Rise of The Demon General

”How long do you think this lock can last?” Amon asked Mo Wang.

”It is not about how long. It is about how much it can resist the attempt to breach this portal from the other side,” Mo Wang answered. ”If the one attempting to cross over from the other side is the Divine himself, then this space lock enchantment will collapse immediately.”

”Let’s hope that is not the case,” Amon said.

”I won’t be so sure about it. The purge is important to the upper world. Even if the Divine doesn’t act himself, he will send his best once he knows something is wrong. I doubt this seal can last for long.”

”Mm... What about this aether absorption machine? How long does it take to absorb the surface world’s aether contents? You mentioned before that the previous Purge lasted almost three months. Does it take that long for the absorption process?”

Mo Wang shook his head. ”The process took months due to the massacre, not the aether absorption. The upper world demanded absolute certainty that no survivors were left except for the selected children. Even with devices that scanned for living humans, it still took a long time due to the surface world’s size. There is also the time needed to absorb the aether released by the mass killing. If we only consider the time to absorb the main world’s initial aether, it should take only a little over one week.”

Amon glanced at the sealed portal before returning his attention to the machine. ”Can this machine be moved without stopping its operation?”

”It has never been done before,” Mo Wang answered while observing the machine. ”But judging from its construction, I don’t see why not.”

”Then here is what we will do. Though it is only one week, we will be in trouble if the upper world’s warriors pour through this portal right atop this machine. We won’t be able to defend it. We will move this machine next to the lower world’s portal. We can better fortify our defense there. The Hyanids will also be joining our forces in this world by tomorrow, so we should have enough to halt the enemy even if they outgun us. Even if our defense begins failing, we can cut our losses and carry this machine to the lower world. We will only get the aether it has already absorbed until then, but it should still be a win. The upper world doesn’t have a second machine like this one, does it?”

”As far as I know, no,” Mo Wang replied.

”Then that is what we will do,” Amon said.

Mo Wang chuckled. ”I can see now why your fame became legendary in our previous world. You can adjust your plan depending on the circumstances, or are you simply faking confidence by making up a random plan?”

”Can you think of another plan?” Amon asked.

Mo Wang shrugged. ”I can think of a few, but I don’t think its success chances are better.”

”Then we go with mine,” Amon said.

Four battle puppets appeared. They grabbed the Aether Absorption Machine from its four corners and lifted it.

Amon told Mo Wang, ”I have set these battle puppets to listen to your command. Please guard them as they transport this machine to the lower world’s portal. I will also send a message to our army, informing them of our plan.”

Mo Wang turned to the sealed portal. ”So, you will truly go ahead first?”

”We need better intel if we are to pick a fight with the upper world,” Amon answered.

Mo Wang chuckled. ”It’s you who chose to pick a fight with the upper world. The rest of us are simply dragged into this conflict to satisfy your desire.”

”Are you telling me you are having second thoughts?”

”I’m telling you not to pretend that you are not the one who initiated this fight.”

”The Divine initiated it when he chose an unfair arrangement in dividing the absorbed energy. We are just demanding a payback for the injustice throughout all past purges.”

”Sure, sure. However you want to justify it, man. I don’t judge. Still, I must ask you again whether you are sure that you want to cross into the upper world now. You remember the risk I mentioned, don’t you? With this portal nearby, I can use my Law of Space to force open a rift where you can pass through. However, I can’t control where you will end up with such a forceful method.”

”We have little choice,” Amon said. ”If I use this portal before you seal it, I will come out on the other side at a fixed location. There is no doubt that the location is guarded and monitored. My arrival will be immediately known to everyone. I will be captured before I have the chance to do anything.”

”That’s right, but using the rift I made using my Law of Space isn’t exactly safe. In the worst-case scenario, you might appear right inside the chamber where the Divine is.”

”To my knowledge, the upper world has roughly the same size as the lower world, isn’t it? The chance of that happening is astronomically small. If I truly end up where the Divine is, then we can chalk it up to fate deciding to oppose us. Can’t fight with that.”

”I’m saying if it is the worst-case scenario. There are still many scenarios where the dangers to your well-being are equally concerning, for example, if you end up inside the lair of a deity-class spirit beast, or if you end up inside a block of the hardest metal deep underground that you cannot break out of, or if you appear right in the middle of a natural disaster with rampant energies. The aether composition in the upper world is better than in the lower world. Hence, the spirit beasts, materials, and even disasters are at a level above the lower world. Many Primordial and Deity-class spirit beasts chose to migrate to the upper world rather than the lower world. Your chance of encountering them is higher. So, are you sure you still want to make the random jump into the upper world?”

”As I said, we have no choice if we want a winning chance. We need the intel.”

”That red armor of yours is unique. If the upper world has anyone in the lower world collecting intel on you, you will be easy to identify.”

Following Mo Wang’s statement, the Soulfire Armor turned into flames before disappearing into Amon’s Black Space Ring. Amon explained, ”This armor is soul-imprinted on me and is designed to be easily removed and equipped.”

Mo Wang gave Amon a full-body look before saying, ”Actually, it is even worse without your armor. Look at you. One look, and people will know you are not from the upper realm. The Divine abhors imperfection. Any human with disability or alien parts is considered imperfect. Flesh alterers are considered heretics, including their creations. How are you going to collect intel if you can’t mingle with the people there?”

”I have prepared.” Amon used a talisman. His image returned to when he still looked like a normal human. Even his black eyes returned to normal eyes with irises and pupils. ”This is an illusory image that will adjust to my movement. This image will cover my appearance for a whole day. I have plenty of these talismans, and I bring people who can create more if needed.”

”So troublesome. Can’t you just send others for this task?” Mo Wang asked.

”This task is too delicate. I can trust no one but myself. Depending on the situation, I must adjust my approach to prepare for our planned invasion. Sending others and having them captured will reveal our intention to the enemy. I thank you for your concern, but there is no need for that much worry on my behalf.”

Mo Wang scoffed. ”Tch! It’s not that I worry for your sake. What I worry about is that you are wiped out of existence the instant you cross over, leaving us to fight a war that you started. That will be truly maddening.”

”Hehe. Don’t worry. I don’t believe I have reached this height only to be stopped by a simple case of bad luck. I have every confidence I will pull through with this crossing and make it in one piece.”

”Have you ever heard that confidence is a fine trait, but overconfidence isn’t?” Mo Wang asked before shrugging. ”If you insist, I won’t warn you anymore. Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

He lifted his hand and reached toward the sealed portal’s direction. He then closed his eyes.

Amon decided to write instructions in the message talisman to send to Yao Ai, telling her Mo Wang would bring the Aether Absorption Machine to the lower world’s portal and that she should fortify the area around it. He tried writing the message without making a sound. He could see that Mo Wang was concentrating.

Mo Wang’s forehead became more creased with each passing second. Sweat began to pour down that forehead.

Just after Amon finished writing his instructions and using the message talisman, he sensed the disturbance in nearby space. He sensed it before any visible change could be perceived. Not long after, the air directly in front of Mo Wang’s hand shivered. The shivering became more rapid as time passed. Mo Wang was gritting his teeth by now. Amon could see that his exertion was intense.

The air before Mo Wang’s hand began to distort. It was as if the space there had folded. The folding multiplied until finally, the sound of something shattering was heard. At that time, the folded space collapsed. A tiny void appeared at the center of the collapsed space. This void enlarged until it was large enough for a person to walk through.

Mo Wang lowered his arm then. He was panting. His robe was drenched with sweat.

”Hah...! Hah...! This rift won’t last long and can endure only one person. Once you enter, it will vanish. You will have no way back except through the proper portal, the one that I sealed.”

”I have no intention of returning any time soon,” Amon said as he approached the rift Mo Wang had created. ”I estimate it will be years before we can invade the upper world. Until then, I leave the lower world and the preparation for invasion in your hands.”

”Let me warn you again. If I receive any news of your demise, I will bail and go into hiding. I no longer have the desire to be responsible for others. The lower world can go to hell for all I care.”

Amon grinned. ”That will not come to pass. Here.”

Amon handed Mo Wang a space ring. Inside were more bottles containing the poison for Transcendent Poison Blood Union.

”The next time we meet, I expect you to be already a True Devil Stage cultivator,” Amon said. He then stepped into the rift.