Rise of The Demon General

Everyone was surprised by Hai Xuang’s words. They knew exactly who Hai Xuang’s father was.

”You two are very good at hiding. It takes my people two years before they find where you are,” Hai Di said. He floated down until he was only a few meters above Hai Xuang and Lan Mei. Xiong Ba and Tau Su were behind him.

Tau Su couldn’t speak, but Xiong Ba could. He tried to plead, ”Lord... Lord Hai Di... We never meant any harm to your son... We plan to bring him back to you when we find them. Please...”

Hai Di glanced at Xiong Ba and used an arcane art. Dark cocoons enveloped Xiong Ba and Tau Su. These dark cocoons slowly tightened. Sounds of bones breaking and muffled screams were heard from the dark cocoons. The cocoons continued to shrink until they were tiny balls. The two humans inside had been crushed to lumps of compact flesh, blood, and bones.

Hai Di released his aura and landed before Hai Xuang and Lan Mei. The two could move and speak properly again.

”Father...,” Hai Xuang uttered.

”Some nerve you have,” Hai Di said. ”I sent you to make peace with the Commitment Faction. You instead plunge us into an even worse war. We will rectify this mistake now. Come back with me. We will send that woman back to her husband.”

”No!” Lan Mei exclaimed.

Hai Xuang put himself before Lan Mei. ”I won’t part with her. You can’t separate us!”

Hai Di glared at them. ”You dare disobey me...?!” He released his aura again. Hai Xuang and Lan Mei felt heavier pressure than before.

”Ugh... Father... I’ve always obeyed you, but I can’t do it this time. If you take Lan Mei away from me, I have no more reason to live. I will kill myself if you take her away!!”

Hai Di was astonished and offended by his son’s defiance. He was about to dispense punishment when he heard crying from inside the hut. He focused on the hut and sensed a tiny life presence inside. ”That...”

He instinctively retracted his aura. Freed from the pressure, Lan Mei ran into the hut. Not long after, she came back out with a baby on her arms.

”Father... Meet your grandson,” Hai Xuang said. ”He is five months old.”

Hai Di stared at the baby in silence. His eyes darted from the baby to Hai Xuang to Lan Mei and back to the baby again. ”Sigh... Screw it. It is still too early, but I guess now is as good as any. Let’s crush the Commitment Faction and get rid of that lust-loving prick.”

”Father... Do you mean...”

”Yes. I will not separate you from her. Take your family and follow me back to our castle. You are not safe here, as has been proven just now.”

”Thank you, father!” Hai Xuang exclaimed.

Lan Mei also showed her gratitude, ”Thank you, father.”

”Hmph! You do not yet have the right to call me father,” Hai Di told her. ”But we will rectify that soon. We will hold a proper wedding once we are back. After the ceremony, you will no longer be Lang Man’s wife, but my daughter-in-law. Now, follow me!”

The two lovers couldn’t believe their luck. They thought they had to live in hiding for the rest of their lives. While they didn’t mind that, they couldn’t have their newborn child live the same way. They happily gathered their things and followed Hai Di.

*

After bringing Hai Xuang and Lan Mei back, Hai Di let the servants help the couple settle in. He also told his attendant to prepare the wedding ceremony. After that, he went to his throne room.

The throne room was deserted, dark, and gloomy. Hai Di rarely allowed anyone into the room except when he held court.

He sat on the throne and put his hand on his head as he pondered the situation. A large space was at the back of his throne, but it was filled with shadows. A gruff voice was heard from inside those shadows.

”Although he is your favorite, you should have tossed him away. It is still too early to wage a full war with the other factions.”

Hai Di replied, ”It will happen sooner or later. We have the momentum. The Mercy Faction seems to have a bone to pick with the Commitment Faction. We don’t get a better chance than this. It will be a waste not to utilize it.”

”Hm... If you ask me, I feel that someone is pulling the string behind this war. You’d better not fall into a trap.”

”You worry too much. This war is the result of millennia of resentment and hostilities between us, three domain lords. It is time to put this conflict to rest. Since Lord Mo Wang doesn’t wish to establish the hierarchy between us, we will do it ourselves. By the time this war is over, there will only be one domain lord, me!”

The being hiding behind the shadows chuckled. ”Are you sure? Maybe you can get rid of Yao Ai, but do you forget that Lang Man has a cultivation law that practically makes him an immortal?”

”Even if I can’t kill him, I can confine him. At the end of the days, he will wish that he could die.”

”It’s good that you remember. I targeted you instead of him because of his cultivation law.”

”You targeted me because I am the strongest!”

”Hehe. That haughtiness is precisely why you end up falling into my trap. Don’t worry, I will let you have a full life before taking your soul. Just remember who the master between us is.”

The laughter of the being behind the shadows continued to echo throughout the throne room. Hai Di’s expression turned into a scowl as he heard the laughter.

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

”How long are we going to wait?” Di Ying asked Amon, who was cultivating.

She had come and gone from the black space ring multiple times since they arrived here. Amon remained hiding inside the cave near Mo Wang’s castle. With the concealment bubble, Mo Wang wasn’t aware they were nearby.

Amon surmised Mo Wang wouldn’t come out and mount a search. The bugs that infiltrated his castle should have put him on alert. He should worry that the intruders might use the chance to enter if he came out. This was the limitation of being alone. If he had minions to instruct, things would have been different.

Amon did notice the spirit beasts around the place becoming more active. Mo Wang probably ordered them to search the territory, but spirit beasts were different from humans. They were disorganized, and most lacked sufficient intellect. They couldn’t perform an effective search.

Some did wonder inside the cave where Amon was hiding. Thankfully, no strong beasts did. Amon quickly dispatched them using his poison. Since they were disorganized, they didn’t notice some of their brethren missing.

”It shouldn’t be long now,” Amon answered Di Ying’s question without stopping his cultivation.

”You have said that a lot of times already, but we keep on waiting. Until when?” Di Ying demanded.

Amon sighed. ”Ying, impatience will only ruin things. None of us has the power to fight Mo Wang. We must wait for someone who does.”

”Who?”

”We will know when it happens.”

”... You are not deceiving me again, are you?”

Amon stopped his cultivation and turned to her. He said, ”Let me be frank with you, I have a specific reason for forming a mental link with you. I need your blood.”

”My blood...?”

Amon nodded. ”I need it to concoct a potion that helps my cultivation, but I won’t demand it until we save your mother. I know you have reservations about trusting me to save your mother, because you don’t believe I am the type to keep a promise, not after what I did to you. I understand that. Well, now you know, I am not saving your mother out of the goodness of my heart or out of a misguided sense of honor. No, I do it for my own sake, which is demanding your blood. Consider it payment for the task. So, this should tell you that I also wish to save your mother as soon as possible. That way, I can get my hands on your blood as soon as possible.”

”... How much of my blood do you want?” Di Ying asked.

”A lot, but don’t worry, I won’t put you in danger. We will take it little by little. You won’t even feel discomfort from it.”

”... How do I know you are not saying that to deceive me again? Don’t tell me to look into your soul. By now, I have known that you are very good at concealing your intentions, even from one who can glean from your soul.”

”Then let me ask you this. What possible benefit can I get from wasting my time here?”

Di Ying was quiet for a while. As she was about to speak again, explosive sounds rang out, followed by an earthquake.

They then heard a powerful voice, ”Mo Wang! Release my niece, or I am going to burn your castle and territory to the ground...!!!”