Rise of The Demon General

More Cryanids hovered between the humanoid Cryanids and Amon’s group. There was also the Cryanid Burrower to contend with.

Jin Fung’s army had joined up with Amon’s after the Cryanids blocking their path had retreated. Together, they attempted to open a path to reach the humanoid Cryanids, but things were not looking good. They could still see their targets, but the Cryanids that barred their way hindered them from advancing.

Yuka materialized beside Amon at this moment, surprising everyone. The moment she did, the two large eyes on her wings shone brightly. The light burst into countless tiny glowing stardust that spread forward. The glowing stardust exploded upon contact. The many Cryanids blocking the path blew up into countless severed limbs.

Yuka turned into light and dashed forward. She reached the humanoid Cryanids in an instant.

The humanoid Cryanids didn’t stay idle. The stronger one, who had the Peak Fiendish Cultivation Stage, intercepted Yuka using an arcane art that turned it into lightning. The lightning and Yuka’s light ray collided. The collision threw both sides away. Various Craynids interjected themselves, replacing their slain brethren. A living wall was again blocking the path toward the humanoid Cryanids.

Amon landed beside Yuka. "Did you get it?" He asked.

"I got it," Yuka replied with a grin.

Amon didn’t proceed to chase. Even if he wanted, he wouldn’t be able to. The enemies had too many protectors, and he had too little support. Xou Liang and the others no longer insisted on advancing after seeing the Cryanids retreating. They had achieved their objectives. They moved toward the city while fighting the Cryanids on their way. They prioritized hitting the Cryanids with human captives in their grips.

Amon joined them while returning the surviving battle puppets to his black space ring. Yuka, Lin Li, and the Sun Ray Hawk remained outside, battling by his side. Yuka revelled in the carnage. She caught many Cryanids and shoved them whole into the big mouth in her belly. She was having a feast.

After some time, the Cryanid horde finally cleared the city. No one gave chase, even when they saw the Cryanids holding many human captives during their retreat. They saved what they could, but wouldn’t go out of their way to chase those beasts. They were just glad the city was still standing.

Amon stored Yuka, Lin Li, and the Sun Ray Hawk once the battle was over.

While everyone was licking their wounds, a group of people approached where Amon was. At the lead was the man who fought the Cryanid Hivemind in the sky. This man addressed Jin Fung.

"Jin Fung, I heard it is your team that has the accomplishment of driving the Cryanids back. How did you do it?"

Jin Fung threw her hands up. "I would love to hoard the praise, Mayor Ru Xou. Unfortunately, that is not true. You have Xou Liang and this stranger to thank for it."

Ru Xou turned to Xou Liang and nodded approvingly. "Xou Liang, your aunt will be proud. You have done well."

"Well, I also don’t dare to take all the merits. It’s all thanks to this guy. If I hadn’t listened to him, we wouldn’t have succeeded." Xou Liang pointed at Amon.

Ru Xou turned to Amon then. He knew Amon was a member of the Mercy Faction from the red vest he wore. He asked, "May I know your name?"

"His name is Amon," Xou Liang introduced. "He is a slayer from Saintly Sin City. He claims to be on a mission given directly by Her Ladyship Yao Ai."

"Really? That must be one important mission, Sir Amon," Ru Xou said.

Amon nodded. "It is, and it has something to do with the Cryanid Plague. I hope I can gain your people’s cooperation to complete this mission."

Now that Ru Xou was close, Amon could better gauge his cultivation level. Ru Xou had the cultivation level of the Peak Supreme Stage. Amon could feel it. This man was even stronger than Zhang Daofeng after he became a Demigod. Even so, he was only the mayor of a border town in this lower world and couldn’t stop a spirit beast swarm from ransacking his city. This showed the massive difference between the two worlds.

Nevertheless, Amon was not the person he was when in Aetheria. He knew he couldn’t win if he had to go up against someone like Xu Rou, but he would also not be as powerless as when he faced Zhang Daofeng in the past.

While Amon was measuring Xu Rou, the mayor did the same. He replied to Amon’s request, "First, tell me what your mission is."

Amon proceeded to inform Xu Rou of his mission. It was not exactly secret, and it had to do with the situation on this border, so he didn’t see revealing it as a problem. He told Xu Rou that he was here to investigate the Cryanid’s weird behavior, and he thought he had discovered them.

"A human-Cryanid hybrid...?" Xu Rou asked. His expression showed skepticism, and so did the expressions of his retinue.

"I can attest to this," Xou Liang said. "I fought one of this human-Cryanid breed. They have the outer appearance of Cryanid, but they exude a cultivation aura. They can also use arcane arts."

"Are you sure it’s not just someone who uses a transformation art?" Xu Rou asked.

"No. That’s not the case. I’ve fought the creature, so I’m sure of it," Xou Liang answered.

Xu Rou turned to Jin Fung, who shrugged. "I saw the creatures they described, but I didn’t get the chance to get close to those creatures, so I can’t say for sure."

"The fact is that the Cryanid swarm retreated once those two creatures were put in mortal danger," Amon said.

Xu Rou turned to Xou Liang and Jin Fung, who nodded in confirmation.

Amon continued, "Whether you believe they are indeed hybrids or not, you can’t deny that those things hold influence over the swarm. We must find out how they control the Cryanids, or slay them so they cannot command the Cryanids anymore. Either way, they will be the key to stopping this Cryanid Plague."

"Hm..." Xu Rou pondered the information. Everyone else waited for his decision.

He turned to his city. His resolution seemed to clear after seeing the city. He told Amon, "I’m sorry, Sir Amon. As you can see, I need a lot of manpower to rebuild and guard the city. I can’t spare anyone at the moment."

"It will be pointless to rebuild if the Cryanids attack again," Amon argued.

"It will also be unwise to send an expeditionary force into the misty border without a clear idea of the enemy force. You might not be aware, but attempts had been made to combat the Cryanids in their turf. Those attempts ended with massive failures. Even if we know now what to target, we don’t know where these targets are and..."

"I know where they are," Amon cut Xu Rou’s speech.

"How do you know?" Xu Rou asked.

"I can track the one that fled just now," Amon answered.

Xu Rou shook his head. "I still won’t spare my men. You can’t capture these hybrids here. What makes you think you can do it inside the misty border? You don’t have only the Cryanids to watch out for in there. You are not the locals here, but everyone who lives here knows how dangerous the area beyond the border is. Nine out of ten adventurers who dare to venture inside never make it out again. I’m sorry. I see the risk outweighs the gain."

Amon could see that Xu Rou’s mind was set. He no longer made any attempt to persuade.

Xu Rou could sense Amon’s disappointment despite Amon’s lack of expression. He said, "Sir Amon, I’m grateful for your help in saving my city, but the Cryanid Plague is too large for a mayor like me to deal with. My responsibility is to my city. Tell you what, the reinforcement sent by Warlord Xou Yung is on its way. I will arrange for you to meet with them and present your case. If you gain the support of a warlord, it will give you a better chance than what I can provide for you."

Amon didn’t think there was a better option, so he agreed to the offer.

Xu Rou invited him into the city hall. He left Amon there with attendants before going out again to oversee the rebuilding.

While waiting, Amon sent his consciousness into his black space ring. He spoke with Yuka, "Are you sure you can track that humanoid Cryonid?"

"Of course. You should know that I can track anyone I have contact with, regardless of where they go. Funny how it turns out. I plan to use this ability on you. Never expect me to use it to help you instead. Speaking of which, how about you take off this bloody collar now that I have fulfilled your request?"

"You have not fulfilled my request. The request is to track down the humanoid Cryonid. You haven’t tracked it down yet."

"Tch! What a stickler for details. Fine! Don’t you dare renege on your promise! I will make you regret it."

Amon sneered at the remark before leaving.