Rise of The Demon General

Amon had stopped moving, but the battle puppets still acted under their initial directives. They rose to their feet and charged to the nearest elder. Since they were now outside, that elder was Nao Zuanyi. Though her mental power was the highest, her powers were mostly useless against the battle puppet. Her telekinesis could at most stop the normal battle puppets but not the Titan Battle Puppet.

Nao Dongli was panting. He had exerted too much mental energy. He needed a rest before he could use his telekinesis again.

There were other telekinesis users from the villagers, but most of them were mentally wounded after the ambush from Nao Mei and her allies. The few who could still fight were not strong enough to stop the battle puppets.

Hence, Nao Zuanyi flew away when the Titan Battle Puppet approached. Though her mental power couldn’t affect the Titan Battle Puppet, she was not helpless.

Amon crashed into the Titan Battle Puppet. He was now under Nao Zuanyi’s control. The tentacles from his shadow suit and his Corrupted Justice lashed at the Titan Battle Puppet. His attacks caused many lacerations on the puppet’s outer plates.

In terms of pure strength, Amon was slightly weaker than the Titan Battle Puppet. Nao Zuanyi couldn’t utilize Amon’s prowess because she wasn’t accustomed to his weapon and fighting style. Hence, the Titan Battle Puppet could push Amon back.

Fortunately for her, she was not alone. Bo Wu, who Nao Dou had possessed, slammed its metal body into the Titan Battle Puppet. The two mechanical beings tussled. The physical power of both combatants was roughly equal. Thus, the Titan Battle Puppet’s advance stopped.

However, there were still other battle puppets. Those automatons had been slowly inching toward Nao Zuanyi while fending off a few villagers who could still move. Because of that, she made a mistake. She commanded Amon to come over to protect her instead of fighting the Titan Battle Puppet with Bo Wu.

Nao Dou, who saw that, hurriedly shouted. ”Zuanyi! Don’t let that man near you! He can break free from our mind control power!”

His warning came late. Nao Zuanyi sensed her grip over Amon’s mind vanish the moment Nao Dou shouted his warning. By that time, Amon was already close. He turned into a blur and slammed into Nao Zuanyi before she could react. His darkness-infused dagger pierced her torso.

”No...!!!” Nao Dou screamed.

Amon didn’t finish the grand elder. He slipped behind her so she couldn’t look him in the eye and placed his dagger on her throat.

”If you speak, I will slash your throat,” Amon warned. ”That goes for you, Elder Nao Dou! The two of you are not allowed to speak. Send your thoughts directly to my mind, but do it gently, or I’ll split your grand elder’s head.”

’Release her,’ Nao Dou demanded through telepathy.

”First, you release my follower,” Amon replied to Nao Dou.

Nao Dou hesitated but eventually released his hold on Bo Wu. The hell beast shook its metal head. It then giggled angrily and walked menacingly toward Nao Dou. ”Hehehe. I’m going to bite your head off like I did your friend!”

”Bo Wu, stay back,” Amon ordered. All the battle puppets had already stopped moving.

Bo Wu looked at Amon and growled. He stomped around like a child throwing a tantrum before laughing again. ”Hehehe. As you wish.”

’What do you want?’ Amon heard Nao Zuanyi’s voice in his mind. She held her wound, which continued to leak blood.

Amon performed meridian points technique on her, which stopped her bleeding as well as paralyzed her. He knew the technique would only paralyze her body. She could still attack him using her mind, so he remained behind her and kept his dagger on her throat.

Xin Wuming and more battle puppets appeared beside Amon. The battle puppets went to the villagers who were still conscious, while Xin Wuming walked toward Nao Dongli. He handed Nao Dongli a pill upon arriving.

”What’s this?” Nao Dongli asked.

”Eat it, or I’ll kill you all. Decide!” Amon replied.

Nao Dongli was conflicted. He looked between Nao Dou and Nao Zuanyi.

Amon didn’t doubt there were hidden conversations between the three. He let them.

After a long time, Nao Dongli reluctantly took the pill from Xin Wuming’s hand. He swallowed it, and promptly fell unconscious.

”Don’t worry. He is not dead,” Amon said when Nao Dou displayed a concerned expression. ”At this stage, you are at my mercy. If I want you all dead, it would have happened already.”

Both Nao Dou and Nao Zuanyi knew that was the truth. Nao Zuanyi’s life was in Amon’s hands. He could take it easily. He had proven he could easily break free of mind control powers, so their abilities were useless against him. Nao Dou could stop Bo Wu and Xin Wuming, but not the battle puppets. After witnessing Amon summon battle puppets one after another, they had a feeling he still had more in store.

Even if Nao Dongli didn’t consume the pill, he was exhausted. It was unclear if he still had the power to stop all these battle puppets.

The battle puppets that went to other villagers were fed the same pills. The pills were the Endless Slumber Poison. These villagers were weak cultivators, so the poison had no problem working on them.

After some time, only Nao Dou, Nao Zuanyi, and the villagers who had defected to Nao Mei’s side were still conscious. Nao Pei had recovered from Nao Zuanyi’s voice control. She was now holding Nao Mei, who was still unconscious from Nao Xin’s mind blast.

”Now, we have a decision to make,” Amon told Nao Dou and Nao Zuanyi. He brought the two and placed them beside each other. ”Who among you two will join me?”

’What are you playing at?’ Nao Zuanyi asked.

”You can speak now,” Amon said. ”You should know by now that I can break free from your mind control easily. If you use your power on me, my battle puppets will kill all the villagers who are still loyal to you.”

The two elders looked at those villagers. Amon’s battle puppets stood next to their unconscious bodies. Each puppet had one foot atop the villager’s head. The puppets could easily crush those villagers’ heads. They turned and saw the Titan Battle Puppet do the same to Nao Dongli.

”What do you want?” Nao Zuanyi asked.

”I’ve already told you. I want one of you to follow me. The other one can stay in this village.”

”Forget it. We won’t betray one another,” Nao Dou said.

”That’s not what he meant,” Nao Zuanyi said. She turned to Amon and said, ”You were bluffing when you said you could escape this village easily. You can’t. That’s why you need us. You know only the two of us, who possess fourth-tier mind control power, can navigate through the formation that protects this village.”

Amon smiled. ”That’s about it. I will leave this village with those who are willing to follow me, and one of you will show us the way.”

”What if we refuse?”

Amon shrugged. ”I have ways to force you to do what I ask. None of them is pleasant. I suggest you don’t waste both our time. I say this for your sake. I don’t have the urgency to leave. I don’t mind staying a few more days here, but every day I do will be hell for you.”

Nao Zuanyi’s face twisted in an ugly scowl. She hissed. ”You come into my town, turn my people against me, kill my friends, and now you want me to help you? Dream on! Kill us! And you will spend the remainder of your life here, trapped! Unable to leave!”

”Sigh... Must I always resort to a demonstration? Very well, I will have you taste that hell I mentioned. We will talk again afterward.”

Amon separated Nao Dou and Nao Zuanyi. He placed the two elders in two houses apart from each other. He used engraved chains to bind them and had two battle puppets guard each of them. He also stationed battle puppets outside to stop any defected villagers from approaching. This was to prevent the two from using their persuasive voice on them.

He locked up the unconscious Nao Dongli and the loyal villagers inside another building. Without his antidote, those people wouldn’t wake up.

Inside the locked houses, Amon fed Nao Zuanyi and Nao Dou the Eternal Anguish Poison. Their agonized voices could be heard throughout the village.

”Can you please spare their lives?” Nao Pei asked Amon when he came out. ”Enough lives have been lost today.”

”Don’t worry, they won’t die. Though they will wish they were,” Amon replied. ”How many casualties?”

”Two of the five elders are dead. Out of the thirty-two villagers who agreed to join us, fifteen died. As for the fifty-nine still loyal to the elders, seven are dead.”

”Mm. So, aside from the three of us, we will bring seventeen villagers out of here. Tell them to prepare. If they need to pack, tell them to do so.”

”Do you think the elders will give up soon?” Nao Mei asked.

”If they don’t, I will be impressed,” Amon replied.