The Demon with Holy Radiance Chapter 51

Yang An circled one of the humanoid stone statues twice but found no mechanisms.

The statue seemed perfectly natural, showing no signs of artificial carving. It was a single, seamless piece from top to bottom, with no trace of being assembled.

However, there were different characters inscribed on the ground beneath the statue.

Yi Hai... Bing Zi... Ding Chou... Wu Yin...

They seemed to be serial numbers corresponding to each statue.

’There must be something hidden inside.’ Yang An decided to try touching one.

He gently placed his hand on the shoulder of the humanoid statue in front of him. The next second, an information box appeared before his eyes.

「[Non-Dead Stone Human Form]: A stone statue formed by a Cultivator being sealed by a Technique. It is used to preserve a portion of their memories for the purpose of inheritance. Input Mana to activate the memories stored within the statue.

Cost of Use: The user will be placed within the memories and must withstand their impact. In mild cases, Spiritual Wisdom will be damaged; in severe cases, one’s body will be possessed.

Status: Can be Purified!」

’So it’s not an ordinary statue after all.’ Having gotten the information, Yang An withdrew his hand.

’In other words, these aren’t really stone statues, but sealed Cultivators. No wonder their expressions are so vivid.’

A portion of their memories had been preserved, which were presumably related to various Techniques.

This made things a bit difficult.

There were no clues on the statue itself, and the information box didn’t specify which Technique was hidden inside.

There were dozens of such statues in the grotto. He couldn’t possibly test them one by one, could he?

Not only would that be troublesome, but he also didn’t have the time.

He had one hour at most.

Yang An suddenly regretted not asking his second senior brother for more details before coming in.

’Logically, since the statues have corresponding serial numbers, there should be something like plaques in the grotto to serve as guides.’

Otherwise, how would other sect members make their choice when they came here?

Thinking of this, Yang An immediately began searching the grotto. Sure enough, in an inconspicuous corner, he found a box filled with many wooden plaques.

He picked one up.

On one side of the plaque were carved the two characters "Geng Yin," corresponding to one of the statue’s serial numbers.

The other side was covered in small characters, just as he had suspected, recording information about a Technique.

""Other Flesh Technique": Parasitize a person, plunder their flesh and blood, occupy their skin and bones. Their flesh and their bones all become mine."

The Magical Ability was decent, but Yang An wasn’t interested. He casually put the plaque down and picked up another.

""Bone-Transforming Saber": With a saber, transform bone; with bone, transform a saber. Upon touch, bones dissolve; to avoid it is to know fear."

The term for "Technique" is composed of "skill" (术) and "method" (法). Thus, disciplines like saber arts, Swordsmanship, Fist Technique, and Body Technique were all considered types of Techniques.

However, Yang An had his own preferences and goals, and these were not the Techniques he was looking for.

Most of the abilities mastered by Cultivators in this world were strange and sinister. A moment of carelessness could lead to falling into a trap, something Yang An had come to deeply understand over the past few days.

Therefore, he was still determined to find a Technique that could prevent enemies from getting close.

’The best kind of Technique would be one that can eliminate enemies from a safe distance, so they can’t even touch a hair on my head, while I remain in a secure position. That’s what I’m looking for.’

He put the plaque down and picked up another.

Time ticked by, and a quarter of an hour passed quickly. By the time Yang An had looked through all sixty wooden plaques, he was left with only two that interested him.

The two plaques described two different Techniques: "Jade Divine Aspect" and "Sacrificial Dao Yin Thunder".

According to the descriptions on the plaques...

The former could use Mana to condense a Divine Aspect and create a jade Divine Radiance around the user’s body.

The latter involved sacrificing Mana and flesh to summon Yin Thunder.

Both Techniques could inflict damage on enemies within a certain range and prevent them from getting close.

But just from the written descriptions, it was impossible to get a true sense of the power of these two Techniques.

Yang An quickly found the two corresponding statues based on the serial numbers on the plaques.

With his special Purification ability, he didn’t have to worry about being injured or possessed. Yang An decided to try them out before making a choice.

He first chose the statue representing Sacrificial Dao Yin Thunder, inputting his Mana as he touched it.

The moment his Mana entered the statue, Yang An found himself on a plain. Standing before him, with his hands behind his back, was a Cultivator with a face identical to the one on the statue.

But the man’s expression was somewhat stiff, and his eyes were lifeless.

He was about to speak to the man but found he couldn’t open his mouth or move an inch.

In an instant, Yang An roughly understood the situation.

’Through the statue, my consciousness has entered the memories of the sealed person. That’s why I can’t interfere with this memory in any way.’

Having figured this out, Yang An stopped trying to move.

Just then, the Cultivator suddenly raised his head and looked at Yang An.

"Die!"

Following the sudden, furious shout, two loud POPS were heard.

The Cultivator’s arms suddenly exploded into two clouds of blood mist. CRACKLING sounds erupted from within the mist as it instantly spread outward. Countless red arcs of lightning, like silver serpents, flickered wildly within it, as if the might of heaven itself had descended.

Yang An couldn’t hide his shock at the sight. At the same time, all the red lightning surged toward him, instantly enveloping him.

Yang An’s vision was filled with a brilliant red light. The strange lightning concentrated on his body, and a stinging pain spread all over him.

At that very moment, everything suddenly froze. Even the countless arcs of lightning stopped mid-air, clearly visible, as if time itself had been frozen.

An information box suddenly appeared before Yang An’s eyes.

「[Sacrificial Dao Yin Thunder]: One of the legacy Techniques of the Yin Thunder Sect. Can use flesh, blood, and Mana to summon sinister thunder, control Yin Thunder, exorcise demons, and clear away impurities.

Cost of Use: Each time this Technique is cast, the user’s internal organs will suffer a backlash from the Yin Thunder; summoning Yin Thunder has a chance of summoning an evil entity.

Cost: Can be Purified!」

Yang An did not choose Purification. Instead, he cut off the output of his Mana and instantly broke free from the statue’s memory.

His second senior brother had told him he could only choose one item, so he needed to compare it with the other Technique before making a decision.

Soon, Yang An arrived in front of the second statue and repeated the process, inputting his Mana.

Just like before, he instantly appeared in another unfamiliar place. A Cultivator with a face identical to the statue stood before him.

The moment Yang An’s consciousness appeared, the Cultivator immediately looked toward him.

The next moment, a golden Dharma Aspect several dozen feet tall suddenly appeared above the Cultivator’s body. The Dharma Aspect radiated a brilliant, jade-green light.

Just by being illuminated by this light, Yang An felt as if his entire body was about to rot and stink.

At the same time, the giant Dharma Aspect suddenly clenched its fist, which instantly shone like a jade-colored sun, emitting a light so bright it could blind a person.

With a deafening CRACK, it suddenly punched toward Yang An.

Yang An felt the chilling, terrifying energy. It was as if he would be turned to dust by this single punch. Even though he knew it was just a memory, a powerful sense of suffocation still washed over him.

Compared to the Sacrificial Dao Yin Thunder, this Jade Divine Aspect was superior in both impact and power.

At that moment, the scene repeated itself. Everything came to a sudden halt, as if a pause button had been pressed.

The information box appeared before Yang An’s eyes again.

「[Jade Divine Aspect]: Taken from the Earth Spirit Stele’s "Five Rings Ultimate Skill - Refining Spirit Chapter", obtained by Shen Xie, Sect Leader of the Refining God Sect. Condense the Divine Aspect, channel the Divine Radiance, and be unrivaled against all evil.

Cost of Use: Due to the backlash of the Divine Aspect’s power, the user will suffer several times any damage the Divine Aspect receives.

Status: Can be Purified!」

’The Earth Spirit Stele again?’

’It has the same origin as the Cultivation Technique the old guy gave me?’

’What in the world is this Earth Spirit Stele?’

The description from the information box when he first obtained the Cultivation Technique flashed through Yang An’s mind. Both came from the Earth Spirit Stele.

He silently committed the name to memory.

After personally experiencing the distinct powers of the two Techniques, Yang An chose the Jade Divine Aspect Technique almost without hesitation.

’Purification!’

BUZZ!!

Everything that had been frozen in place was suddenly released. In an instant, it all disintegrated. The giant Divine Aspect abruptly transformed into a streak of golden-green light and shot into Yang An’s mind.

Yang An didn’t resist. He understood this must be the process of accepting the Technique.

In his eyes, after the Divine Aspect vanished, the Cultivator once again became stiff and dazed, as if he had lost all perception of him.

Soon, Yang An felt his head swell as a flood of new information poured into his memory.

It was the Cultivation Method for the Jade Divine Aspect!