Inner Demons

"They are people..." Li Yunxin murmured to himself in his heart.

He really wanted to find some reason to excuse these five people, but the thought flashed away instantly—he had seen much of the wickedness of human nature. Often... he couldn't imagine what other astonishing great evils existed in this world, even if he exhausted his thoughts.

He stared at the five people again for a while, and sighed.

It was at this moment that he heard a long-unheard voice. The voice was high-pitched, with a hint of teasing mockery in its leisurely tone—

"Are you sighing because you think Demons are better?"

The voice came from the front left—which should have been empty space, with nowhere to stand. But Li Yunxin did not rush to look up; instead, he stood still and remained silent for a moment... before lifting his head.

Then he saw the White Yama King.

This long-unseen Yama King was floating in mid-air. The black pupil of one eye was fixed on Li Yunxin, while the black pupil of the other eye was looking at the scene in the hall below, a truly bizarre sight.

"These five people are officials from Dingyi City, thirty miles east of Trapped Sky Mountain. They have long been in cahoots with this Evil King. They regularly send prisoners from the jail to the Demons to eat, saying publicly that the prisoners died of illness in jail. The Demons also give them benefits, allowing them to take gold and silver treasures. Now that this Evil King is hosting a feast and eating so many people—these five people have some skill, they were able to find them all."

The White Yama King spoke eloquently to Li Yunxin, as if telling a story—but Li Yunxin knew he was the Yama King.

In secular legends, the two Yama Kings, Black and White, were righteous gods responsible for retribution, good and evil, and the reincarnation of heaven's Dao. Good people would be guided away by the White Yama King after death and be born into a good family. Evil people would be guided away by the Black Yama King and go to the deepest hell—but Li Yunxin already knew that was all nonsense.

There was no retribution for good and evil in this world at all.

The White Yama King continued his incessant chatter: "I see you're enjoying being a Demon now. Does seeing this scene make you feel more disheartened? Alas, fellow humans capturing fellow humans and sending them to Demons to eat—Demons wouldn't be able to do such a thing."

He stopped talking after saying this. The black pupil of the eye looking at the hall suddenly turned back, and both eyes stared at Li Yunxin.

Li Yunxin smiled: "Oh. None of them are good things. There are evil people among humans, and Demons... how much better are they? Cannibalism is rare among humans, but common among Demons. I sighed because... I always thought I was cool and cold-hearted, but seeing this scene and these five people still shocked me. I used to think that Taoist priests and Sword Cultivators were heartless and emotionless, making themselves less than human. Now... if they saw the scene before them and weren't shocked, then they would indeed be more profound than me. Enough about me—Yama King, you haven't bothered with me for a long time, why suddenly jump out and find me? If it's not urgent, let's talk later. I'm about to make a big splash."

The smile on the White Yama King's face gradually faded, and the black pupils occupied the entire eye sockets, looking like two black holes. He stared intently at Li Yunxin for a long time, then let out a chilling laugh: "What is it? Heh, you little person, you have such great skill and such great audacity! How dare you take the Spiritual Soul of just anyone?!"

Li Yunxin was slightly stunned, then said, "Oh, you mean him."

At this point, two grotesque Demons came over from the entrance, arm-in-arm. Li Yunxin fell silent and just leaned against the wall.

The two Demons had already smelled the blood and had no interest in him. They didn't even bother to look, rushing and leaping directly from the cliff down.

Only then did Li Yunxin speak again: "I am an Underworld civil servant, after all. I have no benefits and no salary—this time counts as using my power for personal gain. Why don't you make an exception for me? Once the matter is resolved, I will send him back to you, how about that?"

The White Yama King didn't fall for this, and he glared—the two black pupils instantly covered half of his face, making him look like a monster: "This sovereign tolerates you repeatedly because I appreciate your talent. Don't push your luck! Bring him to me now, immediately!"

Li Yunxin said helplessly: "But I still have a use for him. I am also a Judge of the Mortal World, and he can't cause any trouble right now. Is it really a problem for me to borrow him for a few days?"

"Heh! What do you understand?!" The White Yama King sneered, "Spiritual Souls of the Profound Realm, ones that can be captured—do you think they come along every year?! Not only do they not come along every year, but you don't even see one for a few hundred years! If you, a young child, hold him, hmph, if he were to... were to... were to..."

The White Yama King suddenly hesitated at this point, as if he had thought of something. He stopped talking. Not only did he stop talking, but the cold sneer and anger on his face also disappeared. He stared at Li Yunxin for a long time, then suddenly chuckled: "Let's do this."

He circled Li Yunxin two or three times: "I'll lend him to you for now. But this sovereign is granting you this favor, and I require a repayment."

Li Yunxin looked at him too. After a while, he said, "Tell me about it."

The White Yama King shrugged: "You, little person, are clever. Back at the side of Yeyuan Forest... you should have died when you and the old Daoist were sleeping, but this sovereign spared you. Later, during the fight with Bai Yunxin and Long Jiu'er in Weicheng, you should have died, too, but this sovereign gave you the method of possession, which is how you survived."

"Not to mention your becoming a Judge of the Mortal World and this sovereign lending you a million vengeful Spiritual Souls and similar matters. Through all these things, you should know that this sovereign didn't repeatedly help you just because you look good."

Li Yunxin thought for a moment and nodded slightly: "You have a point. It's not that you wanted to help me; someone told you to help me—and you had no choice but to comply."

The White Yama King coughed slightly: "That... hmph, what do you know? But leaving that aside, let's talk about these completed matters—a few months ago, you were just a rogue Taoist priest in the Manifestation Realm. Now you are a great Demon in the True Realm—few people in the world encounter such good fortune. Therefore, you should know that I am supporting you like this because I have something I need you to do."

Li Yunxin was silent for a moment, then sighed: "I understand. It's all a routine. Tell me, what exactly do you want me to do."

The White Yama King stared at him with a pair of dark, round eyes and slowly said, "I want you to make the Daoist Orthodoxy, the Sword Sect, and the Demons fight fiercely and spectacularly."

Li Yunxin was slightly taken aback when he heard this. He pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "But they are already close to fighting. And if you're talking about stirring up trouble and fanning the flames—you should know about the Mutual Aid Society. They've been doing it longer than me, their methods are more profound than mine, and their results are better."

The White Yama King stared at him: "Alas, since you know about those things... the matter is easier. Then, I not only want you to make the Daoist Orthodoxy, Sword Sect, and Demons fight, but I also want you to drag the Mutual Aid Society into it. Make all three of them fight... hehe, the bigger the mess, the better. Ideally, you should..."

He thought for a moment: "Make them all die out."

Li Yunxin's face remained impassive. The sharpest person probably wouldn't be able to tell what he was thinking right now. He stood still, contemplating the White Yama King's words. After a very long time, he frowned: "What... do you mean?"

"You told me before that your and the Black Yama King's job is to maintain world stability and prosperity and ensure the human world flourishes and multiplies. But you should know what a full-scale war between these three factions means—no one can escape the spread of war, and many, many people will die. What do you mean by asking me to do such a thing?"

The White Yama King raised an eyebrow: "Times change. Don't you want to know why this sovereign hasn't come to find you for all these days?"

Li Yunxin thought for a moment: "No."

The White Yama King blinked, seeming accustomed to Li Yunxin's blunt answer and reaction, and continued to speak regardless: "We are not those stupid creatures that only know how to eat and breed. We must shepherd the people of the world, making them flourish and multiply—naturally, we have a purpose. It's just that it wasn't needed before, but now it is. This kind of thing... Alas, even this sovereign is reluctant."

Li Yunxin sighed: "Listening to you speak is truly radiating negative energy. Every time, you wear away the only bit of hope and aspiration I have for the world. Then tell me what kind of event... requires you to cause trouble? You are supposedly Celestial Beings, gods... what exactly are you all? I'm extremely curious."

The White Yama King didn't care about his sarcasm and just continued: "What event it is, I can't tell you. You truly don't know too much. But since I need you to do things, I shouldn't leave you completely clueless. So, let me ask you now: you only know that there are Celestial Beings in this world. You think Celestial Beings are high and mighty, enjoying eternal celestial fortune. And you think this world is peaceful and orderly. Have you considered... that Celestial Beings also have worries?"

"The worries of Celestial Beings are of two kinds."

"One is called Ancient Devil, and the other is called True Devil."

It took Li Yunxin a moment to realize that these two terms were not "periosteum" and "hazel mushroom."

It wasn't that he was intentionally arguing, but because... he had never heard these two terms. Whether in folk legends, Daoist scriptures, or even anecdotes passed down among cultivators, these two terms were completely absent.

The only thing remotely related to these two terms was probably the talk of the previous Painting Saint "entering the Devil."

How strange this was—even the cultivators who claimed to possess most of the secrets of the world were so unfamiliar with these two terms!

This truly piqued his interest. He frowned and asked: "Ancient Devil and True Devil. What do they mean? Cultivators who have entered the Devil Dao? Or Celestial Beings who have entered the Devil Dao? Are they two categories or just two specific individuals?"

The White Yama King spoke to him solemnly: "You don't need to ask about these things for now. In short, you need to know that this world is not as peaceful as it looks. And you must complete this task well."

Li Yunxin thought for a moment: "Why me?"

"Because after the previous trials and tests, we know you are the most suitable," the White Yama King no longer smiled and became serious. "Say you are human, yet you have little humanity. Say you are a Demon, yet you are not merely fierce and violent. Moreover... you don't care much about this world or these people. You are the most suitable for doing this kind of thing."

Some of the words he mentioned made Li Yunxin slightly alarmed. He thought about it very carefully again and said, "Then, to you, I am just a tool. What happens if I succeed?"

The White Yama King looked at him: "That depends on your fortune. Even this sovereign doesn't know what will happen in the future."

"...That sounds like a shady boss writing an IOU," Li Yunxin sighed, "What if I don't do it? Since you say only I am the most suitable and you have invested so much effort in me... can I negotiate the terms?"

The White Yama King looked at him. Then he slowly leaned closer to him, showing a sinister smile on his face: "Little person. You should know one thing. When this sovereign favors you, I can let you be willful and mischievous. But for other matters... if you dare to be willful and mischievous, this sovereign will stop favoring you."

He slowly drifted away, floating close to Li Yunxin's ear, almost whispering: "Do you think you are so special? Oh, you are special. But have people as special as you not appeared before?"

"If you are disobedient... this sovereign will wait a few hundred or a thousand years and wait for someone like you again."

After saying this, he suddenly retreated, returning to the darkness in the air. Staring at Li Yunxin, he gave a chilling smile: "Work hard. This sovereign won't rush you, but you must work hard. This sovereign is watching you."

Then he disappeared.

And Li Yunxin stood in place, unconsciously blinking rapidly a few times.

It... must not be a misunderstanding, right? For the first time in his life, he doubted his comprehension. He repeatedly recalled the White Yama King's last few sentences, trying to analyze them from other perspectives. But after a few attempts, he realized...

It should be exactly what he understood.

He knew that he was...

A Transmigrator.

When he slowly came back to his senses, he felt a slight chill down his spine—he had been sweating, and now the wind was blowing on him.

Li Yunxin stood in place for a little longer, then softly and slowly exhaled. Then he walked to one side, leaning against the rock wall, hiding himself in the darkness to think about things.

The White Yama King was acting contrary to his usual behavior today, even threatening him with such an aggressive attitude. He thought Li Yunxin would submit...

Of course, he had to submit.

What a joke, that was the Yama King.

If one ignores the meaningless factors like attitude, what he wanted him to do was actually what Li Yunxin wanted to do himself. It was just that the path needed to be slightly changed, the methods adjusted, and the vision broadened. At least for the current stage.

The Yama King probably knew this was an incredibly complex and difficult matter, which is why he said, "I won't rush you"... Given the concept of time for those Celestial Beings and gods, it would be a very long, long period.

But Li Yunxin was always curious. Therefore, he very strongly wanted to know what the great events, Ancient Devil, True Devil, and the like were, things he had never even heard a superficial mention of. Furthermore, people loved to talk about "controlling their own destiny" and other nonsense—since he came to this world and learned that there are methods to cultivate against the heavens, this thought became even stronger.

But now he felt very annoyed—he knew that "something might happen" in this world... yet he didn't know "exactly what would happen."

This gave him a sense of powerlessness, of drifting with the current. Personally, this feeling was truly unbearable.

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