Chapter 911. The Hero of the Lower Realm
"You will stop the undead plague...?" Li Hong asked.
"I will," Amon answered.
Li Hong observed Amon’s face. There was not a shred of doubt in his expression. The undead plague was a big deal. She didn’t think he would bluff. If he didn’t deliver on his promise, his reputation would be ruined. On the other hand, if he did, the whole lower world was in debt to him.
She glanced at her faction members before saying, "I think I can speak for all of us. If you can truly stop the undead plague, we don’t mind following you."
Amon grinned. "Then it’s settled. Return to the South and halt the plague’s advance. After I end the plague, escort the refugees to the Commitment Domain. I will be there."
"Must we truly concede this domain to the Hyanids?" Li Hong asked.
"That is the term of our cooperation," Amon answered. "Before you tell me that we don’t need them, let me tell you first. We do. We may have learned of the Divine’s ploy and stopped it before its completion, but it doesn’t mean that the ploy fails. We have lost a lot of manpower in the war between the three domains and this undead plague. Our force has weakened considerably.
"We don’t have the number to go up against the upper world, which everyone knows houses better cultivators than this lower world. The Hyanids and their pets, the Cryanids, give us a fighting chance. Conceding one-third of the land in exchange for their cooperation is a worthy price. If we win against the upper world, we will have a whole new world for ourselves."
"Do we really need to fight the upper world?"
"They are the ones who pick a fight with us first by plotting against us. We must teach them that we won’t just lie down and be played by them."
"If we are to concede this domain to the Hyanids, ask them to stop the undead plague themselves. Why must we do it?"
"Because their force is far away, and it takes time for our people to migrate to the other domains. If no one blocks the plague now, those migrants would be prey to it."
Li Hong turned again to her fellow members. After some contemplation, she said, "Alright, we will do as you said. We will return to the South and stop the undead plague... I hope you are telling the truth."
"I am," Amon said.
He watched her return to her army. After some discussion, the army turned back to where they came from. Not all of them did so, though. A portion left the army and went in different directions. Amon assumed these were people who had families in Venal Virtuous City or the other settlements in the Devotion Domain. The Devotion Faction had essentially ended, so they had no obligation to remain with the army. They left to ensure their family’s safety.
The battle puppets and altered beasts didn’t stop them. They moved aside and let those people leave.
After the Devotion Faction members left, Yao Ai approached Amon. "Are you truly telling the truth about stopping the undead plague? I haven’t seen what the plague looks like, but from the reports, it is quite a serious matter."
"I am. Don’t worry about it," Amon replied.
"And you are also serious about attacking the upper world?"
"I am."
"This will be interesting. Even Lord Mo Wang doesn’t dare do what you claim you will do. I hope you don’t end up sending the whole lower world into oblivion as a cost for your ambition. You’d better not rely on a half-baked plan. The upper world isn’t a force to be trifled with. There is a reason for their supremacy all this time since Aetheria divided itself into three worlds."
Amon chuckled. "As you said, it will be interesting. Aren’t you excited to break the status quo between us and the upper world? Don’t you feel challenged?"
Yao Ai laughed. "It is, in fact, challenging. Very well. If you truly can realize this mad ambition of yours, I don’t mind supporting you. Now, what do you want me to do?"
"You will follow me to the Commitment Domain. I will need your presence if I am to subjugate the remnant of the Commitment Faction without much bloodshed."
"What about my force here?"
Amon glanced at Diu Cay and the others. He answered, "I assume your force in the Mercy Faction should be enough to stop the undead plague until I end it. They shouldn’t need help, so there is no need for the force here to return to the Mercy Domain. Just send them a message to hold out until I end the plague. Split the force here into three groups. The first group will remain in this domain and assist the citizens here to migrate to the other two domains. Send the second group to the Commitment Domain to help them hold the plague, and inform them that I am working on a way to end it. As for the last group, they are to follow me and help me intimidate the Commitment Faction into surrendering."
"As you wish," Yao Ai replied.
Amon looked at her. He couldn’t tell if she was sincere with her obedience. He snickered. It didn’t matter.
*
Following Amon’s instructions, Yao Ai left Diu Cay and half of her force to help with the migration process. She and the remaining half followed Amon. After several days, they entered the Commitment Domain. Amon told her to wait in a border town with her force while he went somewhere else. He didn’t explain how long she should wait, which pissed her off. She ended up subjugating the local authority and took control of the town.
Several days after Amon vanished, she received astonishing news. The plague had abruptly ended. All the undead cultivators dropped to the ground simultaneously and returned to their dead state without explanation. The soldiers who held the line were bewildered by the occurrence. They remained standing, expecting the undead to rise again at any moment.
Yet, the undead remained dead.
Finally, one of the soldiers remembered something. He yelled, "He did it! He truly did it!!"
The others were confused about who the soldier was referring to. They then remembered as well. Messengers had arrived several days ago, informing them of the hope that a Mercy Faction’s slayer named Amon was working on a way to stop the undead plague. Most didn’t have much confidence in the news, but they could see now that they were wrong.
The defenders who held the line against the undead plague in all three domains celebrated. They had all been notified of who was responsible for the plague’s end. They called out his name in reference, without knowing that he was the cause of the plague all along. This effectively turned Amon into the hero of the lower realm overnight.
Amon reunited with Yao Ai several days later. Yao Ai asked him what he did to stop the undead plague. Amon gave him a vague answer about destroying a power source from which the plague drew energy. He gave the site’s location, a city within the Devotion Domain near the border where they were. The site was a facility owned by the Devotion Domain. Of course, what Amon did on the site was plant evidence to support his accusation, further framing Hai Di as the one responsible for the plague.
The news spread, much of which was brought by messengers paid by Amon. In a short time, Amon had been hailed as the savior of the lower realm, while the departed Hai Di was branded as a traitor who worked for the upper realm.
This perspective made everyone less bitter about losing the Devotion Domain to the Hyanids, even those forced to migrate. The news that Amon spread included his cooperation with the Hyanids, the reason for their cooperation, and the price. Everyone soon knew that the upper world had bad plans for them. Suddenly, the Hyanids didn’t seem so repulsive anymore. Nothing brought two enemies together like a more dangerous and menacing enemy.
Amon halted their advance, waited until enough time had passed for the news to spread, before he went for the fortress where Du Ji, the Dictator of the Commitment Faction, had holed up after Lang Man’s defeat.
By then, Li Hong and the remnants of the Devotion Faction army had joined Amon and Yao Ai. They had renounced their status as Devotion Faction members and swore fealty to Amon. With this force, added by Amon’s battle puppet and altered beast army, they surrounded Du Ji’s fortress. Their number made a formidable display.
Du Ji came out of his fortress and approached Amon, who stood ahead. He glanced at Yao Ai, who was behind Amon, before asking, "For what purpose does the hero of the lower realm grace us with this visit?"
Amon smiled. "Dictator Du Ji. You are an intelligent person, so you should have known my purpose. Let us not waste our time. I hereby lay claim to the Commitment Domain. I will henceforth be known as its domain lord. Will you join me, or will you oppose me?"
"How about I step aside and mind my own business?"
Amon shook his head. "That is not an option. You are the next in line after Lang Man. There will always be people who consider my claim illegitimate as long as you roam freely. Like it or not, you mean something to this domain. Hence, I must either subjugate you or eliminate you to be the ruler of this domain. I prefer the former. I now leave the decision to you."