Rise of The Demon General

Amon waited for Nao Mei, whose face still showed surprise.

He didn’t keep the battle puppets outside for long. He stored them back into his black space ring before some other villagers wandered close.

”Where do you keep them?” Nao Pei asked. ”Is it that black ring? Elder Nao Xin said they had confiscated your space rings. She said the remaining black ring is only a normal ring.”

”Did she now?” Amon replied without bothering to explain. His eyes remained on Nao Mei.

Nao Mei seemed to snap back to reality only after the battle puppets were gone. She looked between Amon and Nao Pei with uncertainty. Finally, she said, ”Are you sure we can live in the world outside?”

”If you can’t, you can always go to the lower world,” Amon answered. ”Cultivation path meant nothing to you, mind practitioners. You should not hesitate to let go of the divine cultivation path and embrace infernal cultivation. That way, you can enter the lower world. As I have told Nao Pei, I am a big shot there. I can promise your safety in that world.”

After a few more seconds of consideration, Nao Mei said, ”Alright, I will help you two. Don’t make me regret this.”

”I know you will come around, sister Nao Mei. I never have a doubt!” Nao Pei said cheerfully.

Amon was secretly relieved. If Nao Mei had been adamant, he would have no choice but to cut her down before she could report them to the elders. He was unsure how that would affect Nao Pei. He was glad he didn’t need to find out.

*

Amon continued to train the mental blast power with Nao Pei’s help. As for Nao Mei, he ordered her to probe the other villagers. Throughout his time talking with the villagers, he had marked who among them seemed fed up with their current conditions.

He gave her the list of these villagers. With her high third-tier mind-reading skill, only Elder Nao Thu could triumph over her. She could secretly probe these villagers as she conversed with them. Her goal was to check if she could rope them into their plan.

”How is it?” Nao Pei asked Nao Mei when she returned.

”I can easily gauge those with Sea of Consciousness at the second tier, but it is more difficult with those who have the third tier. Though I am the best third-tier mind reader in this village, it is still hard to read those at the same level. Give me more time. I should be able to read them if I continue this daily. I hope they don’t get suspicious of me for suddenly becoming too friendly.”

”Don’t push too much,” Amon told her. ”It is great if we can get third-tier mind practitioners on our side, but it is not necessary. It is better to play it safe than to let the elders discover our intention before it is time. Step back if you feel uncertain about it.”

”I will keep that in mind... I am curious, though. How do you keep us from reading your mind?” Nao Mei asked Amon. ”I at first thought you unknowingly had a third- or fourth-tier Sea of Consciousness due to a special constitution or something, like the first mind practitioner from the tale. But after Nao Pei awakened your Sea of Consciousness, I know that is not the case.”

Amon smiled. ”I have someone protecting my mind.”

”Someone...?” Nao Mei didn’t understand what Amon meant.

The one whom Amon meant was Lin Li. Thanks to their mental link, she could use her mental ability to cloud Amon’s mind. That’s how Nao Dou and Nao Xin couldn’t hear the background noise in Amon’s mind. That’s how Nao Thu failed to dig into his mind when he was unconscious.

If Nao Thu had forced himself further, he would have succeeded, but like the others, he thought his failure was due to Amon’s natural resistance against mind reading. If that were the case, he risked breaking Amon’s mind by forcing his way in. He couldn’t detect Lin Li’s interference inside Amon’s mind because he had never experienced the mental signature of a spirit beast like Lin Li’s. All he felt was an unexplained barrier that prevented him from prying for information.

Then again, if he had decided to force himself in, Lin Li would have come out and attacked him. She didn’t do that because Amon had warned her not to come out unless it was his command or when absolutely necessary. Amon didn’t leave a window for her to see what was going on outside, and she had not yet felt that Amon was in danger, so she only played defense.

”You will know when it is time to leave, but not now. Just know that I am telling the truth,” Amon told Nao Mei.

Nao Mei was unhappy with the answer, but she didn’t push the subject.

”By the way, Nao Pei told me you are more knowledgeable than him, so I want your opinion,” Amon said.

”About what?” Nao Mei asked.

”The best way to deal with each of the four mind powers... No, make that three. I have no problem dealing with telekinesis. It affects physical matters. All I need to counter it is a stronger physique.”

”Don’t underestimate telekinesis, especially one wielded by Elder Nao Dongli,” Nao Mei warned.

”She is right,” Nao Pei agreed. ”That mentor of mine can hamper even a Sovereign God cultivator if he uses full power.”

A Sovereign God was the first stage of the Divine Realm. It was roughly equivalent to the Unholy Monarch Stage, the power level of lower world’s domain lords.

”If it is that level, I have nothing to worry about,” Amon said. While he himself hadn’t had the strength to contest with a Sovereign God Stage, he had a minion who could. Di Ying was now a mature noble dragon. While she had only recently matured, her raw strength was already at the level of Mid Deity Beast.

Nao Pei and Nao Mei didn’t know about Di Ying. The two were worried that Amon overestimated his ability.

Amon saw their worry. He said, ”Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. Tell me about the other three mind powers, starting from the one you are proficient with. You have already seen my defense against mind reading. Do you think Nao Thu’s mind-breaking power can break it?”

Nao Mei thought for a few seconds before answering, ”He can. If he does, then everything is over. Having your mind broken is no different than dying, because your mind has died. That said, he cannot do it instantly, especially with your mental defense.”

Amon nodded with satisfaction. ”Good. So long as it is not instant, I can do something about it.”

”The other two mind powers are different,” Nao Mei said. ”They hit instantly, especially mind blast. Your mental defense may only soften the blow, but if Elder Nao Xin performs it, your mind will still suffer heavy damage. You won’t be able to do anything for some time.”

”I have been hit by a mental attack similar to mind blast. That ability is more akin to an ambush ability. Its effectiveness reduces significantly if used on the same target within a short time span. As long as I survive the first blast, I should be fine.”

He had asked Nao Pei to use mind blast on him. Though Nao Pei’s mind blast was only at the second tier, he estimated the power to be similar to one used by the Snail Beast during the Hyanid’s Worthiness Trial.

”What about mind control?” Amon asked.

”The most troublesome power from an opponent wielding mind control is mind possession,” Nao Mei answered. ”It hits instantly, but it needs eye contact to work and can only possess one target at a time. If you fail to resist the power, you will lose control of yourself. You will be at the mind controller’s mercy.”

”Any way to counter or break free from the control?”

”If you are alone, then you are done for. The only effective way to break free from a mind controller’s power is by having a reliable partner. This applies to mind controllers’ other powers, like hallucinations and mind persuasion. You must have someone with sufficient mental power by your side to free you.”

Amon grinned. ”It’s a good thing I have you two, then.”

Nao Mei wasn’t as optimistic as he was. ”What I’m worried about is if I am the one who gets controlled. I doubt either of you has strong enough mental power to break me free. If only Nao Pei focused more on mind reading or mind control, his third-tier Sea of Consciousness may still free me.”

”Well, I’m sorry I prefer telekinesis more than the other powers,” Nao Pei responded with a pout.

Nao Mei shook her head. ”I wasn’t blaming you. Sigh... I guess I have no choice but to keep searching for a villager with either third-tier mind reading or mind control who is willing to join us, in case we truly must rise against the elders.”