Rise of The Demon General

"The ancient battleground was one of the reasons people braved the misty border," Un Lao said. "It is also the reason my friends and I went there in the past. Even though the ancient battleground only contains broken weapons, they were tools used by Devil Realm cultivators. Such tools, even if broken, would still be treasures for people like us."

"Is the ruler from the myth the same as the current ruler of this world?" Amon asked.

"The ruler of this world never changes since time immemorial," Xou Liang answered.

"To be able to fight the ruler, his opponent must be one hell of a cultivator. Even if he lost, his name must be famous."

"Actually, it was our ruler who lost."

Amon turned to Xou Liang with a creased forehead.

"Well, that is what the myth says anyway," Xou Liang said. "No one can truly confirm its truth."

"It must be false then," Amon said. "If the ruler lost, shouldn’t the throne of this world be passed to the winner already?"

"That’s because our ruler’s opponent had no desire to rule this world. You see, the opponent was the ruler of the upper world. Someone, whom I think the upper denizens call the Divine."

"That is even more unbelievable. Divine cultivators cannot enter this world," Amon said.

Xou Liang shrugged. "As I said, it’s a myth. No one truly knows whether it is the truth or a made-up story. The only one who knows is our ruler, but I don’t think anyone here plans to go ask His Lordship about this."

"Nevertheless, the myth of the ancient battleground drew many cultivators in search of treasure," Un Lao said. "Many failed to return from their attempt. Those who did, like me, did it because I decided to turn back."

"So, you never laid eyes on this ancient battleground?" Amon asked.

Un Lao shook his head. "I fled after all my friends died. I almost got lost and failed to escape. It still haunts me to this day. Though I am much stronger than I was then, I would still prefer not to return there. If not because of the current unusual situation, I won’t go there again."

"This is very brave of you," Xin Wa praised Un Lao.

"So, do you have a safe route we can use once we arrive?" Amon asked. "At least until as far as you have travelled."

"We can try the path that I used to sneak when I escaped from that place. However, don’t get your hopes up. I doubt the place remain the same. It was a very long time ago, after all. Things inside the misty border change more frequently compared to where we live. The spirit beasts inside always fight one another and vie for supremacy."

"It is better than nothing," Amon said. "Alright, everyone. Take your rest. You won’t get much once we arrive at the border."

The others rested while Amon spent his free time cultivating. Though the Ankilobull moved swiftly, the people on its back hardly felt the rocking. The spirit beast was one of the preferred transport steeds in this world.

Four hours later, they saw the long expanse of mist ahead of them. Un Lao woke everyone up. He and Amon were the only two who didn’t sleep.

"We are about to arrive," Un Lao told them. "It is better to proceed on foot. This Ankilobull is too large. It will be easily spotted. It won’t last long beyond the border."

The Ankilobull was a Higher Superior Beast. According to Un Lao, the Cryanid Soldier and Cryanid Fly were the only Higher Superior Beasts in this place. The remaining spirit beasts were at least Mythical-grade beasts. The Cryanids could survive thanks to their collective number. If a lone superior-grade beast, such as the Ankilobull, entered, it would serve only as food to the other spirit beasts.

They left the Ankilobull just before they arrived near the wall of mists. Zhan An sent his tamed beast away.

Amon observed the wall of mists. It was unusual for mists to linger like this. It was extremely dense on one side but clear on the other, as if a literal wall separated them. He couldn’t sense anything behind the mists. He didn’t know if any spirit beast was behind the wall.

"Several things everyone should be aware of before we enter," Un Lao said. "The mists severely hinder our cultivation sense. We can only sense nearby things, so everyone should stay close to each other, and do not assume it is safe simply because you don’t sense anything ahead. Refrain from flying or using your aether unless necessary. Our cultivation senses might be dulled, but the spirit beasts who have lived their lives here don’t suffer the same disadvantage. They will sense you if you use your energy. Also, try to be as quiet as possible."

Everyone nodded their understanding.

"Is everyone ready?" Xou Liang asked.

They nodded again.

"Let me reconfirm the direction we should go," Amon said. He summoned Yuka, who pointed in a direction. At least the mists didn’t block her tracking sense.

"I will take the lead," Un Lao volunteered. "Stay close." He took a deep breath before stepping into the mists.

Amon was next, followed by Xou Liang. The others trickled in behind them.

The mists remained thick inside. Amon could hardly see Un Lao, who walked in front of him. As Un Lao said, his cultivation sense was significantly dulled inside here. He could only sense Un Lao, who walked before him, and Xou Liang, who walked behind him. If there were spirit beasts nearby, they could get jumped.

Amon wondered if his danger sense was affected by these mists. He wasn’t keen to find out. He focused on his sight and hearing, trying to detect any suspicious shadows or noises, while slowly following Un Lao.

Un Lao stopped a few times and looked around the place. Visibility was limited by the mists, but from the terrain they had passed through, Amon identified that they were in a wooded area. They passed several large trees. Trees that seemed to flourish and possessed more leaves compared to the other parts of the lower world Amon had travelled.

Un Lao turned several times. He probably was using the path he mentioned earlier. Amon kept the direction pointed by Yuka in heart. He didn’t lose his sense of direction from the constant turns, even among these thick mists.

Finally, Un Lao stopped. He didn’t move for quite some while. It seemed that he no longer recognized their surroundings. He had either reached the furthest he had reached before or no longer recognized the path. Everyone refrained from asking him because no one wanted to make a noise.

Un Lao had paused for too long. Amon finally accepted that something was wrong. He slowly crept forward. When he was about to pass Un Lao, he spotted something that looked like a vine. It rose from the ground right below Un Lao and was attached to its chest.

Amon took one more step and had a better look. The vine that attached to Un Lao had a mouth with teeth. These teeth sank deep into Un Lao’s chest. No eyes or any facial features were visible on the vine aside from the mouth. Un Lao’s eyes and mouth were wide open, sweat was pouring down his face, but he couldn’t make a sound or move. The bite from the strange vine seemed to have paralyzed him.

Amon preferred not to disturb the vine. If it were left to him, he would leave Un Lao and let him be the only victim of the vine. Unfortunately, others had a different opinion. Xou Liang, who also came forward to see what was wrong, also noticed the vine.

Xou Liang carried a short sword aside from his mace. He unsheathed this short sword and cut the vine that held Un Lao in thrall. The moment the vine was cut, a loud and angry screech sounded. Except it didn’t come from the cut vine. It came from ahead of them.

Amon felt an incoming danger. He shouted, "Back!"

Xou Liang heeded the warning. He grabbed Un Lao and jumped back, just as a horde of vines lunged out of the mists. Each of these vines had a mouth with sharp teeth. These mouths were all wide open, ready to bite them.

Amon held the Moonfire Dagger and used Infinite Phantom Slash. All the vines were cut and burst into flames. A second screech was heard. It sounded more painful than angry this time. The spirit beast didn’t quiet down, but its screeching voice sounded like it was moving away.

Amon remained alert.

"How... How is Un Lao?" Xin Wa asked. Xou Liang was still holding Un Lao. Un Lao’s face remained the same. He couldn’t move or speak.

"He had been poisoned," Amon said. "Forget him. He is gone."

Win Yi couldn’t believe Amon’s words. She said, "What do you mean, forget him? We can’t leave him like this. We must take him back so he can be–"

She didn’t finish her words because a large jaw filled with sharp teeth appeared behind her. The jaw closed on her before she could do anything. In an instant, what was left of her were the lower parts of her legs.