"Damn it, I knew this would happen!"
Though Yang Xiao's expression changed,
he did not retreat.
In truth, it was too late to dodge. Besides, the fusion of their auras had not yet ended. If he were to pull away now, all his previous efforts would truly be for naught.
So, taking a deep breath,
Yang Xiao not only did not retreat but advanced instead.
He grabbed Xue Yi tightly, restraining her.
He allowed the fierce Origin Sword Qi to strike his body.
In fact, to avoid disrupting the aura fusion, Yang Xiao did not even activate his Vajra Indestructible Divine Technique, simply taking the blow with his physical body.
Then,
before Xue Yi could launch a second wave of attacks,
his Spiritual Power instantly pierced the center of her brow.
BOOM!
Yang Xiao felt
his Spirit Will connect with Xue Yi's.
In that instant,
the Origin Sword Qi that Xue Yi was instinctively about to mobilize came to a halt.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao's True Greater Yang Fire surged madly into Xue Yi's body, once again entangling with the recently mobilized and still-active Origin Sword Qi.
This gave Xue Yi, who had awoken but not yet regained her sanity, an instinctive feeling of comfort.
It was just like what Yang Xiao had felt before.
For some reason,
there was no rejection.
She did not try to kill him again.
This was one of the reasons why, in the Ancient Era, Bai Lianzi had offered her body to the demon to rescue Thousand Heart Daoist from the Demon Sea. It was also one of the sources of Yang Xiao's confidence in his ability to save Xue Yi.
But at this very moment,
Yang Xiao could no longer feel any of it.
His consciousness had completely entered Xue Yi's mindscape.
He gazed upon a sky awash in blood.
Miserable wails echoed from all around.
Terrible scenes of slaughter played out one after another.
Yang Xiao knew then that Xue Yi's Demon Thoughts ran far too deep.
However, since he had chosen to enter this place, he had no reason not to press on. Facing challenges head-on was his style. To retreat from danger would be to truly despise himself.
'Now, I have to find the source of these Demon Thoughts. Only by eliminating their origin can I dispel them from Xue Yi. And I must be quick!'
With a flicker of resolve in his eyes,
Yang Xiao began to search.
The moment he moved,
he immediately triggered a reaction from the Demon Thoughts.
A blood-red figure, in the midst of a frenzied slaughter, turned its gaze upon him.
It was Xue Yi.
And yet, it was not.
"You have a very familiar, very comfortable aura... Who are you?"
As this Demon Thought version of Xue Yi stared at him, the voice echoed in Yang Xiao's mind.
It was a telepathic message from the Demon Thought.
"I'm here to save you,"
Yang Xiao replied, his thoughts stirring.
"Save me? No, I, Xue Yi, don't need saving! You're here to kill me!"
The initially confused Demon Thought of Xue Yi instantly flared with killing intent.
It lunged at him, intent on killing.
The attack was exceptionally vicious.
Yang Xiao had no choice.
He could only do what was necessary to slay a demon.
Fortunately, although Xue Yi had Fallen into Demon, her Spiritual Level wasn't particularly strong. Even in this state, it was only equivalent to the Observing Micro High Peak.
With a mere thought, Yang Xiao's Heart Spirit annihilated this wisp of Demon Thought.
But in doing so,
a piece of Xue Yi's consciousness was also lost.
This left Yang Xiao feeling somewhat frustrated.
'If I just keep destroying them like this, Xue Yi will be free of Demon Thoughts, but she'll be left with no consciousness either. This won't work... I have to change my approach.'
An idea suddenly struck Yang Xiao.
He could use Divine Intent Fusion to separate the Demon Thoughts from her consciousness before eliminating them. 'That must be how Bai Lianzi did it all those years ago,' he mused.
His gaze swept the area, and he instantly found another target.
It was another Demon Thought.
But this one's face was pale. Though still clad in blood-red, her expression was exceptionally cold, as if nothing in the world could pique her interest.
Even upon seeing an intruder like Yang Xiao, she remained expressionless, showing no reaction at all.
'You're the one.'
Yang Xiao thought.
He unleashed his Divine Thought, instantly immobilizing her.
"You... what do you think you're doing?"
the pale, indifferent Xue Yi cried out in alarm.
But unfortunately for her,
Yang Xiao didn't respond this time. His Spiritual Power had already delved into this wisp of Xue Yi's consciousness. He initiated a direct Divine Intent Fusion, swiftly forcing the Demon Thought out.
Then,
his Divine Thought crushed it, and the Demon Thought vanished.
The wisp of consciousness was preserved.
However, it still appeared somewhat vacant.
It lacked any real spirit.
Yang Xiao knew this was because the consciousness itself was too weak. Even though he had eliminated the Demon Thought, it had contained a portion of Xue Yi's spirit, and its destruction would inevitably affect her.
Therefore,
he had to be quick.
He had to wipe them out as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, even if he exhausted all his Heart Power to cleanse every last Demon Thought, Xue Yi's own Spiritual Power would become too weak. She would inevitably be affected, perhaps even becoming a simpleton. If that happened, all his efforts would have been for a terrible loss.
Immediately,
Yang Xiao resumed his search for targets.
His own Spiritual Power was formidable, and he quickly encountered a second target.
He was also exceptionally careful.
Gradually, the number of Demon Thoughts dwindled, while more and more wisps of her consciousness awakened.
Slowly, Xue Yi's consciousness began to clear, the individual wisps spontaneously gathering together. However, her main consciousness had yet to appear, so even when gathered, the collective consciousness remained vacant and dull.
This, in turn, made Yang Xiao increasingly anxious.
Finally, after dispelling an untold number of Demon Thoughts,
Yang Xiao saw a figure.
There was no Demonic Qi clinging to it.
But it appeared exceedingly weak and helpless.
Like a little girl, it was huddled in a corner, holding its head.
Yang Xiao, however, was overjoyed.
He knew he had found the key.
This had to be Xue Yi's main consciousness. 'If I can just draw this wisp of consciousness out,' he thought, 'this girl will be saved.'