Rise of The Demon General

Amon also received the news regarding the movement of Yao Ai’s force. He thought Yao Ai’s timing was awful. She should have waited until the decisive battle between Hai Di and Lang Man ended before showing her hand.

Amon thought she had been too impatient. She probably thought that with Lang Man’s army keeping Hai Di’s force occupied, they wouldn’t be able to retreat to the Devotion Domain quickly enough to stop her force. However, if Hai Di decided to force a retreat, the damage his force inflicted on the Commitment Faction would not be final. She should have waited until Hai Di finished Lang Man.

Fortunately for Amon, though, Hai Di didn’t call for a retreat. He probably thought it would be a waste to let go of a close victory, even if this meant losing his capital.

Amon understood Hai Di’s decision. The main factor that decided this war’s victor was the domain lords themselves. At their power level, their armies played little role. Even if the armies and territories were decimated, as long as the domain lord still lived, they could rebuild. On the other hand, if the domain lord fell, their forces would disband by themselves.

Hence, Hai Di was determined to defeat Lang Man before retreating. Even if Yao Ai conquered his capital, he could take it back later. The only concern he might have was for his sons and daughters at the capital. How willing was he to lose them to secure a victory? Would he risk sacrificing them for the sake of defeating Lang Man?

He might not get such an opportunity again. In this battle, he managed to force Lang Man into a one-on-one duel. It was also unlikely for Lang Man to flee. Doing so would mean leaving his wives, who lived inside his castle in Fractured Heart City. Lang Man viewed his wives as his most valued treasures. He wouldn’t leave them.

Thus, the two alpha males continued to duke it out up there in the sky. They were resolved that only one of them could live in the aftermath of this battle.

Amon was inside Fractured Heart City, watching their battle from the ground. He disguised himself among the citizens.

The battle continued to rage for hours, both up there between Hai Di and Lang Man, and down here between their forces. The two separate battles showed different sides winning.

In the battle up in the sky, Hai Di had the advantage. He had a higher cultivation level, so that was not surprising. Lang Man continued to suffer hits. If it were anyone else, they would have perished long ago. Lang Man, however, was not a normal person. His Law of Survival and Immortal Wood Body enabled him to recover from the most grievous wound in a short time. There was one instance where Hai Di successfully decapitated him. The Devotion Faction’s followers who witnessed the scene cheered, thinking this would be the end of the battle, only for Lang Man to regenerate his head and resume the fight like nothing had happened.

As for the battle on the ground between the two factions’ armies, the Commitment Faction seemed to be the more likely winner. They were in their home turf, and they had nowhere else to retreat to. This was their last line of defense. If they lost this capital, they might as well have lost the war. Hence, they fought with the ferocity of a cornered animal. Their number was also great, because Lang Man had decided to pool all his manpower here, even if it meant leaving the other part of his territory unguarded.

”Hm...,” Amon tried predicting the outcome.

If the battle on the ground ended with the defeat of the Devotion Faction, the Commitment Faction’s members would no doubt fly up to provide support for Lang Man. Even if Hai Di could easily kill them, their interference would make it harder for Hai Di to win.

Adding the fact that Yao Ai was invading the Devotion Domain, Hai Di might decide that he had no choice but to cut his losses and retreat. Lang Man was unlikely to possess the capability to prevent Hai Di from retreating. If this happened, neither Hai Di nor Lang Man would fall here.

Amon didn’t wish for this outcome. His ploy would be more difficult in the future if one of the domain lords were not taken out here.

He turned around and gazed at the large structure in the distance. It was Lang Man’s castle. It seemed he couldn’t stay idle if he wished to acquire the best outcome.

*

”Are you tired already, Brother Hai Di?” Lang Man mocked. ”Your breathing sounded slightly more rapid than before.”

”... You are imagining things,” Hai Di responded.

”Hehe. If you expect my special constitution to run out of juice, I’m afraid you will be disappointed. Even I don’t know the limit to my regeneration ability. The process doesn’t consume the aether from my energy core. Even if my energy core is depleted, I will not stop regenerating. So, from the way you use all those powerful arts, you will be more likely to run out of aether before my body loses its regeneration ability.”

”Hmph! Easily fixed,” Hai Di uttered. He revealed a pill in his hand and put it into his mouth.

”Mm, aether pill. From its aura, it must be an ancient tier. Well, I guess we will continue this until Kingdom Come. I hope you bring a lot of those pills.”

Hai Di didn’t retort. He glanced downward at his force. The situation wasn’t encouraging. Though they had arrived here through many victories, it was not something that happened overnight. The war had dragged on for years. Everyone was tired, both physically and mentally, especially those who had been fighting so far away from home. It was not surprising that his followers’ morale was much lower than the enemy’s, who were defending their homes.

His followers kept being pushed back little by little. It did not bode well if things continued this way. The thought of retreat crossed his mind. Maybe that was what he should do. Maybe he should forget this conquest and return home to drive Yao Ai’s force out before he considers his next move.

As he pondered, an explosion was heard. Both he and Lang Man turned to the source of the explosion. Lang Man’s eyes turned wide. The site of the explosion was his castle. Not only that, but multiple parts of the city were also burning. Commotion was heard. When they looked closer, they saw that many spirit beasts were rampaging through the city. The spirit beasts had irregular and deformed bodies, the characteristics of altered beasts. These beasts were attacking civilians and causing havoc.

They were wondering where these altered beasts came from, then a second explosion was heard. It was larger than the first and still occurred at the castle. Lang Man could ignore it no more.

”Bastard! Who dares attack my home? My wives...!!” He rushed toward his castle.

Hai Di didn’t immediately act. He was still processing the incident. He knew for certain this was not his side’s doing, unless someone from his retinue acted on their own, but he doubted that was the case. He didn’t think too long. He saw an opportunity had presented itself. It would be folly not to take advantage of it.

He abandoned the thought of retreating and charged forward to chase Lang Man.

The armies on the ground also noticed what had happened to the city. Many of them had families inside the city. With concern for their families taking priority, many disengaged from the battle and ran towards the city. Like their lord, the Devotion Faction also didn’t let go of this opportunity. They uttered a rallying cry and struck back at the enemy, which had weakened because many of their members had left.

The battle was reignited. The morale of the invaders rose while the defenders dropped. In an instant, the situation flipped.

Lang Man was rushing at high speed when he found his surroundings darkened. He also felt a great pressure hampering him. His speed decreased significantly. He didn’t need to look back to know who was responsible. This pressure had bugged him for the last few hours.

”Buzz off! You, dishonorable snake!” Lang Man scolded. ”I can’t believe a domain lord like you resorted to such a foul method!”

Hai Di never considered himself honorable, but being scolded as such when it was not his deed still annoyed him. ”That is not my doing. Still, I welcome the aid. You must have a lot of enemies to have them attack your castle when you are occupied. You have your own self to blame for this.”

A large image of a palm composed of black shadows materialized in the sky. It descended at high speed.

”Taste my demon palm!” Hai Di exclaimed.

Lang Man couldn’t dodge due to Hai Di’s pressure. He used the ice crystal sword. Sword and palm collided. Both were destroyed.

Lang Man observed his surroundings. Shadow tentacles began to sprout from the darkened air around them.

”Domain art, eh?” He said. ”You are not the only one who possesses it!”

A cold, icy bubble radiated from Lang Man. It continued to expand until it was the same size as Hai Di’s domain art. Both domains tried to devour one another. Darkness and ice vied for dominion, without one triumphing over the other.