The Demon with Holy Radiance

"Everyone’s trying to find a way into the Central Continent right now, aren’t they? Hah. What a bunch of fools. The moment the Celestial Sects abandoned us, everything in the Outer Continent was completely severed.

But who could have possibly imagined... those old fools in the Central Continent were even more idiotic. They were just digging their own graves!"

"What happened in the Central Continent?"

Yang An sensed something was wrong and immediately asked. At the same time, a terrible premonition bloomed in his Heart.

"The Five Great Celestial Sects have been completely wiped out. The Central Continent... was the first to fall!"

"!!!"

The words that came from Huan’s mouth stunned Yang An speechless. His first instinct was to wonder if the man was lying.

But Huan had already started to calm down, and his gaze held a solemnity Yang An had never seen before. He didn’t seem to be lying.

Yang An simply couldn’t believe it. But he knew that as a Boundary Repairer for the Earth Immortal Dao Sect, Huan’s status was unique. Even if he was now trapped here in a state worse than death, he had once been a high-ranking member of the sect. His sources of information were far beyond those of any ordinary person.

’The Central Continent... is gone?!’

’When did it fall? Why? Why hasn’t a single word about it gotten out? Even someone like the Workshop Master is in the dark, still fighting to return to the Central Continent.’

’People in the outside world are still fighting, the Four Domains are still scrambling for Command Tokens to earn the right to enter, and all for nothing. They have no idea the Central Continent is already gone.’

It was too staggering to comprehend.

If it was true, it meant that escaping this world was now a complete fantasy—an utter impossibility.

’Even the mighty Five Great Celestial Sects are gone. With the Central Continent’s fall, what hope could anyone else have?’

Just hearing this news, a suffocating pressure spread through Yang An’s Heart, slowly turning into despair.

’No! What if he’s wrong?’

Yang An still refused to believe it. To accept Huan’s words was to admit that their world had become a dead end.

"When faced with despair, people always choose to run. They refuse to face the truth."

Huan smiled.

"What proof do you have?"

Yang An looked at him and retorted.

"Why don’t you cross the Forbidden Sea and see for yourself?"

Huan’s smile widened.

The Forbidden Sea lay between the Outer Continent and the Central Continent—a place of certain death. It was said that crossing it was next to impossible. Otherwise, the Four Outer Domains wouldn’t be fighting over Command Tokens to earn passage. One of the tokens’ functions was to bypass the Forbidden Sea and travel directly to the Central Continent.

Even the strongest experts from the factions of the Four Domains couldn’t cross the Forbidden Sea. Yang An certainly didn’t think he could.

"That doesn’t prove what you’re saying is true."

Yang An stared at him. Unless he saw it with his own eyes, it was all unbelievable.

"There is another way."

"What way?"

"Everyone from the Four Great Celestial Sects is dead, but besides me, others from the Earth Immortal Dao Sect are still alive. Find them, and you’ll know whether I’m telling the truth."

A nostalgic look appeared in Huan’s eyes. As if remembering something, he began to grind his teeth.

Hearing Huan’s words, the first person Yang An thought of was He. The only people he had met in Lower Hu connected to the Earth Immortal Dao Sect were Huan and He.

"Who are they?"

Yang An pressed.

But Huan shook his head.

"I don’t know... No, I’m not certain. I can feel their auras; they’re definitely still alive. In fact, I can sense an aura on you that’s very similar to one of theirs. Why don’t you ask yourself?"

’Ask myself?’

Yang An sank into thought, his Heart beginning to pound in his chest.

He had a growing feeling that something was deeply wrong.

He still thought of He, but the He he had met in the Xian Origin Land had no connection to the Real World. There was no way he could have carried He’s aura back into this world.

But he remembered the news he had heard before.

’He Ming... He... Life Crane...’

’It couldn’t really be that old bastard, could it?’

But he had already killed that old bastard. He had died under the Unidentified Arrow. Yang An was certain Life Crane no longer existed. Otherwise, the Earth Spirit Stele wouldn’t have fallen into his hands and become his own.

This was a question he had never been able to answer.

’What was the connection between He and the Earth Immortal Dao Sect’s He Ming? And what was the connection between He Ming and Life Crane?’

"It seems you’ve already guessed the answer."

Just then, Huan said with a confident smile.

Yang An’s gaze sharpened, and he quickly asked:

"Do you know a person in the Earth Immortal Dao Sect called He Ming?"

"Damn it!"

But who could have known? The moment the name was spoken, Huan flew into a rage. His hands, free on either side of the Stone Stele, clenched into fists and slammed violently onto the ground.

"Why did you have to bring up that bastard?!"

CRASH!

In an instant, dirt and rocks flew as the entire ground shook. Countless cracks instantly spread through the surrounding space.

Countless rays of light appeared in front of Yang An, dissolving the debris raining down on him into ash. At the same time, they formed a circular, cage-like barrier, preventing the spreading spatial cracks from reaching him.

"Who is he? What did he do?"

"That bastard... He betrayed the Daoist Sect! He destroyed the Central Continent! He’s the one responsible for all of it!"

Huan’s emotions flared once more, bringing him to the verge of losing control. Everything in the vicinity became precarious. ’This guy is trapped here, unable to move, yet he can still unleash such terrifying power,’ Yang An thought, instinctively backing away from him.

After some time, Huan finally vented his rage and calmed down a little.

In that brief moment, the surrounding Demon Fiends caught in the blast were reaped once more, only to die and be reborn again.

Seeing his reaction, Yang An was now certain. The man called He Ming was almost certainly the He he had met in Lower Hu.

’I never would have imagined it. In Lower Hu, He and Huan were evenly matched, yet He was the one who destroyed the entire Central Continent? What on earth did that man do?’

To keep Huan from flying into a rage again, Yang An switched to a different question.

"Then do you know someone called Life Crane?"

"Life Crane? Is that one of that bastard’s tricks?"

But upon hearing the name, Huan’s eyes showed only confusion. He didn’t recognize it. He was only guessing because the name was a familiar-sounding reversal of He Ming.

Seeing this, Yang An felt a pang of disappointment.

"You’ve asked enough, and I’ve answered enough. When are you going to fulfill your promise?"

Huan clearly didn’t want to discuss the topic any further. Yang An still had many more questions, but the man was now starting to resist.

"It’s not enough. You haven’t shown me any good faith."

He immediately shook his head, refusing to yield.

"What else could you possibly want to know? Knowing more won’t change the inevitable outcome. Just kill me and then kill yourself. That’s the only true way to be free!"

Huan was seething but held his tongue. In the end, he had to rely on Yang An to fulfill his death wish, and he had no leverage to use against him.

"I want to know what He Ming did to cause the Central Continent’s fall and the annihilation of the Five Great Celestial Sects."

This question was very important.

"If I answer you, will you grant my wish and kill me?"

Huan didn’t rush to answer the question.

Yang An shook his head, being completely honest.

"You’ve waited all these years, why the hurry now? Tell me what you know, and maybe I can get you out of here. You wouldn’t have to die—you could have real freedom."

"You’re a naive fool. But you’re right, I have waited far too long. Since you’re so hungry for answers, I suddenly find myself wanting to see if your end will be even more miserable than mine when you finally fall into despair."

"Then tell me everything you know. He Ming... what exactly did he do?"

Yang An awaited Huan’s response. This answer might be the key to unlocking the connection between He Ming and Life Crane, confirming whether his suspicions were correct.

"That bastard... He ruined the Daoist Sect’s plan and killed all the World Bodies!"

"He sowed suspicion among the Five Great Celestial Sects, igniting the flames of war, and stole the new world!"

"He shattered the Central Continent’s Seal, drew in the cataclysmic black fog, and channeled it into the Forbidden Sea!"

"He sealed me here, humiliated me in a hundred different ways, and damned my soul so I could never be reborn!"

"And! This will definitely interest you! He stole the Daoist Sect’s legacy and its very spark!

And on you... I can feel the aura of that spark!"