The Demon with Holy Radiance-Chapter 166 - 151: That Person Is Also Me, Slay the Demon Today

Inside Yang An's residence.

A turbid aura billowed from Elder Life Crane, mingling with a crimson, bloody energy that continuously spread into the surroundings.

As this turbid, bloody energy spread out, it passed through the surrounding walls and continued to extend outward, seeming to enter some sort of unseen place.

But even after the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he had still found nothing.

"Old geezer! Have you found it yet?"

He Tou was growing impatient, glancing all around and craning its neck as it circled nearby.

"It's hidden very deep! Someone has tampered with this Forbidden Artifact Fragment!"

Elder Life Crane's expression was grim.

Logically, an ownerless Forbidden Artifact Fragment should be easy to find. After all, Yang An hadn't mastered it, so there was no way he could hide it so deeply.

But based on the residual aura, he still hadn't been able to find the spatial anchor point hidden in the void.

It was obvious that someone had deliberately hidden it, or that some condition had to be met to find any trace of the Forbidden Artifact Fragment.

This was definitely not something Yang An was capable of doing.

It was very likely that only a figure on the same level as him could accomplish such a feat.

"Don't tell me you can't find it. Hahaha, that's hilarious! So even an old fossil like you can lose face?"

He Tou suddenly laughed, gloating at his misfortune.

"It's merely hidden deep. A mere ownerless Forbidden Artifact Fragment is not enough to stump me."

Elder Life Crane shook his head, then looked at the faint golden glimmer before him, now firmly solidified by the bloody energy.

A cold smirk appeared on his face.

"So what are you planning to do?"

Elder Life Crane didn't answer. Instead, he retracted all the aura and bloody energy that had spread out from his body and then began to pour it into the faint golden glimmer.

'If I can't find it, then there's no need to search.'

'As long as I know it's a Forbidden Artifact Fragment, there are plenty of other ways.'

A massive amount of the turbid, bloody energy surged into the golden glimmer, even forming a visible Vortex above it.

As if unable to withstand the infusion of this turbid, bloody energy, the golden glimmer gradually dimmed, and finally, a fissure leading into the void formed before Elder Life Crane.

However, when this fissure appeared and he felt the aura leaking out from within, a knowing smile appeared on Elder Life Crane's face.

"It seems I won't need to go looking for him."

"What kind of riddle are you spouting now, you old coot?"

He Tou found it more and more unbearable. Its eyes were practically spitting fire, as if it wished it could swallow the old geezer in one gulp.

"Someone will go find him. And that person is also me."

"Motherfucker!"

Still unable to understand what Elder Life Crane was saying, He Tou seemed to have been pushed to its limit, its eyes finally turning red with rage.

Scorching flames erupted from its entire head, and its fine, blackish-gray feathers stood straight on end, giving it a crazed, demonic appearance.

But at that very moment.

BONG—

A long, resonant bell toll suddenly spread out, blanketing the entire Life Crane Sect.

With the sudden arrival of this bell toll, the vast red, bloody mist instantly receded, pouring back from Corpse Saliva Valley into the heart of the Life Crane Sect.

A low Sanskrit chant appeared at the same time, echoing in the ears of everyone in the Life Crane Sect like a death knell.

At that moment, the entire Life Crane Sect began to tremble violently, as if the earth were quaking and the heavens were collapsing!

He Tou whipped its head around to look toward the valley entrance. Already filled with rage, its face now revealed an irrepressible killing intent.

"Old geezer! They're here!"

"Then let's go take a look!"

A cold smirk also appeared on Elder Life Crane's face, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from the residence.

No one was left in the residence, only the fissure that had been revealed from the void, trembling slowly like a wound.

「Corpse Saliva Valley.」

The dense, bloody mist that had shrouded the entire valley year-round was now completely gone.

If not for the overcast sky today, Corpse Saliva Valley might have welcomed the sun for the first time in ages.

But at this moment, though the entrance to Corpse Saliva Valley did not welcome the sun, it did welcome some uninvited guests.

There were nine people in total, all dressed in gray Kasayas, holding Prayer Beads, and muttering incantations with solemn and dignified expressions.

If Yang An were here, he would surely have recognized them.

One of the nine Monks was the old Monk named De Lan, the very same one who had been invited by Pu Miao and the others from White Buddha Temple to the Ancient Collection at the Xiyue River.

But at this moment, the old Monk De Lan was relegated to the last position. Among the nine, the one at the head was an old monk.

The old monk was only four feet tall, shorter than everyone else, with a kind face, benevolent eyes, and long eyebrows.

Despite this, standing before the crowd, he was like a mountain ridge barring the valley entrance, filled with majesty.

The bell toll emanated from the old monk's body. The gray Kasaya billowed around him as waves of energy spread out in all directions from beneath him.

Dust was swept away, forming concentric ripples around the old monk.

RRRRIP!

The Kasaya on his back suddenly tore open as his flesh and blood swelled.

In an instant, countless golden arms burst from his back, as if they were tearing his entire physical body apart from within.

A hundred... a thousand... ten thousand...

Countless golden arms surged madly from his body, weaving together in mid-air to form a giant Golden Bell!

A large amount of golden blood also flowed from the wounds on his body, dripping onto the ground.

The golden blood seemed to have a will of its own, spreading into Corpse Saliva Valley like a swarm of golden snakes.

SLITHERING! WEAVING!

The giant Golden Bell woven from arms finally detached completely from the old monk's body.

The arms formed layers of fan-like shapes, beating the air to carry the giant Golden Bell high above Corpse Saliva Valley.

BONG—

Another long, resonant bell toll echoed from the giant Golden Bell, and the golden blood on the ground formed into a network of lines.

As the bell rang, a vast number of golden Sanskrit characters emerged from the void, forming a barrier that enveloped the entirety of Corpse Saliva Valley.

Vajra Great Secret Seal Zen Sound Spell!

Vajra Demon Slayer, Secret Seal Locking Demon!

Within it was the power of a Forbidden Artifact Fragment, named All Zen Rakshas!

From this moment on, one could enter Corpse Saliva Valley, but not leave!

This was the power of a Forbidden Artifact Fragment—a sliver of the Power of Rules that had turned the entire Corpse Saliva Valley into a cage!

And as a price, in that same instant, the old monk's flesh and blood shattered, and his billowing Kasaya fell to the ground.

But within a single breath, he quickly regenerated his physical body. It was just extremely unstable, twisting violently as if something were about to burst out from his flesh at any moment.

"De Lan."

The old monk's expression was composed and perfectly calm. He called out the name softly, and a Monk immediately stepped forward from behind him, bowing respectfully.

It was indeed the old Monk De Lan, the Grand Abbot of the Dingzhou Hundred Temples, under the jurisdiction of the Great Virtue Temple.

He was the Great Virtue Temple's Buddhist emissary in Dingzhou, meaning a preacher, and also the only channel for the Dingzhou Hundred Temples to reach the higher authorities.

In short, he was the Great Virtue Temple's representative in Dingzhou.

"Zen Master Qing Yin!"

De Lan bowed respectfully, his attitude humble, his eyes filled with fanaticism.

According to the naming conventions of Great Virtue Temple, the old monk before him was a figure of higher rank, a Zen Master of the Temple, a High Monk of the "Qing" generation.

The old monk, Qing Yin, took a Scroll from the wide sleeve of his Kasaya and handed it to De Lan, a benevolent smile on his face.

"This time, we have tracked down an Evil Demon on the list of our Great Virtue Temple. The extermination decree for this demon shall be proclaimed by you."

Looking at the Scroll that Zen Master Qing Yin offered him, an irrepressible look of excitement appeared on De Lan's face.

If he hadn't happened to discover traces of Elder Life Crane in the Ancient Collection at the Xiyue River, he would never have followed the clues and reported them to the Great Virtue Temple.

Who would have thought that Elder Life Crane would be hiding in this tiny Han State, separated from Dingzhou by only a river.

Proclaiming the extermination decree meant that he had the secondary merit for this expedition, his contribution second only to Zen Master Qing Yin's.

Though it was secondary merit, it was enough for him to go from being the Grand Abbot of the Dingzhou Hundred Temples to entering the Great Virtue Temple itself and becoming a true proxy among its many temples.

With trembling hands, he accepted the Scroll from Zen Master Qing Yin.

The twisted flesh on Zen Master Qing Yin's hand suddenly shot out frenzied tendrils, grabbing De Lan's hand and tearing the skin and flesh from it.

Although it was painful, De Lan chanted "Amitabha" under his breath, his face a mask of pure ecstasy.

Only when the flesh of his hand had rotted away completely, exposing the stark white bone beneath, did he finally bring the Scroll before him and slowly unroll it.

Then, De Lan's voice began to echo throughout Corpse Saliva Valley.

"Under the aegis of Great Virtue, we proclaim to the world the peril of the Evil Demon's scourge!"

"The apostate madman is Life Crane; his disciples are all followers of the demonic path!"

"The merit of slaying this demon shall echo through the ages; may the Lotus Sutra flourish in our hearts!"

"These despicable sycophants brazenly bow to the path of demons!"

"Today, we invoke the might of Great Virtue's Zen Masters, to carry on the past and forge a future of peace. The sudden rise of Demonic Qi has sown widespread resentment; we vow to spread this extermination decree across the land!"

"By the sacred decree of Great Virtue, the demon shall be slain today!"

"The demon shall be slain today!!"

The voice echoed long in Corpse Saliva Valley, but the moment the proclamation was finished, the Scroll in De Lan's hand suddenly dissolved into countless motes of Golden Radiance.

The hand De Lan had used to hold the Scroll was instantly touched by the Golden Radiance, and both his hands turned to dust in an instant.

The Golden Radiance, however, flew up and settled into the giant Golden Bell in mid-air.

BONG—

The long, resonant bell toll rang out once more.

The demon shall be slain today!

"So noisy, so noisy, SO NOISY! I'm going to kill you all!"

But at that very moment, a burly figure slowly walked out from the Life Crane Sect, a large blade coiled in his thick, long tail.

Wild Forbidden looked like a crazed demon, walking step by step toward the Monks.

Dark red flames suddenly erupted from his body, and nine massive fire dragons took shape, enveloping Wild Forbidden completely.

The steel blade pointed at Zen Master Qing Yin, who stood at the head of the group. The nine massive fire dragons glared menacingly at the assembled monks, and within the flames, Wild Forbidden's expression was one of pure madness.

"You disturbed me! Not a single one of you is getting away today! You're all going to die!"

...

「Secret Seal Space.」

Yang An had returned to the place where he was first reshaped—the entrance to Corpse Saliva Valley.

The last time he entered, the Secret Seal Space had shattered because it couldn't withstand the old geezer's power. He hadn't expected it to have restored itself completely.

He had already guessed that these illusions were all formed by the Forbidden Artifact Fragment, but he had no idea why it would create them.

'But right now is clearly not the time to be dawdling.'

"Hehehehe..."

Laughter came from the coffin standing upright at the valley entrance.

But just as the coffin lid fell with a THUD, crashing heavily onto the ground, Yang An had already vanished.

'I have to hurry!'

'Achieve Corpse Transformation!'