[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-282":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269928,4431,"Chapter 282","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-282",282,"\u003Cp>Devils are a major nuisance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the consensus among many races of the Prime Material Plane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demons only seek slaughter and flesh; even when they come to the surface, they mostly rampage wildly and indiscriminately. But despite how much they kill, they rarely manage to completely annihilate a city (people run away).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the time, while fighting, they somehow turn on each other and happily brawl into a chaotic mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if there are powerful demon lords or archdemons capable of commanding demon armies, they still become public enemies of the Prime Material Plane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All races, nations, and deities will actively intervene—even archdemons are merely treated as a quick snack, a change of flavor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as there’s a fight, they don’t care who they’re fighting; in fact, they prefer other demons, devils, or powerful beings from the Upper Planes over fragile surface dwellers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While devils may number less than one percent of the endless demons in total population and high-tier strength, most races regard them as equally evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tsk tsk tsk, you came too fast, too fast, yet too few—truly a pity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julian, revealing his chain devil true form, smiled with great delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had waited for this day far too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was bored, utterly weary of playing some backwater archmage, weary of teaching the arcane secrets to those stupid, filthy “animals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many lifeforms misunderstand devils and demons, assuming they are some kind of hellish beings, merely skilled in specific things, and evaluating their abilities based on lists and data.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most common prejudice is that magic-oriented demons excel at magic, melee-oriented devils only swing decapitation swords, and succubi only charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, as long-lived beings, they can self-learn various professions and abilities—even surpass their innate talents in those fields. Many devils and demons don’t do this because their innate abilities are already strong enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The base number is too high; too much effort is required to see any tangible gain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That energy might yield more if invested in advancing their bloodline or hellish title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Julian” before him was clearly an anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a chain devil skilled in close combat, he had lain dormant in this kingdom for at least thirty years, even becoming a renowned archmage of the realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I originally thought it would be Dainya and the royal knight order who came for me. I even prepared a speech, ready to skillfully stir up tension between the mages and the royal house. I even prepared to ‘die’ under the title of ‘traitorous archmage.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even surrounded by the Radiant Guards, “Julian” remained effortlessly composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even had the leisure to speak like a classic villain, detailing his schemes and inner journey—but the Radiant Guards gave no reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Devils are supreme masters of contracts and language; countless supernatural abilities activate through speech. The wisest choice in battle against them is to stay silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, you must be shaken already, right? Just learning that Principal Julian is a cultist should be enough to shake you. Guess how many of my disciples and students are devil worshippers, how many belong to the Beast Cult?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julian’s words carried an uncontainable joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, if not for orders from “above,” he would have left this dull, boring kingdom long ago. When King Griffin ascended the throne and the entire nation rose in strange glory, he was among those who joined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, he thought he could pull off something big—but the entire kingdom collapsed in chaos, and the biggest disappointments were precisely those of us “conspirators.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the way, even if you barely survive and return to the surface, accusing me of being a traitor or a devil—how many will believe you? I’ve already prepared my backup plans. Your “lies” will only anger my disciples and students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chain devil Julian seemed to have held it in too long, happily recounting his story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When first dispatched here, he thought it was a plum posting, full of easy gains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the kingdom grew weaker day by day, and his role as a “spy” lost all value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, he somehow earned “trust” and “promotion” through diligent work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And devils, as a race, have one weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fortunately, I’ve already risen as far as I can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Devils are symbols of lawful evil; they share too many essential similarities with “bureaucratic systems,” and their advancement even requires superior approval.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Promotion slots are directly tied to positions and ranks; they even call bloodline evolution “promotion,” and their workplace intrigues rival palace conspiracies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Julian’s behavior is not unique. Many devils have “bureaucratic addiction” or “promotion obsession”; they value advancement above all else, especially when guided by order and self-interest. Before exposure, they can be the best lawyers, officials, accountants—their mastery of rules ensures that any scheme they execute remains invisible to ordinary people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Julian, the court politics of Griffin’s era were too treacherous; too many chaotic elements had infiltrated the kingdom, with various external factions fighting among themselves—any misstep could lead to exposure.\u003C\u002Fp>",831,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0ec1132892707470bdf7bcb7259527e97c8c99a5ef2576b51a5126ab7827fa89","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-283","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-281",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]