The Demon with Holy Radiance

It was unclear if Forbidden Calamity had misunderstood, thinking Yang An meant to wait until Golden Thread Pavilion and Great Virtue Temple settled their score. He could only let out a helpless sigh.

In truth, Yang An planned to return to Great Virtue Temple sooner or later. It wasn’t just for the Seven-Colored Dust, but also for the Buddha’s Light Wheel he had mastered.

The Buddha’s Light Wheel was something he had obtained early on by fusing Sacrificial Bones. However, he hadn’t collected any more since then, and the artifact’s power was now struggling to keep up with his own.

Besides, as someone who held a grudge, Yang An had never forgotten about Hai Shu and Hai Si. He was just waiting for the day he was strong enough to face them head-on and take his revenge. But it was still too early to think about that now.

Seeing Yang An’s resolute stance, Forbidden Calamity didn’t press the issue and chose to back down.

Since Yang An himself wasn’t in a rush for the Seven-Colored Dust, there was nothing more Forbidden Calamity could say.

"Given the current situation, the entire State Territory has been plunged into misery. If you have nowhere else to go, Benefactor, you could stay here with this old monk, accumulate some good karma by aiding the people, and wait for a better opportunity."

The fact that Yang An had rescued those refugees and brought them to Nirvana City told Forbidden Calamity that he wasn’t the type to just follow the crowd and ignore the suffering of others.

Likewise, the fact that Forbidden Calamity had taken on the form of the Tripod Bodhisattva to protect the common people here was proof enough that he and that flock of bald donkeys at Great Virtue Temple were not cut from the same cloth.

This was common ground between them, and the only topic they could delve into more deeply.

Yang An hesitated in the face of this question.

’It’s relatively safe here for now,’ he thought. ’Staying in Nirvana City to bide my time isn’t a bad idea. I can save some people, and I also need a stable, quiet place like this to find my breakthrough.’

’Out in the world, I could run into the rampant Demon Fiends at any moment. At least with Forbidden Calamity here, I won’t have to act unless it’s absolutely necessary.’

Of course, some things needed to be said upfront.

"Thank you, Master. However, I may need to leave at any time. If I one day depart without a word, I hope you will understand."

Once he found the missing piece of his Forbidden Artifact Fragment, whether it was in the Xian Origin Land or the real world, his first priority would be to achieve his breakthrough. Everything else could be put aside.

And so, Yang An settled in Nirvana City for the time being, using the Glazed Tower not far from the temple as his personal place of cultivation.

When the common people being sheltered in the city learned that they now had not only the Tripod Bodhisattva but also a masked figure—rumored to be a Child in service to another Bodhisattva—word spread like wildfire. Soon, Yang An came to be respectfully known as the "Crane Immortal."

With the Tripod Bodhisattva and the Crane Immortal protecting the entire city, it was believed that no Demon Fiend would dare to trouble Nirvana City again. This brought great peace of mind to the populace.

Yang An, however, paid no mind to the rumors. This was just a temporary stop for him; he would leave as soon as he found the key to his breakthrough.

Back at Earth Demon Cliff, Huan had told him that the key to finding the missing piece of the Forbidden Artifact Fragment he had fused with lay within the Power of Rules itself.

Yang An hadn’t completely trusted Huan’s words, so he had contacted the Workshop Master for verification.

The answer he received proved Huan correct. Having already fused with the Forbidden Artifact Fragment was like having a beacon. Now, he had to find the missing pieces by searching on his own.

Thus, Yang An decided to use this time to carefully study the Power of Rules he had fused with and search for this "guidance."

「Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.」

During that half-month, Nirvana City endured numerous attacks from Demon Fiends, but with Forbidden Calamity present, none of them succeeded.

And Yang An finally understood why Forbidden Calamity had wanted him to retrieve people from Great Virtue Temple instead of going himself.

The attacking Demon Fiends came in all shapes and sizes, but their Cultivation Levels were not very high. Most were merely Corpse Transformations, with the occasional Zombie God attacking.

The power Forbidden Calamity displayed through Liu Feifei’s body allowed him to cut down Corpse Transformations as if they were nothing, but he clearly struggled when facing Zombie Gods.

It was hard to imagine what this fellow had been through. He had once been a Bodhisattva of Great Virtue Temple and, by rights, a master of the Insect Dao. Now, not only was his physical body gone, but he even struggled against Zombie Gods. His strength was a pale shadow of what it once was; to think he had fallen so low.

With his power at this level, he truly couldn’t go to Great Virtue Temple. He probably wouldn’t even be able to get close.

One day, Bow Lady’s voice, full of surprise and relief, echoed in Yang An’s ear.

"I’ve finally succeeded!"

Yang An, who had been deep in cultivation, attempting to sense the guidance within his Power of Rules but still without a clue, opened his eyes. A faint smile touched his lips.

Bow Lady had devoured two powerful souls from the Insect Dao, and it had indeed taken her a long time to digest them. Her success now meant that his own combat power would rise to a new level, making him stronger than ever.

Yang An was quite curious: just how much of an asset would Bow Lady be to him now?

Two days later, a vile aura suddenly appeared outside Nirvana City, accompanied by many other presences.

A horde of Demon Fiends was attacking. Judging by the sudden, powerful aura, their leader was clearly no simple foe. It was a master of the Insect Dao!

This was the first time Yang An had ever seen a Demon Fiend of the Insect Dao.

Although Huan from Earth Demon Cliff was renowned, he couldn’t actually be considered a Demon Fiend.

With each of the Four Domains ruled by a major power, most Demon Fiends typically remained hidden in their lairs. It was only during a demonic calamity that large numbers of Zombie God Great Demon Fiends would appear.

The appearance of a Great Demon of the Insect Dao now was proof that, due to the war in the Treasure Temple Domain, the Demon Fiends were completely unchecked and could rampage as they pleased.

Normally, the appearance of a Great Demon of the Insect Dao would be a matter of utmost priority for such powers.

A fierce, sinister wind kicked up outside Nirvana City, heralding the Demon Fiends’ arrival.

The sinister wind was like a thousand invisible knives; even the city walls began to visibly decay, crumbling into dust.

Many of the Demon Fiends were like twisted black shadows, with a few behemoths among them. Leading the charge was the Great Demon of the Insect Dao. Though it maintained a roughly humanoid form, its heaven-piercing Demonic Qi was utterly terrifying.

Nirvana City had gathered a massive number of refugees, and more people rushed to enter its gates every day. This was because it was the only place offering protection, and the fame of the Tripod Bodhisattva and the Crane Immortal had spread far and wide.

Such a massive gathering of human life force was an irresistible lure to Demon Fiends, like a mountain of flesh and bone in the wilderness, guaranteed to attract countless hyenas and jackals.

Furthermore, the fact that many previous Demon Fiend attacks had ended in utter defeat—with all of them being annihilated by Forbidden Calamity—made it inevitable that this place would be targeted by stronger foes.

It wasn’t just Cultivators who could sense the vile aura of the Demon Fiends; even ordinary people, seeing the sky change so drastically, realized what was happening and grew incredibly tense.

However, their faith in the Tripod Bodhisattva prevented widespread panic.

In their eyes, as long as the Tripod Bodhisattva made a move, it didn’t matter how many Demon Fiends attacked; he would take care of all of them.

Yang An, having just sensed the Demonic Qi from within the Glazed Tower, naturally knew that this place would eventually be targeted by a more powerful Demon Fiend. This was inevitable, and it was also the reason he had chosen to stay for the time being.

He would save who he could, for as long as he could.

Who would have thought that he, the former Buddha’s Son of Great Virtue Temple, would end up joining forces with the temple’s own founder to save the common people.

As expected, he received a call for help from Forbidden Calamity.

"I must trouble you, Benefactor, to assist this old monk and ensure the safety of these people. I fear I may not be able to hold them off alone..."

Yang An had seen everything Forbidden Calamity had done, and his opinion of the man was changing. Before, he’d been uncertain; after all, it was hardly surprising for someone from Great Virtue Temple to be two-faced.

Now, however, he felt nothing but admiration for him. If Great Virtue Temple were filled with people like Forbidden Calamity, then regardless of whether they could defeat Golden Thread Pavilion, they would at least have no trouble winning the hearts and minds of the entire Treasure Temple Domain.

Good and evil existed in this world. Although most Cultivators tended toward evil, good would never be completely extinguished.

Unfortunately, the reality was that the hearts of the people were utterly worthless to most Cultivators.

But that was precisely what made Forbidden Calamity’s actions to protect the common people so rare and valuable.

Perhaps that was also why he had broken away from Great Virtue Temple and become such an anomaly.

"Please, do what you must, Master. I will not stand idly by."