Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Never Changes
Arc: The Great Guerrilla War
Scarlet King entered the court, with Long Wei and the assassin behind him.
The moment they stepped inside, the judge was already seated in his place, looking over the hall with cold tyranny, as though he ruled it completely. Then he spoke calmly:
"What is the reason Disciple Gu Yue has come to court with two prisoners behind him?"
The court was empty and quiet.
There was no one inside except the judge, Long Wei, Scarlet King, and the assassin.
The hall stood upon four enormous red pillars, each one wrapped by a golden dragon.
The judge sat in an elevated position at the end of the hall, while two slightly raised platforms faced him, with many chairs arranged behind them.
Scarlet King replied with a faint laugh:
"My lord, do you remember the assassination attempt that happened to me? Well, today is the trial of the culprit… and the mastermind."
The elder's eyelids lowered slightly. He adjusted his posture and said:
"The trial… is tomorrow."
"Until then… they will remain here."
Scarlet King smiled faintly, closed his eyes, and thought:
(Everything is moving according to plan.)
The judge moved his hand, and a golden prison made of energy appeared around Long Wei and the assassin. Then they were pushed toward the left wall of the courtroom.
Scarlet King thought:
(An expert at the fifth level of the Path Initiation Realm? Very strong. Even Long Wei would be crushed easily before him. Still, I have Liu Zai Hang's support—the Second Elder of the sect, at the eighth level of Path Initiation.)
His smile disappeared as he continued thinking:
(But… I am still far too weak. External support for breakthroughs is useless if it makes my cultivation unstable without internal support.)
(There is a saying: every external support must have an internal counterweight. Without the internal counterweight… even external support is not enough.)
Long Wei's gaze was cold and confident, carrying a clear trace of arrogance and pride.
His eyes followed Scarlet King, who left the court and found Liu Zai Hang waiting outside, with Cai Yun beside him holding his small hand, while strong sunlight illuminated the area.
Scarlet King said:
"Liu Zai Hang, I want you to go to this place and say these words to Wei Xia Mo: follow your true interest."
Liu Zai Hang nodded with a mocking smile, while Scarlet King placed a finger on his forehead and began transferring the location near the laboratory to him.
"Fine, as you wish, Scarlet King… but you owe me a favor."
Scarlet King looked at Liu Zai Hang and laughed calmly.
"A favor?"
"You… are asking a devil… to owe you?"
Liu Zai Hang thought:
(He's right. He is the Devil of Rebirth… like a black hole. He devours and does not give. Immortal and undying.)
Scarlet King spoke, turning his gaze toward Cai Yun:
"Now leave Cai Yun with me, and go do what I asked."
Liu Zai Hang was silent for a moment.
"..."
Then he moved and flew into the sky, heading toward the place Scarlet King had transferred to him through spiritual communication.
Scarlet King contacted the system:
(System, tell the System Engineer to go to the area behind the mountain, behind the laboratory. He will meet Liu Zai Hang there. Have him take Liu Zai Hang into the laboratory, but erase his memory when he leaves, so he won't remember the laboratory's location.)
The system answered:
(As you command, my lord.)
Cai Yun spoke:
"Master, what do we do now?"
Scarlet King replied while closing his eyes and looking toward the sun:
"Nothing."
He continued calmly, still watching the sun as it set:
"For now."
And with the setting sun…
the threads had begun to tighten.
[The Next Day]
Lin Yuan took Cai Yun from Scarlet King, while Liu Zai Hang went to the laboratory to do something Scarlet King had asked of him.
Inside the laboratory, Liu Zai Hang stood before Wei Xia Mo's prison and said directly:
"Tomorrow is the trial of Long Wei and the assassin. Scarlet King told you: follow your interest."
Wei Xia Mo immediately understood Liu Zai Hang's words and thought:
(Long Wei is arrogant and proud. He always uses me to gain benefits, while I come out with losses.)
(Scarlet King is worse than Long Wei… but even so, I will at least receive some crumbs of benefit, such as ascending through the dimensions. That alone is enough for me to abandon Long Wei.)
Wei Xia Mo took out a blue stone that shone like stars in the night sky and said to Liu Zai Hang:
"This is a Revelation Stone. It records events and transmits both sound and image. Now, record me."
Liu Zai Hang began recording Wei Xia Mo, but…
[A Few Hours Later]
Long Wei sat in the court with boredom, waiting for the trial to begin.
Then the judge released his aura, causing all the doors and windows to open. Bright sunlight and warm morning air entered the hall.
Some disciples outside noticed the elder's aura, and one of them said:
"Oh! Look, it's a new trial for one of the disciples!"
Another disciple said:
"Let's go see who's being tried."
The disciples were shocked when they saw Long Wei and the assassin inside the prison.
Whispers began filling the place:
"Long Wei? What did he do to be put on trial?"
A nearby disciple whispered:
"He was already in prison. How could he do something worthy of trial? Unless he tried to escape… or attacked one of the guards."
The judge shouted loudly, releasing an aura that silenced everyone:
"Silence!! No talking in court!"
Suddenly, all eyes shifted when they noticed Scarlet King entering.
But this time… he was in his true form.
The form of a child.
But his presence… was not that of a child in the eyes of those present.
Some thought:
(Is that really a child?)
Another thought with admiration:
(He's a child… but he's more beautiful than the most beautiful young man in the sect.)
Another thought with contempt:
(He's just a child in the end. What can he do?)
Scarlet King's eyes moved across the hall, looking at every disciple.
Because of his gaze… everyone's thoughts quickly fell silent.
Then his eyes fixed on Long Wei.
And he smiled a demonic smile.
A white aura emerged from his first black eye, and a black aura emerged from his second white eye, both shining with power.
Silence fell.
Long Wei could no longer hear the crowd…
Only this child before him.
Then he heard three words inside his head:
(Long Wei… today, you are finished.)