Rise of The Demon General

Amon departed for Xandar City three days before the appointed meeting time. On the way, he received a message from Yeresdyx, telling him that Xin Wuming had regained consciousness.

Amon looked for a secluded place to make a temporary stop. He summoned a few battle puppets to stand guard while he entered the prison box.

”How are you feeling?” Amon asked Xin Wuming in Yeresdyx’s workshop.

Xin Wuming’s physical condition had recovered long ago thanks to his Undying Body, but he remained unconscious for several days. When he woke up, he was shocked to see Yeresdyx. He was unaware of the Hyanids, after all. His first thought was that a spirit beast had captured him.

He tried fighting her to escape. If not for Yeresdyx possessing a stronger cultivation and Xin Wuming being bereft of his weapons, the incident might have turned ugly. Yeresdyx must constrain him using a runic chain to prevent him from causing trouble.

”Bro–Brother...! What is this creature?” Xin Wuming asked Amon.

”How rude,” Yeresdyx said. ”I have already tried explaining that I mean no harm, but this blockhead doesn’t want to listen.”

”She is a friend,” Amon told Xin Wuming. ”She nursed you to health. You should be grateful to her.”

”What did I tell you?” Yeresdyx said to Xin Wuming triumphantly. ”I’m going to let loose this chain. Don’t jump me again.”

Xin Wuming remained confused, but he no longer struggled against Yeresdyx. After he was free, Amon told him, ”Follow me.”

Amon brought him around the dimension inside the prison box and told him about his time in the lower world. Xin Wuming said he wished Amon had brought him to the lower world, but Amon said it was not possible. Only infernal cultivators could enter the lower world.

Amon brought him to meet Dao Su and Zee Whang. His meeting with Zee Whang was filled with hostile stares. They had fought before, after all.

Afterward, Amon introduced him to the dimension inside the Black Space Ring. He was astounded by this secret. He had always known Amon had a pocket dimension larger than that of normal space rings, but this discovery still blew his mind.

His surprise was not only at the size of the dimension, but more so at its contents. It was like another world was inside the ring. It was vibrant and full of life. The aether concentration was unlike anything he had ever encountered. Even soaking himself in the water of the Spring of Life paled in comparison to simply being inside this dimension.

Then, there were its denizens. The majority comprised deformed-looking spirit beasts, which cluttered on one side, opposite an army of battle puppets. Those beasts seemed mindless, unlike the three other creatures that occupied the other sides of this place. One was a giant fox with many tails. Another was a beastly-looking battle puppet which behaved more like a spirit beast than a battle puppet. The last one dazzled him the most. A gigantic dragon with blood-colored scales. It enjoyed a swim in a nearby lake, ignoring everyone.

”You will stay here from now on,” Amon told Xin Wuming through his spectral image. ”This place has the most ideal environment for cultivation. You should be able to improve your cultivation quickly if you don’t slack off.”

”Thank you, Brother. I will try to improve as quickly as possible so I can aid you in future battles,” Xin Wuming promised.

”Good. Inside the space ring I gave you are also Heirloom Pills. They are an upgraded version of the Inheritance Pills I once gave you. Those pills are effective until you reach the Divine Realm. Consume them every three months. Don’t forget the monthly Transcendent Poison Blood Union as well. Removing the cultivation chokepoints is the key to your fast advancement.”

”I understand. Thank you again, Brother, for everything.”

”You can thank me by quickly being useful to me again.”

Amon proceeded to explain to Xin Wuming the dimension he was in, that he could leave anytime he wished, but advised him against it. Amon told him to only will himself out of this dimension when Amon gave him the signal. He nodded his understanding.

”Is it safe for me to practice using the Dragonfire Sword here?” Xin Wuming asked while brandishing the red longsword.

He didn’t hold the sword directly. The right hand he held the sword with was covered in a gauntlet. The gauntlet had the same bright red color as the sword. It was made from a broken Salamander Dragon scale, which Duan Jang damaged while making Amon’s Soulfire Armor. Hence, the gauntlet’s grade was low despite its high-quality material. It was a Low-tier Ancient Armor.

Despite being made of a broken material, it still had the property to resist the fire element. Amon had Duan Jang make the gauntlet specially for Xin Wuming. This was so he could hold the Dragonfire Sword without hurting himself.

”Pick a secluded corner if you wish to practice using the sword,” Amon answered Xin Wuming. ”That gauntlet protects you when the sword is inert, but when you channel your aether to perform an art, its power will still run rampant. You must prepare to endure its blowback. I estimate you will only be able to use that sword once at your current power. Even once will have you severely wounded. It is a double-edged weapon. Use it only when you have no other choice. Otherwise, you should use your normal sword.”

”I will heed Brother’s advice,” Xin Wuming said.

Di Ying approached when she saw Xin Wuming brandish the Dragonfire Sword. Her tone was bitter when she spoke to Amon. ”So... you not only defile my uncle’s corpse for your armor, but you also made it into equipment for your minions?”

”Back off, beast!” Xin Wuming exclaimed.

”Say that one more time, I dare you!” Di Ying bared her sharp teeth at Xin Wuming.

”Di Ying, I’ve explained it to you before. I didn’t defile your uncle,” Amon said. ”This is how I honor him. With a part of him protecting and aiding us, we immortalize him and keep his memory with us.”

”Don’t spin this, trickster!” Di Ying hissed.

”Ying, please calm down.” Lin Li had also approached. ”Brother is telling the truth. He didn’t mean any disrespect to your uncle.”

Di Ying glanced at Lin Li, stared daggers at Amon and Xin Wuming, before harrumphing and turning away. She returned to the lake.

Amon gave Lin Li an appreciative nod. He then introduced her to Xin Wuming.

”Try not to practice using that sword if that dragon is nearby,” Amon warned Xin Wuming. ”If you need anything, just speak. I will hear you.”

*

Amon resumed his journey after making sure Xin Wuming understood the rules of living inside his Black Space Ring. While his direction was toward Xandar City, he didn’t head there directly. Instead, he made a detour to what used to be Saint’s Rest, the ruined capital of the fallen country, Oredolia.

After Farghous conquered Oredolia, its army completely ransacked the cities. Farghous forced most of Oredolia’s prominent citizens to move to Farghous’ cities and let the remaining fend for themselves. Annual tributes were demanded, but no assistance was provided. Dim Loog didn’t even attempt to rule those cities. It was as if he purposefully wanted these cities to degrade, and they did.

Oredolia, which was the country where the devout and righteous lived, had now transformed into the place where lowlifes and castaways fled to.

Amon landed on the abandoned headquarters of the Temple of Divinity. The building was more a ruin than a temple. It was the same with the entire city. None of the buildings were intact. The Farghous army truly did a number on the city when they invaded.

People still lived here, but they scurried along its darkened alleys and hid under its broken structures.

Amon sensed a few people approaching him from different corners of the temple. One of them addressed him, ”Go away! This place has been claimed by the Upright Sinners! You’d better scram if you know what’s good for you.”

Amon ignored these people. He looked down before jumping down.

”Bastard! Did you not hear me? Brothers, get him!”

The group lunged at Amon upon the command. However, they didn’t get far. Six lightning bolts suddenly materialized. These lightning bolts zig-zagged between the people heading toward Amon. When these lightning bolts stopped, they revealed to be six large, purplish knives.

All the people lunging at Amon had been shredded to pieces, leaving only the leader who had issued the command. He was spared because he was the only one who didn’t advance. He was so shocked by what he witnessed that he stayed frozen up there even after Amon disappeared into the darkness below.

Amon entered the labyrinth in the basement, which was no longer a labyrinth. Half of it had crumbled, and a hole led directly to the temple’s vault. None of the protective engravings were still working. He was now standing in the vault room, where three sealed portals used to be.

Two of the portals were gone, but the third one remained sealed.