Hell Creatures
The burning pain of his body and soul brought the soldier, who had lost too much blood, back to his senses. Some of the magic power that hadn't yet been drawn away by the magic circle gave him some energy, which in turn made him feel the unparalleled pain even more clearly.
He wanted to scream to release the pain deep within his body and soul, but the stones stuffed in his mouth prevented him from making a sound, until all his soul and body were transformed into magic and injected into the magic circle, leaving only a handful of useless dregs.
The infusion of immense magical power made a creature from another dimension notice Wei Xiuming's summons and begin to respond. Sensing the change in the magic circle, Wei Xiuming instantly burned away the magical power converted from the soldier. The burst of magical power opened the barrier between the two dimensions, creating a gap in space. A being containing powerful magical power emerged from it and stood atop the magic circle.
Wei Xiuming watched the successful summoning magic with a hint of joy. After all, this was his first attempt, and there was a high chance of failure. A successful attempt was like a soldier hitting the bullseye on his first shot when operating an artillery piece.
As the summoned creature appeared, a scorching wind blew in his face, carrying with it the stench of sulfur, causing Wei Xiuming to frown—this smell was the smell of hell.
"The response I received was from Hell Creatures?"
While studying at Kamar-Taj, Wei Xiuming accidentally cultivated magic and was captured by an extraterrestrial demon outside the timeline. When the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, brought him back, he was intercepted by Mephisto, the Hell Lord, on the way. At that time, Wei Xiuming mistakenly entered Hell, and the harsh environment and terrible smell there left a deep impression on Wei Xiuming. He made no attempt to hide his disgust for the things he had summoned.
But there was nothing that could be done about it. Wei Xiuming did not chant any spells to increase the success rate of the summoning, which made the uncertainty of which magical creature to summon belong to which dimension very strong.
Normal magic incantations are very long and complicated. First, you pray to a magical being that can respond to you, then you tell it what you need to summon; next, you tell it what it needs to do, which establishes the contract between the summoner and the summoned; then you tell the magical being that responded to you and the summoned object what you are, such as which magical lineage you belong to and who the mastermind is.
Next, one should discuss what one will give for this summoning, and add some restrictions on the summoned person to prevent them from disobeying the summoner's orders.
Aside from some necessary details added based on their own magical properties and dimensional differences, most summoning spells are of this type.
However, aside from ensuring the magic circle functioned properly, Wei Xiuming did not make any requests to any magical being. Theoretically, any magical creature could respond to his summons, and as the Hell Dimension closest to Earth, it was inevitable that the Hell Creatures within it would be summoned first.
It was a Hell Creatures nearly three meters tall, covered in red scales, with bull-like horns on its head and sheep-like legs with reverse joints. Its emaciated body was covered only by a piece of cloth, making it look frail and weak.
But that's just a deceptive appearance. If you underestimate the strength of this Hell Creatures... no, if you underestimate the strength of any creature that can survive in hell, you'll suffer a great loss. Putting aside everything else, the fig leaf covering its body is clearly the skin of some kind of creature.
"Cowardly mortal, is it you who are calling me?"
This Hell Creatures bowed slightly, bringing its gaze level with Wei Xiuming's, and spoke with great respect, though in hellish language, its words filled with contempt for humanity.
Seeing that Wei Xiuming did not react to its words, the Hell Creatures was relieved. The summoner did not understand the hellish language, which meant that the other party lacked the necessary knowledge to deal with Hell Creatures. Summoning it was also a fluke. In that case, there would be room for maneuver in the future.
Then it switched to English and said to Wei Xiuming with the same humility:
"I can serve you as your servant, but you need to pay the appropriate offerings on a regular basis."
The initial offerings were simple, perhaps a drop of blood or a cat. But once Wei Xiuming became immersed in the wealth and power brought by the Hell Creatures and could no longer afford the cost of their departure, the Hell Creatures would raise the price, to the point that Wei Xiuming had to pay with the souls of his own family and even himself.
"I'm not going to waste time with you anymore!"
Wei Xiuming didn't care whether this Hell Creatures had any schemes or tricks. He took out a rectangular piece of paper from his pocket and said, "I think you should have realized the threat this thing poses to you. If you don't know, I can tell you its name— the Demon Capturing Ghost Restraining Talisman!"
Wei Xiuming spoke in Chinese because that area was a forbidden zone for Hell Creatures, and they couldn't use that language when deceiving humans. So this Hell Creatures couldn't understand what he was saying, but the aura emanating from the talisman terrified it—it was a power that could completely restrain it. If that talisman were used on it, it would never have a chance to survive.
By channeling its power into the magic circle, this Hell Creatures reached the boundary of the Hell Dimension. Then, it eagerly burrowed back to its home—if it didn't escape now, it would have no chance; staying would mean living as a slave forever.
But before the Hell Creatures could make a move, it found itself locked in place by an unfamiliar force. The powerful force, like the tentacles of an octopus, bound it tightly, rendering it unable to move or even utter a word of pleading.
"Magnetic Field Rotation, Imperial Jellyfish Fist."
With his right hand gripping the talisman, Wei Xiuming threw a punch with his left, using the Imperial Jellyfish Fist to grab the Hell Creatures.
Summoning otherworldly creatures and subjugating them as servants is a technique documented in both Eastern and Western magic.
The most representative example from the West is the Key of Solomon. King Solomon made a pact with Belial, one of the seven Monarch of Hell, in exchange for his soul, gaining the right to use the 72 Pillars of Demons. By summoning different demons, he could obtain their help, power, or knowledge.
In the ancient East, the most famous example is the Investiture of the Gods of the Gods. The ancient Qi Practitioner were far more ruthless than King Solomon, who had to pay a price. They went around cutting down mountains and destroying temples, capturing all the demons active in that region. After establishing a complex system for managing the human world, they created a seal within it. The captured demons were then placed inside as tools. This is the origin of the Investiture of the Investiture of the Gods.
On that land, as long as one has mastered rudimentary rituals and incantations, even a mortal can command demons at a minimal cost.
From thunder and lightning to stoves and toilets, everything, big and small, was entrusted to the demon god for his care, 365 days a year, without a break.