The false smile vanished, leaving only a cultivator whose inner demons were gradually growing.
Even those who were truly bloodthirsty must have inner demons. Inner demons are the suppressed parts of a person's heart. Under the guidance of the chapter on subduing demons, these inner demons manifest, even influencing the host's will and thoughts.
For Ji Xiang, merely touching him meant touching the demonic thoughts within his heart.
Words were merely external catalysts, accelerating the manifestation of inner demons. As soon as the other party felt a flicker of fear, they would be compelled to admit their unspeakable deeds, and their inner demons would be released.
Inner demons do not lie.
Demons have always possessed means to bewitch people.
To bewitch the world with demonic might is the ninth chapter of the Jade Purity Hidden Scripture.
The third level of the chapter on subduing demons further amplifies this ability, transforming it into a terrifying technique that incites inner demons and leads people to their own destruction.
Jiang Qunzi had no psychological burden from killing, but he did have a psychological burden regarding demonic tribulations. He also feared that his actions would be known to his peers, thus ruining the reputation he had cultivated over many years.
His inner demons were born from this: from fear, from suppression, from reservations, from things he refused to face. Even a tiny bit could be magnified infinitely.
Bai Wuzi also saw the distorted demonic phantom behind Jiang Qunzi. The manifestation of inner demons was a sign of a loss of mental control and going mad. Inner demons were akin to a second personality; if the primary personality fell into a demonic stupor and could not extricate itself, the inner demon would take over.
At this moment, the demonic phantom opened its eyes. Although its external appearance was that of a lowly, terrified person, the gaze within its eyes was quite sinister.
Inner demons have no semblance of righteousness. While they do not lie, they are by no means benevolent. The inner demons of the wicked are only more ferocious than their original hosts.
"Inner demons manifest!"
The cultivators were all astonished. Inner demons would display a second, distorted form before consuming their host. Inner demons were present among the Ten Demons, and this was a minor tribulation that cultivators should have long since overcome.
Bai Wuzi broke out in a cold sweat. A thought struck him:
"Brother Jiang! Do not be consumed by this celestial demon's sorcery! Wake up quickly!"
Bai Wuzi quickly explained to the assembled cultivators that the demonic form was the work of Ji Xiang, this celestial demon. He claimed that demonic arts were not to be trusted and that Ji Xiang intended to lead Jiang Qunzi into demonhood. He asserted that Jiang Qunzi's sudden confession of his misdeeds was also a result of Ji Xiang's guidance.
However, this time, the cultivators were somewhat unconvinced.
There were too many excuses, and even the presiding elder of the Tai Qing Palace had eyes full of suspicion. After careful consideration, he rebuked Bai Wuzi, "Whether you did it or not, you know in your heart. Why do you need to explain it to us again!"
"A righteous heart fears no disturbance from inner demons. Moreover, cultivators in the Spirit Refining Realm have long since passed the tribulation of the Ten Demons. How could inner demons still arise!"
"He simply hasn't overcome the tribulation of inner demons?!"
The Tai Qing Palace elder made what he believed to be a reasonable deduction. The Chong Yang Palace elder's expression shifted several times before he sighed, "The tribulation of the Ten Demons can be overcome with relative ease by finding the corresponding methods, and these methods have been passed down through generations in the cultivation world. Those minor demons hidden in the world, who have accumulated merit, do not conduct strict examinations. Perhaps this is why we have never truly confronted our own inner demons."
"This inner demon is not an external object, but something from within oneself."
Among the Ten Demons, the Realm Demon was the inner demon. For cultivators at the Spirit Refining level, this was a minor tribulation they had long since passed and considered insignificant.
"How can this be called a tribulation?"
Ji Xiang spoke at this moment, causing everyone to fall silent. The scene became quiet, clearly indicating that Ji Xiang's earlier display of authority had been effective.
"This is not an examination at all; it is merely his own inner demon acting up. Without an examination, there is no result to follow. Something without a result should not be called a tribulation, but a disaster."
"Disasters persist without a fixed duration, perhaps a moment, perhaps millennia. The torment suffered within is not determined by anyone, but by the extent of one's own wrongdoings."
As Ji Xiang spoke, his voice, tinged with an eerie tone, reached Bai Wuzi's ears again:
"You are the same. I can clearly see the inner demons within your heart."
"What you fear, what you are unwilling to speak of, what you dare not face – before these fellow cultivators, you fear your remarkably well-maintained 'painted skin face' the most. Once it is peeled away, the ugliness beneath will be laid bare."
Gu Ao
"Bai Wuzi, can you hear any crying or wailing? If you cannot, then your conscience has rotted."
Waves of demonic sound swirled, and Bai Wuzi truly heard a miserable wail. Then, the sound gradually diminished, as Ji Xiang had said, as if his conscience had rotted and could no longer make a sound.
A trace of fear appeared.
Then, new laughter arose.
The inner demon materialized, beginning to influence Bai Wuzi's will. He opened his mouth and, as if compelled, spoke:
"No, I abandoned my conscience long ago. Without a conscience, it is easier to do evil, so how could there be any decay!"
"When I killed those children and sent them to Prince Lu for alchemy, I never felt any warning from my conscience! Celestial demon, you dare to lie to me!"
His voice was filled with righteous indignation as he loudly berated Ji Xiang.
The cultivators' faces changed drastically.
The Tai Qing Palace elder's forehead bulged with veins, his anger evident: "You scoundrel, you actually committed treason?! Are you trying to completely ruin the heritage of my Laoshan sect!"
"Do you want the Heavenly Master and the imperial army to surround and annihilate my Laoshan lineage, causing its complete destruction!"
A phantom of Bai Wuzi's inner demon appeared behind him. The inner demon spoke softly, "If one has no sense of belonging to the sect, why worry about its demise? One learns the techniques, claims the reputation, and among the many exploitable things, the most valuable is the camaraderie of these fellow disciples."
The Tai Qing Palace elder's face turned pale.
The Chong Yang Palace elder also looked at the dazed Jiang Qunzi, eventually turning his face away, unable to believe that such a villain had emerged from within their own Quanzhen sect, truly having been blind.
As for the remaining cultivators, those kneeling on the ground were all terrified, their cries rising one after another. The other cultivators remained silent, neither daring nor having the justification to plead for them, as there was simply no way to do so.
The Tai Qing Palace elder, bracing himself, spoke with difficulty, "The mountain gate is unfortunate! To have such a wicked creature hidden and cultivating within! Today's events are due to our own dim-sightedness, our inability to discern good from evil and truth from falsehood, which led to this transgression."
"We implore the True Person for forgiveness, and allow us to take these great sinners back to the mountain gate..."
The word "dispose" was not finished.
Ji Xiang's response was swift and decisive.
"You all get lost."
Everyone was stunned. The Tai Qing Palace elder bowed, "Then we shall take them..."
"These sinners, even if the imperial court does not punish them, we, Wudang, as the acting representatives of the imperial court in the cultivation world, must deal with them. Even stepping back further, giving it to Longhu Mountain, to Shangqing Sect, to Gezao Mountain... Wudang comes first, the Three Mountains follow. Where do you have the right to speak?"
"I am here, therefore the imperial court is here."
Ji Xiang's mockery left everyone feeling stifled, and then, his roar almost scattered their vital blood!
Ji Xiang rebuked, "Having committed the great crime of rebellion, and furthermore, wantonly killing people, consuming human hearts and livers, extracting vital essence, and all such sins, the mortal laws and heavenly rules have long since been trampled underfoot by these individuals! Now that things have come to this, you still wish to take them back to your own mountain gate for self-disposal?"
"Is the world yours to rule, one sect against another!"
Ji Xiang extended his hand, his wide sleeve swirling, and instantly the world turned upside down, and fierce winds surged!
The nine heavens' gale blew across their faces, summoning a torrent of wind and a great change in the universe!
The rumbling sound shook a hundred mountains, and the chilling wind swept across the nine wildernesses!
Hundreds of innate cultivators were swept away by the gale, their bodies flung to the highest heavens with a single sweep of his sleeve. Their vital energy dispersed, and like uncontrolled meteors, they plummeted in all directions!