Inner Destroyer

　"Is this okay?"

　In fact, needless to say, Qi Xing also knew that this would definitely not be possible under normal circumstances.

　"It's possession."

　Fortunately, Elaine also helped Qi Xing identify monsters.

　"A powerful evil intent is attached to this building—if we destroy it directly, the people inside will be in great danger."

　Even if Qi Xing only destroyed part of the building and spared the people inside, this monstrous love hotel would undoubtedly drain the guests' sexual energy to repair itself. Even if they managed to rescue them alive, they would all be reduced to a miserable state, unable to live a humane life.

　If Qi Xing just blasted it with all his might, the entire building would explode, rendering it irreparable—and the guests inside wouldn't even be left with their remains. That wouldn't be a good idea, right?

　"I want!"

　At the same time, this monster love hotel reached out and grabbed another custom shop building next to it, and began to twist its waist back and forth and rub it up and down!

　"I want a big █ 特 █!"

　How scary! Love hotels actually require other buildings!

　As mentioned before, this is a sex-themed neighborhood, and the neighborhoods near love hotels are either sex shops or high-end clubs. It twisted its waist, rubbed, and violently █ ...

　These █ energies, these libidos, caused the hotel monster's body to change even more dramatically. Its shape, which originally still had the outline of a building, was completely distorted, and real life was born from the dead steel.

　The wall crumbled, revealing no longer concrete but throbbing pink flesh, sprouting thick limbs. Green, throbbing veins, flowing with hot fluid, could be seen above.

　The steel bars were rearranged like bones, and the dislocated beams were twisted into a jagged spine, winding and bulging along the monster's back like a bony spine.

　The cracked windows transformed into a dense mass of hundreds of eyeballs, spinning frantically and reflecting a greedy light. The red carpet in the corridor transformed into tongues, dripping with slime. The hotel's revolving door twisted into a hideous, jealous face.

　The door opened, spewing out hot air, accompanied by the guests' unconscious ██, as if it was the heartbeat of this monster.

　There were even fleshy animal hands with tumors, and countless ██ grew out of this monster, trying to absorb and integrate other customs and buildings around it!

　very scary!

　It’s not that it’s so strong that Qi Xing can’t defeat it - but even Qi Xing rarely sees such a weird thing!

　Although Qi Xing had guessed that he might encounter something strange before coming to visit the love hotel, he never expected it to be this strange!

　"Elaine, can you exorcise demons?"

　He had no choice but to ask,

　"Otherwise I'll just have to blow it up."

　Either you have to blow it up physically, sacrificing the unfortunate guests inside, or you have to find another method.

　But, exorcising such a large building in one go? Wouldn't it be faster to just burn it down?

　Even Elaine broke out in a cold sweat.

　"For such a large building, unless we find a few fire trucks filled with holy water..."

　Holy water wasn't hard to find. Elaine was now an auxiliary priest, so she could consecrate the water directly. But where was there so much water here? How could she pour it over the entire building after blessing it? That's why she said, unless there was a fire truck... But after hearing her words, Qi Xing actually came up with a solution.

　"There's water, and all we have to do is pour it into the building. Isn't that pretty simple?"

　After saying that, Qi Xing grinned and took out the "silver coin" - the "illusion" silver coin.

　"Come, Primordial Sea, and give me my true form!"

　This was a familiar spell. As soon as the words fell, Qi Xing's form began to shift again. Clear, dreamlike water flowed out from beneath his feet, winding upwards and engulfing him in an instant.

　At this point, it's time to explain the new power Qi Xing gained after defeating Romani and winning the second "silver coin".

　Qi Xing's second "silver coin", Sasa's fourth power fragment, represents the concept of "illusion", change, and madness.

　However, Qi Xing disliked neither frenzy nor illusions, so he thought from a different perspective and tried to impose his own interpretation on the "silver coin."

　Sasa actually welcomed his rambling. As she'd said before, "Don't get hung up on the myth itself. Silver coins are ultimately just extracting the power of the gods from the collective unconscious. They have nothing to do with the gods themselves, only with humanity's expectations of them."

　Therefore, Qi Xing’s own expectation and interpretation of “illusion” is - water.

　In an instant, he was no longer human.

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　form.

　With a sudden transformation, Qi Xing had transformed into a snow-white water dragon again.

　"This is the power of my second silver coin."

　"Unlike Romani, my understanding of 'illusion' is 'water'."

　He spoke, and the sound of the dragon's roar was like the tide.

　“Of all things in the world, nothing is softer than water, yet it attacks the strong and nothing can overcome it. It benefits all things without contending.”

　Taoists believe that the tangible world is a temporary manifestation of the Tao, just as water condenses into ice and evaporates into vapor; while their forms differ, their essence remains the same. Water, formless yet taking on the form of whatever it is, can both penetrate and surge. Its fluidity symbolizes the Tao's impermanence and non-dwelling nature.

　This impermanence is consistent with the Indian religious concept of "illusion (Maya)" - everything in the world changes rapidly like flowing water and has no fixed entity.

　Therefore, "Autumn Water" in Zhuangzi says: The birth of things is like sudden and rapid, nothing moves without changing, and nothing is not shifting.

　Therefore, although Qi Xing used the power of "illusion", he did not need to use illusion.

　So, although Qi Xing often appears to be an illiterate and reckless person, he actually has his own unique understanding of Eastern religion and mysticism. He's just partial to one subject.

　It's like asking a real-life professor studying Chinese religion about the mythological relationship between Athena and the Minotaur. He probably wouldn't understand what you're talking about.

　As for the Water Dragon God that Qi Xing drew from the second "silver coin", which dragon is its mythological prototype, and which god is it... We will talk about it in detail later.

　Anyway, when Elaine saw Qi Xing transformed into a water dragon, she was stunned at first, but then she realized what Qi Xing was trying to do. She immediately ran over, reached out to touch his water body, and began to pray: "In the name of the Almighty Father, in the name of the Son, and by the Holy Spirit, I bless this water. May you become the blessed water, the power to drive away evil spirits. When sprinkled with this water, evil spirits cannot stay."

　“May this water be a sign of our baptism, a remembrance of Christ, who redeemed us through his passion and resurrection.”

　As soon as the prayer ended, the water dragon transformed by Qi Xing began to glow silently, emitting a warm pure white light.

　Throwing its head back and laughing, the holy water dragon leaped up and pounced towards the hotel monster!

　Halfway through, his body suddenly dissipated. The surging water instantly evaporated, transforming into boundless clouds and mist, swirling and surging in the air. Instantly, the entire Customs Street was engulfed in a hazy white mist!

　Water has no fixed form. When it rises, it becomes clouds; when it condenses, it becomes ice; when it flows, it becomes a river. However, its essence remains the same, which is the wonder of Tao.

　This rolling cloud of mist was pervasive, instantly enveloping the enormous body of the hotel monster, caressing its squirming flesh like a veil, seeping into the walls embedded with twisted blood vessels, flowing into the crisscrossing rooms within its body, penetrating the layers of corridors, and pouring into every corner where apricot jade grew.

　"I-I want more!"

　The monster roared and struggled, desperately trying to free itself from the holy water's saturation. But the more it struggled, the more the holy water formed into a cloud of mist, and its movements became more sluggish. The rhythm of its blood vessels became erratic, and its sticky flesh trembled constantly. It was as if an invisible force within it was disintegrating the essence of its existence, silently seeping into its internal organs like spring rain, cleansing its corrupted dark heart.

　Inside the monster, the trapped guests were lifted up by the mist, lost in thought, and streamed out of the shattered windows and crumbling walls. They fell to the ground, soaking wet, yet their minds felt clearer than ever before. Now, as if waking from a nightmare, they looked around in confusion, unsure of where they were.

　At the same time, the Flesh and Blood Hotel, permeated by the holy water, was collapsing at a visible rate. Within the mist, the black evil energy was being stripped away, escaping from the monster's chest, abdomen, and back. Like venom forced out of its body, it twisted and tumbled wildly through the mist, emitting a shrill wail.

　"I—I still want it—"

　It tried to break free, to parasitize somewhere else, but the clouds and mists ruthlessly enveloped it, silently suppressing it, wrapping it layer by layer, making it unable to move.

　"me……"

　In the end, after a violent struggle, these black desires quietly collapsed and turned into nothingness, without even a trace left.

　The monster, having lost its heart of darkness, let out its final scream before death.

　Its flesh crumbled like decaying wood, but in the instant it disintegrated, the twisted flesh gradually transformed back into cold concrete and steel. The squirming walls stiffened again, exposed veins turned into broken wires, and the interlocking fangs collapsed and folded, transforming back into a broken balcony.

　The floors collapsed after losing their support, glass shattered, neon lights went out, and the entire building completely lost its life signs, revealing a ruin covered with rubble and debris.

　Qi Xing slowly gathered the mist and flew back to Elaine, transforming back into human form. He released the remaining mist, which transformed into a drizzle that fell from the sky, washing away the evil spirits of the entire red-customs street and taking away the lust that still lingered in the air.

　Unfortunately, while the evil spirits can be purified and the people can be rescued from the hotel, the only thing that cannot be restored is the material damage. Once the building collapses, it is truly collapsed.

　"It would be nice if the scene could be automatically repaired after defeating the monster, like in those Sunday morning children's cartoons."

　Qi Xing sighed, but what he didn't have was not his. At least not yet, he didn't have the extraordinary power to turn things around.

　So on the other hand, he also has to pay attention to a situation that obviously subverts common sense.

　"Elaine, I know it's not uncommon for evil spirits to possess historic buildings."

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　He spoke,

　"It's not like I haven't burned down an old house that was possessed. But normally, it would have to be a place that's been haunted by a very fierce evil spirit for at least decades or even hundreds of years, right?"

　Although this monstrous world was quite insane, and it wasn't uncommon for negative human emotions to attach themselves to certain things and transform into monsters, it was normal for a monster the size of a hotel to suddenly appear right in front of people.

　Generally speaking, the things that suddenly turn into monsters are - like dolls or furniture, right?

　At least, Qi Xing doesn't think this situation is "natural".

　"If there's a really strong hatred or desire, then perhaps it's not impossible. But..."

　Elaine said this, then looked at the unconscious passerby across the street. She wasn't one to stand there dazed during the battle. She had noticed that the man was likely the source of this strange desire... but he didn't seem to harbor such deep hatred.

　So, how did this weird thing come about?

　072: Plot

　Although he didn't think he was the culprit, to be on the safe side, Qi Xing pulled the unconscious young man who was going home from get off work up and blew a breath of air at him.

　The unfortunate passerby immediately opened his eyes, but his gaze was still dull and his cheeks were slack.

　"Life force is normal."

　Qi Xing reached out and touched the Qi in his body, frowning.

　“But the mind is lost.”

　Elaine pried open the passerby's eyelids like a doctor and took a look, revealing a hint of sadness.

　Loss of mind. To use a more oriental and folk word, it means losing one's soul.

　Recalling lost souls was a common skill for Taoist priests and mages. Qi Xing could do it, but he had already dispersed the demonized mind of this passerby. How could there be any soul to recall?

　In the children's anime every Sunday morning, Pretty Cure can purify and restore victims transformed into monsters by the Darkness, restoring everything to its original state with a single victory. However, Qi Xing doesn't have such a convenient power. After ten years of fighting in this world, he's never heard of anyone with such great power.

　Once lost, many things cannot be easily restored.

　Qi Xing squatted in front of him, patted his face, and while injecting his true energy, asked, "Can you hear me?"

　The passerby's eyelids twitched a few times.

　It seems that at least his basic spirituality is still there. If he is sent to the "Association" for recuperation, he may be able to gradually recover his mind within a few years.

　But Qi Xing had to ask him something right now.

　"What's your name?"

　"Kenichi Sato."

　"Do you have any resentment towards these places around here?" Qi Xing pointed at the chaotic red-light district and the collapsed high-end love hotels.

　Mr. Sato shuddered and replied in a flat, emotionless voice, "I've been working overtime for half a month. I'm jealous of those guys who don't have to work overtime, have money, and can get high-end women on weekdays."

　"..." Qi Xing was speechless for a moment, "Just like that?"

　"that is it."

　This is impossible! Such resentment can't even be extinguished by blowing out a candle, let alone possessing the hotel building.

　If the bug in this universe could allow a building to jump up and kill people just out of jealousy and resentment, the universe would have probably collapsed long before Qi Xing crossed over, and it would have been impossible for it to survive until the 21st century.

　After thinking for a while, Qi Xing continued to ask: "Did anything strange happen just now?"

　"Yes," Sato's eyelids twitched, "a voice... said in my ear... 'Go and rob, take the money and the beautiful women,'"...

　What?

　"And then you said..." He still replied in that monotonous voice, "'Let me fulfill your innermost wish'..."

　Alas.

　Now even a fool can see that there is something fishy going on.

　Feeling that this routine was somewhat familiar, Qi Xing immediately knocked on the shadow and called out the devil: "Sasa, are you causing trouble again?"

　"what?"

　The Loli evil god who was regarded as a criminal suspect was confused.