The Demon with Holy Radiance

The same head materialized, emerging like a ball of flesh before opening its mouth.

Soon, a figure appeared before Yang An.

It was the Bow Lady.

Upon seeing the Bow Lady appear, Yang An instinctively reached out to grab her.

But the moment she saw Yang An, the Bow Lady flinched back as if startled, her expression completely unfamiliar and bewildered, as though she had never seen him before.

Seeing her reaction, Yang An’s outstretched hand froze mid-air. He helplessly lowered it.

Her gaze and instinctual movement told him everything he needed to know. The old Monk was telling the truth.

Everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

Even Hai Shu, whom he had already killed, had reappeared. Everything he had done was nothing more than an insignificant ripple in this world of extreme will.

The ripple had faded, and the water’s surface was calm once more.

"The person you seek is not here. You may leave in peace."

The old Monk took the Bow Lady back, and the space before Yang An became empty again.

At the same time, the repulsive force he felt grew stronger and stronger, as if he would be ejected from this place at any moment.

Yang An took a deep breath and looked at the old Monk.

He could already sense there was something different about this old Monk. Neither his presence nor his Cultivation Level could be compared to anyone he had ever met from the Great Virtue Temple.

This old Monk seemed to be a man who truly possessed a heart of compassion.

"I have a question, and I ask for your guidance, Master."

Yang An said, his attitude softening.

"Ask what you will, Benefactor."

The old Monk did not mind.

"May I ask for your Dharma name, Master?"

"My Dharma name is Forbidden Calamity."

’Forbidden Calamity?’

’It’s not a name from the ’Hai’ generation?’

Yang An repeated the Dharma name in his mind. He had certainly never heard of this old Monk at the Great Virtue Temple. ’It seems many secrets transpired between this time period and the future.’

That was the only question Yang An wanted to ask. Having received his answer, he raised his hands and bowed to the old Monk.

Just then, the old Monk seemed to think of something and suddenly spoke up.

"Before you leave, Benefactor, I wish to form a positive karmic bond with you. Let us consider it a trade. Would you be willing to agree?"

"What kind of trade?"

Yang An was puzzled.

’Logically, the old Monk himself said that everything here is a fixed, unchangeable fact of the past. How could they possibly make a trade?’

"I can see that you are fated to be connected with my Great Virtue Temple, and you may have dealings with it in the future. Just now, I witnessed your methods in the Eternal Prison. They are in the same vein as a Body Refining Technique I improved some time ago, and you have even mastered the original technique as well.

Might the Body Refining Techniques you practice be the Jade Kala Vajra Body and the Red Wheel Infinite Body?"

The old Monk said slowly.

The moment he finished speaking, a look of astonishment appeared in Yang An’s eyes.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something.

Back at the Great Virtue Temple, when he obtained the Jade Kala Vajra Body, a Body Refining Technique, from Hai Shu, Hai Shu had mentioned that this new technique was derived from an older one. It had been personally improved by a former True Buddha of the Great Virtue Temple.

’Could it be... that this is that former True Buddha of the Great Virtue Temple?!’

Yang An secretly swallowed and took two steps back.

’No wonder this old Monk felt so different. His aura, his presence, even his Dharma name—none of it was like the others.’

"It seems I was not mistaken. You have indeed mastered both of these Body Refining Techniques. I have never seen such talent."

Yang An’s reaction said it all.

"I will make a trade with you, Benefactor. You need only answer one question for me, and I will give you the seven types of Dust required to cultivate the Jade Kala Vajra Body. How about it?"

As the one who improved this Body Refining Technique, Elder Monk Jin’e naturally possessed the cultivation resources for it. After all, it was the product of countless experiments.

It was as logical as a car mechanic carrying a wrench and a hammer.

Faced with the old Monk’s proposed trade, Yang An had no reason to refuse, nor did he want to.

’Perhaps in this time period, the entire world has not yet suffered that unprecedented pollution. The Great Virtue Temple isn’t like the one in later ages; there are still normal people here.’

The old Monk’s every action suggested he was not a fickle man.

His own Body Refining Technique cultivation had stalled. Because he hadn’t managed to seize the resources from the Great Virtue Temple, he was stuck at the second stage of Dust. Consequently, he couldn’t comprehend the subsequent Cultivation Method for his Red Wheel Infinite Body either, leaving it stagnant.

If he could obtain the cultivation resources directly from the old Monk, the technique’s creator, it would be a qualitative leap forward for Yang An.

"Please, ask your question, Master."

Yang An replied immediately. He didn’t have much time; in a few moments, he would be completely repelled from this place.

"I have one question. In the future, have you ever seen or heard of my existence?"

"I have not."

Yang An shook his head.

If the old Monk hadn’t personally revealed that he was the creator of the Jade Kala Vajra Body, Yang An might never have guessed his identity. Before this, he truly had never seen or heard of him.

Hearing Yang An’s answer, the old Monk nodded.

"I understand now. Thank you, Benefactor."

"I will fulfill our trade, but not here. You cannot obtain what you want in this place.

One day in the future, those things will be delivered to you. After you return, you need only wait patiently for some time."

It was a simple trade with an enormous reward. Although he couldn’t get it immediately, Yang An was inclined to believe the old Monk had no reason to deceive him.

It was also a very simple question. Even if the old Monk did lie, he would lose nothing. So, he nodded.

Soon, as the old Monk watched, Yang An abruptly vanished without a trace, as if he had never been there at all.

But after Yang An disappeared, the old Monk suddenly turned his head and stared at Hai Shu’s head for a moment. He said nothing, however, and quickly looked away.

Conversely, after the old Monk turned away, a strange glint appeared in Hai Shu’s eyes, vanishing in an instant without the old Monk noticing.

"Qing Xin!"

The old Monk summoned a Monk from the temple.

"An Artifact Refining Workshop has recently appeared in the Southern Domain. Go and find some materials, send them to the Artifact Refining Workshop, and have them forged into a Magical Artifact."

"Great Bodhisattva, what kind of Magical Artifact should be forged?"

The Monk named Qing Xin asked, confused.

The old Monk was silent for a moment.

"Have it forged into a cauldron."

...

Everything around him rippled like ink washing away. Unconsciously, Yang An, who had been in the dilapidated temple of the Great Virtue Temple, felt as if he had been completely separated from that world.

At first, nothing before him seemed to have changed. The old Monk was still sitting quietly in front of him.

But he knew he had returned to the Bow Lady’s Consciousness Realm. It was as if everything he had just experienced had never happened at all.

Indeed, the old Monk hadn’t lied to him. Facts that were already set in stone could not be changed.

Although he didn’t know if the old Monk would remember his existence or their trade, Yang An didn’t want to dwell on it for now.

He still hadn’t managed to find the Bow Lady.

And after he left that illusory past, everything began to accelerate.

The memories related to the Bow Lady began to change rapidly, flowing away like a torrential current.

The Bow Lady was still in the Eternal Prison, repeatedly being killed by the Demon Fiends only to reappear. But as everything sped up, this suffering also passed quickly.

The number of Demon Fiends in the Eternal Prison grew, but after this cycle repeated for a long time, the empty promises Hai Shu had made to them no longer worked.

No Demon Fiend could truly kill the Bow Lady, and they lost interest.

Until one day, the Bow Lady inexplicably left the Eternal Prison.

The scene shifted, and Yang An was surprised to see a familiar figure before him. The surrounding buildings had also changed drastically.

A person in a white robe with a mask on his face was holding a white bow, examining it with a look of great satisfaction.

That person was the Workshop Master!

And that bow was the Bow Lady!

The scene changed again. In the new image, the bow was passed into another person’s hands.

A Junior Cultivator whose Cultivation Level was only at the Yuan Si realm.

It was himself.

But what Yang An saw next came to a halt. Everything seemed to stagnate, frozen in place.

The image froze on the moment his past self looked down at the bow in his hands.

Just as Yang An was feeling confused, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Long time no see, you little brat."