Chapter 114: Inner Demon
Chapter 114: Inner Demon
“Mist-Hidden Epiphyllum?” Li Yi was secretly shocked.
The Mist-Hidden Epiphyllum was a spiritual treasure of heaven and earth, blooming only once every thousand years, and its blooming and withering happened in a mere instant.
Hence, there was the saying “an epiphyllum’s momentary bloom.”
What truly stirred Li Yi’s heart was that after the epiphyllum withered, it would leave behind a Mist-Hidden Epiphyllum Heart.
This item was a top-grade magical material and could also serve as the core component of a Dao Transformation Armament.
The Mist-Hidden Epiphyllum Heart had effects such as stabilizing the mind and dispelling delusions. Its benefits for meditation were second only to rare divine objects like Bodhi seeds and Qilin horns, and it was much stronger than the “Grip of Serenity.”
“Alright, I agree.”
Such a good deal, Li Yi naturally would not refuse.
However, he felt somewhat puzzled in his heart.
“The Soul-Return Marsh is a notoriously dangerous place,” Li Yi thought for a moment and asked curiously, “‘A person of high status does not sit under a drooping eaves.’ As the legitimate son of the Zhangsun Clan, why don’t you summon your family guards to accompany you? Wouldn’t that greatly reduce the risk?”
“I heard you know Zhang Mingshi?” Zhangsun Shenji smiled faintly, not directly answering.
“Yes!” Li Yi nodded.
“Then why did he choose the Seven-Colored Sin Abyss for his Bloodstained Journey?” Zhangsun Shenji’s smile deepened. “The Seven-Colored Sin Abyss is a perilous land even beyond the reach of the Zhang Clan’s influence. Training there is ten, a hundred times more dangerous!”
Hearing this, Li Yi became thoughtful.
“True strong warriors are forged in blood and fire, tempered a thousand times, born from the flames!” Zhangsun Shenji’s tone gained a resolute edge. “Between life and death lies great terror, but the opportunity for a breakthrough often lies there as well. Do you think the life of a scion of a powerful clan is easy and comfortable? Wrong, compared to commoners’ children, they have to be ten times more diligent and endure ten times more hardship!”
“I see…” Li Yi’s eyes flickered.
“We’ll set off in ten days.” Zhangsun Shenji glanced at Li Yi and instructed, “In these ten days, first enter the Inner Manor, then suppress your Inner Demon and stabilize your realm. When we enter the Soul-Return Marsh, you must be in your best condition. Don’t be careless!”
“Mm, understood.” Li Yi nodded, showing his comprehension.
Night fell.
Meditation Chamber, Ninety-Five.
Without rushing into the Inner Manor, Li Yi intended to slay his Inner Demon first.
Not suppress, but slay!
Sitting upright in the room, the ground around Li Yi was marked with interweaving star-traced magical lines. Pieces of magical materials were scattered among them, with mana flowing and golden light shimmering.
The Elemental Tide surged mightily, like a falling galaxy, gradually sinking into the formation.
This was — the Demon Descent Formation!
An Inner Demon, to put it simply, was the impurity within the soul, such as evil thoughts, resentment, distracting thoughts, greed, and so on.
Ordinary people actually also had Inner Demons, but a Mage’s soul was vast, and the evil thoughts within were particularly powerful, even capable of taking the form of a devil.
Every time a Mage broke through a realm, as the soul transformed and grew, it was often a time for Inner Demons to stir.
Generally, normal Mages used willpower and focused intent to forcibly suppress the Inner Demon, burying it deep within their hearts.
However, there were other methods.
For example, some evil path Mages not only did not suppress their Inner Demons but consciously nurtured them, refining them into something akin to a clone. This method, while carrying the risk of backlash, could result in an Inner Demon as strong as, or even surpassing, the original self!
Li Yi’s method was different.
To sum it up in one sentence — slay the Inner Demon!
The Demon Descent Formation was taken from Wang Sheng’s “Myriad Array Collection.” This formation could summon a projection of the Inner Demon for a direct confrontation!
According to its records, this method was dangerous; the slightest carelessness could lead to the situation being reversed, with the Inner Demon gaining the upper hand.
However, Li Yi was confident.
His soul had first been strengthened by Balor’s Skull and the flesh and blood of a prison dragon, then nourished by “Elemental Affinity,” and further tempered by the “Bearing the Stele” Bloodline Ability, becoming refined and pure.
With a pure soul, slaying an Inner Demon was not a difficult task.
“According to the records, if one slays their Inner Demon, the soul becomes clear and transparent, increasing cultivation efficiency by at least thirty percent! Moreover, it also provides some benefit to ‘Elemental Affinity,’ making spellcasting more effortless!”
Murmuring to himself, Li Yi’s eyes turned cold. Mana spread from beneath him, following the formation lines, spreading and extending.
Instantly, dim light floated, submerging his figure.
He had actually prepared this Demon Descent Formation long ago.
According to the records, the best time to activate the Demon Descent Formation was during a breakthrough.
At that time, with peak mental state and keen momentum, sweeping away the Inner Demon in one go was easiest.
He truly hadn’t expected that, as the saying goes, ‘storms gather without warning,’ Yu Qian had intervened unexpectedly.
The reason for challenging Yu Qian wasn’t merely revenge. More importantly, Li Yi wanted to use the momentum from this battle to maintain his sharpness and slay his Inner Demon!
Now, with his momentum at its peak and well-rested, it was the best opportunity.
Li Yi sat upright. The dim light gradually sank. Waves of deep, worm-like darkness wriggled from all directions, covering and concealing the entire room.
“Illusion!” Li Yi slowly uttered the two words.
The descent of an Inner Demon was divided into three stages.
First, the Illusion; second, the Thought Rain; third, the Inner Demon!
The darkness before him transformed into a dazzling array of colors. An intoxicating fragrance entered his nostrils. Countless nude women posing seductively drifted and swirled around Li Yi.
Their every smile, every gesture, was filled with endless allure and desire, enough to make one’s blood boil.
“Cheap gaudiness!” Li Yi concentrated his spirit, a hint of mockery in his eyes. He snorted coldly. “With such poor charms, you still think you can tempt me? Scram!”
With that “scram,” the illusions were destroyed.
From the darkness, a sinister hand suddenly emerged.
“Li Yi, give me back my life!” Hong He’s voice was plaintive. His brains were spattered, his features displaced. His face looked like a melted wax figure, nauseating to behold.
“I hate you, I hate you!” Zhang Jue’s face was full of resentment. A gash split his chest, with organs spilling out.
“I want revenge, I want revenge!” A headless body held You Wucheng’s head, which was still cursing.
“Li Yi, do you know the pain of being devoured by evil ghosts?” You Honghu’s body was mutilated, with four evil ghosts biting him relentlessly, creating a horrifying sight.
One ghostly figure after another circled around, all people Li Yi had killed.
“I killed you once, I can kill you twice!” A cold laugh rose. Li Yi gave a sharp shout, his figure unmoving. “And you, You Honghu, if you have any grievances, go find Wang Sheng! What does it have to do with me?”
This sharp shout was like a bolt from the blue, dispersing the second scene of illusions.
Immediately after, another illusion arose out of thin air.
“Son, you haven’t visited in so long…”
“Yeah, Xiao Yi, where have you been?”
The voices of his parents echoed softly by his ears.
Soon, a man and a woman, two faces already showing signs of age, appeared before his eyes.
“Dad? Mom?” Li Yi shuddered. A violent tremor arose in his heart.
Reason constantly reminded him: illusions, these were all illusions!
But that indescribable emotion in his heart was uncontrollable.
“So what if it’s an illusion? What’s wrong with staying with your parents for a while?”
A tiny evil whisper spoke in his heart.
A warm scene did not appear. Instead, the next moment made Li Yi’s mind tremble violently.
“Child, when are you planning to come back?”
“Yes, when will we see you?”
Earnest voices sounded. As if eons passed, the wrinkles on his parents’ faces rapidly deepened at a visible pace. Their hair turned gray, their bodies hunched, old age fully revealed.
“You… when will you come back…”
Now, the voices were already aged and dry.
Bang!
In an instant, Li Yi’s mind was thrown into Chaos. His mental defenses crumbled. The Inner Demon was about to descend upon his body!
At this moment, from deep within his body, a deep roar of a Black Dragon sounded, followed immediately by the light roar of a Dragon Turtle. These two ethereal echoes resounded. Li Yi’s eyes brightened, clarity returning.
“Begone!”
A stern word was uttered. The illusions scattered.
He panted slightly, secretly relieved in his heart. Once again, two Bloodline Abilities had pulled him back at a critical moment.
“For the Spell Apprentice Realm, the illusions are usually one wave, at most two. But I had three full waves!” Li Yi’s expression was complex, his thoughts racing. “Could it be… because my soul comes from another world, having lived two lives, there are more distracting thoughts, making the Inner Demon stronger?”
The second stage — Thought Rain.
Evil thoughts condensed into black raindrops fell straight down, piercing through the body and directly striking the soul, intending to corrupt it.
“Divine Intent Lion’s Roar!”
Li Yi’s eyes turned sharp. The visage of an angry lion appeared on his face.
Brilliant, saintly radiance gathered and bloomed between his lips and teeth. A holy sound shattered the darkness!
Crackling sounds rang out continuously. Those distracting thoughts were enveloped in light. The darkness scattered, leaving behind crystalline forms.
These were pure thoughts!
Strands of pure thoughts merged into his body, strengthening his soul.
Due to his powerful soul and secret arts like the “Divine Intent Lion’s Roar,” the “Thought Rain,” which was more difficult for others, was something Li Yi could pass through with relative ease.
The third stage — the Inner Demon.
Before him, a figure resembling a dragon-man slowly coalesced from the darkness. It was eighty percent similar to Li Yi’s Soul Manifestation, but much more evil and ferocious.
“My Inner Demon?”