Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 737: Chapter 737. Choosing a Domain

”That was a great way to inspire loyalty,” Amon said sarcastically.

”Well, these domain lords have lived uncontested for millennia,” Bo Wu said. ”They are not exactly the paragon of common sense. They do whatever they like. Other than each other or this realm’s ruler, no one in this lower realm can oppose them.”

This remark made Amon think about Zhang Daofeng. This was what happened when people without restraints or sufficient moral codes attained the ultimate power. Even one who did would be greatly tempted since they could virtually do anything without consequences.

”Of course, after the incidents, many of Lang Man’s underlings no longer dared do anything heroic to save his wives,” Bo Wu continued. ”This eventually resulted in a tragedy when another disaster struck. One of Lang Man’s wives died because her bodyguards were reluctant to do anything excessive during the process. As punishment, Lang Man tortured and publicly executed the entire unit responsible for his wife’s protection.”

”Hehe,” Amon chuckled. ”You are fucked whether you be the hero or not. I bet not many were eager to serve as his wives’ bodyguards after that.”

”They don’t have any say in it. Lang Man randomly chose whoever worked for him to protect her wives. No one dares to say no to the appointment.”

”Why not just appoint female cultivators as protectors? That should solve his jealousy problems,” Amon said.

”He did that at first, but the result is that many of those protectors ended up being her next wives, which incurred his wives’ jealousy. After his wives’ protests, he conceded to their requests and only accepted males for his wives’ bodyguards. Of course, all these males had to be castrated before they took on the roles, which, as I mentioned before, is not an order that can be refused.”

”Castrated? That includes the first bodyguard you mentioned?” Amon asked.

”Yeah,” Bo Wu confirmed.

”He is jealous of a eunuch who can’t even fuck his wife?”

”This is me shrugging again,” Bo Wu said. ”As Hai Di described him, he is a freak. He is a man who is extremely vulnerable to mood swings. He can care for his family deeply, appearing as a loving husband and father, but he can also become a devil in the blink of an eye when dealing with someone outside his family. Anything can trigger his attitudes. If you want my advice, I suggest you avoid the Commitment Domain.”

”Hm... Tell me about the last domain lord, the weakest one,” Amon said.

”I will refrain from calling Yao Ai the weakest domain lord,” Bo Wu said. ”Her cultivation level might be among the lowest of the three domain lords, but she was the fiercest. She was a battle maniac who revels in combat. Her domain, ironically called the Mercy Domain, is always engulfed in constant conflicts. She despises weaklings and always spurs her population to rout out anyone who shows weakness.”

”Won’t that make her domain weak since the population murders each other?”

”On the contrary, her populace is battle-hardened folks. Everyone must be strong to survive. The other domains try their best to avoid confrontation with Yao Ai’s domain unless necessary. In terms of unpredictability, she is almost on par with Lang Man. She often randomly challenges her underlings to a duel, which always ends with the underling’s death. Anyone who receives her random challenge is no different than receiving a death sentence.”

Amon sneered. ”The people of Aetheria often called this place hell aside of the lower world. I guess that description is apt if the demons who rule over the place are someone like Lang Man and Yao Ai.”

”That’s why I said it is best to go to the Devotion Domain and join Hai Di’s faction,” Bo Wu said. ”He is no saint, mind you, but at least he works within a clear set of rules. Follow those rules, and you will be fine.”

Amon compared what Bo Wu said with the information from the people he had interrogated. They were largely the same. But then again, Bo Wu was listening when he interrogated those people, so it probably might have adjusted its story.

”What about Mo Wang? Does he recruit underlings?” Amon asked.

”No. He lives alone in his castle,” Bo Wu answered.

Amon nodded. He stood and said, ”You said Mo Wang’s castle is North of here, and Hai Di’s domain is beyond that castle. What about Lang Man and Yao Ai’s domains?”

”The Commitment Domain under Lang Man is Southeast of Mo Wang’s castle, so East of here, while Yao Ai’s Mercy Domain is West of here,” Bo Wu answered.

After hearing the directions, Amon summoned the Great Sun Hawk. It had recovered enough to fly. He rode the spirit beast and directed it toward the West.

”Hey, didn’t I say Hai Di is the best option for you?” Bo Wu said.

”I don’t trust you,” Amon replied.

Bo Wu responded with a hiss. ”Bloody hell. Don’t ask me again next time!”

*

The landscapes in the lower realm were mostly gloomy and desolate. Rivers of water flowed through the place, but there were also rivers of lava. Very few vegetations were seen. The few trees Amon had seen possessed very few leaves.

Amon looked to the sky. He saw no sun. The sky remained the same dark red even after half a day had passed. Amon asked Bo Wu about the sky. Bo Wu was still annoyed by Amon’s treatment from before, but it answered his question. It confirmed grudgingly that Amon’s suspicion was correct. Day and night made almost no difference in this realm.

After more than a day of flying, he finally arrived at a place that was slightly populated. He saw a tall wooden tower in the distance. At its base, several structures encircled it. He saw activity in those structures.

”It is too small to be a town,” Amon remarked.

”Most likely a bandit camp.” Bo Wu informed. ”Plenty of independent bandits littered this realm.”

*

While Amon noticed the camp, the people in the camp also saw Amon. The Great Sun Hawk was very eye-catching since it left a bright trail of fire in its flight.

”What the heck is that?” Asked one of the people who noticed.

”Never seen that kind of spirit beast before,” his friend said.

”I saw someone riding the beast.”

”It’s a tamed beast?”

”Seems like it.”

”Want to go check it out?”

”Sure, let’s go.”

One of them whistled loudly. A crowd soon gathered. Once they did, they climbed onto large black birds idling in a courtyard next to them. These black birds took to the sky and chased the trail of fire in the sky.

*

Amon noticed the group chasing him. He didn’t have the Great Sun Hawk fly at its top speed because he wanted to study the terrain they passed as well as preserve the hawk’s stamina. He estimated the Great Sun Hawk should be able to shake these pursuers if it broke into a dash.

He had already gained information from the portal guards. He didn’t think these bandits would possess any more information that could benefit him. So, he told the Great Sun Hawk to increase its speed. He didn’t want to waste time dealing with these small fries.

To his surprise, the group could keep up with the Great Sun Hawk’s speed. They couldn’t catch up, though, so the pursuit continued with both parties maintaining the same distance.

Amon looked at the birds his pursuers were riding. They resembled the Yao Bird, but with two distinct differences. It had many horns on its crown, and it had four legs instead of two.

”Hmph,” Amon harrumphed. He supposed these people were too bored with their lives that they wished to end them early. He was about to stop and let the group catch up when they suddenly turned away. He was puzzled but soon noticed what caused the group to change course.

Not far away was a battle. Amon estimated the party involved consisted of around a hundred people. The battle appeared to be between two groups of similar strength and numbers. Strewn around the site were many bodies. Considering his pursuers redirected their course to the battling group, one side of the battling party must be their comrades. His pursuers consisted of more than twenty people. Most likely, his pursuers would tip the balance of the battle with their reinforcement.

Amon wasn’t interested in involving himself with other people’s conflicts, but he noticed an interesting point. One side of the battling party wore the same red vests. Bandits didn’t wear uniforms. This meant one of the battling groups was either from the authority or a respectable party.

Amon asked Bo Wu, ”You mentioned the domains of this realm don’t function quite like the countries in Aetheria, but each of the domain lords should have a force dedicated to fighting, shouldn’t they? Like an army.”

”Of course,” Bo Wu replied.

”Can you identify the uniforms worn by those people? Are they from the domain lord’s faction?”

”I have only seen the uniforms worn by Hai Di’s underlings. Those are not Hai Di’s people. Hai Di, however, once mentioned that Yao Ai’s faction wore red outfits. Are you thinking about involving yourself in the fight?”

Amon grinned. ”What better way to sell yourself than showing it in real action?”