A soul demon was a collective term for the negative emotions hidden within the hearts of all sentient beings. Apart from their true nature, every sentient being also possessed many negative emotions, thoughts, and consciousnesses.
Regardless of whether a cultivator's true nature was good or evil, another consciousness or state of mind certainly existed within him.
Hatred, obsession, and fear all counted as manifestations of a soul demon. No matter what a cultivator did, there would always be many choices, and the results would not be singular. Different choices led to different outcomes—some might be good, while others might be bad.
A soul demon would always exist within a cultivator. It could neither be severed nor destroyed. It hid within the cultivator's heart and grew together with his true nature.
Good deeds carried out by one's true nature were the most suitable choices for a cultivator and were recognized by Heaven. But actions caused by a soul demon's mischief would be rejected by Heaven and Earth, while nourishing and strengthening the soul demon.
If a cultivator's true nature was powerful, he could keep the soul demon from revealing itself and forcibly suppress it.
Of course, that did not mean a soul demon could not attain the Dao. Once a soul demon became powerful enough, it could withstand Heaven and Earth's baptism and break through its shackles.
Soul demon split souls were indeed recorded in ancient texts. Under special circumstances, a cultivator could divide his own essence soul, forming an essence-soul avatar. During the division, the avatar could display a certain intense negative state of mind under the control of the main soul.
This kind of essence-soul avatar carried the cultivator's own negative consciousness. Although it still could not truly isolate the soul demon from the essence soul, the avatar's true