The moment Yan Shouyi's true form and pháp thân sank into the Washing Elephant Pond together, his consciousness suddenly felt as if it had plunged into a muddy swamp, heavy and oppressive.
He vaguely heard sounds of wailing, begging for mercy, and crying.
The sounds drew nearer from a distance, growing clearer, and were mixed with the crackling of burning wood and the sizzling of oil in a hot pan.
He felt despair, as if hope for life had been extinguished, wanting only to slowly drown, to sink into boundless nothingness.
Colloquially known as,
Giving up.
Suddenly, as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head, Yan Shouyi snapped awake.
He opened his eyes, and the sounds he had heard before instantly amplified, as if right by his ears.
Before him lay a massive oil cauldron, the oil within churning and bubbling, the oil bubbles several times larger than a person!
And on all sides of the cauldron, wooden planks like diving boards extended to the center, upon which stood a crowd of ghosts. Driven by ghost marshals, they jumped into the oil cauldron like livestock!
The instant they touched the oil, these ghosts let out piercing screams. Fortunately, the screams quickly faded, and the ghosts who leaped into the oil, after a single submersion, turned into charred black lumps, motionless.
"Is this hell? Am I seeing an oil cauldron?"
Yan Shouyi's consciousness floated in mid-air, observing the true spectacle of hell.
Besides the oil cauldron, hell had various other tortures: mountains of knives, seas of fire, tongue extraction, steaming cages, copper pillars, stone presses...
Hell must be the illusionary world of Master Miaohui.
Yan Shouyi scanned his surroundings, searching for Master Miaohui's inner demon.
As long as the inner demon in the illusion was defeated, Master Miaohui's true consciousness could be awakened, thereby eliminating the Asura.
Suddenly, a large hand descended from above Yan Shouyi's head, reaching into the churning oil cauldron.
The hand showed no fear of the boiling oil's scalding heat. It fumbled around in the cauldron, finally grasping a handful of souls fried into charcoal, and pulled them out.
Yan Shouyi retreated a few steps, looking up. He saw a giant, as massive as a small mountain, sitting right before him. The oil cauldron, which was as large as a swimming pool in his eyes, was merely a "bowl" held in the giant's embrace!
The giant's appearance bore some resemblance to Master Miaohui, but the real Master Miaohui was hunched and so thin she resembled a dying old tree. This giant, however, was fat-headed and big-eared, with a chin layered hundreds of times over. The flesh on its cheeks drooped so low it hung on either side of its head like two pig ears.
Could this behemoth be Master Miaohui's inner demon?!
Yan Shouyi suddenly felt an urge to retreat: How could Grandma think I was its opponent?
At this moment, Yan Shouyi felt that in front of Master Miaohui, he was like Sun Wukong before the Buddha. If the giant simply extended its hand, he could pee in its palm and write "Yan Shouyi was here" on its finger.
The giant grabbed the charred souls, stuffed them into its mouth, filling its cavernous maw, and then chewed with great gusto!
The giant had no worries about running out of food, so as it chewed, severed limbs, remains, and scraps of flesh continuously fell from the corners of its mouth, plopping back into the oil cauldron.
Yan Shouyi's impulse to retreat flashed by. He quickly regained his resolve.
Grandma loved me the most; she wouldn't send me to my death... Even if Master Miaohui's inner demon is this terrifying, I must have a way to defeat it!
Suddenly, Yan Shouyi noticed a string of prayer beads hanging around the giant's neck.
At the very center of the prayer beads was a bead, as large as the giant's fist, within which Master Miaohui's consciousness was sealed!
"That must be the real Master Miaohui. She was defeated by her inner demon, hence she was sealed."
Yan Shouyi muttered to himself, "So, I don't necessarily have to defeat the inner demon. As long as I can rescue Master Miaohui's consciousness, the Asura in the real world can be resolved?"
Fortunately, the inner demon doesn't seem to be able to see me at the moment. I can use this advantage to approach Master Miaohui.
Just as Yan Shouyi was contemplating his strategy, he suddenly felt the sounds around him intensify.
It was as if he had previously been an outsider watching a play from in front of a television, but now he was personally experiencing it, the reality completely different and overwhelmingly true.
"Hmm?"
The giant suddenly lowered its head, staring intently in Yan Shouyi's direction.
Yan Shouyi's expression turned ashen with shock.
It saw me?
Yes, its gaze and expression said it all!
It turned out the giant couldn't see me before because my consciousness hadn't fully entered Master Miaohui's illusionary space. Now that my consciousness was fully present, I had gained a physical form and was visible to the giant!
After a moment of surprise, Yan Shouyi did not hesitate and ran backward.
Sensing Yan Shouyi's uniqueness, the inner demon roared like a wild beast whose territory had been invaded, letting out a display of aggression.
This roar also served as a command, ordering all the ghost marshals guarding the oil cauldron to pursue Yan Shouyi!
These ghost marshals wore official attire and carried long sabers. Their attacks were highly effective against souls, and Yan Shouyi, currently an entity of consciousness, dared not directly withstand their attacks.
He sprinted along the edge of the oil cauldron, thinking he could shake off the ghost marshals. To his surprise, the ghost marshals could fly!
"Ghost marshals are amazing! Illusions are amazing! You're cheating!"
Yan Shouyi cursed as he ran. His foot slipped, and he nearly fell into the oil cauldron.
Running along the edge of the oil cauldron was like dancing on a cliff; a slight misstep meant utter destruction.
Therefore, Yan Shouyi decided against continuing this tightrope walk and instead leaped onto the inner demon.
The inner demon could not tolerate this bothersome fly disrupting its "meal." It raised its palm and swatted at Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi felt a chill down his spine, as if a building were collapsing upon him. He sped up even further.
*Smack—*
The inner demon's palm landed with a thunderous sound, followed by a gust of wind from behind Yan Shouyi that blew him away like a piece of paper.
The ghost marshals chasing him were not so fortunate; they were mercilessly crushed to death by their master, their bodies shattered.
"Damn it, in the illusionary world, the inner demon's strength has indeed multiplied. Opposing the inner demon is no different from opposing a god!"
Yan Shouyi gritted his teeth and cursed.
However, simply running away would not reveal any weaknesses to defeat the inner demon.
So, he drew his saber, turned, and fiercely stabbed at the inner demon's thigh below him!
"Let me see just how powerful you are!!" he roared.
*Squelch!*
The Zanpakutō sank in up to its hilt. The inner demon's physical defense was not as exaggerated as Yan Shouyi had imagined; his Zanpakutō could still wound it.
However—
This blow was inconsequential to the inner demon, as if it had merely been bitten by a mosquito.
It let out a disdainful laugh, grabbed Yan Shouyi, this offending fly, pinched him, and held him up close to examine him.