking about the last time I came face-to-face with him. I can’t move simply from his aura... Of course, I’m much stronger now. Even so, I think I will still be helpless if I encounter him again.”

”General Amon, it was King Shou Zou who transformed Kazhan’s governing system, and that was three hundred years ago,” Fen Nu explained. ”Shou Zou himself was six hundred years old by now. Even then, when he was half his current age, he was already undefeatable in Kazhan. Many tribes disagreed with his decision then, but none dared to challenge him directly because of his power.”

”His reign remains unchallenged all this time,” Xan Chi added. ”Anyone who dares to oppose him directly is dealt with brutally. Though he followed the Temple of Divinity that teaches compassion, his true self remains the vicious beast that is the pride of every Kazhan’s warrior.”

Amon scoffed. ”Well, if you all fear him so much, how about you all slither back into your holes and hide for the rest of your days?”

Xun Qiang slammed the table. ”General Amon! Stop insulting us! We are also proud Kazhan warriors! We won’t retreat even if the enemy is stronger than us!”

”Mm... Good, that is what I want to hear,” Amon uttered. ”Don’t worry, I will be the one who will face Shou Zou.”

Everyone turned to Amon with a skeptical expression. Amon was only at the Intermediate Spirit Stage. Under normal circumstances, they would have laughed at this statement. This time, however, they couldn’t laugh. They felt anxious, instead.

They had heard that Amon was a capable commander who brought countless victories to his army. The Tribe Mother also assured them of their success if they followed Amon. But now, they were starting to have doubts. Could Amon be too overconfident after winning so many times? Could this be the time when the Tribe Mother’s prophecy was proven wrong? They couldn’t help but have these uneasy thoughts.

Amon chuckled at their doubts. He said, ”Don’t worry. The tribe mother has given me the means to face Shou Zou.”

He took out a large talisman and showed it to them. None of them was a talisman master, so they didn’t know what the talisman signified. They, however, could feel a powerful aura from it. It was unlike any talisman they had ever encountered.

Amon proceeded to tell them the talisman’s effect.

”Is that real...?” Fen Nu asked. The others had similar awed expressions.

”It is, unless the tribe mother is lying,” Amon said. ”I can’t tell for sure unless I use this talisman. Since a talisman is a one-time-use tool, we can only find out when we face Shou Zou.”

”I believe the Tribe Mother won’t screw us over,” Xan Chi said.

”Me too,” everyone said.

Their pessimistic faces were now replaced with hopeful ones.

Amon stood and said, ”Then believe in your Tribe Mother. We will win this war, and Kazhan will return to the old ways. The enemy will be here soon. Everyone, go and prepare! By the time the battle is over, you will either die a glorious death or become the rulers of this country!”