Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 676: Chapter 676. The True Divine Punishment

Amon’s eyes remained fixed on Mu Qin, but his awareness scanned the surroundings, searching for an escape route. Even so, he doubted he could outrun a Peak Lord Stage.

He could unleash the Alpha Puppet and Beta Puppet inside his black space ring, but he would have to leave those battle puppets behind to cover his escape. Even then, his escape was still not guaranteed.

”I believe you are a foreigner,” Mu Qin said. ”Why do you come to this mountain? You don’t strike me as a believer in the Temple of Divinity. Are you with those heretics who wish to attack our temple? Even so, I don’t see why you come to this mountain. There is no strategic value here, nor does it contain any treasure. This mountain is special simply because I mark it as my abode.”

After a brief consideration, Amon decided to be forthright. ”I came here because someone told me to.”

”Who?” Mu Qin asked.

”A woman named Xuan Ming. She lives in Kazhan and has a title similar to yours. The people in Kazhan know her as the Tribe Mother.”

Mu Qin cocked her head. A genuine curiosity was on her face. ”Never heard of her. You mentioned she is known as the Tribe Mother? Is she also a religious leader?”

”In a way,” Amon answered. ”Though I’m not sure if she worships any deity. She, however, receives prophecies and messages from a being she calls the creator.”

”Prophecies...? Creator...?” The fascination in Mu Qin’s expression grew. ”Those are heretical thoughts. There are no such things as prophecies. Only the divine knows the future, but the divine never shares such sacred knowledge with mortals... What exactly did this Tribe Mother tell you?”

”She said, go to the peak of Zanbu Mountain in the first week after the beginning of the year.”

Mu Qin displayed a surprised expression. ”The first week after the beginning of the year? Interesting... While I forbid people from entering here, I am not always around, except for the first week after the New Year. I always spent my first week here. No one should know this except myself...”

Mu Qin appeared to ponder seriously. Amon took a slow step back. If she were indeed preoccupied, he might utilize the chance to flee.

When the foot he used to step back touched the ground, a breeze blew from behind him. The wind that touched his back was gentle. Yet, he could no longer move back. It was like a solid wall was behind him, stopping him from moving back. Amon frowned at this obstacle.

”Please do not leave so soon,” Mu Qin said. ”I’m interested in this Tribe Mother. Please, tell me about her.”

Mu Qin gestured at another side of the clearing. A small pond was there. More boulders were beside the pond. Their shapes slightly resembled small stools and a table. On the table was a jug and two cups.

She went over and sat on one of the boulder stools. She gestured for Amon to sit on another. Amon saw no choice but to comply. She poured the liquid from the jug into the cup and slid one to Amon.

”Do you expect company?” Amon asked.

”Not really, but I always have two cups in case one appears. I never truly thought it would happen until now,” Mu Qin answered.

Amon smelled the liquid. It had a sweet fragrance, but it didn’t smell like tea or wine.

”What’s this?” Amon asked.

”It is dew collected from these flowers. It took a long time to fill this jug. It’s my special drink, available only here, so you should count yourself lucky.”

”In that case, I thank you,” Amon said politely, and drank the water.

”Now, tell me everything about this Tribe Mother,” Mu Qin said.

Amon didn’t try to hide anything. It was clear now that meeting Mu Qin was Xuan Ming’s purpose when she told him to come here. In a way, this could be her trap to harm him. Thus, there was no reason for him to protect her. Though it was not much, he told Mu Qin everything he knew about the Tribe Mother.

”You said she used to live on Jiangshen Mountain, but she is no longer there now?” Mu Qin asked after Amon finished his story.

”Yes,” Amon confirmed.

”What a pity. I would have loved to meet her,” Mu Qin said. Amon could hear a genuine disappointment in her tone.

”May I ask something?” Amon asked.

”Sure. I never stop anyone from speaking their thoughts,” Mu Qin answered. ”The consequences of speaking those thoughts, however, were another matter.”

Amon nodded. He said, ”I heard that you are the same rank as the Hierophant. This means you are privy to the temple’s secret.”

”To answer your first statement, I do not answer to the Hierophant,” Mu Qin said. ”For your second statement, that is bordering on heresy, which can earn you punishment. We, the followers of the divine, don’t keep any secrets. We are the truth-seekers, and we preach the truth.”

”Do you know why the other countries attacked Oredolia?” Amon asked.

”My people told me it is because they had fallen to heretical paths. They are jealous of the temple’s achievements and are unwilling to adhere to our strict codes of restraint and duty.”

”So, you know nothing of the calamity?”

”... What calamity?” Mu Qin asked.

It was subtle, but for the first time, Amon didn’t hear the assuredness in her tone.

”To my knowledge, the other countries attack Oredolia because they believe the Temple of Divinity will trigger a calamity that wipes out our current civilization. This calamity recurs every ten million years, and the next will be upon us soon. They believe that if the Temple of Divinity is defeated, this calamity can be averted.”

”... Come to think of it, I never asked who you are. Who are you?” Mu Qin asked.

Amon didn’t criticize her attempt to divert the topic. He answered truthfully, ”My name is Amon. I am a General from Echos.”

”Echos... My people informed me that this is the country that has recently betrayed us. We were allies once, but for some reason, your country decided to double-cross us, as Farghous did.”

”Not for any reason. Our reason is to save the world from the coming calamity.”

”You keep saying there will be a calamity. Can you prove it?” Mu Qin asked.

”Do you deny such a claim?” Amon asked in return.

Instead of answering, Mu Qin stood and walked to the pond. She lightly touched the toes of her bare foot onto the water. She then stood there in silence. Amon remained in his seat.

After a while, Mu Qin finally spoke again, ”As I said, I preach truth-seeking. I don’t want to lie, so I won’t. That being said, know that there is an order to everything in the world. Whatever calamity you think will happen to this world, defeating the Temple of Divinity won’t stop it.”

Amon frowned at her words. He could tell that she was telling the truth, or at least believed it to be so. ”Are you telling me that the Temple of Divinity is not the cause of the calamity?”

”It is not,” Mu Qin answered.

Amon took out Sima Zhuang’s memory stone and played it. ”Even with this proof?” He asked while the image was playing.

Mu Qin let the image play to its entirety. After it was over, she extended her hand. Amon felt an invisible power wrapping around the stone in his hand. There was nothing he could do to resist the power. The stone flew from his hand and landed on hers.

She gripped the stone tightly. When she opened her hand again, the stone had turned into fine dust.

”Information without wisdom will cause people to panic and make the wrong moves. That’s why any records on this so-called calamity need to be erased.”

”Then, enlighten me,” Amon said. ”Tell me everything about this so-called calamity.”

”... There is no point for you to know. You can’t do anything to prevent it. No one can,” Mu Qin said.

”Yet, the Temple of Divinity survives it. Even if it can’t be prevented, we can get through it. Share your wisdom. Tell us how.”

”I can’t. You should stop pushing this now,” Mu Qin said. While her tone remained gentle, Amon could sense a slight killing intent from her. It was brief. Yet that brief moment of sensing convinced him that he would not survive if Mu Qin wanted him dead.

”You said the other countries attack us because they know about this calamity?” Mu Qin sighed. She started levitating. ”Even with our vigilance, I guess we can’t get rid of all evidence. This is truly sad. As I said, knowledge without wisdom will bring only tragedy. Because of this knowledge, Farghous forsook the path of redemption and chose the path of sins. For this, they are about to receive the divine punishment.”

”What do you mean?” Amon asked.

Mu Qin looked toward Southeast. ”It should be soon...”

Amon levitated to Mu Qin’s elevation, which was above the canopies of the forest. He then turned to where Mu Qin was gazing. They waited there for a while. Amon saw it then. The sky in the Southeast direction brightened. All of a sudden, it seemed like a second, smaller sun had risen on the horizon.

Amon knew this sight well. He had seen it in his previous life. It was the sight when someone looked from afar at the detonation of a nuclear bomb.