Rise of The Demon General

”Lord Mo Wang, can you use your poison again against the enemy?” Yao Ai asked. She had just received a report from the front line. The enemy had torn through their defense like it was nothing.

”It’s pointless,” Mo Wang said. ”My Calamity Fog Poison only affected those below the Devil Realm. The report says that the enemy attacking us comprises the Sovereign God Stage and Ancestor Stage cultivators. My large-scale dispersal poison can’t harm them. I have another poison, Crippling Demise Poison, that can affect them a little. However, this poison must be administered directly.”

”Will you help us fight?” Yao Ai asked.

Mo Wang turned to the Aether Absorption Machine. It still required a few days to complete the absorption. ”Very well. We have opposed the upper world to this extent. There is no sense in doing things halfway. The report says there is only one Heavenly God Stage cultivator among the enemy?”

Yao Ai nodded. ”Only one, but there are nine Sovereign God Stage cultivators. I am the only one in our force who can face these cultivators. As for the rest, there are around ninety Ancestor Stage cultivators. Among our forces, only a few could fight these enemies. I’m afraid we are at a disadvantage despite our larger number.”

Mo Wang scoffed. ”I will handle the Heavenly God Stage and the nine Sovereign God Stage cultivators myself. You and the others deal with the rest.”

Yao Ai showed a surprised expression. ”My lord, are you sure...?”

Mo Wang gave Yao Ai a disappointed look. ”Do you doubt me?”

”My lord, I don’t dare!” Yao Ai said with a bow.

”My lords, if you don’t mind. May you hear my suggestion before you act?”

Mo Wang and Yao Ai turned to the one who spoke. It was Sima Fang. Normally, they wouldn’t heed a weak human like her. However, Amon had appointed her as a consultant. Thus, they considered they should at least listen to her.

”Speak,” Mo Wang told her.

”Thank you, Lord Mo Wang,” Sima Fang replied politely. ”I have expected the upper world to send their best if they lost contact with their preliminary forces, or at least the best among those they could muster at short notice. Hence, I’ve organized our defense with a trap in mind.”

”The defense you have organized has proven to be unable to slow them,” Yao Ai pointed out.

”That’s true for the outer layer. In a way, I set up the outer layer to assess the threat posed by our enemy, and the result has confirmed my hunch.”

”Do you mean you have set up a different defense in the inner layer?” Mo Wang asked.

”What have you prepared?” Yao Ai joined the query.

”It is probably easier for me to show you,” Sima Fang gestured for them to follow.

They didn’t have to go far. The site was around five miles away. It was a valley surrounded by hills, making it seem like a giant crater. Inside this valley was a network of machines. At the center was a colossal cannon. Surrounding it at the periphery were eleven large cannons. Aside from machinery and cables, words of power forming a huge diagram were on the ground, connecting all the cannons.

”Those are called the Yuanxu cannons,” Sima Fang explained. ”The normal ones are much smaller. These are experimental pieces perfected by a country of this world, Khode, over the past decades. Of course, under normal circumstances, these weapons wouldn’t do much against high-level cultivators from the lower and upper worlds. However, I had been given access to master-level formation sages, talisman masters, engravers, and smiths of the lower world. They worked together to set this up. In my estimation, it can generate a power strong enough to wound Ancestor Stage cultivators, and hopefully Sovereign God Stage cultivators as well.”

”This setup is not something that can be moved around at will,” Mo Wang remarked. ”How do you know the enemy will pass this spot?”

Sima Fang showed them a map and drew a line. ”Considering the value of this Aether Absorption Machine, I know the enemy must have a method to track it. With their confidence, they will take the shortest way to it, which is a straight line. If we draw the line starting from where the upper world portal is and end it at where we place the Aether Absorption Machine, it will pass this place.”

”I see... So, you have decided where to put the machine with this trap in mind,” Mo Wang said as he turned to Yao Ai.

”Um, yes. She is the one who told me where to place the machine.” Yao Ai pointed at Sima Fang.

Mo Wang turned back to Sima Fang. ”I see why Amon chose you as the consultant for this war.”

”Honestly, I have my reservations,” Yao Ai told Sima Fang. ”You do this because Amon planted a bomb in your head. You are originally the upper world’s spy, aren’t you?”

”I served them not out of choice,” Sima Fang explained. ”You don’t exactly say no to someone from the upper world and expect them to let you leave just like that. I understand that if I refuse their offer, they will silence me for good. Hence, I went along with their demand. As for what I’m doing now, yes, a part of it is because I have no choice. Amon made sure of that.”

She tapped the side of her head before continuing, ”Nevertheless, I do this not only because he ordered me to. If you ask Amon, you will know that I worked to prevent this calamity, or what you call the Purge. I don’t wish for the people of this world to perish. That’s why I’m doing this. While I don’t think having the lower world ruling over this world is all right, it is still better than being exterminated by the upper world. So, don’t worry. I want you to win.”

Mo Wang looked down. He spotted many people from the surface world prepping the cannon network. These were Khode’s Tech Specialists. While the lower world’s force shooed away other countries, a small portion of Khode was brought into the fold in exchange for helping set up this weapon. Leading the tech specialists below was Zhong Yuan.

”Alright, let’s see if your weapon can work on those upper worlders,” Mo Wang said. He then turned to Yao Ai and asked, ”How soon before they arrive?”

Yao Ai checked the last report. ”If their speed didn’t slow, around fifteen more minutes.”

”I will go down and make sure they are ready,” Sima Fang said. ”But before that, please know that we may only have the chance to fire this weapon once.”

”Why? Do you not have enough power source to perform multiple shots?” Yao Ai asked.

”The power source is not the problem,” Sima Fang answered. ”The problem is its timing. It requires at least a minute to recharge. While this weapon can hit a large area, I doubt we can hit all the enemies with one shot. We will not be given the chance to shoot a second time. Hence, after the first shot, my lords should immediately act. Even if the first shot fails to wound the enemy, it should still startle them. Made use of the confusion to land an ambush.”

”I understand. I will prepare,” Mo Wang said.

”So will I,” Yao Ai stated.

”In that case, please excuse me,” Sima Fang said.

Before she went away, Mo Wang told her, ”Lady Sima, good job.”

”I’m happy to hear that, My Lord. My wish is that you will treat the people of this world better if we end up winning this war.”

Mo Wang wanted to say that he had no desire to rule anything, that she should ask Amon or Yao Ai for the request, but decided not to bother. He lightly nodded in response.

*

Close to fifteen minutes later, Zheng Chun and his inquisitors arrived as estimated. Nothing could stop them. Whether they were Cryanids, battle puppets, altered beasts, or cultivators, the inquisitors laid waste to everything in their path with ease.

They didn’t know. This was another trap from Sima Fang. Everything that was laid in their path was a weak obstacle. This encouraged the inquisitors to underestimate their opponents, rendering them careless.

When they thought nothing could threaten them, they sensed an energy fluctuation from far below. They looked down and saw a strange network of machines. These machines were glowing.

The glow on the perimeter displayed different colors. Those close enough sensed distinct elemental energies in those glows: six divine and five infernal. The multi-color lights converged at the center.

Before they could understand what was happening, the glow below exploded into a massive beam. This beam rushed toward them at a breakneck speed.

A few were quick enough to use defensive arts and movement arts to defend or dodge, but many reacted late. The beam arrived and engulfed them.