After entering the Realm of the Immortals, the great Lu Wang, Lord of Demons, showed no mercy to anyone. He slaughtered the mighty, the powerful, the weak, and even infants.
Despite his cruelty, he possessed an otherworldly beauty. His ice-cold almond eyes could freeze the blood in one's veins. His delicate, snow-white face made him look like a fairy.
Yet, the black veins that began at his chest and stretched up to the middle of his cheeks only made his lovely features appear even more merciless.
Now, he stood atop the highest point of the Dao Tower.
With eyes devoid of kindness or pity, he stared at the tragic, deadly scene he himself had caused. His messy white hair danced in the wind.
His long black robe, streaked with red, created a strange and unsettling contrast in his appearance.
A sword was thrust toward him from behind. Lu Wang dodged it with cunning, escaping the strike with sharp precision, and flew to another part of the tower.
His attacker was Lan Sizhui, Lord of Immortals. He stood facing Lu Wang, his cheeks flushed, blazing with the fire of vengeance.
"Lu Wang, no matter what happens today, I will kill you."
Lu Wang uttered only a few words, his expression unchanged:
"Good. Do your best."
Wow, what an incredible scene!
I had been waiting for this battle since the very beginning of the novel. They only had three truly epic fights in the entire story. After all, they were the leaders of two colossal factions.
With sleepy eyes, I leaned forward to keep reading, when my phone rang. I was half-asleep on my bed and my phone was two meters away.
Dragging myself toward it, I suddenly slipped and fell off the bed headfirst.
"May the heavens curse whoever just called me!"
I jokingly answered the phone:
"The subscriber you dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later."
The person on the other end laughed. "What's wrong with you? It's not even noon and you already sound half-dead."
"Stop talking nonsense. Get to the point."
"We're going out today with the gang. You coming?"
"No, I want to finish my novel."
I could hear the disappointment in his voice. "Ugh, Mo Zhan, Mo Zhan. Can't you put those books down for one day?"
Yawning, I lay back on my bed and replied, "Today? Absolutely not. I just reached the hottest—and unfortunately, the most tragic—part."
"Come on! Just today, it's the weekend."
"Yeah well, that's exactly why I can finally read the whole thing in peace."
And without listening to his grumbling, I hung up.
I held the book close to my eyes because everything had turned blurry.
I hadn't slept a single moment since last night, and now it was nine in the morning.
My eyelids were unbearably heavy; no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep them open. Eventually, I gave up. My hands loosened, the book fell onto my face, and I drifted into sleep.
A sudden icy chill and the sensation of being drenched pulled me back into consciousness. Shivering, I rubbed my eyes with trembling hands.
"Ugh, why did the temperature suddenly drop? And why do I feel completely soaked?"
As I looked around, I realized I was no longer on my soft, feathery bed.
"Wow, it's freezing… Wait—what am I doing in water?"
Stunned, I struggled out of a large pool whose water gleamed like the moon.
I stared around. It seemed I was inside a cave. Everything was pitch-black, except for the area around the pool which was bright as day, illuminated by glowing blue stones.
Terrified, I peered into the darkness—until I caught sight of my naked reflection in the stones and nearly melted from embarrassment. I wasn't wearing a single thing.
I searched frantically for something to cover myself with until I found a long black robe rimmed with red. I looked at it with disgust; I hated long robes.
The moment I touched it, to my surprise, it wrapped itself around me on its own. It felt like magic.
"What just happened? Did the clothes move by themselves? Where even am I?"
A voice behind me made me shudder in fear.
"Mr. Mo Zhan, welcome to the new world."
I slowly turned toward the sound, and unless I was hallucinating, the book was floating in the air.
"Did that voice… come from you?"
"Yes."
"Oh, how can a book talk… Ugh, I must be dreaming again."
"No, you are fully awake. Allow me to explain. My name is I Shall Forever Remain a Demon."
Startled, I replied, "Oh, aren't you the book I was just reading?"
"Exactly, that very book."
"Well, then I'm dreaming."
"That is not the case. You have reincarnated into the body of one of the characters inside this book to complete a mission."
"M-mission… reincarnation… I don't understand what you're saying."
"You are destined to alter the fate of this novel's protagonist: Lu Wang, the Demon Lord."
Hearing the name Lu Wang sent shivers down my spine.
"H-how am I supposed to change his fate?"
"Prevent his merciless decisions."
I let out a bewildered, helpless laugh. "Hey, if I really reincarnated into this book, I'll die before I even get within a kilometer of him."
"That will never happen, because you are currently inside his body."
My legs went weak and I collapsed onto the cold stone floor. "Why him of all people?"
"Remember: you will remain here until your mission is complete. And if you don't want to stay here forever, you must play your role well."
"Fine then, give me a clue or something. Where do I start? Where am I? How do I get out of here?"
Immediately, a glowing yellow pouch appeared before me.
"Take this pouch—and never lose it."
"What is it for?"
"Whenever there is an instruction, it will be delivered to you through this."
I picked up the pouch and begged, "I am absolutely not suited for this. I'm going to mess everything up."
"You are already inside. Until you complete your mission, you cannot leave. Your life in this world begins now."
What did he say? He must have lost his mind. I'd been telling him for an hour that I couldn't do this.
"Hey, are you deaf? Aren't you listening to—"
My words were cut off when the spirit of the book vanished.
I shouted at the top of my lungs, my voice echoing through the cave: "Alright, alright! You wanted me here. If I don't wreck this entire novel, then I'm not Mo Zhan!"
That idiot didn't even show me the way out. I grabbed one of the glowing stones to light my path and walked forward aimlessly.