The Demon with Holy Radiance

And if he chose death and release, it would be easy. All Yang An had to do was kill him.

To this, Yang An could only offer a helpless smile. "That’s still not enough. With matters here settled, I’ll be leaving for now, but I will be back."

The promises had to be maintained, and he did have to come back here.

After all, a place like this that would obey his commands, filled with so many Demon Fiends and the powerful Huan—there was no reason for Yang An not to borrow such a fighting force.

And no matter what Huan chose, for now, he could only obediently swallow the promises Yang An made, waiting for the day he would fulfill them.

Huan indeed had no intention of stopping Yang An from leaving, but after a moment’s hesitation, he spoke again.

"I believe you will return, because no one can truly leave this world. Once you see the truth of this world, you will be just like me and choose release."

Yang An slowly rose to his feet. Without another word, his figure quickly vanished from the spot.

Watching the direction Yang An had departed, Huan lowered his head once more.

"From this moment on, Earth Demon Cliff is sealed. No outsiders are permitted to enter. Trespassers will be killed!"

Two breaths later, Huan’s voice suddenly echoed out, spreading throughout all of Earth Demon Cliff.

...

「Golden Soul Sect, Central Sect.」

Elder Xuan You hurriedly entered Sect Leader Non-Birth’s palace. He kowtowed at once, his posture servile and his expression grim.

"Sect Leader, the Third Elder is dead!"

Seated on the main throne, Non-Birth was shrouded in a black mist, showing no reaction whatsoever.

"Was it the same group?"

He asked in a soft, level tone, betraying neither joy nor sorrow, no hint of emotion in his voice.

But Xuan You, kneeling below, knew full well that when the Sect Leader adopted such a cold demeanor, it was actually a sign of his greatest fury.

Under the immense pressure, even an Elder like Xuan You couldn’t help but press himself lower, as if a great mountain weighed upon his back.

"I do not know. But the last trace of the Third Elder’s presence vanished at Earth Demon Cliff..."

"Earth Demon Cliff? Are you saying... the Death Lord?"

Non-Birth was taken aback.

The people of the Golden Soul Sect were all too familiar with Earth Demon Cliff. It was the one place in the entire Fusheng Domain completely beyond the sect’s control. They had even had numerous dealings with it.

Especially that fellow, the Death Lord. He was undoubtedly a figure from the last era, yet he had never revealed any information about the Five Great Celestial Sects, responding to neither carrot nor stick. Even Non-Birth himself had once taken action personally, but he had been completely unable to do anything to the Death Lord.

Xuan You didn’t know how to respond. This was all the information he had. The Third Elder’s death had been too sudden, leaving no clues behind.

’At this critical juncture...’

Non-Birth muttered to himself, seemingly having thought of something.

For the Golden Soul Sect to suddenly lose a powerful Insect Dao cultivator was a huge blow to the sect’s overall combat strength, and it even affected their subsequent plans.

This definitely wasn’t a sudden incident, but a long-premeditated plot.

"Has there been any news from that bunch of bald donkeys at Great Virtue Temple?"

But his reaction showed he wasn’t concerned with the Third Elder’s fate at all; instead, he asked about Great Virtue Temple.

’Those bald donkeys are moving far too slowly.’

"The battle between Great Virtue Temple and the Golden Thread Pavilion has already erupted. They are currently locked in a heated conflict, but as no top-tier experts have been deployed yet, they are merely at a stalemate.

The Golden Thread Pavilion has made no other moves for now. They are focusing all their efforts on attacking Great Virtue Temple, and their upper echelons have yet to act."

Xuan You naturally knew what his Sect Leader wanted to ask, but he truly had not received any news concerning the Golden Thread Pavilion.

"In that case, you’ll make the trip personally. I want you to root out those rats completely before the Array is complete. Our plans absolutely cannot be affected in any way."

Non-Birth said slowly.

Xuan You immediately touched his forehead to the ground. "Yes!"

He was the Grand Elder of the Golden Soul Sect, answering only to Sect Leader Non-Birth, and was the strongest expert in the entire sect beneath Non-Birth himself.

Compared to the Third Elder, Jishan, who was now dead and his Dao extinguished, Xuan You’s strength far surpassed his. This task could now only be entrusted to Xuan You.

In Non-Birth’s eyes, Jishan’s death was definitely related to the Golden Thread Pavilion. But he was even more worried that the Death Lord within Earth Demon Cliff had secretly colluded with them.

If that were the case, then the Golden Soul Sect’s every move would be under the Golden Thread Pavilion’s watch, which would be extremely disadvantageous to the plans of the Golden Soul Sect and Great Virtue Temple.

Fortunately, while those fellows inside Earth Demon Cliff were a problem they couldn’t solve, they also couldn’t leave its confines, so the Golden Soul Sect didn’t have to worry about them too much.

But the rats roaming the Fusheng Domain, the ones that had previously attacked the Chongwen State branch, had to be exterminated first!

"Sect Leader, there is one more thing."

Xuan You spoke again, a worried look appearing on his face.

"The Outer Continent has been completely devoured. The ’Celestial Calamity’ has now reached the edges of the Outer Continent. I don’t know about the other Three Domains, but in our Fusheng Domain, half the living beings in four State Territories have been tainted by the Calamity. Many people are migrating toward the inner domain. The situation is already out of control."

Once the Celestial Calamity erupts, nothing can escape it. In such a widespread crisis, this kind of news is impossible to conceal.

Non-Birth took a deep breath.

"It seems we must accelerate our plans!

However, this is also a good thing. The Celestial Dragon Domain and the Senluo Domain won’t just stand by and watch.

That old bastard from the Golden Thread Pavilion... we may not be able to crack that tough nut, but others will come to deal with him.

The Command Tokens must be gathered. That is our only hope."