Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 744: Chapter 744. Climbing the Ranks

Amon followed Wi Zhuang and Wi Yin to their house. Their house was in a walled neighborhood guarded by sentries. From what he glimpsed, the entire neighborhood housed those from the Mercy Faction. The inhabitants of this neighborhood were sheltered from most of the lowlifes who filled the city.

Wi Zhuang’s family was not big. Aside from his sister, Wi Yin, inside the house were their parents, their little brother, Wi Zhuang’s wives, and Wi Zhuang’s two children. As for the house, it was big enough to accommodate everyone with a few empty rooms to spare. Amon was given one of these empty rooms to use.

Since that day, Amon stuck with Wi Zhuang. He went out completing missions with him. He worked his way properly while learning as much as he could about this lower world. He acted like a proper subordinate under Wi Zhuang. He didn’t partake in power play as he did in Aetheria. At least not yet, not until he understood how the game was played.

Inside Wi Zhuang’s residence, Amon acted politely but kept everyone at arm’s length. Wi Zhuang’s family attributed the attitude to Amon being shy. They respected his privacy and left him alone.

When Amon was not out on missions with Wi Zhuang, he spent his time cultivating inside the house.

Due to the lower world’s incredible aether concentration, Amon’s cultivation speed was leaps and bounds compared to when he cultivated in Aetheria. With aid from the Spring of Life, the Black Aetherium Stone, the Aetherium Fruit, and the meridian points technique that enhanced his cultivation art, his divine cultivation was close to breaking into the Intermediate Lord Stage in only five years. If he were still in Aetheria, it would take him decades to obtain the same development.

Aside from those factors, the markets in the lower world also possessed many cultivation pills of better quality than what he could find in Aetheria. He was not lacking in aer stones, so he had no trouble buying those pills to enhance his cultivation art.

There was also a new type of pill he found only in this lower world. It was a pill that allowed the consumer’s body to prolong the effect of using the meridian points technique on cultivation arts. He learned that in this world, using the meridian points technique to enhance cultivation arts was a common practice thanks to this pill. It was useless to him, though. His special body could already prolong the meridian points technique’s effect for a long period, even without the pills.

While his divine cultivation advanced rapidly, it was not his speediest achievement. His infernal cultivation advanced even more spectacularly. Within five years, he had broken through twice. He was now in the Beginning Malicious Stage, and he could sense that he was close to breaking through again.

This incredible pace was due to the abundant infernal aether in this place. In the lower world, anyone who practiced infernal cultivation had an average cultivation speed twice that of if they trained in divine cultivation. That’s why the lower world was populated mostly by infernal cultivators. Only those whose aptitude was exceptionally low in infernal cultivation would have no choice but to practice the divine cultivation.

Amon estimated that if he kept his current pace, he would break through to the next infernal stage in around one more month. As for his divine cultivation, he should break through after another consumption of the Aetherium Fruit, which he could do in six months.

It was around this time that Wi Zhuang finally received the feedback from Yao Ai’s promise from all those years ago.

Apparently, Yao Ai completely forgot that she had made the promise. Wi Zhuang also never tried to pursue it because he didn’t think he was ready to increase his rank. Hence, the promise was as if never happened. It was only recently that Yao Ai remembered because she happened to hear Wi Zhuang’s name being mentioned.

Wi Zhuang’s name came up when her advisors were summarizing reports about recent operations of her faction. His name came up because his unit had completed the most missions in the past two years, and all the missions had been completed with satisfactory results.

”Fascinating,” Yao Ai uttered after hearing the reports. ”I originally ordered that man to destroy Xia To’s bandit crew to get rid of him. To spend seven decades in my faction and remain at the Peak Malicious Stage, he should die and give way to young blood. Plus, I hate people who crawl the ladder so slowly like him.”

”I heard he shared his earnings fairly with the people who serve under him,” Yao Ai’s advisor reported. ”He was also the sole supporter of his family, so he didn’t have much to spare to get sufficient cultivation resources to improve.”

”I don’t care for his reasons. If he is not selfish enough to advance himself quickly enough, then he is a loser in my eyes. Is he still a Peak Malicious Stage cultivator?”

”Thanks to the large number of missions his unit completed, his earnings were enough for him to buy more resources. He recently broke through into the Beginning Fiendish Stage.”

”Well, in that case, it is time to grant him the rank I promised him all those years ago,” Yao Ai said.

”Very well, My Lord. I will arrange the process.”

”Also, give me the detailed report on how he defeated Xia To’s bandit crew.”

”I will have someone bring the report to you.”

*

”Finally! You have attained the Slayer rank, Brother!” Wi Yin exclaimed excitedly. A messenger had just come to deliver the news. Wi Zhuang was summoned to the faction office to accept the rank officially.

”Congratulations,” Amon told him.

”To be honest, I couldn’t have done it without you, Brother Amon,” Wi Zhuang replied. ”You are the reason our unit managed to complete so many missions in brief periods. The merit is yours as well. That’s why I will appoint you as my first enforcer once I receive the Slayer Rank.”

”You can do that?” Amon asked.

”Normally, a Slayer is sent on lone missions. Missions that require more subtlety and individual capabilities, but they also run a crew. A veteran Slayer would have several Enforcer followers. Each Enforcer leads their own crew. Any mission the crew completes will have a portion of the reward given to their Slayer superior. When an Enforcer becomes a Slayer, he must choose his first Enforcer to run his previous crew.”

”I always thought I would be the one my Brother chooses as his first Enforcer,” Wi Yin told Amon.

”Sorry, Yin. It is still too dangerous for you to be an Enforcer,” Wi Zhuang told his sister.

”Don’t apologize, brother. I understand. Brother Amon is a much better candidate. Actually, in terms of cultivation level, he is already at the level of Slayer rank.”

”I believe it will not be long before that,” Wi Zhuang said. ”Brother Amon, come with me to the faction office. We will complete the administration process together.”

Hence, Amon became an Enforcer that day. He led Wi Zhuang’s previous crew while Wi Zhuang was sent outside the capital for his first mission as a Slayer.

*

One month passed, and Amon entered the Intermediate Malicious Stage.

Wi Yin was beyond speechless. In a short five years, Amon had caught up to her cultivation level. She didn’t know that Amon had multiple factors that boosted his cultivation speed. Furthermore, his divine energy core, which was more powerful, acted as a magnet, stimulating his black energy core and further accelerating his cultivation speed.

However, Wi Yin didn’t have time to worry about Amon catching up to her. She had something worse to worry about. Today, she received a disturbing message from a message talisman that Wi Zhuang left for her.

The message informed her that his mission had taken an unfortunate turn and he was in trouble. He asked her to bring his old crew to Mellow Depraved Town to help him.

”What was his mission in that town?” Amon asked.

”His mission is to assist the heir of a local landlord who has just passed away and secure the heir’s heritage,” Wi Yin answered. ”The landlord owns a large farm that produces important cultivation herbs. That farm is important for our faction. Thus, our involvement. The deceased landlord was someone at the Peak Fiendish Stage. However, the heir is only at the Intermediate Diabolic Stage. Many of the landlord’s previous followers aren’t willing to continue serving such a weak lord. So, many rebel.”

”From what I see, this domain values strength and abhors weakness. Why bother keeping the weak landlord? Let the followers rebel and decide on a more worthy candidate as the new landlord.”

”Normally, that will be the case. However, the deceased landlord and his heir have a powerful connection. Their uncle is a Warlord who currently serves on our faction’s Northwest border, clearing the Cryanids infestation.”

”Cryanids? Aren’t most of them Higher Superior and Lower Mythical Beasts? Why is someone with a Warlord Rank tasked to deal with them? Someone with a Warlord rank usually possesses the cultivation level of the Supreme or Mammoth Stages. Isn’t that a waste of assets?” Amon asked. Cryanids were insect-like spirit beasts. Amon only learned about them from the books in this lower realm. These spirit beasts didn’t exist in Aetheria.

Wi Yin shook her head. ”I don’t know. From what I heard, the Cryanids that trouble our Northwest border have a worrisome number. There are also rumors about unusual breeds that are stronger than normal Cryanids. Anyway, this warlord has sent a request for the Mercy Faction to take care of his nephew, the heir in Mellow Depraved Town, while he is busy dealing with the Cryanids. Hence, my brother’s mission. We must go to that town and find my brother!”

”Alright,” Amon said. ”I will gather the crew. We will leave immediately.”