Rise of The Demon General-Chapter 686. Suspicion
"I’m afraid of no spirit beast. I agree to split up," Xan Chi said. "I don’t wish to be a second longer inside this cave than I must. Let’s wrap this shit quick and get back up to the surface."
"Good. What about you?" Amon asked Sura Yao.
"Whatever. I don’t mind searching for the Soul Flayer on my own," Sura Yao answered.
"Then that’s settled. If you two are unwilling to split up, you can follow me," Amon told Huang Er and Sima Fang.
"General Amon is strong enough on his own. We will join the others, right, princess?" Sima Fang asked Huang Er.
"I’m not interested in babysitting women. I will search on my own," Xan Chi stated.
"Same," Sura Yao said.
Sima Fang clicked her tongue before saying, "In that case, Princess Huang Er and I will search in a different direction."
"Are you sure? I don’t mind you two tagging along," Amon said.
"No, we are fine," Sima Fang said.
Huang Er was confused by Sima Fang’s response. She was the one most opposed to splitting up, but she was now rejecting Amon’s offer for them to tag along."
"Very well," Amon didn’t insist. "Remember, do not engage if you find the Soul Flayer. You all have message talismans linked to mine. Send me a message, and I will come. Remember to carve your name in the intersection, so I know which way to find you. In case you somehow got lost and have no one within your sensing range, use the beacon talisman. We have only a few of those, so use them only when you must."
Everyone nodded. Except for Huang Er and Sima Fang, who remained together, each person picked a different route and began walking.
After a while, Sima Fang asked Huang Er, "Have the others gone outside Your Highness’ Spirit Sense?"
Sima Fang had the weakest cultivation level. The others had left her sensing range a few seconds ago. As for Huang Er, her cultivation was among the highest in the group. So, her sensing scope was the widest or equal to the others on the team.
"They are about to. Why?" Huang Er asked.
"Once they do, we should turn around and head back where we came from," Sima Fang said.
Huang Er stopped and turned to her. "Why? You have been acting weird ever since Amon proposed we split up."
"That’s because I think he has an ulterior motive."
Huang Er frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Princess, despite what Your Highness thinks of me, I do consider Your Highness a friend. The only reason I volunteered to join this mission is that I am concerned about Your Highness."
"Concerned about me? Why?" Huang Er asked.
"I believe Your Highness’ life might be in danger," Sima Fang answered.
"In danger? It is indeed dangerous to hunt the Soul Flayer, but we must capture it so we can..."
"I’m not talking about the danger from Spirit Beasts," Sima Fang interrupted Huang Er’s speech. "The danger I’m worried about is General Amon."
"What do you mean? Are you telling me that General Amon wishes to take my life?" Huang Er said with a laugh.
"I am," Sima Fang answered. "I’ve been worried about his intention from the start, but I was convinced when he proposed we split up."
Huang Er stopped laughing after she saw the seriousness in Sima Fang’s face. While she loathed Sima Fang for her betrayal, she didn’t deny that she had also gained many benefits from Sima Fang’s counsel when she was still her subordinate. She did not doubt Sima Fang had uncanny knowledge and insight that had helped her make the right decisions in multiple difficult situations.
"What is the reason for you to assume that Amon targets my life?" Huang Er asked.
"Ever since I heard the massacre of Huang’s royal family members in Golden Stone City, I have been suspicious," Sima Fang replied.
"The Temple of Divinity orchestrated the massacre," Huang Er said.
Sima Fang shook her head. "I can assure Your Highness that the Hierophant was telling the truth. There was no official order by the temple to carry out that massacre, and I don’t believe the Holy Mother ordered it. I’ve studied all the information the Hierophant could find on the Holy Mother, as well as most of the temple’s history. The poison assault didn’t fit her style. No, I believe it was someone else trying to blame the Temple of Divinity."
"Are you... You can’t be implying that it was General Amon who was responsible for that massacre...?"
"He has expertise in poison," Sima Fang said.
"But... His poison is different from the one reported being used in that massacre," Huang Er reasoned.
"As a poison expert, I don’t believe he uses only one type of poison. He could have learned a new poison or used the one he had concealed for special occasions."
"This... This is a serious accusation. Do you have proof?" Huang Er asked.
"Sadly, no, princess," Sima Fang answered. "But I have a strong hunch that I’m not wrong."
"You can’t just accuse a General of the Echos Kingdom without proof. Why would Amon murder my brothers and sisters? He has no personal vendetta with them."
"He doesn’t, but he stands to benefit from their deaths," Sima Fang replied.
"I don’t see how he can benefit from their..." Huang Er stopped before she could finish her sentence.
"Does Your Highness realize it now?" Sima Fang asked. "I hope I was wrong, but if I am right, Your Highness’ life is in danger, as well as His Majesty Huang San and the former King Huang Ti. I don’t have proof, but is Your Highness willing to risk your life? I suggest we leave this cavern now and return to the Echos Army. Let the others complete this mission. We will send them a message that we have left after we put a safe distance."
Huang Er thought Sima Fang’s suspicion was a bit far-fetched. But then again, when he thought of Amon’s ambition, it was suddenly not that hard to imagine Amon doing the things Sima Fang accused him of. Anyway, she thought that it might be prudent to leave just in case.
When she almost told Sima Fang that she agreed to leave, another thought crossed her mind. What if instead of Amon, it was Sima Fang who had an ulterior motive? That she was trying to lure her out on her own to a trap she had prepared beforehand? She was, after all, a proven traitor to Echos.
Sima Fang observed the change in Huang Er’s expression. She said, "Princess, we don’t have much time to consider. We must leave now if we are to avoid falling into Amon’s nefarious plan."
"I don’t trust Amon, but I don’t trust you as well," Huang Er stated. "I will leave, but I will do it alone."
After she finished her speech, she abruptly dashed at high speed toward where they had come from.
"Princess, wait...!!" Sima Fang called.
Huang Er didn’t slow down. She had a higher cultivation level. Her speed was much faster than Sima Fang’s. Sima Fang had no hope of catching up to her.
Huang Er followed the markings they had made on the wall. She moved while paying attention to her Spirit Sense. Sima Fang was chasing her. As for the others, she didn’t sense them. They were all outside her sensing range.
After she reached the intersection where they split up, she retraced the path from her memory. All she needed to do was reach the underwater passage that linked to the lake. However, the more she ran, the more the scenery differed from what she remembered.
Concern started to creep into her mind. Did she take a wrong turn somewhere? Had she gotten lost?
While she was still confused, her Spirit Sense suddenly detected something close by. She turned and saw the mound of carcasses at one corner of the cavern begin to move. The mound parted ways, and a strange-looking spirit beast revealed itself.
She didn’t sense this spirit beast earlier, which meant it could conceal its presence when it remained still. The spirit beast had the body of a giant, green-furred tiger with an octopus head. It had four long tentacles where its mouth was, making them look like its trunks.
The creature’s distinctive look fit the description of the spirit beast they were hunting, the Soul Flayer. In her quest to escape this place, she had ironically stumbled into the thing they were hunting.
She brandished her sword and moved away. This beast was a High Mythical Beast. She couldn’t fight it. Most of all, she didn’t know the beast’s capability. They might have info on a Soul Flayer’s appearance and grade, but not its abilities, because the information came from people who happened to see the spirit beast and immediately ran away. No accounts had ever been recorded from someone who fought the beast and survived.
As she moved away, she found strange events happening around her. The mass of carcasses started moving. Before long, these carcasses stood up as if they were still alive, even the ones that had only their skeletons left. Green lights flared from all the carcasses’ eyes.
These living carcasses lunged at her.
