Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change
Arc: The Great Gang War
Liu Zai Hang fixed his gaze on Scarlet King's face for several long seconds.
Then his shoulders slowly relaxed, as if an invisible weight had finally been lifted from him.
When he spoke again, his voice was steady—far steadier than it had been moments earlier.
"Very well… consider me with you. But—
you must ensure that I meet the Yellow King before a thousand years pass."
Scarlet King nodded calmly, his demeanor unhurried. He clasped his hands together and replied softly:
"Don't worry. You will meet him before—"
He raised his hand. A cold, demonic smile crept across his face, causing Liu Zai Hang to tense slightly.
This was no ordinary person—this was the Rebirth Devil himself.
Scarlet King lifted his hand and revealed three of his six fingers.
"Three hundred years…
and you will meet the Yellow King."
Moonlight filtered through the window, illuminating Liu Zai Hang's face. A playful yet unstable smile appeared, tinged with faint tension, as he asked:
"But… didn't you say you wouldn't be the leader of the Inky Rebirth Dark Faction?"
Scarlet King shrugged indifferently, spreading his arms slightly before leaning back until his shoulders touched the edge of the chair.
"Yes. In the end, I am just a child. No one would truly follow me.
That is why Lin Yuan will be the leader."
Scarlet King chuckled mockingly in his mind.
(But I will be the hidden leader—the one who controls everything from the shadows.)
(In the end, I will be exposed quickly anyway. How could a nine-year-old truly lead an entire faction?)
His thoughts sank deeper.
(I need to raise my cultivation level, my talent, and my roots as fast as possible… and there is a quick and easy way to do so—through infants.)
The temperature in the room suddenly dropped. Faint white breath escaped Scarlet King's lips.
A dense purple aura spread around him like suffocating fog, pressing down before it could even be seen.
"Very well, Liu Zai Hang…
I want you to bring me as many infants as possible."
Liu Zai Hang's finger froze against his chin, as if his mind lagged half a second behind what he had just heard.
Shock overtook him completely.
"And why do you need them?!"
Scarlet King replied as he stood from his chair and walked toward the door, his footsteps echoing across the wooden floor:
"You'll know later… just bring them.
And does it really matter to you? Isn't what matters most meeting the Yellow King?"
Scarlet King exited the palace. Cold air struck him, causing his coat to flutter violently as his gaze lifted toward the moon.
(The sky is cold. The atmosphere is tense. And I—the mad demonic hunter of an unlimited goal—walk between the poles of existence, knowing the entire existence will turn against me if my identity is exposed… but does that matter?)
(What matters is perseverance in my heart. I do not care whether they call me a demon or an angel. These are fleeting labels before power and perseverance. If they truly held meaning, existence would already be a paradise.)
Scarlet King chuckled softly and spread his arms, his coat whipping wildly in the wind.
(Labels change according to interest.)
(If interests align, a demon becomes a friend.)
(If they don't, he becomes something to avoid.)
(And if interests clash, he becomes something to kill.)
(This is the system of the world—of existence itself.)
(Interest comes first. Everything else is decoration.)
Elsewhere
[Miles Away, Behind Sunless Walls — Inside the Prison]
The atmosphere within the stone walls was bleak.
Inside the cells—each containing nothing more than a bed, a bucket, and a small toilet hidden behind a low wall—the stench of mold and dampness filled the air.
The echo of dripping water resonated through the corridor like a slow clock, counting down what remained of the prisoners' lives.
Behind iron bars, Long Wei lay stretched across his bed.
A guard approached and struck the bars with his sword.
"Hey. You've got a visitor, Long Wei."
Long Wei adjusted his posture and sat up calmly.
Wei Shi Mo appeared—this time in his original male form—and spoke with quiet composure:
"Greetings, Lord Long Wei… how does it feel to be in prison?"
Long Wei clenched his fists so tightly that veins bulged around his eyes, his pupils widening with rage.
"Shut up.
Spread the word among the Dragon Gang—
whoever brings me the head of that child, Gu Yue, will become the next leader of the Dragon Gang!"
Wei Shi Mo nodded calmly, a sinister calculation hidden behind his gaze. He smiled faintly, closed his fan, struck it against his palm, and replied in a tone of feigned reverence:
"Don't worry. I'll send twenty men from the Dragon Gang to hunt him down, kill him, and bring you his head… in honor of your glory."
Meanwhile
[In Front of Scarlet King's Palace]
Scarlet King paused briefly before the palace.
Then the jetpack wings unfolded, and he soared into the moonlit sky, flying above the sleeping sect toward the Sky-Grasping Sect.
At the same time, Wei Shi Mo left the prison and headed toward the Dragon Gang's headquarters.
When he entered, he found the place packed with members.
The headquarters resembled a massive café—rows of tables, a corner selling drinks, and an upper floor overlooking the hall.
Some members chatted, others sparred bare-handed, others drank juices. Voices overlapped, and the scent of drinks filled the air.
Wei Shi Mo spoke loudly:
"Members! The gang leader wants Gu Yue's head.
Whoever brings it will become the next leader of the Dragon Gang!"
Rough laughter mixed with the clinking of cups, daggers resting casually on the tables like ordinary utensils.
But the moment he finished speaking…
The laughter stopped.
Metal rang through the room.
Daggers were sharpened.
Hammers struck steel.
Fingers cracked.
It was as if the headquarters itself was preparing to give birth to a massacre.
One man shouted, his voice rough with excitement:
"It's time to win the grand prize!!"
Grins spread across every face as the thought of the reward took hold.
Wei Shi Mo stepped outside, watching calmly as they poured out of the headquarters—
all heading toward Scarlet King.