Rise of The Demon General Chapter 939. Defeat

The battle between the lower world and the inquisitors raged on. The battle became concentrated above the destroyed cannon network. The lower world continued to throw its numbers against the Ancestor Stage inquisitors. Yao Ai and Krassazh led the lower world’s forces.

None of the inquisitors was strong enough to fight Yao Ai, but on average, the Ancestor Stage inquisitors still outpowered the lower world’s general level. Only Diu Cay, Du Ji, and a handful of other Overlord Stage cultivators could fight these inquisitors. The others mostly used their lives to halt the inquisitors’ advance.

As time passed, the lightning net Mo Wang used to trap the Sovereign God Stage inquisitors grew more riddled with holes. Mo Wang couldn’t keep everyone inside. A couple escaped. Yao Ai noticed these escaped inquisitors and intercepted them before they could resume toward the Aether Absorption Machine.

As for the other Sovereign God Stage inquisitors, they worked together to help Zheng Chun fight Mo Wang. While Zheng Chun had the Law of Light and possessed better equipment, he was forced to accept that Mo Wang was of a better caliber.

Mo Wang’s Law of Space bestowed him with exceptional mobility and destructive power. His mastery over the lightning arcane arts was also exceptional, not to mention his wealth of battle experience over the aeons. Zheng Chun had no choice but to swallow his pride and renege on his commitment to face Mo Wang alone. He called for his fellow inquisitors to support him.

The battle lasted for a while, with more casualties on the lower world’s side. Sima Fang was aware of a second batch of inquisitors incoming. They were not as powerful as the ones they were currently fighting, but if this second batch arrived and provided support to the ones here, they would be in trouble.

Sima Fang didn’t expect the inquisitors to be this resilient. She had hoped that they could finish the first batch before regrouping to face the second. Her plan had been thrown into turmoil. The best she could do was reorganize their forces and create two layers of concentrated barriers: One to stop the first batch of inquisitors from reaching the Aether Absorption Machine, and the other to stop the second batch from regrouping with the first.

However, no matter how well she tried to think of a solution, she couldn’t help if fate decided to intervene. A group of enemies appeared at a time and from a direction she didn’t expect.

This group was one of the two upper world’s platoons that Tian Kuo sent to exterminate the humans who didn’t join the mass migration to Khode. Both groups were oblivious as to what had happened to their main forces. They had been trying to contact Tian Kuo or Guo Fen but couldn’t get a reply. The message talismans they had were linked only to their superiors in this Purge. They didn’t have one linked to the people in the upper world, so they couldn’t contact their world and ask for updates.

After a few days of radio silence, one of the group decided to abandon the search for the surviving surface worlders. They believed something was wrong and they should reestablish contact with their main force. One of their choices was to head West, where they believed the main force was exterminating the surface world’s gathered population. Their other choice was to head back East, where the upper world portal was. They decided on the former.

When they arrived, they saw the battle from a distance. They were about to rush in to help the inquisitors, but one with an eye art noticed the Aether Absorption Machine way back in the enemy’s line. They understood then what had happened.

They silently sneaked to the enemy’s flank before springing their attack.

They numbered only eighty cultivators, and they were not as powerful as the inquisitors. Nevertheless, they were still, on average, stronger than the lower world’s cultivators. With the lower world focusing its forces to form a barrier that prevented the inquisitors from advancing, there was little resistance from the flanks.

By the time the lower world noticed this platoon, it was too late. They had charged in and were about to reach the area where the Aether Absorption Machine was.

The one that stopped them from charging all the way and immediately snatching the machine was a barrier activated by the words of power around it. Even so, the barrier couldn’t last long against them.

The Mammoth Stage cultivators who were protecting the machine immediately joined the other lower-world soldiers to stop this platoon.

Sima Fang, who received the news, quickly assessed the situation and made a reluctant decision. She ordered the retreat horn to be blown. While the lower world’s defeat here was regrettable, it was still better than letting the upper world reacquire the Aether Absorption Machine.

Without the machine, there was no reason for the upper world to exterminate the surface world’s population. She hoped this would help the surface world people survive, so long as they continued to hide.

Upon hearing the retreat horn, one of the Mammoth Stage cultivators immediately grabbed the machine and dove into the river. Seeing that, the upper world cultivators became frenzied. Several managed to break through and immediately entered the river, only to see the enemy carrying the machine disappear into the lower world portal.

These cultivators exited the river and delivered the news. All the upper world cultivators were frustrated. They took out their frustrations by killing the surrounding enemies.

What happened did not escape Zheng Chun’s notice. He howled in fury as he imagined the prospect of bringing this news of failure to the Divine. He lashed out frenziedly as a result.

Mo Wang had no intention of continuing the battle. He retreated. Yao Ai and the others did as well. One by one, the lower world’s forces entered the portal. The last ones to enter were those of the lowest rank. They suffered heavy casualties while waiting for their turn to enter. The inquisitors had changed their objective from retrieving the Aether Absorption Machine to punishing as many of those responsible for its theft as possible. Some lower world soldiers couldn’t take it and fled. They hid in the surrounding areas and would return to the portal once everything cooled down.

As for the Cryanids, they were left behind to cover for everyone’s escape. Under the inquisitor’s furious onslaught, these spirit beasts didn’t last long.

Once all the lower world denizens had either been wiped out or chased away, the inquisitors landed beside the river.

"Hah!" Zheng Chun slapped his palm downward. The force he generated caused the river’s water to splash out. The ground also changed shape. A crater was formed. The crater’s wall rose and cut off the river flow.

With the water gone, the crimson portal to the lower world was exposed. Everyone stared at the portal with hostility.

"I will get the Aether Absorption Machine back! For the Divine!!" One of the inquisitors suddenly shouted and lunged into the portal.

The others were affected by his fervor and were about to do the same, but Zheng Chun stopped them.

"Stop!" He exclaimed. He also dashed forward and put himself in front of the portal, stopping anyone else from entering. "You all should have known that this portal only permits infernal cultivators. If any of us enter, we won’t survive it!"

As if to make his point, the inquisitor who had dived into the portal earlier was thrown out of it. He landed on the dried river floor. His armor was shredded, and he was full of bloody wounds.

"You should be thankful," Zheng Chun told the brash inquisitor. "You are still alive due to your high cultivation. If you are weaker or are stubborn to continue pushing in, you will not survive."

Though alive, he was in terrible condition. He couldn’t stand back up. Zheng Chun ordered the others to take him away and treat him.

"What should we do, My Lord?" One of the inquisitors asked Zheng Chun.

Zheng Chun stared at the crimson portal for a long time. Finally, he replied, "Send a message to the Holy Temple. Tell them to bring the entire research unit here."

"Do you mean..."

Zheng Chun nodded before the inquisitor completed his question. "The research unit has been studying a way to breach this portal. They are close to a solution. Tell them to continue their research directly with the real thing. We couldn’t do that before because we didn’t want the lower world to know our intention. What just happened changed everything. The gloves are off now. They will be working day and night here, under our protection. We will not leave this place until they succeed."

"What about the purge? Should we continue while we wait for the research unit to unravel the barrier preventing us from entering this portal?"

Zheng Chun thought for a bit before answering, "No need to waste time on that. The purge is useless without the Aether Absorption Machine. Let those vermin live a bit longer."

The inquisitor nodded his understanding.

"Also, send a message for the remaining inquisitors in the upper world to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice," Zheng Chun said. "Once the research unit succeeds, we will invade the lower world with our full force. We will not stop until we get what is ours back! And we will punish the entire lower world. We will turn it into a real hell, as it deserves! For the Divine...!!"

"For the Divine...!!!" His inquisitors echoed.