Rise of The Demon General - Chapter 530

Chapter 530: Chapter 530. Deception

After losing contact with Hua Yang, Huang Er was certain they were being hunted. She immediately informed everyone to gather. With three members missing, they were down to seven people.

On Huang Zhan’s side, he no longer asked his Mystic Stage followers to attack once they spotted the enemy. Instead, the Mystic Stage follower who spotted the enemy was tasked to shadow the target until he or Da Niu arrived. The two of them were the executioners, while the rest acted as scouts. They remained spread out to look for other targets.

In this way, he reduced the chance of having an enemy sneak away with the key. Last time, he had only one member searching for the missing enemy member. That’s how Huang San managed to flee. He wasn’t going to repeat the same mistake, not when they had better battle power.

With this setup, Huang Zhan soon received an update. Yong Kang had spotted the enemies. They were in a group.

“How many people?” Huang Zhan asked.

“Five,” Yong Kang answered.

‘Two people are missing,’ Huang Zhan thought. He asked Yong Kang, “Is my sister in the group?”

“Yes, she is,” Yong Kang answered. They were far away, but he could spot one wearing Princess Huang Er’s royal garment among the four.

“Good. Stay with them. Da Niu and I are on our way,” Huang Zhan told Yong Kang. To his other underlings, he said, “Everyone else, spread out and find their two missing members! Don’t let them complete this stage and flee!”

Yong Kang ended the message and looked at the enemy group. The landscape didn’t have anything to use for covers. Since he spotted them, they also saw him. Seeing he was alone, they came over.

He was not stupid enough to fight five enemies where there was at least one Spirit Stage cultivator among the five. He flew away and kept a safe distance. Seeing his action, the group stopped following him and moved in another direction.

‘A pity,’ he thought. He was heading in the direction from which Prince Huang Zhan was coming. If they continued to follow him, it would take Huang Zhan less time to arrive.

After shadowing them for a while, Huang Zhan finally arrived. Huang Zhan didn’t immediately attack. He waited for Da Niu first. Princess Huang Er was a Peak Spirit Stage cultivator. Even if he had the confidence in defeating her, it would not be easy. If the other four aided her, his chance of winning would drop drastically.

He asked Yong Kang to join the search for the missing enemies while he kept watch on the group of five. He observed the group in the distance. He couldn’t tell if Hua Ling was there. If she were, the group had two Spirit Stage cultivators. It was all the more reason to wait for Da Niu.

“Has anyone found the missing two?” Huang Zhan asked while waiting.

All his underlings replied with a negative. Huang Zhan didn’t worry too much. Da Niu was already close. They would focus on Huang Er. She was the most important target. If she were killed, it didn’t matter even if the rest of her followers fled.

After waiting impatiently for a few more minutes, Da Niu finally arrived.

“Took you long enough,” Huang Zhan said. He used Nature Assimilation. Vines and leaves started growing all over his body.

“My apology, Your Highness,” Da Niu responded. “I’m saving my energy. I don’t use my transformation art until it is time to fight.”

“Very well. We must finish this fast. We can’t have my sister escape like my little brother. After we finish her, we will hunt that obnoxious brother of mine.”

“Understood,” Da Niu said. Changes occurred in his body after he spoke. He used his transformation art, the Great Bull King.

Transformed Da Niu charged forward. Huang Zhan readied his rope dart and followed from behind.

Huang Er’s group of five saw the incoming. They were already aware of Huang Zhan’s presence for some time. They didn’t bother to approach since the opponent would simply move away. This time, they could see the enemies were ready for a confrontation.

“Princess, give us your life!!” Da Niu thundered as he approached.

The four Mystic Stage cultivators around Princess Huang Er sent ranged attacks, but Da Niu tanked through those attacks like they were nothing. Huang Er revealed a glaive and slashed. Her slash conjured a crescent-shaped light that travelled outward.

Da Niu used one hand to receive the crescent light. It shattered upon contact. He stopped charging, not because of the force from the crescent light but because he chose to.

“Moon slash…?” Da Niu remarked. In his knowledge, Princess Huang Er didn’t use this martial art. Additionally, Princess Huang Er was known to use a sword instead of a glaive. Da Niu gave Princess Huang Er a better observation. “You are not Princess Huang Er!”

“I am not,” Hua Ling removed the royal cloth on her body and revealed her soldier armor.

“Where is my sister?” Huang Zhan had arrived as well.

“Somewhere safe from you,” Hua Ling answered.

Huang Zhan scowled. The primary target was Huang Er. If she wasn’t taken out, his ploy didn’t work. He wasn’t sure if his points in this trial were higher than the other teams. Winning fairly through points was never his intention. He sent messages to his other underlings to double the pace of their search. He could not let his sister escape.

“You will pay dearly for this deception,” Huang Zhan told Hua Ling. His face was savage. “Da Niu, kill!”

Da Niu used the movement art that gave him explosive speed. Combined with his transformation art, his speed was undetectable by most eyes and senses.

Hua Ling was alert as soon as Da Niu vanished. She didn’t stay still. She used her movement art as well. Her movement art, Phantom Stride, created afterimages as she moved. She only sensed Da Niu again when he reappeared near her and punched one of her afterimages.

She executed another Moon Slash using her glaive. Da Niu lightly swung his arm, crushing the crescent light and hitting her glaive. She lost balance from the impact. That one clash made her realize how vast the gap between their strength was. Her cultivation level was indeed lower than his, but this gap was way more than the difference between their cultivation levels.

She hurriedly moved away while sending a message to Princess Huang Er, “Your Highness, use your escape stone and leave! You will die if this man finds you!”

*

Princess Huang Er was somewhere else in the trial stage. Sima Fang was with her. Her face was grim after receiving Hua Ling’s report.

“I assume things don’t go well,” Sima Fang uttered. Hua Ling sent the message privately to Huang Er.

“She asked me to use the escape stone,” Huang Er said. She was holding the stone in her hand.

She didn’t want to. Using it would mean forfeiting the right to the throne. She didn’t want either Huang Zi or Huang Zhan to become the king. Her effort this entire time was to prevent that from happening.

“What is our chance of completing this stage?” Huang Er asked Sima Fang.

Sima Fang shook her head. “Not good. We haven’t found the key. Without the others, it will take longer than usual to find and bring it to one of the exit points. I understand Hua Ling reported only Prince Huang Zhan and Da Niu were targeting them, were they? That means Prince Huang Zhan’s other minions are still searching for us. They most likely find us before we complete our objective.”

The idea for Hua Ling to disguise herself as Huang Er and travel in a larger group was Sima Fang’s idea. The enemies were more likely to send their strongest firepower to that group. Hence, distancing Huang Er from danger. Huang Er knew this was for the best. She knew in terms of battle power, her team was weaker than either Huang Zi’s or Huang Zhan’s group. She hoped to complete this trial without encountering either of those two teams. It seemed fate was not that kind.

“Use the escape stone,” Sima Fang suggested. “If you are safe, the enemy will not be that motivated to wipe us out. It is also easier for us to avoid them and hide without having to worry about your safety.”

Huang Er turned to the escape stone in her hand again. Her hand was shaking. Did she have to let everything go? Everything she had strived for.

She let out a long sigh before telling Sima Fang, “Try to stay safe.” She then broadcast a message to the team fighting Huang Zhan and Da Niu, “I will use the escape stone. You all don’t need to fight them. Spread out and flee. Try to stay alive for another three days without completing this stage, and you can leave as well.”

After she finished the broadcast, she channeled her aether into the stone in her hand. Her expression changed.

“You can’t use it, can you?” Sima Fang asked.

“You… You know?” Huang Er turned to her.

“I suspect so,” Sima Fang answered. “I also suspect that our meeting the eighth prince’s team is not a coincidence. Their reaction is unlike when we stumbled upon the thirteenth prince’s team. They seemed to know already that we are in the same trial stage as them. That’s why they managed to ambush us so efficiently. Oh, shoot…”

“What is it?” Huang Er asked.

Instead of answering, Sima Fang pointed. Huang Er looked over to where she was pointing. A figure was in the distance. This figure appeared to be looking in their direction.

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