Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Never Changes
Arc: The Great Guerrilla War
The waiter spoke while the old man poured the juice, placing one cup before Scarlet King and another before the waiter.
"Qi juices and qi-infused meat—especially qi chicken—
are among the sect's guarded secrets.
That is why the Heaven's Grip Sect is considered one of the strongest sects.
This recipe has helped many disciples reach the Qi Condensation Realm,
and even break through to the Beginning of Path.
It is one of the reasons our sect sits upon the throne of the Four Great Sects."
The waiter raised his hand toward the ceiling, then glanced around cautiously, moving his eyes left and right to ensure no one else was present besides the old man and Scarlet King.
Then he leaned closer and lowered his voice to a whisper.
"The source of these things… is the First Elder, Zhao Tian Yi.
He is the brother of Elder He Huan and the father of Xiao Mo.
He alone possesses the method to produce them."
Scarlet King smiled faintly and closed his eyes slightly as he thought:
(Hah… I have already gotten close to Xiao Mo.)
(Through her, I can approach her father and persuade him to help me monopolize the market inside the Heavenly Food Sect.)
(In the end, even if the sects appear allied, they are secretly enemies.)
(Each wishes for the destruction of the others so that it alone may stand at the peak of the pyramid within the First Dimension.)
(Therefore he will certainly agree to anything that harms a rival sect.)
A faint smile appeared on Scarlet King's lips.
But it held no warmth.
It was the smile of a devil who had discovered new prey.
He asked calmly,
"Where does the First Elder reside?"
The waiter smiled.
"My friend… you are quite brave to approach the First Elder.
He is known to be a very dangerous man—
especially in matters concerning what belongs to him…
such as his daughter."
He lifted the cup slowly and drank before continuing.
"Very well… I will tell you."
"He lives at the peak of the sect's second mountain—north of here."
The waiter called toward the old man:
"Another juice!"
The old man approached and poured another cup while the waiter continued speaking.
"And also… the recipe itself is not entirely secret.
It can be found on the black market.
However, the First Elder produces it with exceptional purity.
That is why his version is the most famous within our sect."
Scarlet King rose slowly from his chair and smiled coldly.
"I should thank you for your assistance…
in my own way."
He paused briefly.
"And that way… is to hide you from existence."
Only then did the waiter realize that the smile had never been friendly.
It was the smile of a predator.
His voice trembled as sweat spread across his face.
"W-what… do you mean…?!"
Before he could finish—
Scarlet King snapped his fingers.
With that single, quiet snap…
The waiter's body vanished.
As though he had never existed.
As if the world itself had erased him.
Nothing remained.
Scarlet King turned toward the old man, who had been silently observing.
But suddenly—
The old man's features twisted.
His wrinkles faded.
His face changed entirely.
Revealing Ikalath's black visage.
He had no eyes. No nose.
Only a demonic grin beneath a military cap.
His skin was black and etched with slowly moving red markings.
Eleven eyes opened across his chest and stared at Scarlet King.
Ikalath spoke:
"Alright… let's go to the First Elder and ask him to sell us the juice and food
in exchange for the primal stones we obtained from the tavern."
Scarlet King raised a hand to stop him while finishing the juice.
"That would be foolish."
He stepped closer.
The difference in height between them was obvious.
Scarlet King spoke with lifeless eyes hidden behind the cloth covering his face.
"The elder would immediately realize we learned one of the sect's secrets.
That would make him suspicious.
He would investigate.
He would discover the waiter's disappearance.
And he might conclude that we are spies from the Heavenly Food Sect."
He continued slowly:
"So I have a plan."
He crushed the cup in his hand.
Glass shattered across the floor.
"We must approach him through Xiao Mo.
That way he will not suspect we are spies—
only that we are his daughter's friends who wish to learn from the great elder."
Ikalath nodded slowly.
"Then we begin trade with the Heaven's Grip Sect
to collapse the Dragon Gang's market and drive them into bankruptcy."
"That will cause their warriors to abandon them."
Scarlet King replied:
"Exactly."
He thought:
(The Dragon Gang pays its strongest fighters monthly salaries similar to the stipends given to the top 111 disciples of the Heavenly Food Sect.)
(But once those payments stop…
they will abandon the gang immediately.)
(Because the benefit will have ended.)
(That will weaken the Dragon Gang both economically… and militarily.)
He spoke again.
"Now… take the primal stones and some food and juice."
Ikalath asked curiously while holding several blue primal stones.
"Why steal the food if we intend to buy it from the elder anyway?"
Scarlet King remained silent for a moment.
Then Ikalath suddenly smiled.
"Oh… I understand."
He looked at Scarlet King with admiration.
"You want it to appear like an ordinary theft—
not part of your plan.
So suspicion will not fall on you.
That way the waiter's disappearance and the stolen goods will seem like the work of thieves within the sect—
not an outsider."
Scarlet King replied simply:
"Correct."
He grabbed the food and devoured it in a single bite
like a beast that had not eaten for centuries.
Then he said:
"When Xiao Mo pulled me aside earlier, she asked me to visit her tonight.
That will be useful for getting closer to her… and to her father.
Especially since she lives with Zhao Tian Yi."
He gestured casually.
The food, along with the blue and purple primal stones, vanished into his spatial coat.
"Come. Let's go."
Scarlet King and Ikalath moved lightly—
like feathers falling onto wet clay.
They slipped through the back door
and headed toward the peak of the sect's second northern mountain.
They leapt across rooftops and marketplaces beneath the pale blue crescent moon illuminating the sect.
Scarlet King spoke telepathically to Ikalath:
(I will handle the elder.)
(Do not speak. I will do the talking.)
---
After crossing rooftops and hills for some time,
they finally reached the northern mountain of the Heaven's Grip Sect.
A large palace stood there, illuminated by yellow lanterns.
The building had three floors
and a modest garden behind it.
Scarlet King stopped before the door.
He knocked.
After a moment, soft footsteps approached.
The door opened.
An old man stood there.
White beard.
Hair tied into a bun.
He was extremely tall—so tall that Ikalath had to tilt his head upward to look at him.
"Who are you?"
Suddenly—
The elder's aura erupted.
Like an invisible wall pressing against the air.
It was the aura of Beginning of Path — Fifth Level.
Scarlet King's robe fluttered violently.
His cap trembled under the pressure.
Yet he spoke calmly.
"We are friends of Xiao Mo."
He pointed to himself.
"Gu Yue."
Then gestured toward Ikalath.
"Ikalath."
He continued quietly.
"Sister Mo asked us to visit her tonight."
The elder's aura weakened slightly.
He turned toward the palace interior and shouted:
"Xiao Mo!!"
"You have visitors!"
The elder thought to himself as he cast one final glance at Scarlet King and Ikalath before stepping inside:
(Xiao Mo makes many friends.)
(It is not strange for someone to visit her here.)
(Hah… perhaps I should marry her off soon.)
(She has grown up…)
(And I am getting old.)
(I want to see my grandchildren.)