Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change
Arc: The Great Gang War
Scarlet King looked at Liu Zai Hang with slight shock and asked in a low voice:
"How did you figure it out, Master?"
Liu Zai Hang replied with a light chuckle:
"You're younger—and stronger—than Lin Yuan. That alone makes no sense.
On top of that, your way of thinking and your intelligence don't suit a nine-year-old child."
Scarlet King thought to himself:
(Liu Zai Hang is extremely sharp… he noticed it through only a few simple situations.)
Liu Zai Hang shook his head and leaned back slightly as he spoke:
"Don't worry. I won't do anything.
I'm enjoying this entertaining little play.
You remind me of the King in Yellow."
Scarlet King continued thinking as he looked at him:
(I expected him to expose me sooner or later…
but not this frighteningly fast.)
(Liu Zai Hang is highly perceptive.
He exposed me easily because of my lack of sufficient caution.)
(But he still cannot be compared to Rui Zhe Yuanyue,
the steward of the Guon Family in the Eleventh Dimension.)
(Rui Zhe Yuanyue is an unparalleled, scheming genius.
Even I doubt that I could defeat him in a purely mental battle.)
Scarlet King fell silent for a moment and closed his eyes:
(He is the most difficult intellectual opponent I have ever faced,
alongside Zahwah Qing…)
(No. Liu Zai Hang cannot be compared to them.)
(Those people contend with me—
me, the Demon of Rebirth,
who has lived countless different lives.)
(And yet… there are still geniuses capable of matching me.)
Scarlet King asked calmly, in an abstract tone:
"Then how am I supposed to trust you, Liu Zai Hang?"
Liu Zai Hang thought to himself:
(He expects me to be a chaotic, reckless mentor,
but he doesn't know that I enjoy intellectual conflicts as well.)
(And Gu Yue is extremely smart too…)
(But… wait.
Could he actually be the Demon of Rebirth?)
Liu Zai Hang finally replied, looking at Scarlet King with faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes:
"Don't worry.
I don't like ruining the fun."
"And besides, Demon of Rebirth…
I'm one of the biggest admirers of how you dismantle utilitarianism."
"I was supposed to hate you,
because you're the greatest enemy of existence,
but I can't deny my deep admiration
for your undefined, chaotic mental framework."
Scarlet King spoke, his sharp, pointed teeth briefly visible beneath the cloth—a deliberate provocation:
"Oh… it seems you've completely exposed me, Liu Zai Hang.
But we can sign a deal to ensure safety."
He then turned to the Yin and Yang Guards:
"Inform the Television Scientist of the sect's location
that I told you about earlier."
Liu Zai Hang asked with a calm smile:
"A deal? Very well… and what kind of deal would that be?"
Scarlet King replied as he pulled a contract out of thin air:
"We will sign a Heavenly Contract."
Liu Zai Hang was slightly shocked:
"A Heavenly Contract?
And what exactly is that?"
Scarlet King answered indifferently:
"No need to ask.
You can consider it a contract whose terms are defined by its holder."
"My condition is simple:
neither of us reveals the other's identity to anyone."
Liu Zai Hang nodded, took the contract, cut his finger, and signed it with blood without hesitation:
"Now… things are going to become much more interesting."
A few seconds later, the System Scientist spoke:
"We have arrived at the sect, my lord."
Scarlet King looked toward the sect, then stood up from his seat and said:
"The discussion is over.
We can continue it later.
For now, I have some tasks to handle, Liu Zai Hang."
Liu Zai Hang nodded—and in a single instant,
he had already returned to his massive, fully repaired palace.
As for Scarlet King,
he was pushed slightly toward the door
by the air pressure created by Liu Zai Hang's speed.
He said calmly:
"What terrifying speed…
for someone who still lives in the First Dimension."
Scarlet King looked downward
and noticed that Liu Zai Hang's shadow was still present
and would take a few more seconds to disappear.
That sight impressed him slightly.
He turned to the Yin and Yang Guards and the System Scientist and said:
"Stay here,
while I search for a place to build our new headquarters."
The Yin and Yang Guards stopped him and spoke in unison:
"My lord, we want to go with you to ensure your safety."
Scarlet King shook his head:
"You must protect the ship.
I can protect myself—I'm not a child."
Scarlet King exited the ship
and descended into the Screaming Death Forest,
heading toward the place where he had previously met the bears.
He moved through the forest,
running and leaping between the colossal trees,
until he reached the same spot
where the deer's corpse had rotted away,
its bones clearly exposed.
From between the trees,
the leader of the black bears emerged.
It approached slowly,
rubbed its massive body against Scarlet King's head,
while Scarlet King gently patted its head in return.
Scarlet King asked:
"Do you know of an underground cave, bear?"
The bear nodded
and let out a low hum, signaling him to follow.
After walking for some time through the forest,
the bear stopped in front of a cave entrance
and gestured for Scarlet King to enter.
Once inside,
the cave sloped steeply downward into the depths of the earth.
Upon reaching the lower levels,
a vast cavern opened up,
with a small lake at its end,
and a group of bears living at its center.
Scarlet King looked around,
his voice echoing through the cavern, empty except for them:
"This place…
is very suitable.
Safe, and far from danger and detection."