The Demon with Holy Radiance Chapter 41

The black stone was no bigger than his palm and felt very light in his hand—even lighter than a regular stone. From the outside, it looked completely ordinary.

But when Yang An saw the information in the pop-up box, his heart skipped a beat.

’Seal a living creature inside?!’

’In other words, a living creature was sealed inside this unremarkable little stone!’

Beyond that, the cost of using the Essence Stone was even more alarming to Yang An.

Using it would not only kill the creature sealed within but also drain the user’s lifespan, which would then be secretly transferred to Hei Mei.

’What a vicious scheme!’

Now, Yang An guessed why Pan Yu had disappeared—and where she had gone.

’She was probably inside one of these four Essence Stones!’

After reading the description in the information box, he was even more certain that Hei Mei was behind Pan Yu’s disappearance.

The man looked as sinister and crafty as they came. He had pretended to be so approachable when they first met, but in the end, his appearance was a true reflection of his heart.

Seeing the nearby cultivators grow interested after hearing Hei Mei’s explanation of the Essence Stone, Yang An immediately spoke up before they could.

"Fellow Daoist, this Essence Stone of yours is quite remarkable to have such a wondrous effect. It has certainly piqued my interest, and I’d like to trade for it. May I ask if you have any more? I’d like to take them all."

Hearing Yang An’s words, Hei Mei gave a soft chuckle. He was certain the two of them would never see through his disguise, so he remained perfectly calm.

"Please don’t take offense, Fellow Daoist. Refining Essence Stones is incredibly difficult. These four are all I have. If you wish to trade for them, feel free to make an offer. Everything is negotiable."

These things were useless for Hei Mei to keep for himself; they only became beneficial after he sold them.

So Hei Mei wasn’t lying. He really did only have these four, one of which had just been successfully refined.

Hearing that he only had four, Yang An nodded. Without waiting for the other cultivators to speak, he said without a moment’s hesitation:

"Good. I’ll take all four!"

With that, he reached out and swept all four Essence Stones into his arms.

Pan Shi, watching from the side, grew anxious. ’Didn’t Fellow Daoist Yang say he found a clue? Why is he buying things?’

Every minute his junior sister was missing, his heart grew heavier with worry.

But just as he finished gathering the Essence Stones into his arms, Yang An suddenly waved his hand.

"Seize him!"

The command was, of course, directed at the Glue Insect Children. Under orders from Mother Divination True Master, they obeyed Yang An’s every command without question.

At Yang An’s command, several Glue Insect Children rushed in from all directions, instantly surrounding Hei Mei.

Seeing this, Hei Mei could no longer maintain his composure. He scrambled to his feet, a look of panic on his face.

"Children, what are you doing? I haven’t broken any rules of the Communal Feast! You can’t arrest me!"

The Glue Insect Children simply followed Yang An’s orders, completely ignoring Hei Mei’s protests.

Hei Mei clearly hadn’t expected Yang An to be able to command these Children, and he was even more shocked.

’These are Mother Divination True Master’s own Children, yet they’re taking orders from Yang An. Just who is this man?’

A sinking feeling washed over Hei Mei—a premonition that he had made a terrible mistake.

When the Children remained unmoved, Hei Mei hurriedly turned back to Yang An, still pretending not to recognize him.

"Fellow Daoist! What is the meaning of this? How have I offended you? I beg you, please be merciful. If you want these Essence Stones, just take them! I’ll give them to you as a gift! Just please, don’t make things difficult for me."

"’Make things difficult for you?’"

Yang An smiled, deciding to drop the act.

"Fellow Daoist Hei Mei, if you want to keep up this charade, be my guest. I’m not going to waste any more words on you.

Hand over the method for unsealing the Meat Beast Essence Stone! You should know exactly what I’m talking about!"

Yang An was being direct, no longer bothering to be subtle. He’d laid his cards on the table. If Hei Mei continued to play dumb, then it was time for action.

’Of course, it wouldn’t be me fighting,’ Yang An thought. ’I don’t have that kind of power; I know my own limits. The ones fighting would be these Glue Insect Children, with Pan Shi as backup.’

"’What? He’s Hei Mei?’"

Pan Shi’s eyes went wide. He never would have imagined that the cultivator before them was the very same Snake Daoist who had traveled here on the boat with them.

In a flash, Pan Shi understood.

’Since Fellow Daoist Yang called him out by name and mentioned undoing a seal, he must have figured something out. It has to be related to my sister!’

Pan Shi immediately glared at Hei Mei, his face filled with rage.

Hei Mei was equally shocked that his identity had been exposed so abruptly. He stared at Yang An, completely stunned.

’I’m this heavily disguised, and he still recognized me?’ Hei Mei thought. ’If it weren’t for Pan Shi’s reaction, I’d be wondering if the Water-Resistant Lotus Seed I took was a fake.’

But what surprised him even more was that Yang An had demanded he hand over the method to unseal the Meat Beast Essence Stone!

He had never, ever told anyone that these were Meat Beast Essence Stones.

This meant Yang An knew the true name of the Meat Beast Essence Stone, and he must know more information about it.

’But how is that possible?!’

The Three Vein Beast Transformation Technique was an Ancient Secret Technique he had stumbled upon by chance. He was positive that no one else knew of its existence.

It was by relying on this very technique that Hei Mei had stolen a great deal of lifespan for himself, never once failing.

’So how could he possibly know?!’

Seeing Hei Mei remain silent for a long moment, Yang An’s brow furrowed.

"Fellow Daoist Hei Mei, must I spell it out for you? Fine. I’ll say it again: hand over the Three Vein Beast Transformation Technique and release Fellow Daoist Pan Yu from the seal!

Otherwise, I guarantee these Children won’t hold back. And you, Fellow Daoist, can forget about ever leaving the Xiyue River."

At Yang An’s words, the Glue Insect Children surrounding Hei Mei took another step forward, looking as if they would strike at any moment.

Now Hei Mei was absolutely certain. Yang An truly knew about the Three Vein Beast Transformation Technique. The man knew all of his secrets, clear as day.

If he’d had any thought of bluffing his way out of this before, it was now replaced by complete despair.

For a moment, Hei Mei was filled with regret. He cursed himself for not being able to control his greed. To think he would make a move on Pan Yu inside the Celestial River Dragon Mansion—he must have been out of his mind.

If this were happening outside the Celestial River Dragon Mansion, he would have ways to escape, even if surrounded.

But this was the Celestial River Dragon Mansion, deep underwater. No one could leave until the Communal Feast ended. As someone who had attended for several years straight, Hei Mei knew this all too well.

These Children could be ordered around so casually. The man’s background must be terrifyingly powerful. And all this was happening inside the inescapable Dragon Mansion. That was the most despairing part.

At this point, he had no other choice. He was regretting it so much he could have kicked himself.

’Why couldn’t I just keep my hands to myself? Why couldn’t I show a little restraint?’

He wanted to slap himself twice, but then he suddenly remembered.

’Oh, right. I don’t have hands!’

"Fellow Daoist, don’t be rash! Please, don’t be rash!"

"I was the one who was out of his mind! I had eyes but failed to recognize a great master! I’ll undo the seal on Fellow Daoist Pan Yu right now, and I’ll hand over the Three Vein Beast Transformation Technique as well! I only hope that you’ll spare my life!"