The Demon with Holy Radiance-Chapter 144 - 129: Summoning Incantation and Exquisite Golden Venerable Illusion

「[Summoning Incantation]: From the Earth Spirit Stele's *Five Rings Ultimate Skill - Fusion Incarnation Chapter*. One hundred years ago, this technique escaped from the Earth Spirit Stele. It manifested in the mortal world as a Xian, preaching its own dao and attempting to transform itself from a technique into a true Xian. Alas, a century of struggle ended in failure. Casting this technique can summon a Xian, but it can also attract unknown Xian. Whether it brings fortune or disaster, the caster has only themself to blame.

Casting Cost: Requires the sacrifice of the caster's soul, though the souls of other living beings can be used as a substitute.

Status: Purifiable!

Light still radiated from Yang An's body, but the distorted humanoid figure before him had vanished completely.

Yang An's heart leaped in shock as he read the contents of the information box.

'So, that distorted figure wasn't a real Xian? It was just a Technique that escaped from the Earth Spirit Stele?'

'A Technique can become sentient and escape?!'

This was the first time Yang An had ever encountered such a Technique.

But then, his thoughts drifted to the Extreme Day Divine Aspect he had already mastered.

The Extreme Day Divine Aspect was originally named the Jade Divine Aspect, and it too came from the Earth Spirit Stele's *Five Wheels Ultimate Technique*.

According to the information box back then, this Technique had been obtained by Shen Xie, the Sect Leader of the Refining God Sect.

And Yang An had obtained the Technique in the old-timer's Ascension Cave.

'Could the Jade Divine Aspect have escaped from the Earth Spirit Stele, too?'

For a moment, a flood of wild and unbelievable thoughts swirled in Yang An's mind.

He even recalled how, when he had previously earned the right to use visualization on the Earth Spirit Stele, he could only see *Mystic Path Decoded* and the *Jade Divine Aspect*, not any other Techniques or Cultivation Techniques. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

'Before, I assumed it was because I only knew those two, and that was why I could only see those two.'

'Is it possible that, aside from *Mystic Path Decoded*, all the other Cultivation Techniques and Techniques have escaped from the Earth Spirit Stele?'

Yang An was suddenly struck by a thought about the *Life Crane Sect's Thirteen Techniques*. 'The old-timer clearly possessed the Earth Spirit Stele, so why didn't he use one of its Techniques as his Dao of Destiny Technique? Why did he create other Techniques instead?'

The more he thought about it, the more unsettling it became. Yet, with no clues or information to go on, he could only bury these questions in his heart and wait for a future opportunity to find the answers.

As for this Technique he had just unexpectedly acquired, Yang An noted its enormous cost: the sacrifice of a soul.

However, after he used his Purification Ability, the casting cost vanished.

'I wonder, if I cast it for free, will it summon that distorted figure, or something else entirely?'

'This Technique doesn't seem like something I should use casually.'

The light around Yang An dissipated, and his figure reappeared. He re-equipped the Bow Lady.

The Bow Lady was now quite satisfied, completely satiated.

"Yes! So good! You little brat, you really showed me a good time! I'm on cloud nine!"

Her excited, thrilled voice rang in Yang An's ears, filled with unprecedented satisfaction.

After all, there had been at least a thousand souls, and she had devoured every last one.

Meanwhile, a strange transformation seemed to be taking place on the bow itself. The intricate patterns on the pure white limbs were shifting, and the small, exquisite demon face on the grip appeared even more sinister.

Yang An walked toward White Bird and the others, who subconsciously took a few steps back.

"..."

Before he could say anything, his surroundings began to weather and decay at a rapid pace.

The clusters of buildings, once just broken eaves and crumbling walls, collapsed one after another, turning completely to dust and sand.

In a matter of breaths, the entire city crumbled with a deafening roar, kicking up a sky-blotting cloud of dust.

Yang An and the others had already flown out of the city before it completely turned to dust.

They had dealt with the so-called Xian, which meant they could finally get out!

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the Tree of Flesh and Blood stirred again. A new message had arrived from the Workshop Master.

"You're out? I've locked onto your position. I can initiate the Vessel transport now and take you to the Jueyun Sect!"

Upon receiving the Workshop Master's message, the group wasted no more time. They gave him a brief summary of what they had encountered and then waited for the Vessel transport to activate.

A few breaths later, the Vessel transport activated. After once again experiencing the bizarre sensation of falling through darkness, the group finally arrived at the Jueyun Sect.

As soon as they arrived, they received a message from the others, which included the route Broken Hand's group had taken into the Jueyun Sect.

There had been an accident with their four-person Vessel transport, so Broken Hand and the other three had opted to infiltrate the Jueyun Sect on foot. By now, they were already deep inside.

The four of them had to hurry and catch up.

They also decided to sneak into the Jueyun Sect. Yang An activated his Illusion Technique to conceal his aura, while the others used their own methods as they all headed deeper into the sect.

Half an hour later, they managed to safely reunite with Broken Hand and the others.

The Jueyun Sect had indeed been overrun by Demon Fiends; there were no signs of any Cultivators or other human activity.

On their way in, Yang An's group had already encountered dozens of Demon Fiends. Fortunately, their Cultivation Levels weren't high, so the group remained undetected.

The Jueyun Sect was no small Sect; it possessed more than a dozen peaks. Upon entering its depths, one could still glimpse its former glory, but it was now a desolate ruin.

Everywhere they looked, they saw sprawling complexes and cave abodes. Due to the fighting that had occurred, many of these structures had collapsed or been destroyed. They could even see numerous Demon Fiends brazenly perched atop the ruins.

After they regrouped, Broken Hand brought everyone up to speed on the situation. "We haven't found any sign of a Corpse Transformation Realm Demon Fiend yet, but there are plenty of Demon Fiends from both the Primordial Feeding and Visceral Stone Realms. If we engage even one, we'll definitely attract the attention of all the others. It'll stir up the whole hornet's nest."

"Now that you're all here, the best plan is to split up and act individually! If anyone finds any information on the Forbidden Artifact Fragment the Workshop Master mentioned, send a message to everyone through the Tree of Flesh and Blood, and we'll all converge on that location immediately!"

Since none of them were familiar with the layout of the Jueyun Sect, this was indeed the most suitable plan.

Everyone present, including Yang An, agreed.

He hadn't come for any Forbidden Artifact Fragment; he was here for the Magic Scriptures within the Jueyun Sect. Splitting up would also make it easier for him to act on his own.

Not long after regrouping, they split up once more. Yang An swept his gaze over the sect's buildings, identified a few potential targets, and then swiftly departed.

'A Sect of this size should have a specific repository for its Cultivation and Technique scriptures. It's probably in one of those more conspicuous buildings.'

The Jueyun Sect was vast, and because of its size, it was filled with forests and mountains, making it easy to hide.

Yang An moved silently through the forest. It was the first time he had ever seen so many Demon Fiends in one place; he spotted one every few dozen steps. This place had truly become a Demon Cave.

In a place like this, using the Light and Shadow Escape Technique would instantly attract the Demon Fiends' attention, so he could only rely on his Body Technique and Aerial Ability to move forward with extreme caution.

Fortunately, with the Illusion Technique concealing his aura, he was difficult to detect and managed to avoid being discovered by any Demon Fiends.

Fifteen minutes later, Yang An arrived before a large hall and stopped within a grove of trees to observe.

The hall had a golden plaque inscribed with the three words "Golden Treasure Pavilion." Compared to the other structures, this building was completely intact. On its roof, a few bizarrely shaped Demon Fiends were sleeping soundly.

After just one glance, Yang An abandoned any thought of exploring it.

'The Jueyun Sect has become a Demon Cave, and most of its buildings are heavily damaged. For this one to be untouched... there's definitely something strange about it.'

'I'll check other places first. If I really can't find anything, I'll come back and take a look.'

Yang An left without a moment's hesitation.

Not long after Yang An departed, the hall known as the Golden Treasure Pavilion trembled slightly, startling the sleeping Demon Fiends on its roof into a panicked flight.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yang An had ventured even deeper into the Jueyun Sect. He finally discovered a place worth exploring.

It was a cave abode, with half of a large temple embedded in the rock face. A single glance told him it was no ordinary place.

Furthermore, the number of Demon Fiends in the vicinity had thinned out. Yang An extended his senses and confirmed that there was no demonic aura within the temple.

While still undetected, Yang An became a black shadow and, in the blink of an eye, entered the temple.

CREAK~

He gently closed the temple door, which made a soft sound, but fortunately, it wasn't loud enough to cause a disturbance.

Yang An waited inside, observing for a moment. Once he confirmed he hadn't attracted any Demon Fiends, he began to survey the temple's interior.

Although the temple showed considerable damage from the outside, with its doors and walls covered in filth, the interior was relatively well-preserved.

Where the temple met the rock face, an opening led into a dark tunnel. Several humanoid stone statues stood on either side of the entrance.

The statues resembled wizened Daoists, their heads covered by red gauze veils.

Offering tables were placed below the statues. The Incense Burners on them were shattered, their damp ash scattered everywhere. Many half-burnt incense sticks and candles lay discarded nearby.

Beneath the offering tables were tiny, dried bones—clearly the remains of mice or other small animals that had wandered in from the forest.

Yang An felt it was finally time for him to put his skills to use. He didn't know what was odd about these objects, but he could find out with his special ability.

'I have to be extremely careful in a place like this. I need to figure out what these strange things are before I go any deeper. It would be terrible to walk into a trap.'

He looked at the statues before him. There were six in total, three on each side of the tunnel entrance.

As he placed his hand on the first statue, an information box immediately popped up.

「[Exquisite Golden Venerable False Body: Fourth Order]: From the hand of the Jueyun Sect's Exquisite True Master. The Exquisite Secret Seal saves me, but not others. The Golden Venerable reveals creation, a gate of truth and falsehood.

Casting Cost: Disarming the Golden Venerable Seal in the wrong order will result in death by the Divine Power it contains. Disarming it in the correct order will result in being cursed by the Divine Power it contains.

Status: Purifiable!