The Demon with Holy Radiance-Chapter 109 - 98: My Heart Was Taken, So How About Some Revenge First?

Chapter 109: Chapter 98: My Heart Was Taken, So How About Some Revenge First?

His vision went black, but Yang An still lifted his foot and walked past the Stone Stele.

When he looked ahead, the hairs on his body stood on end, and a chill ran down his spine.

Before him, a colossal face, split open and a hundred zhang wide, was now less than a few meters away. He could even clearly see the pulsing veins and arteries within the flesh of the face, which was fractured into four or five pieces.

An overwhelming stench of decay washed over him, making it hard to breathe.

He hadn’t expected that this time he saw the illusion, the face would suddenly appear right before him, as if it had been waiting for him all along.

But what stunned Yang An even more was... he found he couldn’t move.

Looking down, he saw that at some point, countless tendrils of flesh had spread across the ground, tightly wrapping around his entire body below the neck.

He couldn’t even move a single finger.

Yang An was startled and immediately tried to activate a Technique, preparing to dissolve all the flesh binding him.

But in the next moment, he found he could do nothing. He couldn’t mobilize the Mana in his body or activate a Technique. There was no response at all.

Feeling the flesh holding him tight, the sensation so real, a terrifying thought surfaced in Yang An’s mind.

’This isn’t a fucking illusion?!’

HISS—

Yang An sucked in a sharp breath. He realized that two or three breaths had probably passed since he entered this "illusion," yet his consciousness hadn’t returned to reality.

’This is bad!’

Just as he was wondering what to do, a voice suddenly entered his ears.

"Fellow Daoist, you really can see me!"

’Who?’

Yang An’s head snapped up. He couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from, but the only thing before him was this terrifying, giant face—the only possible source of a human voice.

’Is this giant face in front of me talking?’

"It is I!"

As if guessing Yang An’s thoughts, the voice admitted it openly. Its pair of fractured eyes, each as vast as a basketball court, stared straight at Yang An.

Yang An took a deep breath. ’It really isn’t an illusion.’ He was completely restrained, with no way to escape.

"Senior, what do you want? Why have you trapped me?"

Mustering his courage, Yang An asked the question. Since the entity had trapped him without doing anything else, perhaps it had a purpose?

"It has been a long time since anyone entered this place, and no one has ever reached the Seventh Floor. Yet you can see me, here on the Seventh Floor. I don’t know why, but I would like to ask you, Fellow Daoist, to do something for me."

The voice spoke slowly, its tone remarkably calm, even polite.

Hearing this, Yang An was just as bewildered. He himself had no idea why he could see this scene; he just inexplicably fell into this illusion every time he passed the Stone Stele.

"Of course, as a reward, I can grant you one wish, as long as it is within my power."

Yang An looked up, stunned.

’This isn’t exactly Aladdin’s lamp! And it’s certainly no white-bearded old man!’

Yang An was highly skeptical, but his suspicions were useless. He was now firmly under the entity’s control. Even if he could use his Techniques, it seemed he had no way to resist.

"Senior, what do you want me to do?"

Yang An asked, confused. But in the next moment, a massive statue abruptly appeared before him.

It was the very same statue he had seen in the grand hall of the Miaohua Celestial Sect, when the old guy had sacrificed him.

Its eyes were ferocious and glaring. Its twelve arms each held a different weapon, all of them pointed at Yang An, looking as if they might strike at any moment.

"It’s very simple! Please, Fellow Daoist, just help me remove one of the weapons!"

’Just like that?’

Doubt once again bloomed in Yang An’s mind.

"Which one should I take?"

he asked, but the voice suddenly fell silent.

"Could it be that Senior doesn’t know which one to take either?"

After waiting a moment with no reply, Yang An ventured the question.

"Fellow Daoist is precisely correct."

"..."

"Only one... So what happens if I pick the wrong one?"

"You will die, Fellow Daoist! And nothing will be able to save you!"

"..."

’The statue has twelve arms, so it’s a one-in-twelve chance?’

"Then, may I ask Senior, these weapons aren’t ordinary items, are they?"

If they were ordinary, Yang An might truly be helpless. But if they weren’t, perhaps he could do it.

"They are not ordinary items!"

the voice confirmed.

"In that case, please release me, Senior. I will give it a try."

Yang An said. ’Since I can’t resist, I’ll agree for now and play it by ear.’

But after several breaths, the flesh wrapped tightly around him still hadn’t loosened in the slightest.

"Fellow Daoist, do not misunderstand. What you see is me on the Seventh Floor. You, being on the Fifth Floor, cannot actively touch things on the Seventh Floor."

"Senior, you don’t mean for me to go to the Seventh Floor, do you? But..."

Yang An’s heart pounded. Leaving aside whether he could even get to the Seventh Floor...

Just being on the Fifth Floor and seeing this mountain-sized behemoth already left him breathless. If he went to the Seventh Floor, he’d probably be too scared to even walk.

Besides, since the entity said it was on the Seventh Floor, it could probably move freely, just like in this illusion.

’Sending me to the Seventh Floor... isn’t that just asking for death?’

"No, the Fifth Floor will suffice. As long as you can successfully remove one of the weapons for me on the Fifth Floor, and without anyone knowing.

Once this is done, I can help you with whatever you wish, so long as it is within my power."

Hearing this, Yang An felt a wave of relief and had no choice but to nod.

’If I don’t agree, it probably won’t let me go,’ he thought. ’I’ll just agree for now and figure things out after I get out of this illusion.’

’It seems to be trapped on the Seventh Floor. If it can’t affect the Fifth Floor, then whether I do it or not is still up to me.’

"Then please release me, Senior. I can give it a try."

"Good!"

The voice came faintly, and Yang An immediately felt the flesh beneath him gradually loosen.

But before he could speak again, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his chest!

As the flesh released his body, it had, at some unknown moment, pulled his Heart from his chest cavity.

THUMP—THUMP—THUMP—

Even though all the veins and arteries connected to it had been severed and blood was pouring from his chest, he could still clearly hear the sound of his Heart beating.

"Senior..."

’You fucking son of a bitch!’

Though Yang An had been on his guard, he couldn’t even mobilize his Mana. There was nothing he could do but watch as a mass of flesh enveloped his Heart and rapidly merged into the giant face before him.

He could feel the blood draining from his body. With his Heart gone, his consciousness began to fade.

But in the next moment, flesh surged into the empty cavity where his Heart had been, sealing the wound.

"I will temporarily keep your Heart for you, Fellow Daoist. If you have not made an attempt within five hours, then I will gladly accept this Heart.

Also, I would advise against attempting Flesh and Blood Rebirth using external items."

"..."

The entity had finally shown its fangs, clearly sealing off all of Yang An’s escape routes. The only path left was to do as it said.

He felt his life force gradually recover as the flesh filled the void. Although the sound of his heartbeat was gone, nothing else felt out of place, and his consciousness returned to normal. But a worried expression appeared on his face.

"Senior, since you advise against me using external items to heal, what if I get injured on my way to do your task? Can I not use them to recover then either?"

"You need not worry, Fellow Daoist. The flesh I have left you is enough to heal any injury. Even if you were reduced to nothing but bones, as long as your Heart is with me, you can be restored completely."

"What if I take the wrong weapon?"

"You will die, Fellow Daoist, and nothing will be able to save you!"

"..."

"How do I contact you, Senior, after I succeed?"

"Just call my name in your heart, Fellow Daoist. My name is—Miao Ye!"

"What if—"

...

As the voice faded, Yang An wanted to ask more, but he suddenly realized his surroundings had changed.

He was back!

He had returned so abruptly. That thing hadn’t even given him time to react.

He had planned to ask if it would really return his Heart after he completed the task. But before he had the chance, he was sent back.

Yang An hastily mobilized his Mana to check his body. In the place where his heart meridians used to be, there was now only a mass of some unknown flesh. His Heart was truly gone.

Everything that just happened was real!

Inexplicably falling into an illusion, then inexplicably being restrained, forced to agree to do a task for some entity, and to top it all off, having his Heart taken as collateral for his life.

’What the hell is all this?!’

Yang An took a long, deep breath and looked ahead. Only then did he realize that Elder Life Crane and Mother Divination True Master were still in front of him, just five chi away.

It seemed like a long time had passed in the illusion, but in reality, it had only been an instant.

Even the old guy and Mother Divination True Master hadn’t noticed a thing.

Yang An’s life was now in the entity’s hands, and its flesh was inside his body. Now, he had no choice but to go.

But looking at it from another angle, if it was true, as the entity claimed, that his Heart had been replaced by this flesh and it could heal any injury, then in a sense, he had achieved a form of immortality, similar to the Visceral Stone Realm.

Looking at it this way, aside from his life being in the entity’s hands and having to obediently follow its orders...

...for the next five hours, at least until he completed the task, he wouldn’t have to worry about injury or death.

’That seems... pretty good, actually?’

’In that case, what do I have to be afraid of?’

At this thought, something seemed to occur to Yang An. He suddenly looked at the old guy walking ahead, specifically at the He Tou Old Monster he detested so much.

’Maybe... I should get some revenge first?’