Volume One: "The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change"
Arc: "The Devil Finally Leaves Earth"
Yu Ru Meng and Yao Yan rushed to their father's fallen body and shouted hoarsely:
"Father!! Are you alright?!"
Scarlet King appeared behind them, and the two beauties froze—stunned by how young he looked, like a boy of fourteen or fifteen. Ikalat spoke calmly:
"Well… I expected that reaction. Yes, just as you think—Scarlet King is incredibly young… only thirteen years old."
Scarlet King's gaze returned to the two girls as he said coldly:
"We extracted the spirit that drove your father insane. He was being controlled… but he'll wake up soon."
He gestured for Ikalat and Lin Yuan to go treat their injuries, then remembered the golems that had fallen here. He added, addressing Lin Yuan and Ikalat:
"Let's collect the primordial stones. After that, we'll return to heal and cultivate… while the old Demon King wakes up."
The trio rose into the sky and flew toward the battlefield to gather the primordial stones, while Yao Yan and Yu Ru Meng stayed by their father's side.
[After an hour]
Mo Sheng opened his eyes. The first faces he saw were his beloved daughters. In a rough, exhausted voice, he asked:
"Yao Yan? Yu Ru Meng? Where am I? Why do my head and body hurt so badly?"
He forced himself up, swaying slightly, while his daughters stared at him with worry.
Not long after, the trio returned. Each of them carried a bag of primordial stones—and in Scarlet King's hand were two shining purple stones. They exchanged their reports:
"I got 157 primordial stones—23 blue, and the rest green."
"I got two purple stones from the commander spirit and the general, along with 288 primordial stones of different kinds."
"I got 177 primordial stones—most of them green, and I have 17 blue."
Mo Sheng stared at Scarlet King for a long moment—then Scarlet King stared back. Mo Sheng stepped forward and shook his hand as if they'd known each other for ages… yet a faint, subtle energy stirred the instant their palms met.
Scarlet King pulled his hand back quickly, while Mo Sheng thought to himself:
(So it's you! The devil that life changed… the mad demonic pursuer of an unlimited goal. But it's better to win him over than to oppose him. In the end, he is the rebirth devil who does not die.)
Scarlet King's mind stayed calm, even though the situation was bad and he'd been exposed:
(Hah… my body is slightly changing the structure of my qi, so exposing me was easy once he checked my qi type. And Mo Sheng… we've known each other for a long time, so it was easy for him to uncover me. It doesn't matter. I know how this old devil thinks… he'll prefer to ally with me in crooked ways to gain the greatest benefit.)
Scarlet King gave Mo Sheng a faint smile and a quick wink. Mo Sheng understood and continued the handshake with a fabricated smile of his own.
Yu Ru Meng asked, confused:
"Father… why are you shaking hands with Scarlet King?"
Mo Sheng turned to her calmly:
"Because he saved us. He freed me from the spirit, saved you… and now he will get us out of this ridiculous world."
Scarlet King spoke with boredom:
"Enough. No time for empty talk. Everyone gather around me—two meters away."
They moved closer—especially Yu Ru Meng and Yao Yan, who stood so near they were almost touching him. Each of them carried a different thought:
(If I can win the heart of this little boy… maybe I can beat Yu Ru Meng, even if only once.)
(This cute boy is interesting… he isn't affected by my charm. I like him. And anything I like must become mine… mine alone.)
Mist rose around them and began transferring them. Mo Sheng was shocked by the power of this technique and asked as the air shifted into a violet void filled with stars:
"What technique is this?"
Scarlet King answered as the mist wrapped around them again to move them onward:
"This technique is called the Vaporization Technique. It allows me to move to any place—so long as I've visited it before, or seen it, and it exists in my memory. But I need a few seconds of stillness for it to activate. When it reaches its third level, it becomes automatic—triggered by my will."
The mist faded, and they appeared before the abandoned house through which Scarlet King, Lin Yuan, and Ikalat had entered the Sealed World. Scarlet King pointed at the broken house and said:
"The exit gate is here. Ikalat—transport Mo Sheng, the two ladies, and Lin Yuan out of the Sealed World… while I follow behind."
Everyone hurried inside. A strong green light flared—proof the transfer array had activated—and they were transported back to the outside world on Earth.
Scarlet King remained behind alone, still as dead silence. He took out twenty-two blue crystals and placed them on the ground in a seven-point arrangement. Mist rose around him, changing his appearance back into the young man with black-and-white hair, one white eye and one black eye, wearing his white-and-purple clothes. He cut his finger and began drawing inscriptions on the ground.
When he finished, he said:
"This is a transfer gate to the Sealed World… and I need to create a talisman. This talisman is a miniature array that can transfer me into the Sealed World—something that will be extremely useful."
He produced an ornate wooden talisman and set it at the center of the array. A curved blue light formed around it. The talisman rose into the air, and a design engraved itself onto its surface: a black dragon coiled around itself, with a piece of jade hanging from it. Scarlet King named the talisman, then concealed it using the Vaporization Technique.
Mist rose around Scarlet King and transferred him to the outside world…
But he appeared in the sky—directly above Mo Sheng, the two ladies, Ikalat, and Lin Yuan as they exited the broken house.
Scarlet King spoke with a cold, demonic smile and a low laugh:
"Hah… everything is proceeding according to the Grand Plan."