Rise of The Demon General

Hai Di flew at top speed toward the North after leaving Mo Wang’s castle. He had no desire to stay even a second longer. Only after a while did he notice that he had left Xin Rong far behind. He slowed down to let her catch up.

Xin Rong appeared slightly panting when she finally caught up. She had been trying her best to keep up, but Hai Di’s flying speed was too fast.

”Sorry, my lord,” Xin Rong apologized.

”Hmph. You need to train on your flying speed,” Hai Di reprimanded.

Xin Rong was speechless. Considering the cultivation gap between them, no amount of training could cover the difference in their speed. She didn’t protest, though. She knew her lord was simply venting his frustration.

When they were about to resume their flight, Hai Di sensed something. He gazed upward.

”Is something the matter, my lord?” Xin Rong looked up but didn’t see anything.

The air above them vibrated as several previously unseen words of power flashed. Several figures suddenly materialized. These figures immediately launched attacks upon their appearance.

Hai Di grabbed Xin Rong, and they zoomed away before the attacks hit. They have a good look at their ambushers then. A group of five, three cultivators and two spirit beasts. All three cultivators wore black attire that covered their entire bodies, including their faces. As for the spirit beasts, they were unlike anything they knew. These spirit beasts were most likely the result of a flesh-altering process.

”Hm... The one at the lead is an Intermediate Unholy Monarch Stage cultivator,” Hai Di said.

”Intermediate Unholy Monarch Stage? Lord Lang Man?” Xin Rong asked. Lang Man was the only known Intermediate Unholy Monarch Stage in the lower world. She immediately addressed the one Hai Di referred to, ”Lord Lang Man, what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to incite a war?”

The leader of the group only grunted in response. He made a hand signal, and his two companions with their altered beasts spread to the side.

”Hmph! You will regret pulling this stunt,” Hai Di uttered. He lifted his hand. The air in front of him darkened. Out of the darkened air, multiple giant tentacles burst out.

These giant tentacles made of shadow were the product of his Elder God Tentacles. Though his art had the same name as Amon’s, they were as if two different arts. The tentacles Hai Di conjured were thicker and longer. They numbered ten, and near the end of each tentacle, many smaller tentacles branched out. This made the tentacles seem like bizarre trees that moved flexibly.

The tentacles and their branches formed a net that was about to swallow the pairs of cultivators and spirit beasts moving to Hai Di’s flanks.

Before the shadow tentacles captured the ambushers, the leader zoomed at high speed. He first hit the shadow tentacles on the right flank, producing a burst of wind upon impact, which pushed and scattered the shadow tentacles. He then zoomed to the left flank, doing the same thing.

”Wind-element art?” Xin Rong asked. ”Isn’t Lord Lang Man’s affinity with the ice elements?”

”His moves can stop my art due to his cultivation power. The wind-element art itself is weak. He is not using an art he had affinity with,” Hai Di explained. ”Hmph! Like how he covers his body, he avoids using his regular arts in a pathetic attempt to mask his identity.”

After saving his subordinates, the leader zoomed toward Hai Di. Hai Di didn’t retreat. He received the incoming attack with one hand.

*BOOM!*

The impact between their arms produced a loud boom. Hai Di’s eyebrows slightly raised when they touched each other.

”I see you have learned a good martial art, Brother Lang Man, one that allows you to heighten your physical power to match mine, hehe. Still, why the farce of trying to pretend?!”

Hai Di pushed his attacker away, but the attacker expertly parried the push and used the momentum to deliver a whirling kick. The two continued to exchange blows in close range.

The other four ambushers went for Xin Rong. Xin Rong didn’t shy away. All four had cultivation levels slightly lower than hers. She fought fiercely, preventing them from interrupting the fight between Hai Di and the ambushers’ leader.

”Brother Lang Man, as interesting as it is to exchange fists with you, this is getting boring!”

An explosive power erupted from Hai Di, pushing his attacker away. At the same time, a black sphere spread out.

The ambusher leader whistled, and he zoomed away before the black sphere enveloped him. The two cultivators who fought with Xin Rong did the same. Only the two altered beasts remained as the black sphere washed over. The three ambushers didn’t stop moving away even after the black sphere stopped expanding.

”They are retreating,” Xin Rong said.

”Hmph, they acted correctly. They know they would be goners if my domain art caught them,” Hai Di said.

The two altered beasts within Hai Di’s domain had difficulty moving. While they were hampered, shadow tentacles emerged from the edge of the domain. These shadow tentacles caught the altered beasts and slowly eroded them.

”What do you think Lord Lang Man is trying to do?” Xin Rong asked.

”What else? He tried to ambush us, and he failed. Hmph! Bastard. So, he has become impatient and decides to enter an open confrontation, eh? He will regret this!”

---------------

Southeast of Mo Wang’s castle, the sky was filled with icy dust. Two altered beasts were inside this cloud of icy dust, and they had been frozen solid. Their frozen bodies dropped to the ground at high speed. When they hit the ground, they shattered into pieces.

Not far away, three fully shrouded individuals were flying away.

”My lord, should we chase?” Du Ji asked Lang Man.

”They most likely have prepared a trap in that direction,” Lang Man replied. ”There is also no need to. We both know who they are. Hmph, I never thought Sister Yao Ai would be so narrow-minded. Can’t she take a few jokes? Does she have to retort with an ambush like this? Ah... Women. They are always misguided by their own feelings.”

”My lord, from what it seems, this is not conducted in the heat of the moment. The concealing enchantment used to hide their presence is not something that can be done at a moment’s notice. This ambush is preplanned.”

Hearing that, Lang Man’s expression slightly changed.

”Heh. So, this is how she wants to play it, eh? Very well. I guess she also finds this current peace boring. In that case, I won’t hesitate anymore.”

---------------

Back where Amon and Yao Ai were, they had dispatched all the altered beasts that ambushed them.

”My Lady, are you alright?” Amon asked.

”Don’t be ridiculous. Even if they sent a hundred beasts like these, I won’t be harmed one bit,” Yao Ai answered.

”Who dares to ambush us like this? These are all spirit beasts heavily transformed by the flesh-altering process. It was clear they acted under orders.”

”Of course, no spirit beast, even if altered, can use words of power to create the concealing enchantment like that.”

Yao Ai landed on the ground, where the carcases of the altered beasts lay. ”Hm...,” she muttered.

”My Lady, do you learn something from these dead beasts?”

”They were most likely altered to conceal their origins. However, I can see that all these beasts have parts from the same specific beast.”

”Oh, what beast is it?” Amon asked.

”The Fire Breathing Crustacean,” Yao Ai answered. ”They are Lower Primordial Beasts that live inside the Dark Simmering Lake. There has been no record of this beast being found except in this lake, and this lake is located in the Devotion Domain.”

”My Lady, do you mean...”

Yao Ai grinned savagely. ”Hehe, Hai Di, is this your declaration of war? Do you think I will be afraid of you? You should have come at me yourself instead of sending these minions if you want the ambush to produce a result. Even with your high cultivation level, you are nothing but the coward I suspected you were. Since this is how you want to play it, don’t blame me if I respond in kind.”

Yao Ai ordered Amon to collect the beasts’ carcasses as proof of the ambushes. After Amon carried out the order, they resumed their journey back to the Mercy Domain. They regrouped with Diu Cay after entering the Mercy Domain. Amon revealed the carcasses and informed Diu Cay regarding the ambush.

”Despicable!” Diu Cay cursed. ”This transgression shall not go unpunished.”

”They shall not,” Yao Ai agreed. ”However, we must play it smart. If we are to hit them, we must make it big. A failed attempt like their ambush will only bring us embarrassment.”

”Mistress Yao Ai, if I may. Please refrain from antagonizing Lord Hai Di for the time being,” Amon said.

Diu Cay was displeased by Amon’s words. ”What are you saying? Letting this slide without retribution will make the Devotion Domain think we fear them. This is no different than letting them go free after slapping our face. If you are afraid of Hai Di, just say it!”