Rise of The Demon General

When Hai Xuang gave Lan Mei an inquisitive expression, she said, ”When a domain lord asks for your hand, you don’t say no. Not unless you wish for you and your family to disappear overnight.”

”You... were forced to marry him?” Hai Xuang asked.

”Is that so hard to believe? I have no one to blame but myself. I am weak. Weak people have no right to choose.”

Lan Mei uttered the same sentence, but Hai Xuang had a different impression from hearing it than before. He understood then that she was not mocking her bodyguards earlier. She was pitying herself. She and her bodyguards were in the same predicament. They had very little control over their fates.

”I don’t need your pity,” Lan Mei said.

”I... I’m not pitying you.”

”Your expression says differently.”

Hai Xuang lowered his head apologetically. ”Sorry. I wish there was something I could do.”

”Unless you can defeat my husband, then there is no need to daydream,” Lan Mei said.

Hai Xuang was uncertain, but he gathered his courage to ask, ”You... wish to leave him?”

Lan Mei looked at him but didn’t answer. The two stared at each other in silence.

Finally, Lan Mei said, ”We have drunk too much. It causes us to speak nonsense. We had better return to the mansion and rest. I have important matters to discuss with your brother tomorrow.”

”Su... Sure... I’m sorry I have kept you up so late,” Hai Xuang said.

Lan Mei smiled. ”I enjoy our chat.”

”... Me too.”

Lan Mei stood. Hai Xuang remained seated inside the pavilion as she left. He hesitated before turning to look at her, only to find that she was also looking back at him. The two again stared at each other in silence. Then, his eyes caught something else.

The tall grass behind Lan Mei was swaying. He noticed the silhouettes of several figures amid the grass. He couldn’t sense the aura from those figures. They were using concealment arts. It was an ambush!

”Watch out!” Hai Xuang rushed toward Lan Mei, just as the first of the figures lunged from the grass.

Hai Xuang managed to reach her before the first ambusher did. He didn’t have time to think of a proper move. His priority right now was Lan Mei’s safety, so he grabbed and pulled her back, while using his body as a shield.

He felt a cut on his back. He instinctively used his defensive arcane art. A tempest of winds exploded where he was hit. This tempest pushed the attacker back.

Hai Xuang turned to the attacker while shielding Lan Mei behind him. Lan Mei saw the deep gash in his back and gasped. It was bleeding.

”Your back...!” She exclaimed.

Hai Xuang had no time to worry about that. He readied his energy and told her, ”Stay behind me!”

He could see the ambushers then. They numbered four, and none were humans. They were spirit beasts with deformed bodies.

”Altered beasts,” Hai Xuang uttered. His mind was full of questions. How did these beasts get past the barrier and the bodyguards? Why did they attack? But the one that confused him the most was how these beasts concealed their auras. Spirit beasts couldn’t use an art, much less a concealment art.

He didn’t have time to ponder all these questions. Survival was his main concern for now. He brandished his weapons, a pair of large chakrams. He used his offensive arcane art. The winds around his hands began to swirl.

While the winds picked up in pace, he activated his chakrams’ special ability. They burst into flames. He let go of the flaming chakrams, and the winds took control. The chakrams spun, turning into flaming cyclones. This pair of burning cyclones advanced, just as the four altered beasts lunged forward.

Lan Mei didn’t just stay still. She was also a cultivator. She channeled her aether into her hands. Several tiny icy darts formed in those hands. She threw these ice darts at the altered beasts. The altered beasts had hard shells, but her accuracy was good enough to target weak points between those shells.

Though her ice darts managed to pierce the beasts’ weak points, they couldn’t penetrate deep enough to cause serious damage. The altered beasts were as if without pain. They didn’t care for such superficial wounds. They continued to push forward. The ones that kept them back were Hai Xuang’s flaming chakrams, which sliced and burned them when they got too close.

From the clash, Hai Xuang knew the four altered beasts were weaker than him. He could win if he could move freely. He could not, though. If he did, Lan Mei would be exposed. The four altered beasts were smart enough to spread out and come at them from multiple angles. These beasts also possessed ranged attacks. He must stay close to Lan Mei and repel these attacks.

Over time, he suffered several attacks that should have hit Lan Mei. His body was full of bloody wounds.

”Sir Huang, please, save yourself,” Lan Mei said. She couldn’t bear seeing him wounded for her sake.

Her words instead steeled his resolve even more. ”I will never do that! Stay close to me, Sister Lan Mei. I will not let these foul beasts harm even one of your hair!”

This resolve helped him draw strength from deep inside. He focused his aether for a powerful attack. His energy gathered in his chakrams, which had now combined. With a wide swing, the combined chakram flew one circle around them. One of the altered beasts that happened to be in its path was sliced clean in two. The sliced parts also went ablaze.

The swing created a hurricane of flames that burned the remaining three. They were also sent flying.

Hai Xuang dropped to his knees after performing the attack. The wind died, and his chakrams fell to the ground.

”Are you okay?” Lan Mei asked with concern.

Hai Xuang was panting. His body also hurt all over. Blood was still flowing from many of his wounds. Nevertheless, all the pain was gone when he saw Lan Mei. He smiled and said, ”As long as you are safe, I am fine.”

Lan Mei was lost for words. She felt her heart tighten. It was a feeling she had never felt before.

They heard rustling sounds. They turned and saw the three beasts rising. They were burning, but they were not yet dead. To make matters worse, they crawled toward them even with burning bodies. It was as if the fire didn’t bother them.

Hai Xuang went for his chakrams but fell halfway. He had used up most of his strength.

”Brother Xuang, enough! I will take you out of here,” Lan Mei tried helping Hai Xuang up.

Hai Xuang refused the offer. He gently pushed her away. ”Sister Lan Mei. Flee this place! I will hold them for as long as possible.”

”I cannot leave you!” Lan Mei exclaimed.

A chilling laughter stopped their speech. ”Hehe. No need to argue. You will both perish here.”

They looked at the source of the voice and saw a large spirit beast behind the three burning beasts. It had a woman’s head, but its bottom ended with tentacles. On its two sides were giant butterfly wings. A pair of unsettling eyes was on those wings.

”A... A Zuanze Butterfly?” Hai Xuang recognized the spirit beast.

Under normal circumstances, he didn’t fear a Zuanze Butterfly, but he was currently not in his best condition. So, when the Zuanze Butterfly flapped its wings and discharged countless glowing stardust in their direction. All he could do was grab Lan Mei and hold her. He was using his body to protect her from the incoming stardust.

Before the stardust hit, a strong gale blew by. It swept all the stardust that was about to hit Hai Xuang and Lan Mei. Following that was an authoritative voice, ”Filthy beasts! How dare you cause trouble at this place!”

Three dark rays shot down from the sky and pierced the three burning beasts that were still moving forward. After these rays struck, the altered beasts burst to pieces.

”Tch! Time to go,” the Zuanze Butterfly uttered. A black sphere radiated out, engulfing its surroundings in darkness.

Hai Lao landed beside Hai Xuang and Lan Mei.

”Bro... Brother,” Hai Xuang uttered. He was relieved that help finally arrived. With Hai Lao here, he had nothing to worry about. He gave in and fell unconscious on the ground.

”Brother Xuang!” Lan Mei called worriedly.

Hai Lao frowned upon seeing his brother’s condition. He turned to the dark sphere ahead and uttered, ”Despicable beast, how dare you wound my brother?”

A bow appeared in his hand. He aimed the bow at the dark sphere ahead and pulled the string. A black arrow was formed when he pulled the string back.

”No one escapes me,” Hai Lao uttered before releasing his string.

The black arrow flew into the dark sphere.

Hai Lao turned and checked his brother’s condition. He let out a relieved sigh. Hai Xuang’s wounds were many but not life-threatening. He took out a restorative pill and force-fed it to his unconscious brother.

”Sir Hai Lao, what about the butterfly spirit beast?” Lan Mei asked. She looked at the dark sphere worriedly.

”Don’t worry. It is dead,” Hai Lao said. ”No one escapes my attack.”