Rise of The Demon General Chapter 813. Mo Wang’s Castle

The current scene vividly displayed the stark contrast between victory and defeat. The triumphant Grave Owlbat stood majestically over its vanquished opponent, which lay utterly helpless on the ground.

"Hahaha! So that's the end of your pet," Diu Cay boomed with laughter. "Looks like you'll need to find yourself a new beast to tame. Consider this your punishment."

"My pet is still alive," Amon stated calmly.

"It is, but as I mentioned, this serves as your punishment. My pet has discovered its prey. Do not expect it to simply release your hawk."

Though weakened and lying on the ground, the Sun Ray Hawk valiantly continued to emit streams of electricity and flames. However, the Grave Owlbat remained unfazed. Such feeble defiance posed no threat to it. Its powerful talons remained firmly planted on the Sun Ray Hawk, holding it down. It showed no inclination to let go; in fact, it tightened its grip, shattering more of the hawk's bones.

"I advise Your Honor to instruct it to stop. Otherwise, do not hold me responsible for the consequences," Amon advised.

"Is that a threat?" Diu Cay asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Go ahead. Free your pet. The ten minutes I stipulated have not yet expired. I wouldn't mind even if you had engaged my Grave Owlbat with your tamed beast from the very beginning."

"Your Honor seems to misunderstand. I did not imply I would intervene. I spoke out of genuine concern for what might happen if that Grave Owlbat pushes my tamed beast too far."

"Hehe," Diu Cay chuckled, finding the situation even more amusing. He believed Amon was merely attempting to save face with a pathetic ploy. He glanced down at his pet, which still stood victoriously over its subdued foe. The Sun Ray Hawk's relentless barrage of fire and lightning persisted. Much like his master, he viewed it as a desperate, futile show of defiance against an already decided outcome.

As he sneered, an unsettling feeling crept into his mind. It was evident the Sun Ray Hawk had sustained severe injuries. Yet, he had not heard a single cry of pain from it, as if it were incapable of feeling pain. Furthermore, the fiery and electric onslaught possessed a steady, escalating rhythm.

Driven by curiosity, he extended his cultivation sense. The Grave Owlbat and the Sun Ray Hawk were far below on the ground, beyond the typical reach of his cultivation sense. Upon sensing their energy, he immediately recognized that something was amiss. The energy he detected was accumulating, surpassing the output capabilities of a Mid Mythical Beast.

Acting on instinct, he shared his senses with his pet. Through the Grave Owlbat's eyes, he witnessed the Sun Ray Hawk beneath it beginning to melt. The energy the hawk was accumulating was so potent that it was harming itself. He finally understood what was occurring. The hawk was consuming its own life force to generate immense power.

He hastily commanded his pet to retreat, but it was already too late. The amassed energy had reached a critical threshold. A deafening explosion ripped through the air where the Grave Owlbat and the Sun Ray Hawk stood. Flames and lightning erupted in every direction.

Fire, the most destructive element in the divine cultivation path, and lightning, its counterpart in the infernal cultivation path, when fused, resulted in the Sun Ray Hawk possessing an incredibly destructive energy. The detonation, fueled by its own life force, unleashed an output comparable to what Amon recalled as the atomic bombs of his previous world. The sheer force of the blast pushed both him and Diu Cay back slightly.

As the dust settled, only the Grave Owlbat remained visible. The Sun Ray Hawk had vanished. Although the Grave Owlbat was still alive, it was in a dire state. It lay on the ground, whimpering. Both of its legs were gone, and its bone-white feathers were scorched beyond recognition.

Diu Cay plummeted down, landing beside his severely injured tamed beast. He stood dumbfounded and bewildered by his pet's condition. While healing was possible, such catastrophic wounds would require an extended period of recovery.

He glared up at Amon, his eyes burning with rage. "You bastard!" he spat, cursing fiercely.

"Did I not issue a warning to Your Honor?" Amon responded calmly.

This statement only served to intensify Diu Cay's fury rather than quell it. His aura surged outward, and he flew directly towards Amon.

"Diu Cay, stop..."

A gentle yet commanding voice resonated through the air, halting him. Despite the burning rage within him, he was not so far gone as to disregard this voice. He stopped mid-flight and turned towards the speaker. Yao Ai and the Vermillion Vulture had arrived. The army of the Mercy Faction hovered behind her.

Projecting her voice exclusively towards Diu Cay, ensuring no one else could hear, she stated, "You have made a spectacle of yourself. Even defeating him now would only lead to further embarrassment. Cease this and accept your loss."

"Urgh!" Diu Cay clenched his fists. He was reluctant, but he dared not defy Yao Ai's command.

Yao Ai then approached Amon. "You sacrificed your tamed beast for this utterly pointless contest. Was it truly worth it?" she inquired.

"No, but he was the one forcing my hand. It was beyond my control," Amon replied.

"Was it?" Yao Ai inquired, quickly adding, "Never mind. We have wasted enough time. Come. Follow me. We will enter Mo Wang’s territory."

Yao Ai turned toward Diu Cay and instructed, "Wait here with the others. Do not move unless you receive my call."

Diu Cay bowed in obedience. His anger prevented him from uttering a reply. Yao Ai also did not press for one. Without further deliberation, she soared ahead. The Vermillion Vulture did not accompany her; it remained behind with the rest of the group.

Amon cast a brief glance at Diu Cay before following Yao Ai.

*

Amon and Yao Ai continued their flight. While Mo Wang’s central territory encompassed a relatively small section of the entire lower world, it was still expansive enough to be considered a province. The key distinction lay in the complete absence of human settlements within this domain; it was untamed wilderness, teeming with various spirit beasts.

During their journey, Amon observed numerous formidable beasts, a considerable number of which were Primordial Beasts. Yet, none dared to attack the pair. Initially, Amon surmised that Yao Ai’s aura was deterring the beasts, but his assumption shifted when he spotted a Diamond Wyvern, a Higher Primordial Beast rumored to possess power exceeding even the Vermillion Vulture. He then realized his initial assessment was incorrect.

While Yao Ai, standing at the Unholy Monarch Stage, surpassed a Higher Primordial Beast in cultivation, her power was not so overwhelming as to inspire outright fear in such a creature. The behavior of the Diamond Wyvern corroborated this theory; it growled menacingly as they passed but refrained from launching an attack.

Noticing Amon’s perplexity, Yao Ai explained, "All the spirit beasts within this territory have been subjugated by Mo Wang. Our presence here is anticipated, and they dare not lay a hand on his guests."

’Impressive,’ Amon mused. Though his primary objective was to meet Hai Di and Lang Man, he found himself increasingly intrigued by the ruler of this realm. He wondered about the sheer power required to command such dominion over so many potent spirit beasts.

After a period, a man-made structure materialized in the distance: a grand castle adorned with numerous spires, its center dominated by a tower that seemed to pierce the heavens. The entire edifice was constructed from black material, leading Amon to surmise it was fashioned entirely from blackstone.

The castle’s appearance was striking, but the sensation Amon experienced as they drew closer was even more astonishing. The aether density in the vicinity of the castle far surpassed the already potent aether of the lower world. Furthermore, he discerned that the five prominent spires encircling the castle emanated potent auras of distinct elements: lightning, ice, gravity, wind, and darkness.

Yao Ai had anticipated Amon’s reaction. She elaborated, "Each of these spires is situated upon a vital ley node, five nodes infused with the five infernal elements."

"That cannot be..." Amon breathed. "For all five titanic ley nodes to converge here, at the very heart of the realm, it seems far too deliberate. Such an occurrence could not possibly arise naturally."

"Perhaps," Yao Ai conceded. "Perhaps Lord Mo Wang possesses the secret to manipulating the world’s ley lines and the flow of elemental energies; I cannot say for certain. This castle has stood here since my birth, as have these five ley nodes, which have never waned. Lord Mo Wang has never divulged his methods to us... Ah, it appears I was correct. We are the last to arrive."

Standing before the entrance to Mo Wang’s castle were four figures: three men and one woman. Amon recognized three of them solely from the intelligence contained within Yao Ai’s data crystal. The remaining individual, however, he had encountered before, albeit through a projection long ago. This person was Hai Di, the very one revered by the cult in Melas Twich Town as the Dark God.