Rise of The Demon General

Hai Di used the meridian points technique to stop the bleeding in his chest. He looked at his wound and frowned.

He had managed to catch an opportunity to deliver a fatal attack on one of the Hyanids. His black spear destroyed Crazukth’s head, killing him instantly. He also destroyed Sirrixx’s right leg, who landed a kick to his side when he killed Crazukth.

However, at that split instant, he lost sight of Krassazh. Not only by sight, but his cultivation sense also couldn’t detect the lead Hyanid. Before he knew it, Krassazh landed a strong punch in his back, disorienting him. Sirrixx utilized the chance and executed an arcane art that conjured an ice blade for retaliation. The ice blade cut through Hai Di’s shadow armor and sliced his chest.

The blood had stopped gushing after he applied the meridian points technique, but this was not a shallow wound. He noticed movement out of the corner of his eyes and found Krassazh diving from above with a chopping hand. A condensed dark shield appeared, blocking Krassazh’s chop.

”You... You also have a cultivation law?” Hai Di asked.

”Surprised? We can cultivate, so it should not come as a surprise that we can possess a cultivation law,” Krassazh replied. ”Mine is the Law of Concealment. I can mask my presence and my attacks. You can only rely on traditional senses when fighting against me.”

Hai Di’s attention was on Krassazh when he spoke, so he didn’t notice two grey snakes sneak from below him. These encumbering snakes emitted no aura. They coiled around Hai Di’s legs and body before quickly melting. The effect registered soon. Hai Di felt his entire body becoming extremely heavy. He even had difficulty keeping himself afloat. He slowly descended.

Like before, Hai Di didn’t feel any alien energy intruding into his body. He understood now. The gravity energy from the Encumbering Snake was inside him, but he couldn’t sense it because of Krassazh’s Law of Concealment. Since he couldn’t detect the energy, he couldn’t expel it. His body continued to fall.

Krassazh gave chase. Sirrixx did as well, despite missing a leg. Hai Di was forced to use his domain art again. His two opponents countered with their own domains. While his enemies, who could use domain arts, had decreased by one, he was no longer as fit as before. All the wounds he had suffered diminished the power he could exert.

The surrounding Cryanids also came at him. He resorted to using Elder God Tentacles. The tentacles formed a net around him, stopping any approaching hostiles.

He could see now that his situation was dire. While repelling the enemies, he shouted in his mind, ”Ling Dau! Help me!!”

The gruff voice that used to converse with him from behind his throne replied in his mind, ”Did I not tell you not to expect me to come to your aid? I’m still pissed with you for forcing my hand the last time. Deal with your own problem!”

”If you don’t help me, I will destroy my soul!”

”You won’t dare! If you do, your entire existence will perish.”

”Even if I die now, you will obtain my soul. If you are not willing to help, I prefer to forfeit it. Both of us will lose!”

”Did I not tell you that if you give your soul willingly, you will live on as a part of me?”

”That is what you say! How do I know you are not deceiving me? The agreement is that I give you my soul willingly after I have lived a full life and attained my dream. I have not yet realized that dream, which is ruling over the entire lower world. I refuse to fall now! If I do, you won’t get the benefit!”

”Why, you, insolent punk! How dare you threaten me!!”

Hai Di felt intense pain assailing him. It came from inside. There was no defense against it. Despite the pain, he continued to be defiant. ”Do your worst! Do you think I won’t dare do it? I will destroy my soul...!!”

He exerted pressure on his own energy core.

The one Hai Di called Ling Dau felt the pressure. He knew that Hai Di was serious. He cursed, ”Blast you! You will pay dearly for this...!”

*

Far away, at the Devotion Faction’s field command center near Hai Di’s ruined castle, Hai Xuang was fighting a large group of Cryanids with Xin Lie and Li Jing. They had lost many faction members who accompanied them, but they had also killed many Cryanids. Yet there seemed to be no end to these Cryanids. As for their side, their number continued to decrease.

They didn’t know how the battle outside the city fared. Everything had been too chaotic. Suddenly, there was an earthquake.

”What’s going on?” Li Jing asked.

”I don’t know. Stay close! This earthquake isn’t natural,” Xin Lie replied. Her Camohound turned invisible and visible again as it ran amidst the Cryanids, striking them when they were unaware.

”Can it be another of those burrowing giant insects?” Hai Xuang asked, referring to the Cryanid Burrower. His fire chakrams revolved around them, cutting the Cryanids that tried to get close.

The answer revealed itself. The ground near them erupted. As it did, a thick beam of pure energy shot out. Five other beams followed soon. All had different colors: Red, light green, light blue, grey, and white. They pierced out of the ground like the first beam. These beams travelled a long distance.

The earthquake persisted even after the beams ended, and they felt a powerful presence surfacing.

”We must get away!!” Hai Xuang exclaimed. He grabbed Xin Lie and Li Jing and rushed away. His chakrams flew ahead of him, cutting the Cryanids in their path.

He looked back and saw the ground had collapsed. A part of the ruined castle fell into the collapsed ground. Out of the ground, a gargantuan being emerged. Its towering body cast a long shadow over those who remained on the ground.

*

In the sky outside the city, Krassazh finally punched through Hai Di’s Elder God Tentacles. Hai Di came into view. Strangely, the domain lord appeared to be in pain and was conversing with someone invisible. Krassazh decided not to bother. This was a golden opportunity to finish the opponent. He wasn’t going to waste it.

He channeled his energy. Two giant spheres materialized at Hai Di’s left and right sides. The two spheres contained powerful compressed energy. The two spheres headed toward Hai Di, intending to crush him between them.

Before that happened, he heard Sirrixx’s urgent warning, ”Supreme leader, watch out!!”

Sirrixx bumped into him and shoved him away, just as a beam of pure energy arrived. This beam hit Sirrixx. Her scream echoed as the destructive energy washed over her.

Krassazh then noticed five other beams enclosing. He hurriedly dodged them. The beams tore through many Cryanids, but avoided hitting Hai Di. After the beams passed, Krassazh caught Sirrixx, who was falling. He checked her condition. She breathed, but her condition was critical. Her carapace was singed.

Krassazh called a nearby Cryanid Wasp and ordered it to carry her away from the battlefield. When he returned his attention to his opponent, he found that Hai Di no longer showed a painful expression. His attention was soon drawn to another thing in the distance. A gargantuan creature had emerged from the center of the city.

*

”... I take it that is Hai Di’s protector,” Amon said. He was still on the hill, watching the battle unfold with Surressh and Yao Ai.

”As I said, I had not seen the spirit beast directly,” Yao Ai responded. ”But I do know it is a spirit beast. It has six pairs of eyes and can discharge energy of many different elements. That one looks about right.”

”Is that a dragon...?” Surressh asked. ”I’ve never seen one. It seems to fit the description, but at the same time, not really.”

What they saw in the distance was a titanic serpent with a large body and a long tail, but with no limbs. What was special about it was that it possessed six heads with long necks. Despite its possessing no limbs or wings, its heavy body floated in the air and glided toward where Krassazh and Hai Di fought.

”A hydra...,” Amon uttered.

”A hydra? What’s that?” Yao Ai asked. ”I have never heard of such a spirit beast.”

”Never mind that,” Amon said.

”Actually, now that I lay eyes on the beast, I think I have read an account of a similar beast,” Yao Ai said. ”Except the spirit beast I know only has one head.”

”What spirit beast is that?”

”It is a record from the domain lord who precedes me. In that record, he mentioned having encountered a Mid Deity Beast during his early adventuring days. The spirit beast looked like a titanic wyrm with no limbs, except that it possessed the bloodline of a noble dragon. The record said that the beast called itself a Soul Dragon.”