Way of the Devil

Lu Sheng opened the email. The photos of wanted criminals were loaded.

There was a photo of a masked girl with long black hair.

The girl’s white mask was made of ivory and covered her entire face. There were not even any slits for her eyes.

However, from the looks of the skin on her neck, she seemed to be very young. Her skin tone was fair, but she was not as fair as Caucasians.

As Lu Sheng looked at the photo, he could not help but feel that the person in the photo gave him a familiar vibe.

It was as if they had met before.

The original Du Xiong could not have recalled a distant memory from this faint sense of familiarity. However, Lu Sheng was different.

His spirit was too powerful. With a clue like this, all he needed was an instant and he would have found the source.

‘This girl… I think Du Xia brought her home to play once…’ Lu Sheng immediately recalled Du Xiong’s previous memories.

‘Looks like Du Xia must be a member of this Misty Erosion,’ Lu Sheng guessed.

He scanned this Yellow Springs Witch’s criminal record. The least of her crimes involved the killing of thousands. However, the common practice for official announcements were such that the number of casualties would always be underreported.

If he took that into account, he could have a rough picture of just how frightful this Yellow Springs Witch could be.

‘She’s such a formidable figure, yet the family of her own members were still under constant attack in her own territory… Looks like it’s time for me to contact this so-called Yellow Springs Witch…’ Lu Sheng made the decision.

However, before he did that, he had to find other ordinary Geshas to test where his strength level was.

Besides…

“Dudududu…”

His phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number.

Lu Sheng glanced at it. He figured that it had to be some advertising call when he causally accepted it.

“Hey.”

“Do you remember that young adult you killed the other night?” a hoarse and deep voice of a man spoke slowly from the phone.

“I think you called the wrong number. This is absurd.” Lu Sheng frowned. However, he did not hang up.

“Even though you’ve been using satellite phones these days, they’re still under our supervision. We know about your relationship with Andes. It’s pointless to feign innocence now,” said the other man casually.

“I was surprised to learn that you’re highly talented in the fist. To have been capable of defeating the Fist Emperor Andes and obtain the title of Fist Emperor Specter at such a young age is truly a sight to behold… Should I say that this is to be expected of that person’s elder brother?”

Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed.

“Since you knew, what’re you calling me for?”

“Don’t you want to know how your little brother died, and what is your little sister Du Xia’s real identity? If you want to know all this, come to this place…” The other voice softened even more.

Lu Sheng listened carefully to the instructions from the man. He started to understand this situation.

The man must have been plotting to lure him out with information so that he would leave Du Xia’s protective range of his own accord.

Lu Sheng quickly ended the call and took out the SIM card. He crushed it casually and tossed it into a rubbish bin.

He remembered Andes’s number. He did not know which organization the caller was from, but since he wanted to lure him out that badly, it was clear that he had some unnamed objective.

However, this played right into Lu Sheng’s plans. Du Xia’s supervision and protection were also shackles to him. He did not want Du Xia to know his secrets this early on. He could not even explain his strength.

This world was not like the previous worlds he visited. If he wanted to reap more benefits, he would have to play smart.

Lu Sheng went down the stairs. Like the man had instructed over the phone, Lu Sheng changed into gray jerseys casually and pulled his hood on. He went out of the house for a leisurely walk.

After strolling through the streets, he went into a cubicle and waited.

A young man with a build similar to his was already waiting in the toilet. The man walked up to him and greeted him. “Du Xiong?”

“Yes.” Lu Sheng nodded.

“Give me your clothes,” said the young man softly. “Careful, there are eyes on you outside.”

“Mm-hm, I understand.” Lu Sheng nodded.

The two of them exchanged clothes without saying a word. The entire process was over quickly with familiar movements. It was obvious that the young man had been practicing.

After they finished changing clothes, the man pulled on his hood, lowered his head and walked out while mimicking Lu Sheng’s gait.

Shortly after, Lu Sheng felt the protective aura in the surrounding vanish. The aura had left with the young man.

‘Much better.’ Lu Sheng moved his neck and went out of the toilet. He quickly passed through an alley to another street. Then, he hailed a taxi.

“Driver. To 118 North Wang Chuan Road.”

“Don’t worry. I know the address.” The driver turned and smiled at Lu Sheng.

“Oh?” Lu Sheng was stunned. He did not expect the other person to make such precise arrangements.

“I believe this is the first time we’ve met. My name’s Jiu Nan. The number “jiu”, and the direction south “nan”[1. ED: If it’s a number, then jiu must be 9. Or maybe it’s just him explaining pronunciation, not spelling]. I’ve been specifically sent by the organization to be your chauffeur.” As the man drive, he turned and flashed a smile at Lu Sheng.

“Because of your little sister, the blame has been placed on us. We had no other choice but to employ this method to contact you. I hope you’ll forgive us if we’ve made you upset in any way.” Jiu Nan made a sincere expression.

Lu Sheng could not have cared less about what the man wanted to say. He directly asked, “Are you a Gesha?”

“Uh… I’m not… but I’m a Star Chaser. In the organization, I’m ranked—” Jiu Nan had not finished his sentence when Lu Sheng thrust a finger before his eyes. Lu Sheng moved his finger slowly.

“Look at my finger… my finger… You’re very sleepy… sleepy… sleepy…”

10 minutes later…

“Click.”

The car’s door opened. Jiu Nan alighted and opened the door for Lu Sheng.

“Please be careful, Master. The Imperial Phoenix’s seventh leader is inside,” Jiu Nan mouthed softly without making any sound.

Lu Sheng nodded.

“Make a copy of the information on every expert in the Imperial Phoenix for me. Remember to avoid all the forms of supervision they’ve put in place.”

“Understood.” Jiu Nan nodded slightly. He the immediately regained his natural expression—the official, mask-like smile—as he spoke to Lu Sheng. “This way, please.”

Lu Sheng was indifferent. He looked at the building before him which resembled a television broadcasting company. He strode over to the building’s entrance.

Lu Sheng passed through the glass doors and arrived in a spacious lobby with black stone as the flooring.

Two twin sisters were already waiting for him inside. They wore beautiful maid dresses and tied their hair in two ponytails. They bowed toward Lu Sheng slightly.

“Welcome, Mister Du Xiong. The seventh leader is already waiting for you on the third floor.”

“Please lead the way.” Lu Sheng nodded.

The girls were only some 16-17 years old. They had slender and graceful bodies which were moving and tender at the same time. What attracted the gazes of the other people was that the hems of their skirts were too short. The slightest breeze lifted them up and exposed the scenery underneath.

The sisters brought Lu Sheng into an elevator, and they went up to the third floor.

“Ding.”

The elevator doors slid open slowly. The twins were the first to walk out. Their expressions were largely different from before.

The sisters brought Lu Sheng through the corridor and came to an office whose doors were wide open. They knocked on the door softly.

“Come in.” The voice of a young man came from within.

The sisters made inviting gestures toward Lu Sheng.

“You must be careful. The seventh leader’s power lies in his hands… Do not touch his hands…”

“If you require any assistance, kindly summon us. We’ll come and rescue you right away.”

The twins wrote these words down on Lu Sheng’s palms.

Lu Sheng smiled gently at the two of them. “Thank you both.”

“This is our duty.” The twins smiled and lowered their heads.

Lu Sheng turned around and walked in. A slight breeze blew from the air conditioner vent on the ceiling. A black-haired pre-teen boy sat right in front of the air vent.

The boy wore a stern expression. He gave the impression that he was trying hard to act like an adult.

“Hello, Huntress Witch’s brother, Du Xiong. My surname’s Li. You may call me Brother Li,” said the boy calmly. “I know everything about you just like the back of my hand. In fact, we know everything about you, your parents, and your little sister.”

“Is that so?” Lu Sheng played along. He made a surprised face.

Sitting before him was the first actual Gesha that he would be facing off against. Through the dozen seconds since he entered the door, he already noticed a fatal weakness of this boy.

“What I wanted to tell you is that your brother’s death wasn’t an accident. If you want to find out about the truth, you’ll have to cooperate with us wholeheartedly,” said the boy with a straight face.

Lu Sheng immediately became serious as well.

“Don’t worry. I’ll cooperate as best I can.”

“Uh…” The boy seemed to have thought that things would not have gone this smoothly. For a time, all the meaningless talk he’d prepared beforehand could not be spoken now. He felt as uncomfortable as if he had constipation.

“That’s great. Also… We have an idea about the identity of the murderer of your little brother. They wanted to pin the blame on the Imperial Phoenix, but we won’t take this lying down,” the boy spoke with a hint of pride.

“Who’s the murderer, then?” Lu Sheng suddenly turned and cast his gaze outside the office’s window.

Before he realized it, the skies had already turned dark red.

The clouds and azure atmospheric layer had vanished. All that was left was a patch of dark red.

“What this?! Divine Energy Embellishment?!” The boy noticed it as well. His facial expression turned grim all of a sudden.

“Hiss..”

Suddenly, through the window, he saw a huge meteor wrapped in black blurry aura shooting toward them across the skies.

“What’s that?! Zhou Quanwu! You’re crazy!” he suddenly bellowed. His expression changed greatly. He turned around and charged toward the wall behind him.

“Boom!”

In an instant, a loud sound reverberated throughout the building. Amidst the intense swaying and trembling, the building exploded with a bang. The bricks and mortar shattered and shot everywhere as balls of scorching flames seeped through the gaps between the floors.

It was as if the interior of the building was filling up with magma.

The stench of sulfur filled the air.

A huge number of staff who could not get out of the building in time was instantly devoured by the flames. They were burned and melted away.

The human bodies within the flames were swiftly charred as they struggled desperately. The flailed their limbs, but eventually crumbled into ashes.

“Bam! Bam! Bam!”

In an area of 50 meters around the building, scarlet pillars of flames more than 10 meters tall shot into the skies. They formed a peculiar sight as if they were geysers.

“The plan is almost completed… You’re starting to care less now.” Before a bank far away, a big and tall man who wore a grayish-white windbreaker sighed with a cigarette in his mouth. He looked on at the majestic sight of the explosion in the distance.

“I’ve warned the Imperial Phoenix. You can’t blame me for this.” Zhou Quanwu leaned on the side of the door lazily. A classic-looking pitch-black straight sword was between her legs.

“If I hadn’t come here, were you planning on ending everything without even unleashing Divine Energy Embellishment?” the man asked with helplessness.

“Do I look like someone who’s that cruel?” Zhou Quanwu tugged her long hair. “Alright, we’ve dealt with another one. That’s one less fetter for my cute subordinate.”

“I think that you’re going crazy for that thing.” The man’s expression was complicated.

“Perhaps…” Zhou Quanwu was slightly stunned as well. Then, she smiled. “I need a Du Xia who has no flaws. Currently, she still lacks the most important aspect. She’s not quite ready to become my third core.”

“What is it she’s lacking?” the man asked, surprised.

“Oh? A fish has slipped through the net. The seventh leader lives up to his name.” Zhou Quanwu did not answer the man. Instead, she directed her gaze toward the blazing ruins.

She raised her right hand. A black ball swiftly enlarged in her palm.

“Don’t.” The man grabbed her arm. “Let’s go. Leave this to the others. Don’t make any more moves.”

The black ball in Zhou Quanwu’s palms slowly dissipated. She turned to look at the man again.

“Are you worried about me, Father?”

“Perhaps…” The man fell silent. “Let’s go, it’s time for us to head back. The time to fight the Imperial Phoenix head on has not yet come.”

“…I understand.”

“Pcchht!”

A black bolt of electricity shot out from her palm toward the flames in the distance.

“This is the final time.”

…

The fire burned fiercely.

The seventh leader propped up a clean and white daffodil with difficulty. The flawless petals formed a tight wrap a few meters around him, which blocked the unfamiliar blood-colored flames from reaching himself.

He was merely defending, yet he was already almost at his limit.

“Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! Zhou Quanwu! You lunatic!!” The boy shouted with a fierce look on his face. However, the poisonous smoke in the air made him choke and cough.

“Zhou Quanwu?” Suddenly, a part of the wall beside the boy was peeled open. A bronze-colored hand had easily pushed away the wall which was red from all the burning.

Lu Sheng walked out of the flames without a scratch on him. His clothes were clearly mostly destroyed. However, his exposed, powerful muscles were untouched. Under the illumination of the red flames, he resembled a statue.

“Such pitiful flames… I can even smell the scent of despair. Is Zhou Quanwu the murderer?”

“You?!” The seventh leader was startled by the voice, and turned to look in its direction. When he saw the speaker, his entire body stiffened.

“You… How?!” The seventh leader’s mind went blank.

He had thought that Du Xiong was a mere mortal. However, the latter had walked directly out of the flames without any sign of being burnt.

“Hiss…”

At this moment, a black meteor shot toward them from the distant skies.

The meteor grew in size as it neared them. In the blink of an eye, it had grown to a diameter of more than 10 meters. It charged mercilessly toward where Lu Sheng was.

The seventh leader stared blankly at the giant meteor behind Lu Sheng. He pointed a finger at it as he shook.

“Why’re you looking at me like that?” Lu Sheng glanced at him with surprise.

“Me… Me… Me…” the seventh leader stuttered. The words were stuck in his throat.

“Miggle?” Lu Sheng checked all his pockets. “I don’t have any.”

When he saw that the seventh leader was dumbstruck, he decided to move closer.

“Here, look at my hand. It’s swaying, swaying…”

“Me… Me…” The seventh leader started to find it difficult to breath.

“My hand. Can you see it? It’s swaying… swaying…”

‘I f*cking know that it’s swaying! A meteor! It’s coming! It’s coming again!’ the seventh leader shouted furiously in his mind. However, the words would not come out of his mouth.

When he saw that the meteor was getting closer, the seventh leader’s whole body was shaking. ‘It’s too late! It’s too late! I’m going to die!

‘I’m still young. I don’t want to die! I have my whole life laid out before me, I want to enjoy more… to enjoy…’

“Boom!”

The meteor came crashing down.

Lu Sheng turned and hurled a punch with lightning speed.

His intense punch pressure compressed the air and produced a huge air shock wave, which hit the black meteor’s flames heavily.

“Boom!”

A ball of brilliant blackish-red radiance erupted immediately. The meteor erupted like an airflow. It instantly turned into countless streams of flowing light which shot in all directions.

Lu Sheng turned around and extended his hand.

“Here, look at my hand…”

“Mm-hm… It’s swaying…” The seventh leader stared at Lu Sheng blankly. His expression was blank, awed, stunned.

“…” Lu Sheng was slightly dumbfounded. ‘Why isn’t the psychological guidance art working?’