A Time of Rest

Everyone reported their situation, speaking through a medallion that each of them owned.

Several thousand soldiers have died in the past several days, even more were injured. Despite these numbers, they all seemed content. These losses were much less than they had anticipated.

"Any news about Kong Zhi?" asked Du Xiu, he had a calm and gravelly voice.

"No, nothing."

"His forces are still present."

"Yes, there have been no strange movements."

"Hmm."

"Why do you seem so afraid?" Nie Xia asked, his hearty voice came through the silver medallion.

"Our losses aren't so bad and as far as I know, we're winning on all three fronts! If anything, we're all going to be home in no time, isn't that right, men!"

In the background, the other commanders could hear confident shouts and yelling from his side.

"Exactly! The reason why Commander Du Xiu is so concerned is because we are winning. If you are on the losing side, you would change tactics but Kong Zhi has done nothing. What do you think that means?" Yu Zhen interjected, sounding a bit annoyed with Nie Xia's attitude.

"Then should it not be a good time to swiftly take over these three points? Even if Kong Zhi is planning something, we would have three footholds against him."

"That is not the point. What do you think Kong Zhi is planning? If he is willing to lose these things, then he must not value them that much. These might just be distractions!"

"What about it? Distractions or not, our strength would increase."

Du Xiu quickly put an end to their bickering.

"Stop it, arguing will do nothing... Gao Ri, can you think of anything that Kong Zhi might be looking for?"

There was a pause before Gao Ri answered.

"It might be possible that he is looking for legendary treasures."

The demon commander's tone seemed a bit uncertain as he gave his thoughts out.

"As for what, I am unsure. Kong Zhi is a brutal man but he is far from stupid. There are some treasures that come to mind but these are either lost or they only exist in legend."

"What do you mean?" Zi Jing asked, his soft-spoken tone coming from the medallion.

"Considering his character, Kong Zhi will only go for the Dark Starlight Manor or Sword of the Huang Xing. Either one would give him great power. The Dark Starlight Manor is said to be the home of the greatest demon cultivator in the past several thousand years, the Master of Six Skins. He cultivated a unique method that allowed him to gain the bloodline powers of five other demon races. Originally, he was a stone race cultivator like Kong Zhi but with this cultivation method, his strength was easily the strongest. After his death, he left behind the Dark Starlight Manor along with this cultivation method. However, the manor has been lost for centuries and no one was able to find out exactly where it is."

"The Sword of the Huang Xing is an ancient weapons that was rumored to have been forged by the heavens themselves. Born from a mountain and tempered by heavenly lightning, this sword brought about the greatest war that engulfed the entire continent. With the sword in hand, anyone who wields it would feel the power of the gods course through them. It could turn an ordinary person into a master fighter. But this sword is only a legend and even if it did exist, taking it was another story. The Huang Xing Sword was apparently broken into seven pieces and scattered through the land. Finding it and fixing it would be almost impossible."

After finishing his explanations, everyone went into deep thought.

"Du Xiu, do you think Kong Zi is only using these as a distraction? Could he be looking for treasures?" Yu Zhen said.

"It is not certain, but his inactivity is a bit worrying to me. If anything we should watch out for any strange ruins or treasures that we may run into."

"Hah, if that's all then, I'm off! I'll talk to you all later! If I hear any news, I'll be sure to share with all of you!"

"Wait a minute!"

Just as Yu Zhen was about to stop Nie Xia from leaving, he had already let go of the medallion.

"Damn that simple-minded fool, how did he ever become a general?" she spoke with exasperation, like a mother and her irresponsible son.

"He's a straightforward man, not one to hide secrets. His charisma is what makes him a good leader, he cares for his soldiers, wanting to end things quickly so that they could all go home", said Du Xiu.

This time Gao Ri spoke up.

"To be honest, I agree with Commander Nie Xia, we should take over these areas quickly. Turning them into strongholds is not a bad idea. Furthermore, even if Kong Zhi was looking for legendary treasures, it could take years before he could even find a clue."

"Yes, that's right", Du Xiu added, "We should focus on the task at hand. Take over the lake in the south, the forest in the middle, and the mountains at the north, from there we could focus on following Kong Zhi's steps. Is there anything else?"

After setting up brief plans and countermeasures, all six commanders finished their meeting and went back to watch over their positions.

In the midst of all this, Kong Zhi was nowhere to be seen or rather, he seems to have never left his camp. So, what could he be doing during all this time?

His base camp, in the far west where a desert lied, was quite busy. Food and other supplies often went in and out of the camp. This much, scouts were able to find out but that was quite normal, after all this was a time of war.

What they did not know was what was happening inside the camp. In fact, much of what they had seen was all a lie, an illusion.

The camp was being protected by an illusion formation!

Sure, the camp had supplies and men but there was one thing different about it, there was a mine. A great, gaping hole in the ground, filled with giant four-legged lizards and many slaves, all equipped with a pickaxe and a shovel. Kong Zhi's soldiers walked around, watching them like a hawk while he was at the bottom, studying the ground.

The enslaved demons were all ragged, thin from the lack of food, and tired. They've been digging for so long and yet none have them had found something. There would be some veins of ore, maybe some caves that may have treasures, but Kong Zhi did not seem that interested in them. He instead opted on giving it to his men.

At the bottom of the mine, Kong Zhi looked around, occasionally digging up the ground with his hammer. As he broke through the ground, he noticed an opening that lead to another area.

"Could this be it?" he thought.

He quickly smashed through it and entered, finding himself in an empty hall. As he looked around, there was excitement within him. He called over his men and lit up the entire hall with torches.

It was a simple place, only one room but it was gigantic. Great white pillars supported the ceiling while the floor had the imprint of someone's foot, trailing from the beginning to the end of the room. Opposite to Kong Zhi was a simple mat on the ground. In front of it was a great statue, a man with a vicious face and a body similar to that of Kong Zhi. With two clenched fists, the figure was in a stance, ready for battle.

"Is this the Dark Starlight Manor?" one of Kong Zhi's men asked, looking at the statue, he was unsure.

"Maybe", said Kong Zhi, "Go back out, tell the slaves to go continue mining. No one is to know."

"Yes, my lord!"

Everyone but Kong Zhi left, who continued to stare at the statue, a figure of power and strength.

"My ancestor", he said, "Let this young one succeed you!"

His eyes stared with determination and desire as he stepped forward.