At the bottom of Magma Lake, inside the Ancient Demon Den.
At the center of the ripples silently spreading outward, an ancient scroll of beast hide slowly appeared.
As if it possessed a mind of its own, it flew before Jiang Wang, who sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, and slowly unfurled.
The writing on the beast-hide scroll was probably Dao Script, because its meaning was clear at a glance. But its characters were twisted and grotesque, utterly unlike ordinary Dao Script.
Perhaps it could be called... Demon Script.
The four characters at the beginning were savage and menacing: "Seven Hates Demon Merit."
The beast-hide scroll hovered and fluttered before Jiang Wang, like a banner.
Jiang Wang's brows were furrowed tight, as if he were trapped in some agonizing choice. Without realizing it, he reached out.
He was going to take that "banner."
As if this were some ancient ritual, he was about to face his transformation today.
His sword-wielding hand, long-fingered and strong, slowly moved toward the ancient parchment.
But just before his fingertips reached it, he stopped.
His brow was furrowed with pain. The torment of an inner battle between two wills showed plainly on his face.
Jiang Wang's hand remained suspended. The ancient beast-hide scroll seemed to grow restless, and its Demon Script characters began to drift into the air one by one.
The Demon Script had a voice.
As the characters stirred, a vast yet savage voice echoed through the Ancient Demon Den, filling those who heard it with terror, dread, and rapture!
The voice chanted—
I hate Heaven for its lack of benevolence; I hate Earth for its lack of virtue; I hate mankind for its utter lack of honor.
I hate the turning of black to white; I hate selfishness and self-interest.
I hate