Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Never Changes
Arc: The Great Guerrilla War
Mo Sheng left, and Yu Ru Meng departed after him, while the Saintess of Darkness opened a spacetime gate and left as well.
Only Lin Yuan, Scarlet King, and the Yin and Yang Guards remained.
Yin Guard asked curiously after seeing Scarlet King standing there, trapped in deep thought:
"Master, what are you thinking about?"
Scarlet King's answer was simple:
"I am thinking about eternal rest."
Yin Guard wondered in confusion:
(Why does he have such an obsession with that goal?)
She spoke with clear respect in her voice, bowing her head toward Scarlet King:
"Master, why do you desire eternal rest to this extent?"
Scarlet King replied in a low voice, without the slightest hesitation:
"Life is like a dream; it ends in moments.
And while beings try to understand it, half the dream has already passed…"
"As for me, I live in a nightmare that never ends."
Scarlet King thought calmly:
(Humans fear death more than anything, then forget its terror until it stands before them. They build empires, chase pleasures, and refine themselves to extend their lives, all while repeating: What is the use of power if it does not grant us a longer life and a lasting legacy?)
(But I say: what is the use of eternal life… if it does not end in eternal rest?)
He continued:
"Every being chases something."
"Love… power… immortality… adventure…"
"So why does my pursuit alone seem wrong?"
"Do I not also have the right… to persevere for what I want?"
"And even if they say this goal is not my right…"
"Then I will break right itself."
"And the laws."
"And existence."
"And everything standing between me and eternal rest."
Scarlet King laughed lightly and shook his head.
"In truth, there is no complete justice in this world. Power is what determines justice and law. Heaven is powerful, so it establishes laws and justice. The Dao is powerful, so it weaves the paths. And the concepts are powerful, so they too become sources of law alongside Heaven."
He looked at the Dragon Fang Blade, then at the Ming Hao daggers.
"Now, let us fuse them."
The two weapons began circling each other, while Scarlet King poured qi around them, using the Eleven Heavenly Weapons Fusion Technique.
The two weapons spun faster and drew closer together, until their color began turning golden, as if they were melting, releasing a powerful light.
The weapons revolved around one another at a speed that made light itself seem slow beside them.
They circled each other, and their approach grew faster…
faster and faster…
until the two weapons entered one another, and a burning spark burst out like sunlight, forcing everyone to close their eyes.
Everyone except Scarlet King.
After the light faded, two new daggers appeared from within the faint glow.
The daggers were a fusion of the Ming Hao daggers, the Dragon and Phoenix Dagger, and the Dragon Fang. Dragon hide and western dragon scales appeared along the handles, with the head of an eastern dragon on one hilt. The other had the same form, but with the head of a phoenix.
Scarlet King held the two daggers.
The moment his fingers touched the edge—
a drop of blood flowed.
But he smiled and held the daggers by their handles, while the wound healed within seconds.
He looked at himself in the reflection of the daggers and said:
"Your new name is the Imperial Scales Dagger."
The system screen appeared and said:
[True Name: Ming Hao]
[Title: Imperial Scales Dagger]
[Level: Void Rank]
[Abilities: Bleeding, Paralysis, Blindness, Edge]
[When the dagger wounds a being, there is a chance to activate Bleeding, Paralysis, or Temporary Blindness. However, if the being's immunity is powerful, the chance of the technique working on them decreases. The Edge ability activates when the user combines speed with the daggers, increasing the daggers' sharpness by 30%.]
[Features: Increases attack points by +600,272,323. However, due to the lack of the required cultivation level to use the dagger's full power, the increase in attack points, strength, and damage will only be +1,100. As the cultivation level rises, attack, damage, and strength will increase.]
[Flaws: The daggers are extremely sharp, to the point that they may injure Master if held directly by the edge.]
[Updating stats… 20%… 70%… 100%]
[New Strength Stats: 572 ----> 1,672 when holding or using the dagger]
Scarlet King looked at one of the universes and thought:
(Let us test it.)
He moved at high speed, and two versions of him appeared.
One version remained standing there…
while the other appeared behind the universe.
In the next moment—
the universe split in half, and a white void appeared at the point of division.
The universe was divided in two and began fading away…
Galaxies collapsed.
Stars exploded.
Black holes devoured themselves.
Lin Yuan felt a chill run through his body.
He was not seeing "power"…
He was watching a universe being executed before his eyes.
"Amazing…!"
Scarlet King looked behind him and watched the universe explode, forming an enormous supernova, with violet-blue light inside it.
"Good… this is very… good."
"I can now deal with people at the fifth or sixth level of the Qi Condensation Realm, or lower."