The Demon with Holy Radiance

But he couldn’t just surrender and wait for death. He had to find a way out.

The only plan he could come up with was to have the Bow Lady stop inflicting the pain, allowing him to leave the Deep World and return to the Gray Scale.

He’d hoped to gain something from this trip, but he never expected to be targeted by this guy. His expedition was over before it had even begun. All Yang An wanted now was to get away.

’Bow Lady...’

Outwardly, Yang An ignored the man, acting as if he hadn’t heard a thing. He gave the impression that he’d accepted his fate and given up the fight, but inwardly, he was secretly giving instructions to the Bow Lady.

He needed to find the right moment.

But just then, something seemed to occur to the man, and he spoke again slowly.

"Oh, right. You slipped away right under my nose last time. You must have some kind of spatial-traversal ability, don’t you?"

The moment he finished speaking, Yang An had a sudden, bad feeling.

’Bow Lady!’

The instant the call echoed in his mind, the Bow Lady began to release her grip on his Heart.

According to the Rules for entering the Deep World, if Yang An’s consciousness returned to him, he would be able to leave this place and go back to the most superficial layer, the Gray World.

But after the Bow Lady released her grip, not only did the world around him fail to change as it had last time, but it actually grew more solid and distinct.

The original hazy, dreamlike quality, along with the blurred, layered sensation of shifting frequencies, had all vanished completely.

He stood there, stunned, still within Lower Hu, still facing the man in black.

He... couldn’t go back!

’What was happening?’

Yang An looked at the masked man in black.

The man in black suddenly burst out laughing.

"Now that I’ve caught you, how could I possibly give you a chance to escape? I’ve already placed a Technique on you. As long as you’re near me, you won’t have the opportunity to use that ability again."

For some reason, the man in black openly revealed his hand, utterly confident that Yang An had no way of escaping.

At this, Yang An’s Scalp prickled with dread. It had been a long time since he’d felt such intense pressure, the feeling of his life and death resting entirely in another’s hands.

The ability to return to the Gray Scale had been his greatest safeguard, and now it was gone.

Against this man’s terrifying power, finding a chance to escape would be next to impossible.

Unless some equally formidable Great Power appeared to rescue him... but in the Deep World, he didn’t know anyone like that.

’Or maybe a freak accident could happen, like a meteor falling from the sky and crushing this bastard.’

But the odds of that were minuscule, even smaller than the chance of him escaping on his own merits.

"Let’s go. I need to catch a few more crafty fellows. I’ll take you all back to the Daoist Sect together, so you’ll have some company on the way."

The man was in a fine mood. With a flick of his finger, two chains materialized around Yang An’s wrists. The chains wrapped around his hands, then vanished as if they had merged with his body.

Then, as the man took a step, Yang An’s body floated up uncontrollably, trailing behind him like a kite as he moved.

Yang An knew he couldn’t stay silent any longer. With no other options, he’d have to play it by ear. But first, he needed to get some information.

"Senior! I was just passing by and happened to stumble upon that dying fellow cultivator. I’m not a World Body! You must have made a mistake, Senior. There’s definitely been a misunderstanding."

His back to Yang An, the man in black walked at an unhurried pace, like someone on an after-dinner stroll. But though he seemed to walk slowly, his speed was actually incredible. Each step covered a significant distance, as if he were shrinking the ground itself.

"Oh, so you can talk? I was starting to think you were mute."

Even though he couldn’t see the man’s face, Yang An could just imagine the infuriating expression that accompanied those words.

"Whether you’re a World Body or not isn’t for you to say. It’s not for me to say, either. But once I get you back to the Daoist Sect, the truth will come out."

The man wasn’t the indifferent type, at least he was willing to engage in conversation. But what he said left Yang An unable to argue.

"If the Daoist Sect investigates and confirms I’m not one, will they let me leave safely?"

At this point, all Yang An could do was insist he was innocent, but he also wanted to know what would happen when he was brought back to the Daoist Sect.

The man let out a dry chuckle.

"Who’s to say? If you’re not, you’ll probably be thrown to the fish."

"..."

"But don’t you worry. I’ll probably be thrown to the fish right alongside you."

"..."

’Am I supposed to thank you for that?’

"Senior, are you saying you’d rather kill an innocent man than let a guilty one slip by? I can’t resist you. If I die because of your mistake, wouldn’t that be a terrible injustice?"

"Enough. People die every moment of every day. No one will care how you die. I certainly won’t.

"Instead of wasting your breath, you’d be better off praying. Pray that I have a sudden fit of kindness and let you go. How about it?"

"So, Senior, will you have a sudden fit of kindness and let me go?"

"Heh. No."

"..."

To the sound of the man’s laughter, they traveled on until they stopped. He had brought Yang An to a city.

Yang An’s gaze was drawn to the city before them.

The city was built atop a mountain peak, surrounded on all sides by sheer cliffs. The sight alone was daunting.

For an ordinary mortal, getting in or out of a city in such a treacherous location would be practically impossible.

Therefore, Yang An was inclined to believe this was a gathering place for Cultivators, not some ordinary city.