Root Out the Evil Completely

Hong Yi recalled the howling winds and the phantom shadows on the ground from the illusion just moments ago, like demons crawling up from the earth; thinking back on it, he felt a chill run down his spine. The Amitabha Sutra states: "The Yaksha is one of the eighteen inner demons; it possesses vast supernatural powers and is terrifyingly formidable. Subdue its heart, and it can become a guardian." Hong Yi had just visualized this demon, and now he had to subdue it to use for his own purposes. "Yaksha King!" Seeing this scene, Hong Yi suddenly entered a state of visualization.

Hong Yi thought of the four words "eradicate evil completely," and his soul instantly left his body, flying out the window and reaching the rockery where Nanny Zeng was meditating in just a few steps. This was a battle of intangible thoughts; although different from a physical clash of martial arts, it was far more perilous. He also knew that soul-bewitching techniques were a form of visualization; by leaving the body and circling the enemy to project illusions, one could cause the enemy to experience various hallucinations, leading to terror, stabbing pains, or sensations of burning, thereby damaging the enemy's soul.

This Yaksha King immediately roared and charged violently, raising its steel fork and striking down; with one strike, it "forked" Nanny Zeng's entire being. Hong Yi knew that her soul had already been scattered. Once this giant demon appeared, it immediately lunged toward Hong Yi, raised its steel fork, and struck down. When visualizing a demon to harm others, one must first imagine the demon, then use one's own willpower to subdue it before it can be commanded to harm the soul of another.

"Avenge grievances, settle scores; as a scholar, my great righteousness lies in understanding principles, rectifying titles, and seeking revenge. All three are indispensable. You came to kill me today, so I cannot let you go." Hong Yi hurriedly visualized his soul leaping into the void, transforming into Amitabha, radiating golden light; the giant demon immediately shrank back, not daring to advance. Daylight is the nemesis of wandering souls; when a soul leaves the body in broad daylight, a practitioner without deep cultivation cannot see anything, feeling only a blinding, white glare between heaven and earth, with their entire body stinging in pain. This is recorded in the Daoist Classic.

Suddenly, illusions reappeared; before Hong Yi's eyes appeared a giant demon with a green face and fangs, three zhang tall, with a head of red hair, holding a pitch-black, sharp steel fork, its hands and feet covered in scales—a terrifying sight that would shatter anyone's courage. Under the suppression of the golden light, the Yaksha King was completely cowed; Hong Yi could even sense its fear, so with a thought, he pointed at Nanny Zeng, who was clutching her head. However, such ghost-bewitching, petty, and sordid acts were not the way of a gentleman, nor were they what a seeker of the Dao should do. Hong Yi would not stoop to such things.

Next, Hong Yi saw Nanny Zeng shaking like a sieve, her body arching violently as if pinned by something. Bang, bang, bang! After Nanny Zeng's violent convulsions, her body went still, leaving only shallow breaths, her eyes unfocused. One could even drift out, sneak into some young lady's boudoir, and while she slept, enter her dreams to share a night of passion; although not physical, the union of souls was immersive and had its own unique flavor. At this moment, Nanny Zeng appeared severely injured, curled in a corner clutching her head, her silver hair disheveled, looking like a demon, her whole body trembling.

His soul had reached the Day Wanderer realm, much like a master who had trained his body to the level of a Martial Master; with a single step, he could travel far, covering ten paces in one. Hong Yi's soul could now drift several people's height into the air, right above the courtyard wall, overlooking the surroundings quite clearly. Because he was a wandering soul, the night was like water to a fish, allowing him to see even more clearly than during the day. Like a fox spirit bewitching a person, transforming into a beauty to be intimate in a dream, the victim would grow weak and die.

But behind the rockery, it was empty; there was not a trace of anyone, and the opponent had vanished. This was an illusion that had appeared when Hong Yi previously practiced the Amitabha Sutra visualization; the scripture called this inner demon the Yaksha King. "There are no demons in heaven and earth; they are all illusions born of the human heart. It is a pity that few can see through it." Seeing Nanny Zeng's soul scattered, Hong Yi understood a principle even more clearly.

"Righteous energy and yang-vigor are like the pure, scorching sun; how could demons and ghosts get close enough to bewitch me? However, this old witch's soul technique is quite profound; if I had encountered this before, I might have truly been injured." At the same time, several maidservants were awakened and began walking toward the area, carrying lanterns to investigate. It was Nanny Zeng.

Soul damage is extremely dangerous, ten times more perilous than physical injury; a moment of carelessness could lead to days of lethargy, confusion about one's surroundings, or in more severe cases, mental derangement or madness. In the worst case, the soul would scatter and perish completely, with no medicine or method to cure it. At the moment of the strike, the Yaksha Devil King suddenly vanished, seemingly burrowing into Nanny Zeng's body.

Searching with full concentration, Hong Yi indeed discovered her; in a narrow alleyway leading to the main residence of the Marquis's mansion, a black shadow had darted up and was now huddled in a corner, gasping for breath. Hearing this shrill scream, Hong Yi's first instinct was that Nanny Zeng had used her soul-bewitching technique to create illusions, and when she tried to suppress his soul with a nightmare, she had been countered by his Amitabha manifestation and severely injured; otherwise, she would not have lost control and let out such a piercing scream.

In previous visualizations, whenever this Yaksha King appeared, Hong Yi would exert all his effort to visualize Amitabha, and amidst the bursting golden light, it would vanish without a trace. But today, Hong Yi held back some strength, keeping the Yaksha King cowed under the golden light without destroying it. Hong Yi looked in all directions, drifting over the buildings, but found no trace of which way Nanny Zeng had gone.

However, Hong Yi did not relax; his soul drifted back and forth along the walls of the Marquis's mansion, patrolling the area, searching with all his heart and soul. "She moves so fast. If this Nanny Zeng hadn't used soul-sorcery and had instead attacked me with martial arts, I would have had no power to resist." Upon this realization, Hong Yi knew that Nanny Zeng's martial arts were profound, far superior to his own.

When a person is asleep, their soul is at its most confused and vulnerable, often susceptible to being entered by demonic souls or suppressed by nightmares. "She is trapped in the illusion and cannot extricate herself." If Hong Yi wanted to bewitch someone, he could also leave his body and manifest the various illusions from the Amitabha Sutra, imposing them upon others and making them unbearable. An ordinary person would certainly have their courage shattered.

But even with his guard up, Hong Yi had still nearly been suppressed by the nightmare. This showed just how deep Nanny Zeng's cultivation was. Just now, Nanny Zeng had taken advantage of the dead of night, thinking Hong Yi was asleep, to cast her illusions unnoticed, never expecting that Hong Yi had long since seen through her treacherous plot. "This is my first time experiencing a battle of souls, and I have gained experience. Next time I encounter such a thing, I won't be limited to just defense without a counterattack like today. I should have struck back the moment Nanny Zeng projected her soul, to eradicate the evil completely."

Understand principles, rectify titles, seek revenge! This is where the great righteousness lies. "The opponent's soul is severely injured."