Rise of The Demon General

In his past life, Amon had punished people for slight offenses, much less an attempt for his life. However, it didn't mean he was a maniac who would get back at people for whatever small violation they did to him. If he was such a person, he wouldn't have the time to do anything else because he would have to kill everyone.

He was never a person controlled by emotion or grudge. He simply took the chance if the opportunity presented itself, like the time with Wei Feng. If not, he wouldn't force himself to take revenge. The same thing could be said with his current situation. He did investigate and learned about Lin Zuyi's two attempts on his life, but he never did anything about it. If Pai Kuan didn't come knocking, he probably would just leave the matter to a later time when he could destroy the Lin clan with ease. But since Pai Kuan did, he figured he would just use it as a chance to settle these old grudges.

Despite never planning to take action, he still learned all he could about Lin Zuyi. Before Zing came back with his report, he had known that zuyi and Xiaoying would visit Sinner's Bliss tonight. The two did the same routine every week. The same day, the same time. They also take the same street to that place, which was the one that Amon was watching at this moment.

The street was empty. They took this street because they visited the brothel under disguise. They were prominent youths of one of the top clans in the city. It was unbecoming to openly tell people that they frequent brothels. Their preference for taking this quiet street had given Amon the most suitable location to carry out his assassination. There was no one in the immediate surroundings. Even the house on which roof he was hiding was deserted.

Amon had also learned about their fighting capabilities. Lin Xiaoying's cultivation had increased to the beginning Strength stage since the last time they fought, but in terms of his arts, he was not much different than then. Amon had defeated him when his cultivation was weaker, what more now when his cultivation was higher. Xiaoying was not a problem.

Lin Zuyi rarely fight in the open, but Amon had gathered the info about his style. His martial art mostly used fists. He had a fire-based arcane art, which should be easily countered by Amon's Water Slicing Ring. Zuyi's cultivation was the same as Amon's, at the peak Strength stage. Amon didn't see him as much of a problem as well.

The one that he was most concerned about was the bodyguard. Not much info was known about this bodyguard other than his cultivation was at the intermediate Transformation stage. Some rumors mentioned that this bodyguard's fighting style revolved around long-ranged styles, but it was not definite. Under normal circumstances, anyone would avoid picking a fight against someone with higher cultivation and an unfamiliar fighting style, but Amon was not anyone. He had a poison weapon that could kill anyone below the Martial realm. All he needed was a chance to land a hit.

*

After some waiting, he saw a light signal from one of the six knives in the distance. That was confirmation that his targets would show up soon. Opposite the street was a wide unattended grass field. Tall wild grasses grew there. He used his crossbow and shot at something inside the grass field down there.

Not long after, his three preys finally showed themselves. Amon was circulating his Concealed Ghost Body art. Even if the three had detection art, they wouldn't be able to notice him.

He let the three pass the house on which roof he was hiding.

The ideal plan would be to take out the strongest member first, the bodyguard. He only had one ambush chance. This one chance needed to be maximized so the remaining fights were easier. However, being Amon, he decided to go even further. Why ambush only one when he could ambush all three at the same time?

In his past life, three marks were viable ambush targets. He could come up behind them and do a rapid triple tap with a gun. Each bullet would accurately hit each of the three targets' skulls. His crossbows couldn't do this rapid tap, but it was an easy task for him to throw three throwing knives simultaneously with excellent accuracy.

He readied three poison knives containing the Black Slaughter Poison. This poison was enough for the three.

He waited as the three continued walking. He had made another preparation. The crossbow that he shot before was to activate a contraption he had prepared. This contraption ignited the long wick of a firecracker, which he had timed to coincide with the walking time from here to where the six knives who gave him the signal were positioned.

When the burning wick reached the firecracker, it alighted with an attention-grabbing display. The three stopped and looked at the firework that suddenly appeared on the grass field beside them.

Amon took action then.

It was much easier to hit a static target than a moving one, even one that was moving at a slow walking speed. Additionally, his target's attention was currently drawn to the firecracker. His thrown knives despite being faster than normal due to the effect of his martial art, were still slower than the speed of a handgun's bullet. Not to mention that the cultivators in this world had a faster and more acute reaction. So, the distraction of that firecracker was also to dull their response to this ambush.

His three knives flew at extreme speed while leaving three trails of light.

Lin Zuyi and Lin Xiaoying were looking at the firecracker and were completely unaware of the incoming danger. The bodyguard was also looking, but he seemed to realize the attack. He grabbed Lin Zuyi and yanked. But he was too late. One of the knives grazed Lin Zuyi's belly. Another struck Lin Xiaoying's back, the poison seeped in at once and killed him instantly.

As for the bodyguard, he could have dodged the knife completely if he had moved himself instead of trying to save Lin Zuyi. Because he did, the knife struck his back.

'Success!' Amon uttered in his mind. He jumped down and readied a dagger while running toward the three. Not the swan dagger. The swan dagger was too recognizable. Anyone would know his identity if he used the swan dagger. The one he was holding was another engraved dagger he had bought. Not as good quality as the swan dagger, though.

Amon had prepared to follow up with further assaults in case any of his targets managed to dodge his knives, but none of them did.

Lin Zuyi, who was grazed, survived longer than Lin Xiaoying. But the result was the same, he was trembling as black blood came out of all the holes on his head. He soon fell to the ground. Amon was amused, if Lin Zuyi wasn't that fat, the poison knife would have failed to graze him when he was pulled away by the bodyguard. It's due to his wide girth that the knife could still manage to make contact with him.

Amon stopped some distance away. He was sure the mission was completed already a second ago, but not so now. The bodyguard was kneeling beside Lin Zuyi's body, holding him. That's odd, the black slaughter poison should be equally lethal to a Transformation stage as it was to a Strength stage cultivator.

Then Amon saw the knife that was supposed to stab into the bodyguard, slowly slid, and dropped to the ground. His clothes were cut due to the knife. From the cut fabric, Amon saw a metallic surface.

'Does he wear a protective inner mail as I do?' Amon thought.

Then the bodyguard stood and turned around. His face revealed metallic skin.

It was an art! One that turned the bodyguard's skin into metal. Similar to Amon's Hardened Bronze Body, but seemingly a much stronger art. Considering the bodyguard was still standing without any symptom of being poisoned, his knife had completely failed to penetrate the metallic skin.

Unlike Amon's Hardened Bronze Body, the bodyguard seemed to be able to maintain the state continuously. The bodyguard was currently staring at Amon with a flat expression, no sad or angry expression despite that he had just lost his master.

Amon glanced at the two bodies on the ground. He had settled his old grudge, as well as completed the requirement Pai Kuan demanded of him. There was no need for further risk, he should flee now. However, he was unwilling to leave his three poison knives. Those were his trump cards. Not to mention that someone might connect the knives to him. No one yet knows of his expertise in poison, but he had used such throwing knives frequently in public, albeit the non-poison ones.

So, Amon stayed.

"Who are you?" the bodyguard asked.

Amon didn't answer. The bodyguard might recognize his voice.

"Hm… Fine. Let me capture you. You can help me reduce the punishment for failing to protect these two."

A handful of tiny metal balls appeared in the bodyguard's hand. With deftness, he flicked one of them.

Amon had been paying attention. He felt the danger accompanying that movement. His body instinctively shifted to the side, just as he heard the sound and felt the wind of a small projectile passing by his side. He was familiar with this feeling. It was the sensation when a bullet passed him by in his past life. The speed of the bodyguard's attack just now was as fast as a speeding bullet!