Rise of The Demon General

Amon’s right arm dropped to the ground. The shadow that covered the arm dispersed since it had separated from its host.

”Time’s up. Not bad, Slayer Amon. You survive,” Yao Ai said.

The audience let out relieved sighs. They were the same as Amon in the arena, risking their lives to get through the one minute. Several people were not that lucky. They came to enjoy a show but ended up losing their lives. Many also suffered bloody wounds.

Amon stopped his bleeding and consumed a regrowth pill. He looked at his ceremonial dagger. A hole was at the center of the blade, accompanied by cracks along the blade. He infused the dagger with infernal aether, attempting to activate its special ability. The black flame sprouted from the dagger but soon fizzled out. He could no longer summon the black blade with the dagger’s current condition.

His Xian Cloth was also a wreck. After it was cut, it unravelled from his severed right arm and lay on the floor. Its fifty-meter length was now reduced to only around thirty meters.

It was a pity, but it was better than losing his life. Amon was a pragmatic person. He didn’t dwell too much on his loss.

He looked at the severed arm on the ground. He leaned down to pick up the arm. He had consumed a regrowth pill, but his recovery would be faster if he reattached this arm. However, the arm flew away when he was about to grab it.

The arm landed on Yao Ai’s hand. ”I will be keeping this as a trophy.”

The arm vanished, most probably entering Yao Ai’s space ring. It didn’t matter. The arm was no longer Amon’s the moment she had an interest in it. Why she did, Amon didn’t understand. He never heard of Yao Ai keeping her defeated opponent’s body parts as a trophy. Amon didn’t think much about it. He attributed it to her newly found fetish.

”I commend you for surviving a minute against me. You have gained the right to be awarded the new mission I mentioned before.” Yao Ai waved her hand. A sphere encapsulated them.

’A domain-creating art,’ Amon thought after seeing his surroundings. He and Yao Ai were inside a bubble. The view outside the bubble was distorted and had a slightly reddish hue.

While Amon could still roughly see what was outside, the people outside didn’t. All they saw was a huge crimson ball that had swallowed the two people in the arena. They could neither see nor hear what was inside.

”We can talk without worrying about people eavesdropping on us,” Yao Ai told Amon.

”This mission must be special for Your Ladyship to go through this trouble, but are Your Ladyship sure I can be trusted with it?” Amon asked.

Yao Ai smiled. ”I’m not worried. If you fail me, there won’t be anywhere in this realm that you can hide from my wrath.”

”But if I’m going along with it, I will be incurring Lord Hao Di’s wrath. Won’t that be the same risk?”

”You must choose then, which risk you would rather take. You dare to enter this arena challenge to promote your rank. This shows that you are ambitious. Ambition came with an equal amount of risk. If you can’t stomach it, might as well stay incognito. That said, I believe you will choose me over Hai Di.”

”What makes you say that?”

”Because you already did,” Yao Ai chuckled. ”I have read the report on you. You arrived in this realm five years ago, and you didn’t wander around this place randomly. You came directly to my domain and became a member of my faction. I see no hesitancy in your action. This is the act of someone who knows what he is doing, and which organization he wants to be a part of.”

”I see Your Ladyship can see through me. Your Ladyship is truly wise.”

”I can also see that your praise is but hollow words. Don’t misunderstand, I don’t despise such behaviour. I know full well that those who kneel before me are just showing their facades. Most of them do it out of fear. A few, like you, are motivated by something else. It doesn’t matter. As long as you prove yourself useful to me and show me proper respect, we will get along just fine.”

”I’m relieved to hear that,” Amon said.

”Before we discuss the serious matter, I want to ask about that darkness-element art you used. The energy signature is akin to the Elder God Tentacles. Did Hai Di teach you that as well?”

”No, I created this arcane art myself using the Elder God Tentacles as the starting point. I named it the Elder God Veil.”

”Created yourself. Hm, fascinating… Normally, cultivators only start creating their own arts when they are at least the Supreme Stage. Or, in a divine cultivator’s case, when they enter the Demigod Realm. Anyone who can create their own art at a lower cultivation level is a talented genius.”

”Really?” Amon successfully created his first martial art at the age of thirteen during the White Cloud Tournament. He never attempted another art creation until he had enlightenment after learning the Elder God Tentacles.

”If you can create your own art, then you won’t be hindered by the common obstacle troubling most high-level cultivators.”

”What kind of obstacle?” Amon asked.

”Cultivators above the Fiendish Stage who cannot create their own arts won’t get far. Profound-grade arts are extremely hard to learn. For you to learn a high-tier Profound art like the Elder God Tentacles already shows your incredible talent. Not many can do that. As for Heavenly-grade arts, no one that I know has ever learn one. There is only one way for you to learn Heavenly-grade arts.”

”By creating it myself,” Amon said.

”You are quick. I like that. Of course, it doesn’t mean you can’t try to study other cultivators’ arts. You can study them, but if you try to imitate the arts exactly, you will only draw a fraction of their power. Take your Elder God Tentacles, for example. Hai Di’s version is more powerful than yours, and that’s not because I take into account his cultivation level. Even if the cultivation level between you two is the same, his Elder God Tentacles are better than yours.”

”Is it…?”

”As for your Elder God Veil, I must say, if not for your low cultivation, you might have been able to create a Heavenly-Grade art out of it. I can tell that the art can be considered upper-rank even among other high-tier Profound arts. I am not easily intrigued, but I’m genuinely interested to see how far you can go. That, of course, provided that you don’t cross me. Your path to the top will quickly be cut short if that happens.”

”I will put Your Ladyship’s warning to heart.” Amon bowed.

”We will see. Now, about your special mission. I need you to track down someone in the Devotion Domain.”

”Who?”

”I don’t know.”

”Where? The exact location, the town, and the address.”

”I don’t know.”

”…”

Yao Ai chuckled after seeing Amon’s expression. ”I am not making fun of you. I have very little information about the person I’m looking for. All I know is that I received news that Hai Di acquired a valuable captive several years ago. This person is reportedly helping him with an important project that might upset the balance between the three domains in this realm. This person came from the surface world, and he is an expert in puppet making. Considering this background, I figure you might have an inkling of this person.”

Amon grinned. ”I might.”

”Good. I don’t know exactly where this person is kept, but my intel indicates that this person was first brought into Unruly Neglect Town when he entered this demon realm. It is a town in the southern part of the Devotion Domain. You can probably start your search there.”

”When I find this person, what should I do with him?” Amon asked.

Yao Ai shrugged. ”That depends. The best outcome is to free him and persuade him to change sides and work for us. If that is not possible, then ensure that Hai Di also does not gain any benefit from this person. Do you catch my drift?”

”I do,” Amon said.

”Good. I like a quick-witted person. My domain is currently in a delicate situation. The Cryanid plague at the Northwest border worsens with each passing day. I am forced to divert many of my high-level followers to deal with the matter. If Hai Di utilizes whatever secret plan he has going on to hit my dominion at this time, I will be in a bad spot. Not to mention, the purge is only a few years away.”

Amon’s ears perked up upon hearing that. He had learned that the purge was what the people in Aetheria called the calamity. He had tried finding information from the people in this realm, but none had a clear picture of it. All they knew was that it was a big operation carried out by the three demon realm factions every ten million years.

He asked, ”What exactly is this coming purge?”

Yao Ai grinned devilishly at the question. ”Right. You are from the surface world. Hm, tell you what. You complete this mission without a flaw, and I will tell you about the purge.”