Chapter 53:A Campfire in Hell

The Third Disciple watched Lucifer's movements for an entire week.

And the more he watched—

The less sense they made.

Instead of cultivating...

Lucifer gambled.

Instead of training...

Lucifer slept.

Instead of studying martial arts...

Lucifer spent entire nights drinking.

The reports became increasingly ridiculous.

"Young Master, Lucifer spent three hours fishing today."

"...And?"

"He never caught anything."

The Third Disciple frowned.

Another report arrived.

"Young Master, he lost money gambling."

"Again?"

"Three times."

Another.

"Young Master, he spent the night at the Jade Blossom Pavilion."

Silence.

The Third Disciple slowly rubbed his forehead.

The terrifying monster who supposedly killed the Fourth Disciple...

Was acting like a useless rich young master.

Eventually he waved his hand.

"Keep watching."

Yet after several more days—

Even his spies grew careless.

Because Lucifer seemed completely harmless.

Exactly as planned.

That night—

Lucifer lounged comfortably inside the Jade Blossom Pavilion.

Music echoed through the room.

Dancers performed elegantly.

Servants poured expensive liquor.

Lucifer leaned back with a satisfied sigh.

"Life is beautiful."

Chirin floated beside him.

"You've said that six times already."

"The food is excellent."

"You said that too."

"The dancers are excellent."

"..."

"The wine is excellent."

"..."

"The women are—"

"Focus."

Lucifer sighed dramatically.

"No appreciation for culture."

Chirin crossed her tiny arms.

"Did the spies leave?"

Lucifer glanced toward the window.

A faint smile appeared.

"About an hour ago."

"Good."

"Then let's get to work."

Instead of heading downstairs—

Lucifer headed upward.

Toward the highest floor.

The luxurious atmosphere vanished.

Two guards blocked the entrance.

"Unauthorized guests are forbidden."

Lucifer produced a black token.

The guards immediately stepped aside.

"Please enter."

The hidden floor revealed itself.

Not a brothel.

Not a tavern.

A black market.

Illegal pills.

Forbidden techniques.

Assassination contracts.

Poisons.

Formation arrays.

Anything money could buy.

It was all here.

Lucifer wandered through the stalls casually.

Then stopped.

A familiar woman sat behind one of the counters.

Lei Xin.

The former assassin.

She looked up.

"You finally decided to stop chasing women."

Lucifer smiled.

"No woman can resist my natural charm."

Lei Xin stared.

"...Sure."

"That response was rude."

"Reality usually is."

Lucifer laughed.

"Good to see you're still alive."

Lei Xin rolled her eyes.

"You're the reason I am."

After Jang's death, his family lost the ability to hunt her.

For the first time in years—

She was free.

Lucifer tapped the counter.

"My items?"

Lei Xin sighed.

"You never ask how I'm doing."

"You seem alive."

"..."

"That's good enough."

She threw a storage pouch at him.

Lucifer opened it.

Poisons.

Formation reversal talismans.

Beast-attraction bells.

Everything he requested.

Perfect.

Lei Xin lowered her voice.

"You know all of this is illegal."

Lucifer nodded.

"Of course."

"What are you planning?"

Lucifer considered the question.

Then smiled.

"Genocide."

Silence.

Lei Xin stared at him.

Trying to determine whether he was joking.

The worst part?

She couldn't tell.

Because whenever Lucifer said something insane—

It usually happened.

A few moments later he stood.

"Thanks."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Lei Xin shook her head.

"One day you're going to destroy this cult."

Lucifer grinned.

"One day?"

Then he walked away.

Leaving Lei Xin with a very bad feeling.

"The next morning, Lucifer arrived at the meeting point where the Third Disciple and his followers were waiting..."

The forest was silent.

Too silent.

The kind of silence that made experienced cultivators uneasy.

Moonlight filtered through the trees.

Beside a lake, a campfire crackled.

The Third Disciple sat near the flames, appearing relaxed.

But his eyes occasionally drifted toward a particular tent.

Lucifer's tent.

A smile touched his lips.

Everything was proceeding exactly as planned.

The poison hidden inside dinner.

The isolated location.

The loyal lackeys waiting for orders.

By tomorrow morning—

Lucifer would be dead.

A convenient accident.

Nothing more.

Inside his tent—

Lucifer lay motionless beneath a blanket.

Or so it seemed.

Outside, footsteps approached.

Two lackeys.

Quiet.

Careful.

Murder written across their faces.

One whispered:

"Young Master was right."

The other nodded.

"Let's finish this."

Their blades pierced downward.

Once.

Twice.

Ten times.

Twenty.

The blanket quickly turned red.

Blood splattered everywhere.

The two men laughed.

Relief flooding through them.

"He really died this easily."

"All those rumors for nothing."

Finally—

One of them pulled away the blanket.

The laughter vanished.

The corpse wasn't Lucifer.

It wasn't even human.

A wooden puppet stared back at them.

Crack.

A strange sound echoed.

The red liquid covering the puppet began to hiss.

The smell hit first.

Then the pain.

One lackey looked down.

His skin was turning black.

"What—"

The poison exploded through the air.

Outside the tent—

Screams erupted.

The Third Disciple shot to his feet.

"What happened?!"

A disciple stumbled forward.

Face melting from poison.

"P-Poison!"

The Third Disciple's expression changed.

Immediately.

Impossible.

He had poisoned Lucifer.

Not the other way around.

Then realization struck him.

Lucifer knew.

He knew from the very beginning.

Panic spread.

Disciples rushed everywhere.

Some tried to suppress the poison with qi.

That only made it worse.

The venom traveled through their meridians.

Destroying them from the inside.

One after another—

People collapsed.

The Third Disciple roared.

"FIND HIM!"

No answer.

Only screams.

Only death.

High above the camp—

Lucifer sat comfortably atop a cliff.

Legs crossed.

Watching.

Smiling.

A small bronze bell hung from one hand.

Chirin floated nearby.

"...You're terrifying."

Lucifer shook the bell.

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

The sound echoed across the forest.

The ground trembled.

Far away—

Thousands of red eyes opened.

Beasts.

Hundreds of them.

Maybe more.

Every single one rushing toward the sound.

Toward the camp.

Toward the trapped disciples.

Below—

The Third Disciple felt the vibrations.

His face paled.

"No..."

The trees exploded outward.

A tidal wave of beasts appeared.

Wolf packs.

Demonic boars.

Iron-claw bears.

Everything.

Charging directly at them.

"RUN!"

Someone screamed.

The survivors rushed toward the edge of camp.

Only to slam into an invisible wall.

BOOM.

BOOM.

BOOM.

Formation barrier.

The protection array.

Their own protection array.

The thing meant to keep monsters out—

Now kept them trapped inside.

The Third Disciple stared in disbelief.

"No..."

His hands trembled.

Lucifer had reversed the formation.

Somehow.

Somewhere.

While under constant surveillance.

On the cliff—

Lucifer tossed another high-grade spirit coin into the array.

The formations glowed brighter.

Chirin watched.

"You bought all this from the black market?"

"Poison."

Lucifer counted on his fingers.

"Formation reversal talismans."

Another finger.

"Beast-attraction bells."

Another.

"And enough spirit stones to bankrupt a small sect."

Chirin sighed.

"You spent a fortune."

Lucifer grinned.

"Worth it."

The first beasts reached the camp.

Then came the slaughter.

Screams.

Roars.

Blood.

Chaos.

The night itself seemed to come alive.

The Third Disciple fought desperately.

But every beast he killed was replaced by three more.

Every escape route led back into the poison.

Every decision only made things worse.

For the first time—

He understood.

Lucifer never entered this forest to gather Soul Fruit.

He entered this forest to bury everyone who came with him.

The realization crushed him.

He wasn't the hunter.

He was prey.

He had been prey from the moment he invited Lucifer.

Above—

Lucifer watched everything calmly.

Like a king observing a game board.

Every move.

Every scream.

Every death.

Calculated.

Expected.

Controlled.

Chirin shivered.

"Remind me never to betray you."

Lucifer laughed.

A genuine laugh.

"Good choice."

Then—

A new voice echoed behind them.

Cold.

Calm.

Dangerous.

"What if I kill you right now?"

The laughter stopped.

Instantly.

Lucifer's smile disappeared.

For the first time all night—

His eyes sharpened.

Because whoever spoke had approached silently.

No killing intent.

No footsteps.

No warning.

Nothing.

Slowly—

Lucifer turned around.

The moon illuminated a lone figure standing atop a tree branch.

Watching him.

Watching the massacre below.

Watching everything.

As if they had been there the entire time.

And for the first time since entering the forest—

Lucifer felt something unusual.

Not fear.

Not excitement.

But curiosity.

The stranger smiled.

"You really are a monster."

Lucifer smiled back.

"And yet..."

His hand slowly moved toward Chirin.

"You still came alone."

End Chapter