The Demon with Holy Radiance

A blindingly brilliant light suddenly erupted from deep underground, shooting toward the heavens like a volcanic plume.

Xuan You, who had been sensing the residual auras, felt his expression change. He vanished on the spot.

HUMMM—

The crowd kneeling below the Golden Dipper Divine Sect watched as the sky suddenly blazed with light. A thick pillar of light shot toward the heavens, and everyone froze in shock at the sudden spectacle.

The massive beast guarding the Golden Dipper Divine Sect was the first in the pillar’s path. The light grazed it, and its head instantly began to dissolve within the beam, turning to ash. The rest of its body, however, had already reacted, rapidly pulling back.

BOOM!!

It was as if the pillar of light had blasted a great hole in the firmament. The beam shattered in an instant, its light fragmenting into countless motes that rained down like shooting stars, turning the sky into a breathtaking spectacle.

Xuan You’s figure appeared in an instant in the sky above the Golden Dipper Divine Sect, one of his arms completely gone. But within the space of a breath, flesh and blood writhed and rapidly regenerated it.

The beast’s dissolved head also regenerated in moments. As if enraged, it vented its fury on the Golden Dipper Divine Sect, beginning a wanton rampage across its grounds.

Looking at the new arm that had grown back through his tattered sleeve, Xuan You’s expression was grim.

’I can’t believe I fell for that!’

’Good! Just perfect!’

Looking down at the people of the Golden Dipper Divine Sect, Xuan You’s face was cold as he abruptly raised his hand and commanded the beast, "Kill them!"

’These ants witnessed my moment of humiliation. They have no reason to live.’

In that instant, the entire Golden Dipper Divine Sect was annihilated.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Yang An, who had been repeatedly using his Light and Shadow Escape Technique, came to a sudden halt. He looked back toward the erupting pillar of light, a smile spreading across his face.

’I was right,’ he thought. ’Xuan You was after us. It’s a good thing I had the people from the Scripture Defector Association flee beforehand. Otherwise, once that man arrived, the Association would have suffered a devastating blow.’

’As for that little trick, it was just to erase the lingering traces of our auras and direction of travel to keep Xuan You from tracking us. It wasn’t meant to deliberately target him.’

Yang An was well aware of Xuan You’s strength. At best, the blast would only inflict some temporary harm—not even a minor injury. Its only purpose was to slow his pursuit.

The Golden Soul Sect’s intelligence network was vast; it had even pinpointed their hiding place. All he could do was buy as much time as possible for the others in the Scripture Defector Association, letting them get as far away as they could. The rest was up to their own fortunes.

WHOOSH!

Yang An vanished once more. He was heading to Earth Demon Cliff. With Huan there to help, he would have an easier time dealing with Xuan You if the man caught up.

「Golden Dipper Divine Sect.」

As he watched the people of the Golden Dipper Divine Sect flee in panic, only to be swiftly snatched up by the beast and devoured alive, Xuan You remained expressionless and unmoved.

’The Golden Soul Sect’s plan is imminent,’ he thought. ’Although the Sect Leader sent me to catch these rats, that doesn’t mean I have time to spare. On the contrary, my time is extremely limited.’

’I must complete this mission within the time limit. Otherwise, the wrath of Sect Leader Non-Birth is what awaits me.’

After the beast had devoured every last person from the Golden Dipper Divine Sect, Xuan You descended and landed upon its head.

The flesh of the beast’s head writhed and twisted, transforming into countless tendrils that rapidly enveloped Xuan You. His body sank into the beast’s cranium, and the two merged as one.

’The traces of those rats I was sensing have been destroyed,’ he thought. ’This is the only way to find them quickly!’

The beast, originally hundreds of yards long, began to rapidly shrink. Within the space of a few breaths, its form contracted until it was only a few dozen yards long, though it still appeared immense and menacing.

On the beast’s forehead, a face identical to Xuan You’s slowly opened its eyes. The moment it did, countless cracks spread across its features.

The next moment, auras from all directions converged before it. They were continuously stripped down and analyzed until they formed streaks of blood-red light that stretched out in different directions.

"Found you!"

Xuan You immediately had the beast split into eight crimson shadows, each one merging into one of the blood-red streaks.

Like lit fuses, the blood-red streaks flared to life, shooting off in every direction in pursuit.

"Not a single one of you will escape!"