Rise of The Demon General

Amon landed in a cave. This cave expanded further away in both directions.

He chose to traverse underground because there was no mist down here. Hence, fewer ambushes. There were still spirit beasts that could burrow in the ground, like the wide-face beast that had dragged Chang Gu away. Nevertheless, those spirit beasts would make noises before attacking. It was better than being up there, where the mists blocked all visibility.

"Hm..." Amon turned to the remaining three who followed him into the cave. His cultivation sense could sense Xou Liang, who stood closest to him, but he could not sense Xin Wa and Zhan An, who stood further away. He understood then that it was not the mists that blocked their cultivation senses. Their cultivation senses were dulled simply by being in this area, whether there were mists or not.

The other were aware of this as well. They looked around warily. While their cultivation senses were still crippled, they could at least use their eyes to look for threats.

"Come on. Those beasts might chase us by entering through that hole. We’d better move fast," Amon said. He picked one of the two ends of the cave, which was the direction guiding him closer to the one indicated by Yuka.

Xou Liang looked at his two comrades, who returned his gaze. No one said anything, but they all understood regret when they saw it. It was too late. They were in too deep. They were unsure if they could survive the way back. More importantly, none of them remembered which direction was the way back. Everything above was covered in mists. If they were unlucky, they could end up venturing deeper beyond the border. The only one left who seemed to know the way was Amon, and he showed no intention of going back empty-handed.

So, the three ran after Amon.

An hour passed, and nothing happened. Everyone thanked their luck. All they had to worry about was that this cave turned into a dead end, but it didn’t. Instead, it branched out into a few more caves. From the look of it, the cave they were in was a part of a huge underground labyrinth complex. They had no idea which paths to take. Amon decided for them.

Xin Wa, who could no longer conceal her concern, asked, "Sir Amon, are you sure this is the right way?"

"I am," Amon answered without glancing back at her.

Xin Wa turned to her other two companions, who shrugged helplessly. They continued walking. Amon advised them not to fly or use their energy, just in case there were spirit beasts down here that could detect their energy. Amon himself activated his Concealed Ghost Body to hide his aura. The others had concealment arts as well, though not as good. Amon told them to use theirs.

After a few more minutes, Zhan An asked, "Sir Amon, why didn’t you call your tamed butterfly beast to aid us up there? I have seen it in action during the battle against the Cryanids. It is pretty powerful."

"That beast has a peculiar temperament. It is better not to have it involved in a delicate fight. It will hurt you instead of saving you."

While that was not far from the truth, the true reason Amon didn’t employ Yuka was that he wasn’t sure he could control her in such a handicapped environment, where both his vision and cultivation sense were limited. If he was not careful, Yuka might backstab him instead of helping him.

He, however, had another secret weapon, which he acquired only recently. He wanted to keep it hidden for an emergency. To save these people who followed him didn’t qualify as an emergency.

"How long do we have to wander in this cave?" Xin Wa asked with concern.

"As long as we need. Now, stop talking. We don’t want to attract unwanted..."

Amon stopped talking because he had caught sight of something behind Xin Wa. Something had peeked out of an intersection they had just passed. Amon had checked this intersection when they passed. He didn’t see anything then. Apparently, he was wrong.

The thing that hid in the shadow moved, and something long shot out. By the time Xin Wa’s cultivation sense picked up the movement, it was too late. A sharp stinger stabbed into her back.

She only managed to let out a yelp before her entire skin turned purple. Her pretty face swelled rapidly, turning her unrecognizable. Yellow liquids with foul stench leaked from her orifices. Without being able to convey anything, she dropped to the ground, lifeless.

"Xin Wa!!" Xou Liang exclaimed. He had his mace and short sword ready in his hands. Though he was devastated by Xin Wa’s death, he didn’t dare be reckless. Something that could kill a Beginning Fiendish Stage cultivator in one hit, even if it was due to ambush, was something to be careful of.

The perpetrator revealed itself. It was large and had many legs. Its forepart had the shape of a human, or more aptly said, a mockery version of a human. It had the body of a naked man with a face that resembled a human’s face but was also inhuman. Its eyes were small to almost a slit, with yellow irises. It had a nose that was almost flat with its face. Its mouth was bizarrely wide and appeared to always grin.

Instead of hands, its arms ended with two long scythes like those possessed by a mantis. Below its waist, all resemblance to human parts was gone. Its lower body was that of a huge scorpion. Its six legs seemed agile, and its rear ended with a long tail and a stinger. This tail was the one that hit Xin Wa. It could elongate and strike its prey from afar. Its stinger carried a powerful toxin.

"Pri... Primeval Scortaur...!" Xou Liang exclaimed.

While he identified the spirit beast, this was the first time he laid eyes on it. It was the same as Amon. Amon learned about this beast from the books available in this lower world. According to the book, Primeval Scortaurs had gone extinct. The spirit beast was categorized as a Lower Primordial Beast.

"Aaa... Aaahhh...!!!"

Zhan An could take it no more. Fear finally overwhelmed him. After the reprieve from the horrors up there, only to discover that it was not better down here, combined with witnessing his friends dying one by one, he finally snapped. He turned around and ran away. He never stopped screaming.

"Zhan An...!" Xou Liang called.

"Forget him! He is gone! Eyes to the front!" Amon exclaimed. The Primeval Scortaur hadn’t made any move after revealing itself. It also showed no interest in chasing the fleeing Zhan An. Its face continued to display a mocking grin as it stared at Amon and Xou Liang.

"Ugh... Should we run?" Xou Liang asked.

"We won’t outrun it. We will only open our backs to it," Amon replied.

In truth, Amon lied. He didn’t know if it was possible to outrun the Primeval Scortaur, but he said what he said because he didn’t want to flee. The reason was that he wanted to defeat this spirit beast. The toxin of this spirit beast could kill a Lord or Fiendish Stage cultivators in one hit. He had a new poison that could affect a Lord Stage cultivator. If he used the toxin from this Primeval Scortaur as an ingredient, that poison would become more lethal.

Xou Liang didn’t know Amon was risking his life for his personal benefit.

Since they could not escape, Xou Liang activated his arcane arts. A tempest of winds gathered before him. They concentrated on the short sword in his left hand. He released that short sword, and it began to spin rapidly. The spin resonated with the winds, which grew into a hurricane.

"You will pay for Xin Wa’s life, you beast!" Xou Liang shouted. The hurricane moved forward. Images of sharp blades manifested around the hurricane. They left cut marks all along the cave surfaces as the hurricane advanced.

"Kii! Kii! Kii!" the Primeval Scortaur opened its wide grinning mouth and uttered unsettling voices. It was unclear whether the voices implied fear or excitement. From what the beast did, it was more likely the latter.

It charged forward despite the fierce hurricane. Its scorpion’s body was covered in hard shells. The sharp winds couldn’t hurt it. Its human body, on the other hand, was not. Cut wounds resulted when the Primeval Scortaur entered the hurricane. Blood spurted from those wounds. Even so, the Primeval Scortaur didn’t retreat. It continued to utter its disturbing voice, which sounded more like laughter the longer one heard it.

It slashed its two mantis’ arms in a cross. The force of its slashes dispersed the hurricane. Xou Liang’s short sword, which served as the center of the hurricane, broke to pieces.

"Kii, Kii, Kii," the Primeval Scortaur uttered. The wounds on its human body closed rapidly. In only a few seconds, the wounds were gone. It was as if it had never been harmed in the first place.