The Demon with Holy Radiance Chapter 54

Inside the Golden Sun Pavilion, the venue for the Life Crane Sect’s master-disciple banquet, the tables were already filled with guests.

These were all representative figures from the various sects and schools within Han State. It was a rare sight to see them all together, and they were currently engaged in lively conversation, creating a bustling atmosphere.

But just as the noise reached its peak, the sound of slow footsteps approached. Everyone turned to look at the entrance, and in an instant, the hall fell deathly silent.

CLACK!

As he stepped over the threshold, Elder Life Crane gave the room a cold, sweeping glance before retracting his gaze.

He Tou followed him into the Golden Sun Pavilion, a strange smile on its face.

「At the same time.」

WHOOSH!

Everyone in attendance rose from their seats in unison, their gazes fixed on Elder Life Crane. The atmosphere felt somewhat delicate.

Elder Life Crane’s arrival signaled the official start of the master-disciple banquet.

Elder Life Crane walked straight through the hall and slowly settled into the seat of honor at the very front.

At that moment, a group of his disciples also entered the Golden Sun Pavilion, arranging themselves in two rows before Elder Life Crane.

The last to enter the Golden Sun Pavilion was, naturally, Yang An. Today was his master-disciple ceremony.

Being watched by so many Cultivators at once made Yang An slightly nervous. It was a first for him, after all, and nearly everyone present was a Great Power Cultivator from one sect or another.

’But I’m here to become a disciple to the Elder, not to them,’ he thought. ’They’re just irrelevant bystanders.’ With that, he calmed down.

The master-disciple ceremony had reached this point, and the remaining steps were not complicated.

Bow, offer tea, formally accept the master. Done!

Simple, yet formal.

Following the instructions his Second Senior Brother Fu Ming had given him earlier, Yang An calmly entered the Golden Sun Pavilion, walked directly before Elder Life Crane, and performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows.

He then took the cup of clear tea offered by a senior sister.

After reciting a solemn pledge declaring his willingness to take Elder Life Crane as his master, accept the sect’s legacy, and ensure its future prosperity, Yang An raised the teacup with both hands, offered it gently to Elder Life Crane, and waited respectfully for his acceptance and response.

He assumed that once they reached this step, the old man would just take the tea, have a symbolic sip, and the whole process would be over. Then the feast would begin.

"It’s not enough. There’s still one step missing!"

But to his surprise, Elder Life Crane shook his head. He didn’t take the tea Yang An offered, instead stating that coldly.

’One step missing?’

Yang An looked up, glancing quizzically at his Second Senior Brother, Fu Ming, who stood to the side.

’Second Senior Brother only mentioned these steps. I didn’t miss anything. What step could possibly be missing?’

’Don’t tell me Second Senior Brother got it wrong?’

A sense of foreboding suddenly washed over Yang An.

Just as confusion filled Yang An’s mind, Elder Life Crane raised a hand and beckoned lightly.

Without him uttering a word, everyone present abruptly turned their gazes in the same direction.

Noticing the movement of the senior disciples beside him, Yang An also looked back in confusion. He immediately saw a figure rise from the seats and walk slowly toward him.

It was an incredibly burly man with salt-and-pepper hair, yet his face appeared young.

’It’s the man from Yuxiang Mountain!’

’This...’

Yang An’s heart sank. ’This can’t be happening. Is this really going to be one of those cliché face-slapping scenes?’

’According to the usual novel plot, our two sides are rivals. This guy is definitely going to use this chance to mock my talent or strength, belittling Elder Life Crane and putting the old man in an awkward position.’

’Then the old man will tell me to make a move. I’ll reveal my astonishing strength, effortlessly defeat his opponent, and prove my prodigious talent, amazing everyone present.’

’Finally, the old man will viciously humiliate his rival, who will have no choice but to swallow his anger and slink away like a beaten dog.’

Yang An had even imagined the exact expression the man would have on his face as he left.

’But wait! This isn’t right!’

This man from Yuxiang Mountain had come alone. Yang An had personally welcomed him in.

He remembered clearly that the man hadn’t brought any young disciples or even a single attendant with him.

’Even if this were a face-slapping scene, they would need to bring a young, exceptionally talented peer for me to fight.’

’Otherwise, who am I supposed to make an example of?’

He watched as the man slowly approached, finally stopping right beside him.

The man’s face was calm, but beneath the surface, there seemed to be a hint of untamed pride. Yang An was quite curious to see how he would be mocked, and how he himself should play along.

Just then.

THUD!

"Jade Elephant Daoist of Yuxiang Mountain pays his respects to Elder Life Crane! This junior knows his sins and has come to receive his punishment. I beg Elder Life Crane to pass judgment!"

"..."

Yang An never would have expected it. This seemingly untamable man had just knelt, striking the exact same pose as him, but with an air of even greater reverence and sincerity.

For a moment, Yang An’s brain seemed to short-circuit. He couldn’t understand why this guy would suddenly pull a stunt like this.

’Weren’t they rivals with the old man?’

’Weren’t they enemies?’

’What happened to all the mockery and belittling? Why did he suddenly kneel?’

’This isn’t right, is it?’

It wasn’t until the Jade Elephant Daoist stated his purpose that Yang An finally processed what was happening.

So it turned out he had been overthinking things. This guy wasn’t here to cause trouble; he was here to offer a sincere apology.

Understanding the man’s true intentions, Yang An breathed a sigh of relief, though he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed at the same time.

’Looks like you really can’t trust what they write in novels,’ he thought. ’I almost thought I’d run into one of those cliché plots.’

Still, he couldn’t figure out what the old man had meant by "one step missing," or what any of it had to do with this Jade Elephant Daoist.

As Yang An’s mind raced with wild thoughts, Elder Life Crane finally spoke.

His expression was devoid of joy or sorrow, revealing no emotion. However, the disciples familiar with him knew that if their Master wasn’t maintaining his usual kind and benevolent demeanor, it meant he was angry.

"Jade Elephant, you should know the rules, shouldn’t you?"

"This junior knows," the Jade Elephant Daoist replied respectfully. "As long as I can kill your new disciple, you will let bygones be bygones for all past matters!"

But Yang An, standing to the side, was suddenly and completely dumbfounded.

’...Kill Elder Life Crane’s new disciple?’

’Wait a minute! He’s not talking about me, is he?!’

’What the hell kind of bizarre rule is this? What kind of master treats his own disciple this way?’

’It’s just a simple master-disciple ceremony, how can they make it this twisted?’

’Most importantly, Second Senior Brother never mentioned any rule like this. I had no idea about this from the start!’

At this thought, Yang An immediately looked to Elder Life Crane, desperate to know if the rule the Jade Elephant Daoist spoke of was actually real.

Then, under Yang An’s intense gaze, Elder Life Crane nodded.

"Correct! This is your only chance for absolution. If you fail, you will die. Do you accept?"

"This junior accepts!" the Jade Elephant Daoist replied solemnly.

A satisfied smile immediately appeared on Elder Life Crane’s face.

The next moment, He Tou transformed into a black shadow, instantly punching several holes through the Jade Elephant Daoist’s body. It then licked the blood from its long beak, its mouth stained crimson as it gave a grotesque grin.

Blood sprayed out, dyeing the Jade Elephant Daoist’s robes red in the blink of an eye. Though his face was contorted in pain, he clenched his jaw and endured it.

"Now, your Cultivation Level can at most exert the strength of the Middle Stage of the Primordial Feeding Realm. Make your move!"

"Thank you, Elder Life Crane. If this junior is fortunate enough to defeat your new disciple, I hope you will keep your wor—"

"—rd..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the Jade Elephant Daoist’s body suddenly trembled. He looked down at his own chest.

A huge spray of crimson blood burst from the location of his Heart, splattering wildly all over the floor.

He was completely stunned. He blankly raised his head and subconsciously glanced to his side.

At that moment, everyone present realized what had happened, and all eyes turned to Yang An, who was kneeling beside the Jade Elephant Daoist.

They saw that at some unknown point, Yang An had extended his right hand. On his palm, a mouth with bared fangs was rapidly fading away, leaving behind what looked like a pitch-black hole.

"You..."

The Jade Elephant Daoist wanted to say something more. He truly hadn’t expected Yang An to attack so suddenly and silently, piercing his heart’s meridians in a single strike.

But as the word reached his lips, a great torrent of blood gushed from his mouth, preventing him from speaking further.

’Not dead yet?’

Yang An’s eyes narrowed. He abruptly used the Lighting Technique, flinging a head-sized ball of fire that landed squarely on the blood-soaked Jade Elephant Daoist.

VWOOM!

In an instant, as if oil had been poured on the fire, the Jade Elephant Daoist was completely unable to resist as the towering flames engulfed him.

In the blink of an eye, before he could even let out a scream, his physical body was burned to a blackened crisp by the ferocious flames, falling completely silent.

’Still not enough!’

’These Cultivators are a strange bunch! Who knows what kind of life-saving tricks he might have up his sleeve!’

Yang An immediately summoned his Extreme Day Divine Aspect. The giant Dharma Aspect clenched its fist and smashed down violently.

BANG! BANG! After a few punches, even the floor of the Golden Sun Pavilion had been smashed into a large crater.

Only when the Jade Elephant Daoist had completely lost all signs of life, reduced to a pile of shattered black charcoal with no further movement, did Yang An finally let out a breath of relief.

He retracted the Divine Aspect and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

’That scared the life out of me!’

The moment he learned that the only way for the man to earn the old man’s forgiveness was to kill him, he’d been terrified.

So he had decisively chosen to strike first. He took advantage of the moment right after the old man weakened the Daoist’s Cultivation Level and before his attention was focused on him. He used the Meat Burial Talisman’s attack—powerful enough to rival the Primordial Feeding Realm—to deliver a silent, fatal blow.

’Anyway, the old man had already said to make a move. If the other guy wasn’t going to, I definitely had to go first.’

’If I didn’t make a move, I would be the one to die.’

’No matter how much the old man had weakened him, the Jade Elephant Daoist still possessed the strength of the Primordial Feeding Realm.’

’I’m only in the Middle Stage of the Fake Food Realm. A head-on fight with the Jade Elephant Daoist? What a joke.’

’I hate head-on fights more than anything!’

Drenched in a cold sweat, Yang An could still feel his heart pounding in his chest. It was truly a narrow escape from death.

He slowly calmed himself, then picked up the teacup once more and looked toward Elder Life Crane at the front.

’This missing step should be complete now, right?’

"Master! Please accept my tea!"

"..."

Inside the Golden Sun Pavilion, everyone was momentarily stunned.

The crowd looked from the shattered charcoal on the ground to Yang An, whose expression was as serene as if nothing at all had just happened.

Every single one of them wore a look of utter astonishment.