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

A cold, sticky little hand suddenly reached out from below without warning and grabbed Ji Zuodao's trouser leg tightly.

Ji Zuodao paused, looking down—

Before anyone knew it, a mountain of corpses rose up beneath their feet, formed by countless pale bodies in various poses, piled up, squeezed, and twisted!

The mountain of corpses was so high that it almost touched the ground beneath his floating feet.

Countless eyes, devoid of life, some wide open, some tightly shut...

Countless faces frozen in moments of terror, despair, pleading, and bewilderment...

Countless arms, some outstretched, some curled up, covered in lividity and bloodstains...

And so, silently, quietly, it piled up at his feet.

Why?

A weak, tearful child's voice suddenly broke the deathly silence.

Ji Zuodao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a little girl wearing a floral dress, half of her face covered in blood, but whose features were still faintly discernible in her former life. She was looking up at him with her large, empty eyes that seemed to reflect his image.

"Uncle...did I do something wrong?"

Her small hand was still tightly clutching the hem of Ji Zuodao's trench coat, which was being blown about by the bloody wind.

"Why did you kill me?"

On the other side, an old man with gray hair, wearing a faded old kimono, slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes moving woodenly, his chapped lips moving:

"In my entire life... I've never harmed anyone... I've never even stepped on an ant..."

Why?

"Why?!"

"What did we do wrong?!"

"You demon! You demon!"

More sounds came from all directions of the corpse mountain.

It started as whispers, then questioning, then accusations.

Finally, it all coalesced into a shrill, resentful roar.

Like countless cold needles, they pierced Ji Zuodao, who was suspended above the mountain of corpses.

Ji Zuodao remained silent.

He slowly turned his head and looked at the inner demons who were watching with their arms crossed.

He pointed to the mountain of corpses still bubbling up at his feet, his tone full of disdain:

"Boss, what's going on?"

"Didn't you just see how clean my kids eat?"

"If they leave any dust after crossing the border, it's considered that they were being picky about food today."

"Where did this mountain of corpses come from?"

"This even has automatic refresh and instant respawn?"

The inner demon curled its lip, adopting a businesslike expression that said, "That's the procedure, take it or leave it."

"The 'Question of the Heart' is a necessary process; it will appear after a certain number of people have been killed."

"One of the core laws of the illusion: the manifestation of killing."

"You can also think of it as a 'conscience-testing gift package' automatically generated by the illusion based on your kill count."

"no……"

Ji Zuodao frowned deeply, feeling that this setting was an insult to his intelligence:

"That doesn't make sense!"

The inner demon rolled its eyes and said irritably:

"So you think it's reasonable for you to slaughter tens of thousands of people, leaving not a trace of ashes?"

"Speaking of which..."

Its tone shifted abruptly, its gaze sharpening as it fixed its gaze on Ji Zuodao's face, which remained impassive even amidst the ravages of the corpse mountain:

"You really don't feel anything at all?"

"What does it feel like?" Ji Zuodao asked blankly.

The inner demon pointed a finger at the little girl who was still clutching his clothes, tears streaming down her face. His voice was low, carrying a guiding, almost bewitching chill:

"Come, look at this child."

"She was probably happy yesterday about getting a new hair clip and looking forward to having her favorite tamagoyaki for dinner."

"She has never done anything bad, has never hurt anyone, and may not even fully understand what hatred is."

"She was just supposed to be sucked dry by your mosquitoes, left with nothing but skin, and then blown away by the wind?"

The inner demon's eyes were fixed on Ji Zuodao's face, not missing a single subtle change in expression. His voice was low, carrying a sharp edge that went straight to the heart:

"The tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and possibly many more people you've killed..."

"Does everyone really deserve to die?"

"All that you've done..."

"Really, right?"

The inner demon stared intently at Ji Zuodao's face, trying to catch a crack or a hint of wavering in that usually sly and wicked expression.

However, Ji Zuodao just grinned.

That smile was clean, even a little relaxed.

"lead."

He spoke, his voice steady and his enunciation clear, as if stating a perfectly simple objective fact:

"Do you... have some misunderstanding about me?"

"I never said that what I did was the right thing."

"I never said that I was making such a big fuss about mosquitoes for some kind of 'passionate feeling,' 'acting on behalf of heaven,' or 'upholding justice'... It all sounds like such a difficult thing."

He tilted his head slightly, looking at his inner demon with a gaze so clear it was almost cruel:

"I'm just getting revenge."

"Simple, relentless, and ruthless revenge, seizing any opportunity to destroy someone."

"Whether these people are innocent or not, whether they've done anything wrong, whether they're good people or beasts..."

"It doesn't matter."

He paused, as if feeling the need to emphasize it again, and then slowly added:

"Just because—"

"I want to kill."

"The filthy things they did back then, their children, their children's children, even though they only breathe the same air and stand on the same land as them..."

"It annoys me."

"So, if I have the chance, I'll kill."

"Kill as many as you can."

"If I can't kill them all, then I'm not good enough. If I kill them all..."

He smiled, revealing a set of white teeth:

"Then they're just unlucky; they happened to run into my line of fire."

"It's that simple."

"..."

The inner demon fell silent.

It has been doing this for thousands of years and has seen all kinds of killers.

Some are motivated by profit, some by power, and some by so-called principles or beliefs.

Many of them, while verbally proclaiming revenge, secretly cloak themselves in a fig leaf of "justice being served."

It was as if this would lessen the smell of blood and allow him to sleep more soundly at night.

But this kid in front of me...

Damn it, he tore that piece of cloth off with his own hands, threw it away, and even stomped on it twice.

Revenge is revenge.

I want to kill, that's all.

No excuses, no pretense, no grandstanding.

This murderous intent was so pure it sent chills down your spine.

The inner demon has no doubt.

If in the real world there isn't a tough guy who can keep this kid in check.

If he really gets the chance, has enough ability, and happens to be untouchable...

He would absolutely not hesitate to replicate the entire illusion in reality.

The process could be optimized, efficiency could be increased, and mood...

I estimate I'll be happier than I am now.

"Alright, kid, you've passed this test."

The inner demon waved its hand listlessly, preparing to dispel the illusion.

This pure killing intent, let alone killing for a few days, even if it lasts until the end of time, probably wouldn't stir up even the slightest ripple of guilt in this little bastard's heart.

At most, he would think—

"Tsk, I'm in good form today, having a lot of fun."

"Wait, boss!"

Ji Zuodao reacted quickly, grabbing the wrist of the inner demon that had already raised, ready to "cut scene".

"Before you leave...let me have one last good time?"

Just one!

"I promise! I'll leave immediately after I'm done! I won't linger!"

The inner demon frowned, scrutinizing him suspiciously:

"What kind of trouble are you trying to cause now?"

Ji Zuodao rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining like searchlights, his tone a mix of mystery and barely suppressed excitement:

"lead……"

"You've seen...?"

"A mushroom cloud?"

"A mushroom cloud?"

The inner demon paused for a moment.

"Mushrooms...can they form clouds?"

"Is it good? Is it sweet or savory?"

Ji Zuo said: "..."

Well, discussing nuclear peace with an old cadre unearthed from the Tang Dynasty is like casting pearls before swine.

"Just you wait and see!"

He was too lazy to explain, so he decided to let his actions speak for themselves. Since it was an illusion, it was perfectly reasonable to deploy a few mushroom bombs.

Ten minutes later.

"boom--!!!!!!"

Not a sound.

There were more than a dozen roars! Almost indistinguishable in sequence, like hysterical roars from ancient behemoths!

A dozen enormous, menacing, grayish-white mushrooms, churning with flames and dust, slowly but irresistibly spread across this tiny piece of land with an almost tyrannical and unreasonable domineering presence...

He stood up!

Soaring straight into the sky!