The Unraging monk shook his head with a smile. “The human heart is deep and deceptive. Normally, it only shows the tip of the iceberg, and it’s bound by common customs and courtesy, making it even more unpredictable. With how cruel and ruthless his attacks were earlier, I don’t think they were only to triumph over the opponent anymore. Everyone has a buddha nature within them, but everyone also has a demonic nature within them. You can’t deny that, can you, senior brother?”
“I don’t deny that, but if his demonic nature truly is so unbearable, why would he be so kind to the cannibalistic little demonfolk?” The Dauntless monk pointed out. Duoge was currently searching for the demon hearts scattered across the square with his head lowered.
Demon hearts were made of something different. They were the only remains not destroyed by Li Qingshan’s sword qi.
“Perhaps he has always been suppressing the demonic nature within him.”
The Unraging monk said, but even he himself felt it was quite unlikely. If one’s demonic nature could be suppressed so easily, then the world would be filled with kind-hearted people. Why would they still need the Demon Suppression Statuary?
Never did they think that Li Qingshan was constantly using the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, a cultivation method even more wondrous and powerful than the Demon Suppression Statuary, to suppress his demonic nature. Otherwise, he would have become a demon a long time ago.
……
Xiao An stared at the “Demon Suppression statue” and shook her head before long, giving up on comprehending the Demon Suppression Statuary it contained.
“What, even you can’t comprehend this cultivation method?” Li Qingshan asked curiously. He had never seen anything that could stump Xiao An.
Xiao An said, “The statue is a part of the entire Demon Suppression hall. It’s called demon suppression and not demon slaying or demon purging, which only demonstrates the creator of this place didn’t create the Demon Suppression hall to kill or torture. He had a heart of benevolence.”
“The cultivation method it hides should be for the people of the demonic path and the demonfolk imprisoned here so that they can suppress their demonic nature, becoming aware of their errors and turning back from their wrong path. I have no demonic nature within me, so I can’t practise it.”
Outside the Demon Suppression hall, the Dauntless monk and the Unraging monk exchanged glances. They were both surprised. In a short while, she had seen through the objective of the creator of the Demon Suppression hall, as well as the function of the Demon Suppression Statuary. It was unbelievable.
In the past, any demonic cultivators who were imprisoned in the Demon Suppression hall were powerful figures who had run amok through an entire region. Because of the intense demonic nature in their hearts, they had the opportunity to comprehend the path of repentance within the Demon Suppression Statuary.
However, neither of them believed what she said about how she had no demonic nature. She was clearly directing it towards them.
“I understand why you’re so cautious now, senior brother.” The Unraging monk shook his head, and his smile vanished for the first time.
With such wisdom at such an age, it would either be a great blessing or a great curse for the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga to have her as a disciple.
However, they did not know that Xiao An was not lying.
Although she possessed unbelievable talent for cultivation and comprehension, there was no so-called “demonic nature” within her as she was almost emotionless and without disposition. Even if she could comprehend it, she could not practise it.
The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty could be regarded as a path that led from buddhism to the demonic. It was the exact opposite to the Demon Suppression Statuary. She never had any demons in her heart to suppress in the first place, while Li Qingshan was different.
It can suppress one’s demonic nature. Can it be used to suppress the ox demon and tiger demon?
Li Qingshan came up with an idea. After reaching the fifth layer of the Ox Demon Transformation, he often had a feeling he was unable to keep it suppressed. Forcing the suppression took him quite the effort, both mentally and physically. If he could learn the Demon Suppression Statuary, would it help out?
And, the level of this cultivation method did not seem low. At least, it was much higher than the Arts of the Boundless Ocean. These bald asses had locked him up in here as a test without a second thought, so if he could learn this cultivation method, at least he would have received something in exchange.
Li Qingshan circled around the “Demon Suppression statue” before turning around, facing the statue with his back. He studied it with his soul sense as he changed his posture, making it exactly the same as the statue.
When he first extended his soul sense into the statue, he did not feel anything special. Taking Xiao An’s advice into account, he tried easing up on the spirit turtle’s suppression of the ox demon and tiger demon.
In that moment, his expression changed. His eyebrows flew up, and his eyes widened. He raised his head and gazed at the empty air, his lips pursed thinly.
The demonic nature of the ox demon was immoveable no matter what. The demonic nature of the tiger demon surged with viciousness and violence.
He spread his thickened arms as veins and muscles rippled across his body. He produced a soundless roar from his chest as if he was clashing with an invisible opponent.
Duoge, who happened to be collecting demon hearts and shoving them into his mouths, leapt up in fright and staggered backwards, falling back onto his bottom with his mouth hanging agape. He even forgot to swallow the demon hearts. He stared right at Li Qingshan, experiencing an urge to kneel and worship him.
While Li Qingshan had saved him originally, he did not feel grateful. Gratitude was not an emotion that existed in the hearts of demonfolk. Only “good people” would feel gratitude and an urge to repay it.
After learning Li Qingshan was a human, he feared his strength and sang many “praises”, but that was not what he felt inside. In particular, after Li Qingshan showed him kindness, he felt strange inside. It consolidated his belief that humans were just as weird as they were rumored to be.
But in that moment, Duoge was filled with sincerity, wanting to throw himself on the ground in veneration, just like how monks revered eminent monks who had achieved profound virtue.
The venerable truly is a demon among humans. Even those Demon Generals are nowhere close to him. He’s already so powerful without a demon heart. If he has a demon heart and becomes a demonfolk, wouldn’t he become even greater?!
“What’s this!?” Even with the Dauntless monk and the Unraging monk’s cultivated composure, they were stunned right now. How could he, someone who started off as a mortal, possess such a powerful demonic nature!?
The strength of the demonic nature within Li Qingshan was well beyond what anyone could imagine.
The ox demon’s obstinate perseverance could not even be changed by gods and buddhas, while the tiger demon’s will to fight the world around it was a maddening frenzy.
The demonic nature of demonfolk seemed powerful. They were emotionless, and they ignored all concepts of morals, but that was simply due to the influence of their demon hearts.
So-called demonic nature arising from indoctrinated ideologies and twisted thoughts were as puny as maggots compared to the ox demon and tiger demon. They were essentially the same as the mortals who paid respects to Great Buddha mountain, but instead of believing in the buddha, they believed in the demonic.
True demons ran amok freely, doing whatever they wanted. Once they made up their minds, they would not regret it even if they died multiple times.
This was the “demonic nature” that Li Qingshan possessed. The various desires and killing intent were merely byproducts resulting from the demonic nature. They were unable to shake his conscience.
The Dauntless monk’s face was completely sunken. His fists were clenched firmly within his sleeves. With how heavy his demonic nature was, it was basically unheard of in the world. If he had met this child outside, he basically would have tried to kill him on the spot regardless of the consequences!
He turned towards the Unraging monk. “Junior brother, if he can’t comprehend the Demon Suppression Statuary, we definitely can’t let him leave the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, no, the Demon Suppression hall.”
The Unraging monk shook his head. “Senior brother, I know you utterly loathe evil like you have a grudge against it, and you’ve sworn to purge the world of evil demons for the sake of the buddha. However, even if our chan sect focuses on seeing the true nature, he hasn’t committed any sins yet, so how can we punish him because of the demonic nature within him?”
The Dauntless monk frowned. “You want to protect him?”
The Unraging monk avoided the question. He only said, “He has such a heavy demonic nature within him, yet he can keep it all within him without acting on it. That’s completely impossible to achieve unless he possesses great willpower. Perhaps he is the most optimal choice for practising the Demon Suppression Statuary, the fated person that the Demon Suppression hall is waiting for.”
“That’s not necessarily true.”
The Dauntless monk said. Going from kindheartedness to wickedness only took a single thought, but realising the errors and mending the ways was anything but easy. There had been so many demonfolk and demonic cultivators in the Demon Suppression hall, yet none of them had ever succeeded with the Demon Suppression Statuary and emerged from the hall.
It was possible to say that the Demon Suppression hall had never achieved the function that its benevolent creator had hoped it might. At the end of the day, it was only a prison, a ground for trials.
“Will he become the groundbreaking first person to practise the Demon Suppression Statuary in the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga?”
Li Qingshan carefully controlled the subtle balance between the spirit turtle and the ox demon and tiger demon, just in case he accidentally released daemon qi. The Dauntless monk did not seem like a softhearted person, but little did he know that just by the demonic nature he had released, the Dauntless monk had already made up his mind about killing him.
At this moment, the Demon Suppression statue began to glow, giving off an unprecedented, dim, golden light. The entire Demon Suppression hall trembled.
It was exactly within this struggle and wavering, this repression and release, that coincided with the will within the Demon Suppression statue.
The Unraging monk’s eyes lit up. “That’s right, sure enough!” The Dauntless monk’s expression eased up slightly.
Li Qingshan locked onto the Demon Suppression statue firmly with his soul sense. He could vaguely sense the existence of something. It seemed like a form of comprehension, yet it was also like a scripture. However, a barrier continued to exist. A while later, the statue dimmed, and Li Qingshan’s body loosened.
“Amitābha, it’s still ended in failure, hasn’t it?”
The Dauntless monk brought his palms together and uttered the buddha’s name, but the Unraging monk beside him knew this was the Dauntless monk making up his mind about purging demons.
Li Qingshan asked Xiao An, “What do you think?”
“You don’t really look like it.”
“Really? I also feel like something is lacking.”
The will in Li Qingshan’s heart and the will within the statue did not match at all. Instead, they deviated from one another, which was why he could not obtain the Demon Suppression Statuary within the Demon Suppression statue.
He sank into his thoughts for a while, turning towards the statue in thought.
A powerful demonic nature exists within my heart, but I don’t feel pain, nor do I pray for anyone’s help, much less do I have any interest in repenting and changing my ways to completely destroy this demonic nature. If this demonic nature doesn’t exist, then Li Qingshan will no longer be Li Qingshan.
He bellowed out suddenly, “No matter what you’re hiding, hand it all over!”
The Demon Suppression statue suddenly erupted with unprecedentedly resplendent light as if all the light in the entire Demon Suppression hall had gathered there.
The light reached a limit, and two streaks of golden light shot out of its eyes, landing in Li Qingshan’s eyes. Li Qingshan shuddered as if he had received a heavy strike, staggering a step back. An image suddenly appeared in his head, rapidly revolving about. It was the Demon Suppression statue right before him.
The first form of the Demon Suppression Statuary, Initial Remorse of the Demon Heart.
Although he was born as a demonfolk, he had experienced the taste of kindness and love. He felt remorse over his past actions, so he wanted to break free from the restraint of the demon heart to develop a will of his own.
But gradually, the figure of the demon male turned into Li Qingshan’s figure. His expression was not pained, nor was he praying for anything. There was only pride and resolve. He would not feel remorse over anything he had done in the past.
Remorselessness of the Demon Heart.
