The Demon with Holy Radiance

The already quiet Broken Daoist Temple fell deathly silent.

Everyone’s gaze turned to Yang An, their expressions intriguing.

Attacking Broken Hand at the slightest provocation was a clear show of force.

To be fair, Broken Hand had started it. While everyone else kept their mouths shut, he was the one who had to speak up.

Wen Yin, standing to the side, had a look of nervousness and surprise on her face.

Broken Hand’s words were aimed at her, but her Senior Brother had struck without hesitation. ’Will this cause trouble for him?’

The sound of scattering gravel came from outside the temple. Countless sharp branches suddenly shot through the large hole, lunging toward Yang An.

Seeing things were going south, the others quickly dodged to the side.

Yang An’s expression remained unchanged as he stood his ground. He slightly raised his hand, which began to emit a dazzling light.

The attacking branches couldn’t even get close to him before they were rapidly and silently dissolved.

Broken Hand charged in from outside the temple. Half of his face had turned to wood, only his eyeball twitching within it, revealing a ferocious glint.

Those branches had grown wildly from the arm where a tree was rooted.

Yang An was completely unfazed. Just as the man charged in front of him, seemingly about to unleash some kind of technique, Yang An’s hand effortlessly plunged into his body in the blink of an eye.

"If you can’t be quiet, I’ll quiet you myself!"

A brilliant light erupted from within Broken Hand’s body, instantly turning his flesh from the torso down into ash.

A look of agony appeared on Broken Hand’s face.

Yang An hadn’t intended to kill him. With a casual palm strike, he knocked him back to the ground. Broken Hand was left with only his head and upper torso. Black blood oozed from the charred remains of his body, but thankfully, he could still recover.

But the look he gave Yang An was filled with unresigned bitterness.

Not to mention the vast gulf in their Cultivation Levels; even if Yang An’s Cultivation Level was only at the Corpse Transformation realm, he could still crush him.

"From now on, I’m in charge of the Scripture Defector Association. I hope you all understand this fact. If you respect me, I’ll respect you. Since we’re all members of the Scripture Defector Association, I don’t want us turning on each other. We should be united and help one another."

Yang An didn’t look at him again, instead turning his gaze to the others around them.

The others had all witnessed Broken Hand’s miserable fate and knew that Yang An was not to be trifled with. The Broken Daoist Temple was utterly silent. No one spoke; the only sound was the wind whistling in through the large hole in the wall.

Broken Hand’s blood pooled on the floor. His body was gradually regenerating, but his face was ashen.

Wen Yin took a deep breath, not daring to even breathe too loudly. Compared to this group, she was just a rookie.

She had thought she’d caused trouble for her Senior Brother, but she never expected his status among these people to be so high that his word was law.

"That’s enough."

A slightly magnetic voice suddenly rang out in the temple.

A figure appeared beside Yang An, dressed in a white robe, a hood, and a mask covered in lines.

Other than Yang An, no one had ever seen the Workshop Master, but everyone recognized that mask. Surprise showed on all their faces.

The Workshop Master!

The Workshop Master glanced over the crowd, his gaze finally landing on Broken Hand.

"He Tou is correct. This aligns with my purpose in creating the Scripture Defector Association. From now on, all of the Association’s operations will be directed by He Tou. This is a warning—it will not happen again."

He was clearly warning Broken Hand as well.

Since he had already partnered with Yang An and made him the leader of the Scripture Defector Association, it was only natural to give him the corresponding authority and privileges.

After saying this to Broken Hand, the Workshop Master’s gaze shifted to Wen Yin.

Even through the mask, when Wen Yin felt the Workshop Master’s eyes on her, she suddenly felt a suffocating sensation, as if she were facing a monstrous tidal wave.

"Broken Hand’s suggestion wasn’t entirely wrong, actually. You might consider it."

He said this to Yang An.

Yang An understood what he meant, but the suggestion coming from Broken Hand’s mouth versus the Workshop Master’s mouth had a completely different feel.

Although he trusted Wen Yin completely, to the others, she was ultimately an outsider. Whether she could be trusted was a crucial issue.

Wen Yin was not an Innate Flesh Mushroom, so she couldn’t cultivate a Tree of Flesh and Blood, nor could she bear the price of suppressing one. This meant she couldn’t enter the inner circle of the Scripture Defector Association.

"Does the Workshop Master have a good solution?"

Yang An asked. He couldn’t solve this problem himself, but since the Workshop Master had brought it up, it meant he had a way.

"I can place a Restriction on her. That way, she can be considered a member of the Scripture Defector Association, though she won’t be able to enjoy the abilities of the Tree of Flesh and Blood. I will give control over the Restriction to you, for you to manage as you see fit. How about it?"

The Workshop Master said slowly.

Without a doubt, this was a Restriction that could determine life and death. Its purpose was to allow the other members of the Scripture Defector Association to trust Wen Yin.

But with control in Yang An’s hands, it meant that as long as Wen Yin did nothing to cross his bottom line, she would essentially face no constraints.

It was a classic carrot-and-stick approach, giving both Yang An and Broken Hand, who had just been in conflict, a way to de-escalate.

Yang An naturally accepted this readily.

He looked at Wen Yin, who nodded immediately without any hesitation.

The next moment, the Workshop Master raised his hand, and a white shadow fell upon Wen Yin, burrowing into her body in an instant.

As if meticulously drawn forth, a blank white mask quickly formed on Wen Yin’s face.