Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change
Arc: The Great Gang War
Scarlet King stood atop the café where Xue Hua and Feng Jian were seated, his gaze fixed on Lin Yuan. He spoke in a low voice, lifting his eyes toward the sky:
"Life is fair… and yet unfair at the same time.
Everyone is born with equal opportunities—that is fairness.
But the intelligent are those who tear those opportunities apart and extract the greatest benefit from them.
Everyone is born with different talents and roots—that is unfair.
And yet, as long as perseverance and self-reflection exist,
there is no need for fairness… nor for morality.
Self-interest is the only law that never betrays.
Mutual interest is the only currency with no physical form,
yet humans trade with it every single day.
Unlike primordial stones…
if you do not pursue your own self-interest, you will die sooner rather than later.
I am the creator of the Path of Perseverance,
the architect of the Path of Benefit,
and life is fair—relatively.
The heavens are harsh and powerful,
the earth is gentle and calm,
and I am the Ink Devil
who turns everything into a sea of blackness."
Lin Yuan felt someone watching him. When he raised his head, he saw Scarlet King staring at him with eyes completely black. This time, Scarlet King looked different—older, with long black hair reaching his waist, pitch-black eyes, and a lifeless expression.
It felt as though time itself had stopped.
Everyone froze in place. Even Liu Zai Hang, who had been deep in thought, had his thoughts abruptly cut off. Long Wei's smile stiffened.
Blood and qi stopped flowing within everyone's bodies.
The only person still able to move was Lin Yuan.
Space-time cracked around Lin Yuan, revealing a star-filled void beyond the fractures. A crushing pressure made him feel as if his body were shattering from within. A gate opened, and a completely white figure appeared—thin, hairless, expressionless, save for a cold black smile.
It spoke in a strange, distorted voice:
"Hello, Lin Yuan. I wanted to speak with you for a moment."
Lin Yuan asked in terror, his knees trembling violently:
"W-who are you, in the name of the heavens?!"
The white figure replied calmly, letting out a light chuckle:
"Oh, my apologies—I forgot to introduce myself.
I am the Writer of the Mortal Dimensions,
their absolute ruler,
existing in every place and every time,
capable of doing anything and everything,
and capable of knowing and understanding everything within the scope of the mortal dimensions."
Suddenly, Scarlet King appeared behind the Writer and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't scare Lin Yuan, Writer," he said calmly.
"He's still a child—he hasn't even lived past thirty yet."
The Writer looked at Scarlet King in shock.
"How can you move when I have frozen time?"
Scarlet King answered evenly:
"I most likely possess strong resistance to temporal effects. Stopping time, reversing it, or accelerating it has no effect on me—because of the Dark Mind."
The Writer stared at him in amazement.
"Your speed in acquiring fragments of Non-Amenghi Darkness is terrifying. Obtaining the Mind means your memories have fully returned."
Scarlet King replied coldly:
"Yes. My complete memories have returned, and I obtained the Dark Mind by chance."
The Writer nodded faintly and walked toward Lin Yuan.
"I came to introduce myself—and to introduce you to the world you live in. To make the story more interesting. And also so you stop acting like a clueless child. That is why I came to teach you."
He spread his arms, and a four-dimensional holographic construct appeared before him—six layers stacked like a tower.
"These are the mortal dimensions.
Within each dimension are infinite universes.
Each universe contains infinite narratives and stories.
Each story possesses infinite timelines.
Each timeline holds infinite possibilities.
And each possibility carries an infinite number of narratives and stories.
This process repeats endlessly."
Scarlet King thought silently:
(He didn't explain that each universe is qualitatively and hierarchically superior to the one below it, nor the complexity of universe stratification within each dimension.)
Lin Yuan asked in a daze:
"What…?"
The Writer gestured casually.
"I am the creator of the mortal dimensions—their writer and ruler. I am a quasi-immortal being. I never surpassed the mortal dimensions to enter the Five Immortal Dimensions, because I was born for this role. The one who created me was the Great Existential Emperor."
"I am currently writing a novel titled Destruction of the Rebirth Wheel.
You, Scarlet King, and Ikalat exist within this story.
But Scarlet King is a being whose origin no one knows,
and Ikalat is a being from the Immortal Dimensions.
Thus, both of them possess partial immunity to narrative influence and to the laws of the mortal dimensions."
"The story now follows Scarlet King—the Rebirth Devil—whose goal is to destroy the Rebirth Wheel and obtain eternal rest… a mysterious objective whose true nature no one knows—not even me."
Lin Yuan asked in shock:
"Wait… Scarlet King is the legendary Rebirth Devil?"
Both Scarlet King and the Writer nodded.
Scarlet King's form shifted again—white hair, empty eyes, expressionless like a blank page.
Lin Yuan asked:
"Why does your appearance keep changing?"
Scarlet King examined his six-fingered hand, summoned the Ming Hao weapon, waved it while channeling qi, then instantly reverted to his nine-year-old form with black-and-white hair and mismatched eyes.
"Because my qi and cultivation level are unstable. I will break through soon.
Also, this area is isolated from all laws except the Greater Concepts, so my body alters its physical traits and apparent age to prevent identification of which form is the Rebirth Devil."
He looked at the Writer.
"All right, Writer. You can leave now."
The Writer shrugged, smiled enigmatically, and cast one final glance at Scarlet King. A white gate opened, and he stepped through it—vanishing completely.
Time resumed its flow in the First Dimension.
Liu Zai Hang moved again and said to Long Wei:
"Even if what you said were true, Long Wei, Lin Yuan is the First Elder's disciple. We cannot punish him. Moreover… your level is higher than his. How could Lin Yuan have attacked you? Clearly, he is the injured one."
Long Wei replied with forced calm:
"He tried to attack me, but I defended myself."
Liu Zai Hang snapped angrily:
"But the attack was aimed at a vital point—which means you intended to kill him!"
Long Wei responded coldly:
"The punishment for killing a disciple is execution within the sect. Lin Yuan attempted to kill me."
Liu Zai Hang clenched his teeth until veins bulged on his neck.
"But he tried—and failed. Therefore, he cannot be punished."
Long Wei laughed lightly.
"By that same logic, neither should I be punished—because I did not kill him. What do you think, Elder Liu Zai Hang? And who is that small child beside Lin Yuan?"
Long Wei looked toward the child Scarlet King.
A terrifying killing intent erupted, making Long Wei shudder.
But Scarlet King spoke calmly:
"Elder Liu Zai Hang, Feng Jian and Xue Hua witnessed everything. They know who the oppressor is… and who the victim is."