He needed to make preparations as soon as possible.

Now that he sensed something was wrong with the old monster's current state, it was no longer wise to remain in the Life Crane Sect.

Otherwise, who knew if the old geezer would suddenly try to stab him in the back.

Besides, he could feel the hostility from the old man and the old monster. They had completely dropped all pretenses; there was no turning back.

If he didn't strike, the old man would.

It was a race to see who could strike first!

Yang An had no regrets about this falling out happening so quickly.

'Sooner or later, it was bound to happen.' Since he had already confirmed that under the suppression of the Power of Rules, he could harm and even kill the old man...

There was no need to wait any longer.

The longer he waited, the more uncertain things would become, and he would find himself in a passive position again, constrained by others.

After all, he still had no idea what the old man's true objective was.

'If I do nothing, that's when I'll be in real danger!' 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Flying swiftly into the distance, Yang An's figure soon vanished. He made it seem like he was heading for the main city of Zichuan State, but in reality, he was finding a place to hide and cultivate while keeping a close watch on the old man's movements.

Just after Yang An left, back in the Life Crane Sect, inside the grand hall newly named the Dangerous Life Pavilion...

He Tou, his face twisted in a furious rage, began to vent his anger wantonly. He smashed everything in the hall to smithereens, but even that couldn't quell the murderous intent in his heart.

It gasped for breath, its eyes frantically searching for something, as if it wouldn't be satisfied until it had completely unleashed its fury.

"Old fool! Why didn't you act?! Why?!"

It was furious not only because Yang An had dared to provoke it so openly, but even more so because Elder Life Crane had simply stood by and watched, remaining indifferent as Yang An escaped.

Watching He Tou's furious display, Elder Life Crane shook his head.

"The damage to the Magic Stele has affected you greatly. Your current state is very unstable! If we're going to act, we should wait until after the Magic Stele is repaired."

"Besides… haven't you realized it yet?

This rebellious disciple dares to openly challenge us. Why is he so brazen?"

Hearing Elder Life Crane's words, He Tou, though still seething with killing intent, calmed down slightly.

"When he fought us, he utilized the full power of his Corpse Transformation, and then some!

He must not be suppressed by the Power of Rules! Just like an Original Spirit!"

Elder Life Crane had noticed this back when the Jade Flesh Sect was first destroyed, during their battle.

This was why he had ultimately chosen to exercise restraint, deciding to repair the Magic Stele first before taking action.

'Yang An is not an Original Spirit.' He was certain of this!

Original Spirits could be considered a completely different type of species. While they might look no different from humans or Demon Fiends on the surface, most were unable to maintain a complete human form.

'If Yang An were an Original Spirit, his cover would have been blown long ago, back on the Outer Continent.'

'What's certain is that Yang An is an Innate Flesh Mushroom!'

During their previous battle, Yang An had used the Power of Rules from a Forbidden Artifact Fragment.

At the time, Elder Life Crane had indeed sensed him paying the price—his lifespan had been affected.

Yang An had been unable to completely suppress the backlash, which was how Elder Life Crane had ultimately noticed something was amiss.

'But he is definitely not an Original Spirit!'

'He possesses the body of an Innate Flesh Mushroom, which can suppress the backlash, yet he isn't an Original Spirit and can still resist the suppressive Power of Rules of the Outer Continent.'

'No wonder this rebellious disciple dared to drop all pretenses and openly challenge us at a time like this.'

'So this is the source of his confidence!'

Elder Life Crane's curiosity about Yang An had reached its peak. He could sense that Yang An was hiding many secrets.

He, too, was eager to get his hands on Yang An's soul. If he could extract something from it, it would undoubtedly be a great help to him.

But he was also keenly aware of something else.

'Even though I am a Zombie God, the suppression I suffer from the Power of Rules is the most severe!'

'The Forbidden Artifact Fragment I command is completely different from those of other Cultivators!'

'It's a Forbidden Artifact Fragment from the Xian Origin, refined from the soul of someone who has witnessed the Xian Origin.'

'Fundamentally, it's an entirely different concept from the Forbidden Artifact Fragments others possess.'

'This is because the Cultivation Technique we practice is the sole true inheritance from the Earth Spirit Stele.'

'Or to be more precise, the Forbidden Artifacts everyone speaks of belong to this world, while the Xianyuan Forbidden Artifact I command comes from another world!'

It was for this very reason that Elder Life Crane was so heavily suppressed on the Outer Continent.

'Other Zombie Gods who command Forbidden Artifact Fragments can weaken a portion of the suppression from the Power of Rules.'

'The more Forbidden Artifact Fragments they command, the better, but there's a limit. Being able to exert fifty percent of their full strength is the absolute ceiling.'

'As for me, by commanding a Xianyuan Forbidden Artifact Fragment, the weakening effect on the Power of Rules is minimal. The strength I can exert is almost completely suppressed.'

'In my current state, under the suppression of the Power of Rules, I could at best only fight someone at the Middle Stage of Zombie God.'

'This is why even Yang An was able to wound me.'

'But what makes it different is that the Xianyuan Forbidden Artifact is a Power of Rules that doesn't belong to this world.'

'Anything I witness in that other world can be refined into a Forbidden Artifact Fragment. I can take whatever I want.'

'Unlike in this world, where the hope of obtaining a complete Forbidden Artifact is incredibly slim!'

'As long as I can break through to the Insect Dao and become a Forbidden Artifact myself, I will be able to completely escape the suppression of this world's Power of Rules!'

'When that time comes, once I enter the Insect Dao, I will command an absurd number of Forbidden Artifacts and become the strongest Insect Dao Cultivator in this entire world!'