The Five Great Demon Gods

Chapter 34: The Five Great Demon Gods

The first matter was that Hong Xuanji had forbidden him from practicing martial arts, yet he had practiced in secret. On the back of the Amitabha Sutra were many palm-sized illustrations, all depicting lifelike figures and environments. They were symmetrical to the scriptures on the front, serving as pictorial supplements to the text. The second matter was that not only had he practiced martial arts in secret, but he had also leveraged the influence of Princess Zhennan to spy on Hong Xuanji's study.

"What was that screeching just now? It's so loud I can't even sleep." Hong Yi looked at the five illustrations on the back of the Amitabha Sutra. The first was the terrifying image of the Yaksha King holding a steel fork, the very entity he had just visualized. The realm of the Day Wanderer also had to be approached step by step: first wandering on cloudy days without sunlight, then gradually wandering in the morning and evening sun, and finally, once trained to the point of wandering in the scorching noon sun, one could advance to achieve the Yin Spirit and gain the ability to manipulate objects.

"I thought that as long as one hadn't achieved the Yin Spirit and the ability to manipulate objects, soul-bewitching techniques were merely minor tricks. I never imagined they could be this perilous! It's truly killing without a trace; I must be careful from now on." Hong Yi decided to stop thinking about these three matters and instead focused on closing his eyes to meditate on the scene of his battle with Nanny Zeng.

"Martial arts training is not a task for a single day or night. I feel my muscles and bones are now full, reaching the level of a Martial Disciple, but lacking real combat experience, I'm afraid I'm not yet a match for a true Martial Disciple. My soul can already wander by day, but that was inside the study when the sky was overcast and not much different from night. Only when I can truly wander in the scorching sun will the Day Wanderer realm be considered complete."

Outside, the two maids replied, but Hong Yi only sneered in his heart. He lay flat on his bed, feeling his emotions surging, unable to sleep. Hong Yi had clearly grasped the principle of soul-bewitching; it was truly a double-edged sword that harmed oneself before harming others. If one conjured an illusion but could not suppress it, one would be the first to be bewitched by it. Once he lay down, Hong Yi felt that today's events were of great consequence.

"I actually killed someone today? Although there was no blood, Nanny Zeng's soul was scattered; she clearly cannot survive. Even if she lives, she will be a brainless idiot. Where do I go from here? That old hag Nanny Zeng is one of Lady Zhao's people. Now that something like this has happened, she won't let it rest. I find it increasingly difficult to stay in this Marquis Mansion."

"We didn't hear any screeching sounds."

"It wouldn't have done to not chase after Nanny Zeng earlier. She used sorcery to cast a nightmare on me, but I injured her soul. Once she returns, she will surely tell Lady Zhao, which will inevitably expose the fact that I am practicing Daoist arts. If this is exposed, it will be a grave matter. Comparing the two evils, it was better to pursue and eliminate the threat completely. But doing so will likely make things even more dangerous in the future."

"The Five Great Demon God Kings that attack the soul? First is the Yaksha King, second the Rakshasa King, third the Asura King, fourth the Vajra King, and fifth the Wisdom King! If one's cultivation is shallow and insufficient to suppress inner demons, one must never visualize these five, or one will surely suffer a backlash."

"In a few days, Consort Yuan will be coming to the mansion to visit her family. Since she mentioned me, I suspect Father won't dare to do anything to me for the time being. I hope there will be a turning point." Hong Yi thought of Consort Yuan again. "These matters are too complex. Thinking about them in vain only exhausts the soul. Since I have done my best, I might as well let things take their natural course."

"Young Master Yi, are you having a nightmare? There are no screeching sounds outside."

As Hong Yi stared, he suddenly felt a shift before his eyes. The demon seemed to leap out from the painting. He smelled a nauseating stench of blood, and the surroundings were drenched in gore, as if he were in a sea of blood. The second illustration depicted a demon with three heads and six arms, holding a saw-wheel, with blood-red eyes, fangs, and white hair, its gender indistinguishable. Its blood-red eyes glared at him, causing a chill to rise in his heart at the mere sight.

According to the scriptures, if one visualizes the light of the heavenly stars entering the crown of the head by three inches, the Asura Hell will appear. Because inner demons are one's own illusions and are inextricably linked to the soul, if they are destroyed by someone else, the soul naturally suffers damage. Today was the first time Hong Yi had used the soul-bewitching technique. Although the outcome was decided in an instant, thinking back, it was truly dangerous, yet he had gained insight through the experience.

"I must think of a countermeasure." On the back of the scriptures was an illustration of a jade maiden that made one's blood boil and left one unable to extricate oneself upon looking.

"The soul-bewitching technique involves first evoking the inner demons and various illusions within one's own heart, then suppressing them without destroying them. After subduing one's own heart, one applies it to others. If they cannot resist, they will immediately sink into it, and their soul will be severely damaged. Of course, if the other person's willpower is strong enough to destroy the demonic illusion in one stroke, one will also be countered and injured."

"What a powerful Rakshasa King? It seems my willpower is insufficient and my soul is not strong enough; I cannot yet visualize the Rakshasa King to do battle. Otherwise, if I cannot subdue it, my own soul will be scattered." Seeing that he had become proficient, Hong Yi put away the Amitabha Sutra and closed his eyes to rest, sleeping until dawn.

The third matter was that although Nanny Zeng's soul had been scattered, leaving no evidence, and the fact that she had secretly used evil arts to ambush him meant it couldn't be traced back to him on the surface, there was no telling what might happen in the shadows. This was just a minor skirmish; it seemed like nothing, but the resentment would surely grow deeper. However, even if resentment grew, that was a matter for the future; he couldn't worry about it for now.

Nanny Zeng was exactly like that: she tried to bewitch him, was destroyed in an instant, and suffered heavy injuries. Today, he had severely beaten the horse-riding Hong Gui and Rong Pan, using Princess Zhennan as a shield—a move he had calculated long ago. He had managed to muddle through, established prestige in the mansion, and secretly infuriated Lady Zhao. Hong Yi weighed these three matters over and over in his mind, yet he had no foolproof plan to settle them. But he couldn't just do nothing; if he did, his situation would only become worse.

"Cultivation must also be done step by step. The back of the Amitabha Sutra contains methods for summoning demons and soul-bewitching techniques. Even if I don't use them to harm others, I must learn them to avoid having no means of retaliation when I encounter evil ghosts." After understanding the technique of suppressing the soul-bewitching nightmare, Hong Yi's mind stirred, and a green-faced, fanged Yaksha, three zhang tall and holding a steel fork, was visualized and immediately subdued.

"Not good." Hong Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately visualized the Amitabha Buddha to disperse his thoughts, causing the illusions before him to vanish.

Hong Yi thought to himself and quietly took out the Amitabha Sutra, placing it on the bed. This time, it was the back of the sutra. According to the scriptures, if one visualizes the light of the heavenly stars entering deep into the space between the eyebrows, a jade maiden will appear. Hong Yi visualized, subdued, and commanded repeatedly. He didn't know how many times he had done it, but he finally became proficient enough that as soon as the Yaksha King was visualized, it would fly out and attack wherever he directed it.

"Yaksha King!" After his soul returned to his body, Hong Yi deliberately turned over in bed, feigning the appearance of having just woken up, and called out toward the outside in a dazed voice.

At daybreak, Hong Yi walked around the mansion and heard people whispering, "Nanny Zeng, the First Lady's personal nanny, suddenly had a stroke last night and is now a brainless idiot." He knew that he had become so absorbed in looking at the lifelike illustrations that he had unconsciously entered a state of visualization, producing illusions. Hong Yi was shocked and did not look at the subsequent Asura King, Vajra King, or Wisdom King. Those three great demon gods were simply not things his current soul could visualize.

The only things Hong Yi worried about were these three matters. Even if one successfully suppresses and subdues them, and then applies them to someone else, if the other person destroys them in one stroke, one's own soul will also be injured. And on the back of the scriptures, one illustration detailed the scene of the Asura Hell, terrifying and vivid, to facilitate clear visualization.