Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change
Arc: The Great Gang War
Scarlet King and Ikalates stared at each other in long silence.
Scarlet King's coat shifted faintly with the steady breathing of the sleeping child hidden inside it.
A heavy calm settled over the floor, broken only by distant murmurs from a few cultivators and the soft scraping of wooden cups against tables.
Scarlet King lightly tapped his finger.
The whispers vanished instantly, as if someone had lowered the volume of the world itself.
They were isolated inside a sealed sound field, far from the reach of any eavesdropper.
Scarlet King spoke first.
"So… what's your plan to move to the Second Dimension, Ikalates?"
Ikalates picked up the wine cup before him and drank slowly.
The wine slid down his throat, his Adam's apple moving with the motion.
He lowered the cup, wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his black military clothes, and spoke calmly:
"I didn't expect you to have a technique that can isolate our conversation."
Ikalates looked sharply at Scarlet King, then continued:
"I'll raise my strength quickly—insanely fast—until the sects of the Second Dimension are forced to notice me.
When that happens, I won't need to pass through a gate… they'll come to me."
Scarlet King noticed something and spoke with faint admiration, his pupils widening slightly as one eyebrow lifted:
"Oh? You broke through to the Qi Condensation Realm this quickly?"
Ikalates pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed:
"Don't remind me… the training was torture.
But I raised my strength overwhelmingly, and that's what matters."
Scarlet King let out a faint, mocking laugh and pushed his own wine cup toward Ikalates.
"But even if your strength rises at an insane pace, the sects might still refuse to accept you as a disciple.
Have you considered that?"
Ikalates froze for a moment, closed his eyes briefly, then spoke with mild shock:
"How? Of course they'll accept me.
I have a high realm and great talent."
Scarlet King replied as he glanced down inside his coat, watching the child breathe steadily:
"Sects don't just want talent.
They want talent paired with blind loyalty."
"And you're arrogant, proud, disobedient, and possess no loyalty at all…
That's the exact opposite of what any sect desires."
"They want disciples who willingly become their slaves."
Ikalates clenched his teeth, let out a frustrated grunt, and slammed his fist onto the table:
"Damn it… I didn't think of that.
So what's your plan, then?"
Scarlet King hummed with cold mockery, placed one foot on the table, then raised a finger and pointed toward the ceiling:
"We steal from the sects, escape the dimension through interdimensional chaos,
and move to the Second Dimension."
"An illegal entry, in short."
Ikalates was deeply shocked. He grabbed his head and leaned forward slightly:
"By the heavens… what are you thinking?
You know illegal entry will make us wanted across the dimensions!"
Scarlet King laughed softly, his coldness crawling over Ikalates' nerves like frost:
"And so what?
No one will know we entered illegally."
"You, me, Lin Yuan, and a few others will leave."
Then he continued calmly:
"In the end, no one will be able to expose anyone else—
because whoever tries will expose themselves first,
and that will get them killed before anyone else."
Ikalates stared at Scarlet King, gripping his cup tightly:
"I really like you.
I admit it… you deserve the title of the smartest entity in existence, Demon of Rebirth."
Scarlet King fell silent for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and asked calmly:
"How long have you known my identity, Ikalates?"
Ikalates moved closer and placed a hand on Scarlet King's shoulder:
"I discovered it back when we were on Earth.
At first, I wasn't certain—but after the talent and root tests, I knew."
"You are the Demon of Rebirth."
Scarlet King let out a quiet laugh, extended his hand, and said coldly:
"I'll admit it… you're on the level of Liu Zai Hang—
or perhaps even higher."
Ikalates shook Scarlet King's hand.
Their grip was firm, the motion smooth, like a rolling wave.
"Liu Zai Hang? Who's that?"
Scarlet King withdrew his hand and adjusted the child within his coat:
"A very intelligent man.
He discovered my identity and is now an ally."
"You'll meet him later."
Scarlet King then looked directly at Ikalates and released a portion of his aura:
"Now… take me to your sect so I can treat my injuries."
Ikalates glanced at Scarlet King's battered condition and asked:
"By the way… I forgot to ask—what happened to you?"
Scarlet King shrugged indifferently, spreading his arms slightly:
"I had a problem with a gang inside my sect.
Now they're trying to kill me… but I survived."
Thunder rumbled faintly in the distance.
Ikalates tightened his grip on the cup and smiled with admiration:
"Oh… that's just like our sect's system.
We also have gangs and factions inside my sect."