The Demon with Holy Radiance-Chapter 173 - 157: Senior Brother, I’m Here to Help You! Zen Master, Save Me

The Monk was dead, and everything around him crumbled in an instant. The isolating darkness vanished in a flash, and all the black qi dissipated without a trace. Light returned.

The Life Crane Sect was still a chaotic mess, the ground trembling and enormous booms echoing from all directions.

The battle was clearly far from over; in fact, it had reached a fever pitch.

Countless residences had vanished, reduced to rubble. Flames flickered everywhere.

"Hahahaha! Die! Die! Die! All of you, die!"

An enormous, hundred-foot-long dragon of human heads—Wild Forbidden's transformed state—twisted and coiled in midair, laughing maniacally as it vented its fury.

With a sudden inhalation, it spewed a torrent of ferocious, dark red flames from its mouth.

The two monster Buddhas, once Monks, spun their Demon-Slaying Pestles in unison. Aided by the Sanskrit characters that sealed the Life Crane Sect, they resisted the surging waves of fire, holding their own against Wild Forbidden.

On another side of the battlefield, You Hong'er fought like a woman possessed. The blades covering her body had all flown out, unleashing streams of sinister Sword Qi under her control.

Her opponent was a two-headed, four-armed Flesh and Blood Dharma Body wielding a Human Head Vajra Circle.

The two exchanged blows in brutal close-quarters combat, sending flesh and blood flying.

You Hong'er decapitated the Flesh and Blood Dharma Body with a single slash, but the Human Head Vajra Circle in its hands simultaneously smashed into her, instantly punching a gaping hole through her body and sending blood everywhere.

Both sides fought with total disregard for their own injuries, a sacrificial style of combat that grew more and more frenzied.

RUMBLE!

A giant formed from countless strips of cloth smashed its fist downward.

A monster with a giant head was smashed into a pulp, but it regenerated in an instant. Golden blood gushed from its head, spraying onto the cloth giant and immediately disintegrating it into countless shreds.

In one quiet corner, a coffin lay undisturbed. Beside it, a Monk lay just as still.

Their stillness was utterly out of place amidst the chaos of the Life Crane Sect. It was impossible to know when their contest would conclude.

With so much of the cover gone, Yang An hesitated. He decided against using the Light and Shadow Escape Technique again, lest he draw unwanted attention.

Relying on his Body Technique, he continued toward the valley entrance, still planning to hide out in the dungeons for a while.

'This place is too dangerous. Everyone here is a master.'

'As a weakling who's just entered the Early Stage of the Corpse Transformation Realm, it's better if I don't get involved. I'll just wait for the old man to make his move and put an end to all this.'

'Besides, from the look of things, it's still a stalemate. These people from Great Virtue Temple don't seem to pose a real threat to the Life Crane Sect.'

Yang An became a black shadow, darting through the gaps between the various skirmishes as he raced away.

But as he ran, Yang An suddenly stopped. His gaze sharpened as he looked toward the edge of the Life Crane Sect, where he saw a familiar face.

De Lan!

The damned bastard who had been invited by Pu Miao, the Abbot of White Buddha Temple, to the Ancient Collection on the Xiyue River! The one who had almost killed him!

The moment he saw De Lan, Yang An instantly recalled the events in the Ancient Collection.

'If I hadn't pulled out the Unidentified Arrow with all my might and called for Miao Ye, I would've been killed by that damned bastard.'

In Yang An's vision, a thousand meters away, De Lan stood at the entrance to Corpse Saliva Valley. He was watching the great battle inside the Life Crane Sect like a spectator watching a fire from across the river.

He hadn't joined the fray. It seemed he hadn't yet found a target, and was simply guarding the only remaining entrance to the Life Crane Sect.

Yang An had planned to head to the valley entrance before ducking into the dungeons. When he first saw it was guarded, he figured his plan was ruined. He never expected the guard to be De Lan.

'I've always been the type to settle every score.'

'Perfect! Absolutely perfect! To think he's one of the invaders.'

Yang An instantly dashed toward a corner in another direction, extending his senses to their limit to perceive all the surrounding auras.

'I can't find the old man, but that doesn't mean he isn't here. He's definitely watching all of this from the shadows.'

Yang An wanted revenge, but if he made a move, he wouldn't be able to conceal the aura of his Cultivation Level. It would surely leak out, and he feared the old man would detect it.

'I need to find a way to mask my aura when I strike.'

His eyes scanned the area, and suddenly, they landed on his Senior Brother, Wild Forbidden, twisting and coiling in midair. An idea struck him.

'Wild Forbidden's Cultivation Level is likely the highest among all the disciples in the sect. If I can use him for cover, the old man probably won't notice me.'

'As a senior brother, isn't it only natural to help out a junior brother?'

'Besides, Wild Forbidden is in a frenzy right now. Even if I get close, he might not even notice my aura leaking out.'

'It'll just take a bit of skill!'

Yang An immediately turned and charged in Wild Forbidden's direction.

At that moment, Wild Forbidden was deep in fierce combat, completely overwhelming the two monster Buddhas. The former Monks had almost no way to fight back.

His wild, wanton laughter echoed across the battlefield. He even tried to draw in his sect-mates' opponents, attempting to fight three or more enemies at once.

You Hong'er didn't give him the chance, and the two nearly abandoned their respective opponents to fight each other instead.

Luckily, the members of Great Virtue Temple "broke them up," so a real fight between them was averted.

Unable to steal more opponents, Wild Forbidden could only vent his fury on the two monster Buddhas, every one of his attacks a killing blow delivered with his full power.

As he was unleashing his rage, a flash of light appeared in the distance, and in the next moment, a figure materialized above his head.

The giant dragon of human heads that Wild Forbidden had become suddenly felt a weight settle upon its head.

"Senior Brother! I'm here to help!"

A pleasant smile on his face, Yang An stood on Wild Forbidden's head. Despite the dragon's violent thrashing, Yang An remained as steady as a mountain. He casually took the Bow Lady from his back and held it in his hands.

Wild Forbidden's already tattered flesh clung to his long, flaming body. The sudden weight made him dip, and his body froze in midair, his eyes flaring with insane killing intent.

Not only had Yang An stepped on his head, but his words were a blatant insult.

A single short sentence was all it took to make the already frenzied Wild Forbidden completely lose control.

'Help?'

'Is he kidding me?!'

"You're courting death!"

Flames erupted from all over his body, instantly engulfing Yang An.

At the same time, Yang An, cloaked in a layer of cyan light, drew the bowstring into a full moon.

Two beams of golden light flickered on his hands, piercing out from his very bones and causing him intense pain.

He had fully activated his Illusion Technique. Amplified by the pain, a long arrow instantly condensed in his hand, suffused with a brilliant light.

Without a word from Yang An, Bow Lady instantly amplified the shot. A fiery trail several meters long streamed from the arrow's nock, and the bow helped Yang An lock onto his target.

The power of this arrow was so immense that it created a vacuum within the ferocious flames; not even Wild Forbidden's Lighting Fire could draw near.

In the very instant Wild Forbidden's killing intent flared and his flames engulfed Yang An, concealing his aura completely, the long arrow shot forth, vanishing from Yang An's hand.

Yang An immediately suppressed his aura. Still amidst the inferno, he used Wild Forbidden's head as a launchpad, stomped down hard, and vanished. He shot away like a stream of light, disappearing from sight in an instant.

"Die! Die! Die!"

Wild Forbidden's body erupted in flames. He was so consumed by rage that he didn't even notice Yang An had fled. By the time he came to his senses, Yang An was long gone.

He roared in fury and tried to give chase, but the two monster Buddhas below entangled him. His rage intensified, and he turned his wrath back upon them.

「Corpse Saliva Valley Entrance.」

De Lan stood guard, frowning as he watched the fires of war rage within the Life Crane Sect. A victor had yet to be decided.

Although he was the Grand Abbot of Dingzhou's hundred temples and a member of Great Virtue Temple, he wasn't actually part of its core circle.

Thus, even though he had earned some merit and had been the one to read the decree of extermination, he ultimately had no real say in the operation.

Zen Master Qing Yin had ordered him to stand guard here and prevent any Evil Demons from the Life Crane Sect from escaping. He could only obey, lying in wait for his quarry.

If he performed well, his entry into the core of Great Virtue Temple would be practically guaranteed.

But looking at the current situation inside the Life Crane Sect, for some reason, a sliver of worry appeared in De Lan's heart.

Elsewhere, outside the valley entrance, Zen Master Qing Yin meditated in silence. Countless streams of golden blood flowed from his body, converging into the massive Golden Bell in the sky.

Seeing that Zen Master Qing Yin seemed unconcerned, De Lan put his worries aside.

'Everyone in Great Virtue Temple knows of Zen Master Qing Yin's fame. His leading the charge to exterminate these demons is sure to be a success.'

His mind at ease, De Lan continued to guard the valley entrance diligently, keeping a close watch on the movements within the Life Crane Sect in case any Evil Demons tried to flee.

But suddenly, a flash of light streaked across his vision, and an immense sense of crisis welled up within him.

He looked toward the Life Crane Sect, but before he could comprehend what was happening, a brilliant light erupted before him.

"This is…"

In a mere instant, De Lan was engulfed by the light. He was at the epicenter of the explosion, with absolutely no way to escape. Yet in that flash, he saw and sensed a familiar trace of aura within it.

"The Great Brightness Buddha Golden Zen Spell!"

By the time he recognized it, his flesh and blood were already dissolving under the terrifying light. He had no time to resist; even his Undying Body could not withstand it.

He used all his strength to cry out one last time.

"Zen Master, save me!"

But in that same instant, his entire body dissolved, turning to ash within the light.

At the same time, as the cry reached Zen Master Qing Yin's ears, the light engulfed him as well.

The streams of blood flowing from his body toward the giant bell were annihilated by the light. Countless Sanskrit characters turned to dust in an instant, and even Zen Master Qing Yin's own flesh and blood began to rapidly dissolve.

His flesh was annihilated, exposing the white bone beneath.

But just then, the phantom of a golden bell suddenly appeared around Zen Master Qing Yin, completely enveloping him.

Countless golden arms grew from it, enveloping the bell's phantom. Although these golden arms also began to dissolve under the corrosive light, they did so at a very slow rate, completely blocking the radiance.

Within the phantom of the Golden Bell, his dissolved flesh regenerated in an instant. Zen Master Qing Yin was unharmed.

But as he looked at where De Lan had been utterly turned to ash, and at the sudden, blinding flash of light, a look of utter astonishment crossed his face.