Rise of The Demon General

Amon left Nao Zuanyi and Nao Dou inside the houses for a full day. The Eternal Anguish Poison he fed to the two elders lasted six hours. This amounted to six years’ worth of torture. Any normal person would have their mind broken by such anguish, but Amon knew that these mind practitioners had strong minds, especially the elders who possessed fourth-tier Sea of Consciousness.

Throughout the day, Amon locked himself inside the building that housed Nao Dongli and the other loyal villagers. He prohibited others from entering. Nao Mei and Nao Pei didn’t know what he did inside there. They worried Amon went back on his promise about letting the villagers live.”

When Amon exited the building, he let Nao Pei and Nao Mei inside. They checked that the villagers remained breathing, albeit unconscious.

”When will they wake up?” Nao Pei asked Amon.

”Either three or five more days,” Amon answered.

”That long...? Will they be fine without any food and drink?”

”Their current state is akin to deep hibernation. They can survive for years in that state without sustenance.”

”So, they will not wake up yet when we leave?” Nao Mei asked.

”I think that is better, no?” Amon asked back. ”They won’t be thrilled when they see you again.”

Nao Mei and Nao Pei nodded. After what they had done, they could no longer live in this village even if they wished to.

”I will go check on the two elders,” Amon told the two. ”If everything goes as I expect, we should be able to leave by tomorrow.”

*

When Amon entered, Nao Dou shrank away. His hair and clothes were a mess. His face looked as if he hadn’t slept for weeks. The two battle puppets that watched over him stood still at opposite walls.

”So, are you more willing to cooperate now?” Amon asked. He fished out a pill containing the Eternal Anguish Poison. ”Or do you wish to have another taste?”

”No! No!” Nao Dou shouted. ”Get that away from me!!”

Amon didn’t comply. He approached Nao Dou. Nao Dou screamed hysterically in response. He balled up in the corner. Even after Amon hid the pill, the elder remained screaming.

’Hm... Perhaps six hours is indeed too much,’ Amon thought. With his second-tier Sea of Consciousness, he could sense that Nao Dou’s mental capacity had weakened significantly.

He summoned Lin Li out. ”Calm him down,” he told her.

Lin Li was in her human form. She bent down and forced Nao Dou to stare at her. She used a soothing voice as she told him, ”Calm down... Everything is alright... You are safe.”

Nao Dou’s unfocused eyes returned to normal. He blinked multiple times as his ragged breathing slowly stabilized.

He looked between Amon and Lin Li before surveying the room, as if it were his first time seeing this place, with no idea how he got here. He blinked another time before looking at Lin Li.

”You... You are not human,” he uttered.

Amon was glad. Nao Dou no longer sounded like someone who had lost his mind. Amon also sensed that Nao Dou’s Sea of Consciousness had regained its strength.

Before Nao Dou tried anything stupid, Amon warned him first. ”Don’t try using your mind power, or I’ll feed you this again.”

Amon showed Nao Dou the Eternal Anguish Poison pill again. Nao Dou’s reaction was much milder than before, but he still flinched from seeing the pill.

Only after Amon stored the pill did Nao Dou return his attention to Lin Li. ”I know you... Or rather, your aura. It was you who created the veil that stopped us from reading his mind... Were you also the reason he could break free from our mind control?”

”She was,” Amon answered for Lin Li. He then told Lin Li, ”Show him your true self.”

Lin Li obeyed the command. She turned into the nine-tailed fox.

”A multi-tailed fox?” Nao Dou asked in surprise. ”No wonder... The legends of the first mind practitioner say that he had a multi-tailed fox as a pet. It is even believed that your kind learned mental power from him... You are a sacred symbol for us mind practitioners. Too bad, when the Divine declared mind practitioners as heresy, he also included the multi-tailed fox in that category. Your kind is hunted to extinction.”

Amon glanced at Lin Li. Though she appeared calm, he could sense her feelings. She was surprised to learn her kind’s history. Her kind could evolve to a high-grade spirit beast. It made sense for her kind to choose to live in either the upper or lower worlds. Perhaps she was in the surface world because her parents fled the upper world due to being hunted by the Divine’s henchmen.

Nao Dou turned to Amon and said, ”How many minions do you have? How do you hide her and all those battle puppets?”

Amon chuckled. ”Many enough that you will be a fool if you try anything.”

Amon indeed had more. He even had a noble dragon, but Amon told Di Ying to remain inside the black space ring. If she got possessed by the enemy, it would be a big trouble for him. Amon also kept Lin Li inside as a deterrent to the enemy’s mind control. If he let her out and she got turned by the enemy’s mind power, that would also be bad.

In their current situation, he didn’t worry. Possession could only affect one target at a time. Nao Dou was alone. He could possess only Amon or Lin Li. There were still the two battle puppets he had to worry about. He wouldn’t last for long if he tried anything.

Nao Dou’s mind was clear enough to understand this. He said, ”All you want is for me to show you the way, isn’t it? I will do it. Please don’t harm my fellow villagers.”

”I won’t harm them if you are willing to listen,” Amon promised.

Nao Dou nodded weakly.

Amon left Nao Dou and went to visit Nao Zuanyi. Her outer appearance was like Nao Dou’s: disheveled clothes and hair. She glared at Amon like a wild animal. Yet, her eyes showed clarity. Her mind wasn’t as rattled as Nao Dou’s.

”As expected of the grand elder. Your mind is truly the best among your cult,” Amon said.

”Spare me your insult, demon. You can forget about asking me to do your bidding. I will never help you!”

Amon shrugged. ”That’s fine. Nao Dou has agreed to.”

Nao Zuanyi’s face showed surprise when she heard that. She realized she had been too transparent and hurriedly changed her expression. ”You are bluffing! Nao Dou will never agree to your demands!”

”You overestimate your followers’ zeal too much. If it makes you feel any better, he agrees to my terms providing that I spare the lives of you and those who remain loyal to you.”

”You are lying!” Nao Zuanyi screamed. ”Release me and tell me the truth!”

Nao Zuanyi’s latter words contained her persuasive power. Amon was about to reach out to untie the engraved chains, but Lin Li appeared behind Amon in her fox form. With a tap from her paw, Amon regained his awareness.

”Mul–Multi-tailed fox...,” Nao Zuanyi uttered in surprise.

She glanced at the number of tails behind the fox and saw that there were nine. She knew then that her persuasive voice wouldn’t work on it. If she wanted to control the fox, she would have to use possession, but Amon was there as well. She could choose only one, and both were bad news. Amon was right next to her. He could kill her before the possessed fox did anything. If she possessed Amon, the fox could easily release him from her power. She now understood why Amon dared to reveal his secret.

”You are truly good at hiding your cards,” Nao Zuanyi praised. ”Nao Dou and Nao Xin had been too careless to let you live...”

Amon chuckled. ”You made the same mistake by not doing that the second you laid eyes on me. We all have regrets. The difference between winners and losers is that winners don’t waste their time dwelling on those regrets. As for you, you will be able to dwell on yours for a long time.”

”What do you mean?” Nao Zuanyi didn’t like where this conversation was going.

”Since Nao Dou had agreed to assist me. I have no use for you, except as a bargaining hostage.” He revealed a broken amulet.

”What... What is that for...?” Nao Zuanyi asked. Her bad feeling intensified when she saw the broken amulet, to the point that she began to panic.

”Hehehe,” Amon displayed an evil grin. ”Since you like to confine people in this village so much, I will help you with it. You and your loyal followers will enjoy eternity in this place.”

”No! No! Get that away from me! Nooo...!!!”

*

The next morning, Nao Mei, Nao Pei, and the other seventeen defected villagers gathered in the square outside the destroyed village hall.

”Is everyone ready to return to the outside world?” Amon asked them.

They nodded. Amon could see the fear in their eyes, but there was also excitement.