Way of the Devil

“What do we do now? Are we still shopping?” Little Qin could not forget about shopping.

The corner of Yan Kai’s mouth twitched helplessly.

His junior apprentice sister was wonderful in almost all aspects. She would not look down on him simply because his strength was so weak that he was hardly even in the realm of Bind. Her only shortcoming was that she tended to escape reality.

“We are… where do you want to go?” He sucked in a deep breath of air and regained his composure.

“I want to go drink some fruit wine. The peach blossom sour plum wine here’s famous both near and far! Oh yes…” The excitement on Little Qin’s face died down suddenly. “I was also about to ask you, Senior Apprentice Brother, what’s with the injuries on you?”

“Pah.”

Without warning, she pulled Yan Kai’s arm away and pushed his sleeves up his arm.

Yan Kai’s strength was weaker than hers to begin with. Caught in her grip and unable to wrestle free, Yan Kai had no choice but to let her see what was hidden under his sleeves.

On his originally fair forearm were purplish scars packed tightly together like centipedes. The shortest among these scars were the length of a palm, while the longer ones stretched on under his clothes towards his shoulder.

“Sigh… Little Qin…” Yan Kai stared helplessly at the rage burning in his junior apprentice sister’s eyes.

“Thankfully, that b*tch Rongrong’s not by your side now. Right now, you belong to Little Qin, Senior Apprentice Brother.” Junior Apprentice Sister returned to her smiley manner immediately, hugging his arm and waving it about. “And how did Senior Apprentice Brother come to know that man from earlier? Tell Little Qin all about it.” Something in her smile made refusal impossible.

“Alright… alright then…”

Yan Kai knew his junior apprentice sister’s temperament. It was not without reason that she was called the genius of their sect. Right now, that split personality of hers was the secret behind her true power.

The two of them left the area, located a winery that specialized in selling peach blossom sour plum wine, entered and sat in a private chamber. An urn of fruit wine was served and they began drinking together.

“Speaking of how I came to know that man, I’ve got to start from when I was travelling in the Northern Lands and encountered that huge incident…” After a few cups, Yan Kai began explaining with a bitter smile upon seeing his junior apprentice sister’s sober face.

Beginning from when he had encountered Lu Sheng in Lu Family in the Nine Links City, to how he had assisted them in capturing ghosts and saving people, and then on to the fight for Scarlet Dragon Tribulation.

“Scarlet Dragon Tribulation? You mean that Artificial Divine Weapon?” Little Qin could not help but interject. “Hasn’t the Hundred Lineages determined that it’s an Artificial Divine Weapon?”

“But there’re bound to be those who don’t believe. The Divine Weapon Master of the Noble Family of the Northern Lands, the Zhen Family, happened to have been injured in the last kingdom war and remains in slumber. Their Divine Weapon had also been damaged and is in decline. That was why they took part in the fight, just in case the judgment that it was an Artificial Divine Weapon was only a rumor. At least it gave them a trace of hope… it’s normal.” Yan Kai shook his head. “As for the other factions, I’ve heard them mentioned even though I’m not clear on the specifics… they’re all some assorted factions in the Northern Lands. Among them were many experts hired and dispatched by Noble Families. After all, even an Artificial Divine Weapon or Holy Weapon represent great power.”

“What irony… Please continue, Senior Apprentice Brother.” Little Qin smiled.

Yan Kai began recounting his travels. Soon, he mentioned how the eldest young master of the Lu Family, Lu Sheng, had joined the Crimson Whale Sect and was appointed its sect master. The leap in between was simply legendary.

He continued recounting the past. Towards the end, he finally talked about the bizarre Unlaughing Master incident.

“Unlaughing??” Little Qin arched her eyebrow. “In an ancient book, I did read about an organization called Three Sacred Gates rumored among the Great Demons. It’s highly mysterious and keeps an extremely important secret. Finding Unlaughing Master is like finding one of Three Sacred Gates’ Demon Mirrors.”

“That should be the one. This time I was implicated in Three Sacred Gates’ troublesome business,” Yan Kai sighed helplessly. “Although thanks to someone, my strength increased drastically. But I never ever want to experience it a second time. And I’m sure Senior Apprentice Brother Wan Hezi feels the same.”

“That lad Wan Hezi was there too, eh…” Little Qin was surprised.

“Yeah… there’s absolutely no way you can imagine what he’s like now… after that trial,” Yan Kai sighed. Finally, he had the opportunity to talk to someone about the trial he had encountered with the Unlaughing Master.

It turned out that Unlaughing Master was merely a switch. Once the number of Blood Offerings met a certain quota, he would activate an illusion on infinite loop.

This illusion was both real and fake at the same time. Within the illusory realm were two hidden doors—one that led to reality and another that led to a mysterious unknown world.

“That world… according to a brother of mine who survived together with me, they call that door the Door of Pain. Behind it is a world that’s completely different from ours. A world that even Great Demons would rush like ducks for,” Yan Kai whispered.

“Three Sacred Gates… I understand now… so that’s what Three Sacred Gates really mean… does it refer to three sacred portals?” Little Qin immediately responded after some dazed thought.

“To think that it has such a layer of meaning?” Realisation dawned on Yan Kai as well. “That brother had saved me three times. I owe him three lives. So I went out on a limb to help him…”

“He’s a demon?” Little Qin asked out of the blue.

“… Yes.” Yan Kai fell into a silence. Then, he quickly added, “But he never eats humans.”

“Please continue, Senior Apprentice Brother.” Little Qin nodded.

“After that, we cracked puzzles and codes one after another. Finally, it was the test of combat power. As the strongest person in the area at that time, Lu Sheng was put into the illusory world as the final gatekeeper.

My brother told me that all clones in the illusory realm possessed only half the strength of their actual counterparts in the real world. Lu Sheng was the boss of a mortal faction. He was supposed to have been an easy test… And then… and then… my brother went in for the test…”

At this point, Yan Kai wiped his face. A look of pain had overtaken his face.

“I… in the end… all I managed to salvage was one of his legs…”

Little Qin quickly caressed Yan Kai’s hand, consoling him.

“No wonder when you saw that man…”

“Strength, speed, impenetrable iron skin, and that terrifying roar. There’s no way you can imagine how even sound waves can kill. That man… and that was only half his true power…” Yan Kai covered his face in his palms. Had it not been for that brother whom he had found in the illusory realm and who had told him his hiding spot, neither he nor his Senior Apprentice Brother Wan Hezi could have lived.

“Don’t tell me he’s even stronger than that man from back then?”

Little Qin found it incredulous.

“That man from back then…” Yan Kai shut his eyes and fell into momentary silence.

“No… he’s way more powerful than that man. This Lu Sheng… I suspect he’s not even human to begin with…”

***

Leaning against the window in the inn, Lu Sheng stared at the carriage team passing by beneath.

In his hand was the name list of all who were participating in the Hundred Lineages Meeting. The location for their Prime Devil Sect was marked out on it.

“We’re scheduled for some of the earliest matches. Our venue’s Charlie-27.” He pressed the name list against the tabletop.

He Xiangzi was sitting across from him. Umbrella girl Yingying was on the side too. Apart from them, Crimson Whale Sect’s men were standing guard on the perimeter. Ning San and the rest had already begun to establish themselves in the White Bell City. Using the sect’s capital, they had opened a small casino—the Crimson Whale Sect’s old trade.

With Shangyang Family helping out here and there, the casino’s expenses and earnings were no cause for worry.

He Xiangzi glanced at the mortal subordinates guarding them, and could not help but feel a sense of irony.

“Who would’ve thought that, in the end, we’ve got to rely on Junior Apprentice Brother’s mortal faction?”

“Don’t say that, Senior Apprentice Sister. Since I was appointed the first seat before we set out, this is my responsibility.” Lu Sheng smiled.

Presently, his eight Devil Will hearts were about to hatch. Although his Yin Extreme Mode could suppress their aura, there was no way to contain that formless heavy pressure that he exuded naturally.

When Ning San and the rest from the Crimson Whale Sect saw him, they felt uncomfortable, giddy and nauseated just from merely standing before him.

That was the effect of the evil chants coming from Lu Sheng’s Devil Will hearts. They were mixed with all of Lu Sheng’s worldly thoughts and desires, then amplified several times by Prime Devil Qi. The resulting sound was on a frequency above what the human ear could perceive. Its effect was wicked as well.

In actual fact, the Crimson Whale Sect mortals were not the only ones who could not handle it. Even He Xiangzi who was sitting in Lu Sheng’s presence felt uneasy.

Because umbrella girl Yingying was an Anomaly, it affected her less. Even then, however, she kept her head bowed most of the time, not daring to make eye contact or speak with him. But none of them were sure if Lu Sheng was the source of what was troubling them.

The reactions of both of them made Lu Sheng cautious. Only when he actively contained it could he arrest that effect. The moment he relaxed, it would naturally exude outwards from himself again. Not even Yin Extreme Mode could do anything about it.

“This time, it’s still the Wan Shun Palace, the West Infinity Court and the Heaven Containing Sect playing hosts. These three sects are the top three sects in the Hundred Lineages. They’ve always been the dragon heads in the past few years,” He Xiangzi introduced. “Our Prime Devil Sect’s ranked among the lower three grades. Originally, our opponent was supposed to have been the Nine Bells Sect. But now that their sect master’s gone missing, our opponent has been replaced by the Alternate Cave Sect.”

“Alternate Cave Sect?” Lu Sheng had never heard of the name of this sect.

“The Alternate Cave Sect, the Sun Genesis Sect, the Red-Robed Forest of Swords… these are our longstanding rivals. Back when the Prime Devil Sect still had pretty decent strength, we crossed paths with them many times under teacher’s leadership.” At this point, He Xiangzi suddenly noticed a team of people passing by under the window.

“Look. What a coincidence. Those are from the Sun Genesis Sect. Their first seat Yi Chengshan is powerful indeed. Each time, they’re one level stronger than us.”

Lu Sheng’s gaze followed the direction of He Xiangzi’s finger.

A team of men and women in black robes were strolling along the street. A giant “Sun” word was on each of their backs, marking them out clearly.

This was the Prime Devil Sect’s long-time rival. As one of the Hundred Lineages, the Prime Devil Sect naturally had its own counterparts and rivals.

“He Xiangzi? You’re here too!?” Just then, another team of people appeared at the stairs in the inn. A middle-aged woman among them looked in the Prime Devil Sect’s direction in surprise.

“Yunxiang?” He Xiangzi quickly rose to her feet with a look of surprise and joy.

The team of people quickly neared. That middle-aged woman was their leader. Unexpectedly, all of their company were women. From old to young, there were seven or eight of them.

“Let me introduce you to each other.” He Xiangzi quickly began introducing Lu Sheng with them.

“This is my Junior Apprentice Brother Lu Sheng. He’s also Prime Devil Sect’s representative contestant this year. This is the first seat of Prime Devil Sect’s longstanding friend, the Jade Sound Clan—Chen Yunxiang.

“So it’s Junior Apprentice Brother Lu.” Chen Yunxiang nodded at Lu Sheng in greeting.

In response, Lu Sheng stood up and smiled. They then exchanged pleasantries with the rest of the ladies before sitting down again.