Volume One: "The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change, and the Heart of the Dead Devil Regrets Nothing"
When the door opened, the Supreme Director entered—the same man who had spoken to Lin Yuan earlier. He stepped into his office calmly and saw Michael Gale standing inside, waiting. The air was silent and cold.
The Director sat behind his desk and asked:
"What information did you obtain from that person?"
Michael Gale leaned in and whispered near the Director's ear:
"Sir Stephen Gale, the information we acquired is that China will attack the United States of America, supported by Russia and North Korea."
Stephen Gale's eyes widened in shock. He almost denied it—then raised his hand in a swift gesture and said:
"Even if it's a false warning, we must prepare. Notify Congress to prepare for war. We have to strike before they do—especially since the Air Force has detected all Chinese military satellites above America."
Michael Gale spoke coldly, a faint, hidden mockery in his expression:
"Understood, sir… May I leave?"
Stephen Gale gestured permission. Michael Gale left the office and walked to an empty area.
There, the creature from earlier emerged, with Lin Yuan beside it. Scarlet King spoke:
"Do you remember the conditions to make you a cultivator? Three million drops of blood? We don't need help… humans will give us that for free."
And Scarlet King laughed inwardly with demonic amusement:
(And we'll benefit from new servants as well… because I can revive humans from death—and during revival, I can tamper with their memories. I'll make them slaves who can think of nothing but serving my goal… and that's how we get the greatest benefit from the corpses of the war's dead.)
Lin Yuan pressed his lips together, tense, and spoke in an agitated, nervous tone:
"How?"
Scarlet King answered with absolute coldness. Suddenly, black mist rose around them, and Lin Yuan's tension spiked.
"You'll know later."
Through the mist, the place turned into a black void filled with beautiful white stars, violet and blue space-time fractures, and enormous black holes tinged with deep blue.
Lin Yuan asked:
"What is this?"
Scarlet King answered coldly as he stared at the breathtaking scene:
"This is the void between the universes of the First Dimension… their number is infinite. They expand at a speed that cannot be measured, becoming infinite on the scale of time. And as the First Dimension expands—and the rest of the eleven dimensions expand as well—the abstract existence of the Supreme Fundamental Existence is formed."
The black mist returned. Lin Yuan began sweating—then they reappeared in the same place where the golem battle had happened.
Scarlet King said:
"Good… we've arrived. Let's see the place Ikalat and the Shadow chose."
He pointed east and said:
"They're there… in that direction."
As new mist wrapped around them, Lin Yuan grabbed Scarlet King's shoulder anxiously. His curiosity was like a compressed bottle ready to burst. He asked:
"What are these things? I don't understand anything!"
Scarlet King replied as the mist faded and they appeared before a medium-sized wooden house, where Ikalat and the Shadow sat near a rock:
"You'll understand everything in its time."
It was midnight. The weather was cold and still. From inside the house, laughter and warm yellow light spilled out. The house stood near a mountain; nearby were artificially planted maple trees, and the mountain's green trees swayed in the breeze.
Scarlet King returned to his true form: a boy who looked fifteen—though his real age had not exceeded a week and two hours. Black-and-white hair. Purple clothes with a thick blue stripe down the center. Wide white sleeves. A purple headband with white edges. One eye completely white, the other completely black.
Scarlet King stepped forward and broke the door.
Inside, it was simple: a kitchen on the right, a living room, a television… and then a dinner table where a family of four sat: a mother, a father, and two children.
With superhuman speed, Scarlet King severed their heads. They flew into the air. The beautiful table filled with blood, and the heads fell onto the food.
Scarlet King raised his hand. Black energy appeared and enveloped the family. As he revived them, he began tampering with their memories. He changed the two children into Scarlet King as a baby and another baby named Fang Chen, replacing the family's original children. And he made Lin Yuan and Ikalat into "close friends" of the father and mother.
When the family returned to life and opened their eyes… they saw the two babies.
Scarlet King was in the form of a small infant, a pacifier in his mouth, wrapped in swaddling cloth. Beside him was another infant who looked almost exactly like him—except his hair was completely black, and his eyes were a pale yellow leaning toward blue (unlike Scarlet King's sharp contrast). They lay in a small crib. Fang Chen slept, while Scarlet King was awake.
The mother—wearing simple housewife clothes, with short brown hair and faint wrinkles—stepped forward and gently played with Scarlet King, saying:
"Hello, my little ghost baby… are you awake? Uncle Ikalat and Lin Yuan will come tonight to play with you."
[Midnight]
After everyone fell asleep—Ikalat and Lin Yuan in side rooms, while Scarlet King and Fang Chen lay in their crib in the guest room—baby Scarlet King spoke coldly:
"The Hybrid."
The same creature from the private room emerged. It breathed heavily, about three meters tall, its heart pounding loudly. It said in a heavy voice:
"Yes… my little lord."
Scarlet King replied:
"Shut up. I want you to bring me some corpses after the war begins… so I can have them build an underground laboratory for us. We need to prepare to leave Earth as fast as possible, and become disciples in one of the great sects. Now go."
The Hybrid vanished.
Scarlet King moved, undid the swaddling, then stood up. He walked over, placed his hand on the belly of his "twin brother," and pressed. Black energy leaked out as he spoke in a low, mocking tone:
"Hah… little brother, you're lucky. I'm transferring to you my talent, my roots, and my cultivation energy. You should thank the heavens."
Then mist wrapped around Scarlet King… and his location changed into what looked like the gate of a gigantic sect floating in the sky. Flying boats approached. Sunlight blazed. Mountains and rivers surrounded the place. On the sect's gate was a golden dragon emblem and red walls. The scene was enchanting.
Scarlet King placed his hand on the ground, set something like a seal into the soil, then said:
"Not now… you reckless, distant observer."
End of the Chapter
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