Rise of The Demon General

”That’s not what I meant,” Amon said. ”Her Ladyship knows the secret mission I am on. I am close to formulating a plan to take down both the Devotion and Commitment Factions. I don’t wish to complicate the situation before my plan is put into motion.”

”Pah! What plan? You are but spouting nonsense!” Diu Cay exclaimed.

Yao Ai didn’t say anything. She simply stared at Amon with a neutral expression.

Diu Cay continued speaking, ”My lady, no need to listen to his drivel. I will prepare a strike team to raid the Devotion Domain.”

”No. Hold off on it,” Yao Ai said.

”My Lady, you are not seriously listening to this surface dweller, aren’t you?”

Yao Ai signaled for Diu Cay to be silent. She told Amon, ”I won’t promise you anything. It is not my nature to let someone go after they wronged me. That said, I will try to keep it from turning into an open conflict.”

Amon bowed and said, ”I believe in Your Ladyship’s wisdom. I wish to resume my mission now. May I be excused?”

Yao Ai let Amon wait several seconds before she answered, ”Very well, you are dismissed.”

”Thank you, My Lady,” Amon replied. He promptly left.

Yao Ai and Diu Cay watched him go. Diu Cay wished to say something, but he didn’t because Yao Ai hadn’t relieved him from the silent command. When Yao Ai signalled for everyone to leave, he could finally keep it in no longer.

”My Lady, you can’t be heeding his counsel, can you?”

”After we return, assemble a covert team and give me options on suitable targets that will hurt Hai Di. The target must be near the border between his domain and ours. That way, he will know it is us, but without proof to demand accountability. We do to him what he did to us.”

”I obey, My Lady,” Diu Cay bowed. This was not their usual style, but it was better than nothing.

Yao Ai climbed aboard the Vermillion Vulture and left ahead of the others. Her army followed her, except for a few soldiers who approached Diu Cay.

”Sir, do we proceed?” The lead soldier asked.

Diu Cay gazed at where Amon had flown to and nodded. The group of soldiers flew in that direction.

*

South of Mo Wang’s castle, at the border between the Mercy and Commitment Domain, and not far from the Demon Gate that connected with Aetheria, was a series of jagged mountains made of black rocks. Rivers of lava flowed under these mountains. This place was called the Leviathan Teeth. Large birds with thick black feathers perched on the mountains. These spirit beasts flew away when a group of people arrived.

Not long after, Amon arrived above these mountains. He flew down and landed on a rocky hill concealed by the taller mountains. The group that had come before him was standing in wait there. All the people in this group were covered in black attire from top to bottom. They were the same people who had ambushed Hai Di and Lang Man.

”Why do you ask to meet?” Amon asked the group. ”You should leave immediately after the ambush.”

The leader of the group removed the cloth that covered his face. What was revealed was not a human’s face, but that of an insect’s.

”Do you think I don’t realize the risk of being this deep inside humans’ territory?” Krassazh Kahn asked. He was the Intermediate Unholy Monarch Stage cultivator who briefly fought Hai Di just now. ”Every second here means danger to us.”

Two other people also revealed their faces. One was a female Hyanid Amon didn’t recognize, but the other was Ublaith Kahn. ”You certainly put us in deep peril by telling us to take action so close to this realm ruler’s abode.”

”I told you already. I have done the research. I drugged and sneaked people into Mo Wang’s territory. When they woke up, they caused a commotion. I’ve secretly placed monitoring talismans inside them that would tell me whether they were still alive. I measured the time between when they woke up until their life signals were gone. That’s how I know the reaction time of Mo Wang’s detection system. It takes him at least three minutes to receive an alert from where you performed the ambush. As long as you people leave before that time frame, you will already be gone before he knows you are there.”

”Nevertheless, it is still a big risk for us to go up against the domain lords,” the female Hyanid beside Ublaith said. She had the cultivation level of the Beginning Unholy Monarch Stage. She was the one pretending to be Yao Ai and fought Lang Man.

”I don’t believe you have met. This is Sirrixx Kahn, my first daughter,” Krassazh introduced.

When Amon asked the Hyanid’s cooperation in the ambush, he asked if they had someone with the cultivation level of the Beginning Unholy Monarch Stage. He didn’t expect the person to be Krassazh’s own offspring.

”Some risks are worth it,” Amon told Sirrixx. ”You want me to create a situation that weakened this realm enough for your invasion. This will plant the seed. All you need to do now is go back to hiding. Why do you want to meet?”

”I heard from Elder Xlasstazh that he assigned a Hyanid to assist you,” Krassazh said.

”Yes. Yeresdyx. Don’t worry. She is well. No harm has come to her,” Amon said.

”I know. Elder Xlasstazh placed an enchantment on her. If she is harmed or even in distress, he will know.”

”Does he now?” Amon uttered.

”How do you keep a Hyanid hidden inside the human’s territory?” Ublaith asked.

”We each have our own secret. I don’t ask you to reveal yours, please show me the same courtesy.”

”We are not asking that,” Krassazh said. ”Since we know you can keep a Hyanid safely hidden, I want you to keep one more by your side.”

Krassazh gave a signal, and another one from his group walked out. This one removed his cover. It was another Hyanid Amon knew.

”Surressh,” Amon uttered. The Hyanid who caused him to fall into the black pond during the trial was now a Beginning Supreme Stage.

”I hope there is no bad blood among us. You know what I did is for my survival,” Surressh said. He acted normal, but he was, in fact, rather shocked. In the time he used to increase his cultivation from the Peak Fiendish to the Beginning Supreme Stage, Amon’s cultivation had progressed to the Beginning Mammoth Stage. He couldn’t imagine how Amon had achieved such a feat.

Amon chuckled. ”I hold no grudge. I had done to you what you did to me, after all, except yours succeeded while mine failed.”

Amon turned to Krassazh. ”You don’t trust Elder Xlasstazh enough that you need to place another Hyanid to keep an eye on me?”

”We trust Elder Xlasstazh. The one we don’t trust is you,” Ublaith answered for his father.

”Elder Xlasstazh is wise,” Krassazh said. ”But his judgment may be clouded when it comes to the creator he worshipped. He believes you are our savior. As much as I want to believe his creator, I have the fate of a whole race on my shoulders. I can’t afford to be careless. Hence, if you truly are our ally, it shouldn’t be a problem for us to place Surressh by your side. He has a communication orb that is paired with mine. He can be a better intermediary than Yeresdyx. We can have better communication through him.”

”In that case, very well. I accept,” Amon said. To Surressh, he said, ”Welcome aboard.”

”Thank you,” Surressh said. He then turned to Ublaith and said, ”Forgive me, young master. I must leave your side.”

Ublaith nodded for a reply. Surressh walked over and stood beside Amon.

”Is that all?” Amon asked.

”That is all. We will be leaving now,” Krassazh replied.

”Before you do, do you mind taking care of a few pests that have been following me?”

Krassazh turned to the side after hearing. A Hyanid came to his side and said, ”Supreme leader, my scrying hawk saw a few human soldiers circling the area. They appeared to be looking for something.”

”They are looking for me,” Amon informed. ”It will be great if you can get rid of them before you leave.”

”We are not your personal executioner, human,” Ublaith said.

”You take care of your own mess,” Krassazh told Amon. ”We have risked enough. We can’t afford to expose ourselves further. Everyone, we return to the misty border.”

Amon didn’t protest. He saw the Hyanids leave except for Surressh.

Surressh put on the cover for his face. He said, ”Since I will follow you, I guess I have no choice but to aid you. How strong are your pursuers?”

”One of them is an Intermediate Mammoth Stage,” Amon answered. ”The man who sent them thought that it was enough to take care of me.”

”Is he wrong?”

Amon grinned. ”I will deal with them. You stay in the shadow. Just make sure that no one leaves.”