A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Since we're already here, what can we do?

Ji Zuodao had no choice but to drag his family along with Li Tiezhu deeper into the area.

From the outside, this area covered by the light film doesn't seem much different from the outside.

But once you step inside, you discover a hidden world, like another folded and forgotten world.

The sky was a perpetual, lifeless gray, as if covered by a layer of old, unwashed gauze.

The ground beneath our feet was dark brown and hard, making little sound when stepped on. There was no vegetation, only some oddly shaped, grayish-white stones that looked like they had been dried for millions of years, scattered here and there.

In the distance, a low, mournful wind could be heard, swirling with barely visible gray fluff close to the ground.

There was a deathly silence, yet for some reason one felt that something was rustling in some unseen place.

"This godforsaken place..."

Ji Zuodao muttered something and lifted Qiqi up a little higher on his shoulder.

He glanced again at the dog next to him, who was pacing around and sniffing around.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the outlines of a cluster of low-rise buildings appeared vaguely in the hazy sky ahead.

It looks like it was roughly built from some kind of grayish-white, rock-like material, and you can see traces of magical repairs in many places, giving it a sense of haste and tenacity.

It must have been a place that the colleagues and members of the Zhao family who had been trapped inside over the past few years had gradually created to make a place to stay.

Before they even got close, suddenly—

"boom!!!"

A deep, muffled thud, like a thunderclap from the heavens, struck the ground, making the soles of people's feet go numb.

Immediately following was a barrage of explosions that rumbled across the sky, accompanied by the piercing clang of metal clashing. Waves of spiritual energy, stronger and stronger, surged toward the center of the camp like tangible tides!

In an instant, sand and stones flew everywhere, and the dust that was swirling close to the ground was violently swept up, blotting out the sky.

In the center of the field was a relatively open area, which looked as if it had been specially cleared out.

The two enormous figures were locked in a fierce battle, their supernatural powers clashing and their light scattering wildly, causing the surrounding world to lose its color!

Around a hundred people stood or sat on the piles of stones and the crumbling walls along the edge of the field.

Some were wearing 749 uniforms, while others were dressed as Qi practitioners.

Ji Zuodao stared intently at the center of the battlefield, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Two Dharma images stood in mid-air, each several dozen feet tall, surrounded by precious light and exuding overwhelming power!

On the left is a statue surrounded by a clear, bright light and auspicious clouds.

His face was as fair as jade, his long beard reached his chest, and his eyes exuded an awe-inspiring and unapproachable majesty.

Wearing a star-studded crown and a crane-feather cloak, he held a scroll in his hand that was neither silk nor jade, but shimmered with light. When unfurled, it seemed as if countless star-shaped talismans flowed within it, making it incredibly mysterious.

Behind the Buddha's head, there was a bright, moon-like divine light that shone down, illuminating the surroundings.

This Dharma image chanted incantations, its voice like the resonance of gold and jade; each syllable uttered caused the pure Qi throughout the body to tremble.

"By order of the Supreme Heavenly Emperor, the Greatly Compassionate and Benevolent One: Venus, heed my command! All deities, descend to the mortal realm!"

As soon as the decree was issued, countless star-shaped talismans on the scroll suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light and soared into the sky!

In an instant, golden light ripped through the clouds and descended from the gray-white sky, transforming into golden armored phantoms and powerful celestial officials.

Though their faces were blurred, they exuded a menacing aura, wielding thunder drums and waving electric flags, setting up a powerful array that turned half the sky golden!

"Beat the drums! Form ranks!"

At that moment, the voice of the Dharma Image of Qingguang resounded throughout the surrounding area.

Boom! Boom boom boom!

The golden thunder drums resounded, their sound waves solidifying into a tangible form, and golden ripples spread out, causing the earth to tremble.

The golden-armored phantoms shouted in unison, took their positions according to the profound directions, and their golden rays intertwined to form a fierce and inescapable net, enveloping the Dharma image opposite them!

Truly, golden rays rolled in ten thousand streams of crimson light, and auspicious clouds sprayed forth in a thousand strands of purple mist! Thunderous drums shook the ghosts and demons, and heavenly soldiers fiercely suppressed the demonic aura!

However, what sent a chill down Ji Zuodao's spine was—

The image opposite was exactly the same as this image of Qingguang, in terms of appearance, clothing, scroll in hand, and even the halo behind its head!

Only one difference.

That statue was completely devoid of any color!

His face was deathly pale, his hair was grayish-black, his lips were dark, and his eyes were like bottomless abysses.

His star crown, crane cloak, scroll in his hand, and divine halo behind his head all seemed to have been imprinted from an old black and white opera, with only shades of gray and white, exuding a chilling, lifeless, and eerie aura!

Even the auspicious aura that rolled around the Dharma image turned into a swirling gray-white turbid fog!

Seeing the golden light and heavenly net pressing down, these black and white Dharma figures also spoke at the same time, their voices hoarse and distorted, yet they were exactly the same as the clear imperial edict:

"By order of the Supreme Heavenly Emperor, the Greatly Compassionate and Benevolent One: Venus, heed my command! All deities, descend to the mortal realm!"

The dim, grayish-white star scroll flew out from his hand, also causing celestial phenomena!

But what cracked open in the gray-white sky were streaks of murky, gray-black light!

What fell were the same blurry, yet twisted, gray-black figures, exuding a heavy aura of death and madness.

Holding dark thunder drums and tattered lightning flags, they roared silently, forming a dark, dilapidated, yet equally imposing formation, and surged upwards!

A pale gray light obscures the sun and moon, a deathly aura shrouds the stars! Evil drums beat in a deafening din, disrupting yin and yang, while demonic shadows loom, devouring souls!

Rumble—!!!

The golden light and the dark magic array collided without any fancy moves!

In an instant, it was as if hundreds of thunderbolts exploded at the same time!

The violent shockwaves were like giant hammers, smashing outwards in concentric circles.

Even from a distance, the spiritual energy unconsciously emitted by the spectators in front provided some resistance.

Ji Zuodao still felt a tightness in his chest and a buzzing in his ears, as if countless broken gongs and drums were pounding in his brain!

Qiqi, perched on his shoulder, turned pale with fright, her little hands gripping his hair tightly as she buried her face in his neck.

"Wow, this Dharma image is like Venus! The director of Jinghai 749 is quite murderous."

Dog Lord remained as steady as Mount Tai, though his dog eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the two Dharma images locked in fierce combat.

"This...this is..."

Ji Zuodao pointed at the two statues that were almost identical except for their color, and he could barely speak.

Li Tiezhu, who was standing nearby, had already found a rock to sit on, his expression unsurprised.

He took out the pack of cigarettes Ji Zuodao had given him, shook out one, and without lighting it, just put it in his mouth and mumbled:

"Look, do you see that? That guy who's radiating a pure light and summoning heavenly soldiers and generals, that's our Jinghai 749 leader, Director Zhang Yucheng."

He raised his chin and pointed again at the eerie black and white image:

"That thing that looks like it crawled out of the black and white TV next to us is the director's inner demon."

"The heart...the inner demon?!"

Ji Zuodao almost bit his tongue, his eyes wide with shock.

"The inner demon can actually escape and fight the main culprit face-to-face, in such a... such a lively battle?!"

Unheard of! Unseen!

In the cultivation world, the term "inner demon" is a very common and well-worn topic.

So ordinary that anyone who embarks on the path of cultivation, regardless of whether they belong to a prestigious sect or are a wandering cultivator in the mountains, whether they are Taoist, Buddhist, demon, or ghost.

The first lesson that masters and seniors would urge them to learn, nine times out of ten, is this:

"Guard your mind and prevent inner demons from arising!"

But that's easier said than done. If you really ask what this inner demon actually is—

That would be incredibly diverse, with each person having their own unique interpretation.

As the saying goes, greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt—these five poisons—can all lead to demonic possession.

To put it bluntly, it's those thoughts in your mind that you can't let go of but can't bring yourself to have.

It is the desire for wealth, the fire of anger, the delusion of infatuation, the attachment of arrogance, and the ghost of suspicion.

Normally, it lies hidden deep within your mind.

At the moment when you meditate and enter a state of deep concentration, achieve a breakthrough in your cultivation, or lose your composure, various delusions will quietly arise, tempting you to fall and ruining your spiritual practice.

At best, it will cause a decline in cultivation and a flaw in one's Dao heart.

In severe cases, it can lead to qi deviation, physical death, and the dissipation of one's spiritual power.

This is an inner tribulation on the path of cultivation that everyone fears to speak of, yet cannot avoid.