Rise of The Demon General

After his state visit to the Hyanid Domain, Amon stopped by the Mercy Domain and visited Yao Ai. Their meeting didn’t last long. Unlike with Krassazh, he didn’t waste effort to persuade Yao Ai. She couldn’t refuse his requests, not unless she wanted the bomb inside her head to explode. Hence, what took place in their meeting was more of him receiving reports from her and giving her subsequent orders.

He shared the plan that was to be carried out during the purge. Like Krassazh, she had reservations about going up against the upper world. Unlike the Hyanid, she went along with Amon’s plan not out of concern for her subjects, but because she had no choice.

Amon returned to the Vicious Domain after these state visits and spent most of his time until the purge cultivating.

One year before the purge, his divine cultivation increased to the Intermediate King Stage. A couple of months later, his infernal cultivation level reached the limit of the Intermediate Mammoth Stage, and he failed when he attempted to break through to the next level, even with the help of a Mammoth Pill.

Thankfully, he achieved a different breakthrough half a year before the purge. It took longer than expected, but after regular consumption, his body finally fused with the Transcendent Poison Blood Union. The alteration of his physique from this poison was even more drastic than the Poison Blood Infusion Method.

His skin became rough, a cross between scales and skin. It also darkened. This transformation increased his natural durability. It was as if he wore natural armor at all times. He found that his muscles had also toughened, increasing his strength.

Six short horns sprouted on his crown. Each pair was longer than the rest. The front-most pair was the longest. The horns made it appear like he had a bone crown on his head.

His evolution even extended to his altered limb, his tail. The carapace on his scorpion tail hardened, and so did the stinger at its end. They became much sturdier and more powerful. His stinger could now shoot poison from long range. The poison was fused with his acidic blood, which could now melt even Ancient-grade armor.

He also felt his poison resistance had improved. He was now most likely immune to poison up to the one that could affect Primordial beasts.

As his body adapted to the Transcendent Poison Blood Union, his cultivation checkpoint was no more. Since he had reached the limit of the Intermediate Mammoth Stage months ago, he immediately crossed over to the Peak Mammoth Stage.

When he emerged from his cultivation seclusion, his followers could not recognize him. They had to wait until he spoke before they were sure that he was Amon.

"You have become even less human than I thought possible," Zee Whang remarked.

"Thank you for your compliment," Amon responded.

"That’s not a... Never mind."

"How are Bo Wu’s host puppet and the Titan Battle Puppet?"

Zee Whang became visibly irritated when he was reminded of those puppets. "They are repaired. I added a few upgrades, though not much. I will need better materials to improve them further. I wonder how soon you will send me their wreckage and ask me to repair them again."

Zee Whang said the last sentence without concealing his sarcasm. Nevertheless, Amon acted like he wasn’t aware. He said, "We will find the materials to improve them when we go to the upper world."

Zee Whang still found the prospect of going to the upper world hard to believe. For a surface world dweller like him, the upper world was the final goal for most everyone.

"By the way, how is that project?" Amon asked.

Zee Whang understood which project Amon meant, even when he didn’t specify it. He placed the black space ring on a table. Amon had loaned him the ring before entering isolation to cultivate. He wrote something on a paper and showed it to Amon.

The writing on the paper said, ’I have deciphered its mechanism. I can deactivate it now if you wish.’

Amon scribbled new words on the paper, saying, ’How about his location?’

Zee Whang wrote, ’I’ve tracked him down.’ Next to those words were coordinate numbers.

’Not too far. Deactivate it. I will head there once I pick something up."

’You are going to meet him? Are you serious? Will you be bringing an army?’

’I always have an army, but I don’t think I need to.’

Zee Whang shrugged. He did something to the black space ring before giving it back to Amon. After accepting the ring, Amon went to Duan Juang’s workshop. The old smith was still busy with the restoration job of the ancient battleground’s weapons. Amon asked him, "I heard that you have finished it?"

Duan Jang turned to him. "I did, a couple of weeks ago. Even now, I can’t believe I have crafted a masterpiece of that level. With this achievement, I will be known as the greatest smith in all the lower world."

"When I wear that armor and defeat the upper world, you will be known as the greatest smith in all Aetheria. Now, show me my armor."

Duan Jang gestured for Amon to follow him. He brought Amon to a large metal container at the corner. Words of power shone all over the container’s surface, meaning the enchantment was active.

"I must seal it to prevent it from damaging my other equipment. I have asked Zee Whang and Dao Su to use their minions to help me move this container, but those pricks refused to listen to me. Please move it to another room before opening it."

"Interesting," Amon remarked. He summoned a few battle puppets and had them carry the metal container to the main chamber, where Yuka used to be imprisoned. He placed the metal container at the center of the containment enchantment and activated the enchantment. Duan Jang followed him and watched the process.

After the containment barrier was erected, he approached the container.

"Be careful," Duan Jang warned him. "As you requested, I have added a powerful imprint of your soul on the finished product. Only you can wear that armor. Not only that, if you die, that armor will self-destruct. With that imprint, you should be somewhat protected from its destructive energy. Even so, the imprint process hasn’t been completed. You have made yourself available regularly for the process, but the final process can only be done after the armor is completed, which is what you should do now. Nevertheless, you must endure its destructive power while completing this final step."

"Mm..." Amon was about to open the container. But after Duan Jang’s warning, he decided to be prudent. He donned the Elder God Veil before opening the container.

As the lid opened, a raging fire burst out. It washed over Amon. He could feel the fire burning through his shadow suit at an alarming rate. He jumped backward. As if alive, the fire chased after him. The fire that pursued him took the shape of a dragon.

Amon put one hand forward. The eight dark tentacles on his back merged and formed a gigantic demon hand. It grabbed the incoming fire dragon as if it were a tangible thing. "Don’t be ridiculous. You are my armor. Submit!!!"

The fire dragon burst, but didn’t disappear. Its fire instead spread over the demon’s hand. It devoured the darkness as it crept toward Amon.

While the fire slowly moved toward Amon, the connection between Amon and the imprint resonated. The connection traveled via the fire dragon all the way to its source. At that moment, Amon’s vision changed. What he saw was two titanic dragons boring down at him. One was composed of pure fire, and the other was pure white cloud. The eyes of these two titans were filled with hatred.

Amon didn’t back down from their stare. He bellowed, "You possess a residue of your past feelings. Yet, you are nothing but shadows. Your hatred is no match for my ambition! Begone, and yield to my authority...!!"

The fire that burned Amon’s shadow suit stopped before it completely engulfed him. Then, the fire abruptly retreated. It withdrew all the way back into the container. With the fire gone, the contents of the container were now visible.

Inside was a majestic full armor suit. It was red with a few lines of silver adorning it. On its front was a brightly lit orb. It appeared about to burst into flame at a moment’s notice. On its back was another orb, which was cloudy white. Those who peered into it saw different things: A memory of their pasts, the shadows of their most beloved person who had departed, or their worst nightmares.

As for Amon, he only saw one thing. A tool to help him acquire dominance. He came before the armor and felt that it was already under his control. With a touch, the armor turned into strands of light that fused with him. When the light subsided, the armor was already on his body.

He channeled his aether into the armor. He could feel it as if it were his skin. This was armor built only for him, and he was going to make full use of it. Fire burst out of the armor. The two orbs on it flared brightly. The fire that sprouted from his armor formed a cloud-like ribbon that wrapped around his shoulders and floated behind him like a ring of fire.