Their original plan was to lure the large number of Demon Fiends in the city over and kill as many as possible. They held no illusions about being able to kill the Corpse Transformation Realm Demon Fiends among them.

It was incredibly difficult for someone in the Corpse Transformation Realm to kill another of the same realm, unless they were willing to go all out.

But under these circumstances, even if they escaped, they would just run into other Demon Fiends. No one would use all their trump cards; everyone would hold something back.

After all, what could be more important than their own lives?

So, all things considered, the proposal was an excellent one.

If they could lure all those Great Demon Fiends into creating chaos among themselves, they could strike at the opportune moment and reap the rewards without any of the risk.

Regardless of the outcome—even if the Great Demon Fiends just ended up slaughtering one another—they could take credit for it. It would be a major accomplishment.

Soon, under the leader’s direction, the group uncharacteristically followed orders, with each person taking up their assigned role.

This was mainly because they could see the potential benefits, and they might not even have to take on much risk.

How could they pass up such a great opportunity? All they had to do was follow the plan to get a reward.

「Meanwhile.」

Yang An was in the thick of a heated battle with two Great Demon Fiends of the Corpse Transformation Realm.

There was a time when he had accompanied members of the Scripture Defector Association to the Jueyun Sect, and upon encountering a Great Demon Fiend of the Corpse Transformation Realm, his only choice had been to turn and flee, never daring to face one.

But now, it was practically effortless. A mighty Great Demon Fiend of the Corpse Transformation Realm was completely helpless against him.

’What a change!’

The human-bodied, deer-headed Demon Fiend was forcefully suppressed by the Divine Aspect Yang An had manifested. It was then immobilized by the Dark Communication Secret Spell and had its limbs and torso pierced by the Great Brightness Buddha Golden Zen Spell, rendering it completely unable to move.

At the same time, countless points of Golden Radiance appeared, transforming into razor-sharp blades that began to slice into the Demon Fiend’s flesh.

"Don’t be scared. This will be quick. It won’t hurt a bit!"

Yang An let out a dark chuckle. The glow of the Golden Radiance made his face look particularly sinister.

In an instant, the Golden Radiance danced, flitting up and down across the Demon Fiend’s body as if carving intricate designs upon its flesh.

Yet despite this, the Demon Fiend, though its face was contorted in pain, did not make a single sound.

’So what if he has me under control?’

’We both have an Undying Body. What can he really do to me?’

Battles between Great Demon Fiends of the Corpse Transformation Realm usually came down to a war of attrition. Whoever’s Mana ran out first would be the loser.

Actually killing an opponent was nearly impossible.

’You’ll get the upper hand for a while, but when you weaken, I’ll get the upper hand back. It’s all about who can completely dominate the other in the end.’

So while it appeared Yang An had it suppressed, the Demon Fiend was merely surprised at his immense combat strength; it wasn’t truly panicked.

That is, until a thumb-sized silver bead flew out from Yang An’s body and landed in his palm.

An incredibly powerful suction force suddenly erupted, forcibly tearing away its flesh and blood and pulling it all into the bead.

The look of pain in the human-bodied, deer-headed Demon Fiend’s eyes was instantly replaced by one of panic and terror.

Its body was regenerating at a rapid rate, but this was only fast enough to keep pace with the bead’s absorption.

The flesh on its body was continuously sliced away and turned to a bloody pulp, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Any flesh and blood that was devoured instantly vanished from its senses, the connection severed completely.

’What the hell is this thing?!’

It finally panicked!

Even though it had seen Yang An slay all those Visceral Stone Demon Fiends, it had never imagined this technique would be so terrifying. It could completely sever the connection to its own flesh, which simply vanished without a trace.

The Demon Fiend began to struggle, trying to fight back.

If it allowed Yang An to keep absorbing its flesh, it would eventually be drained to death. This was what truly terrified it.

"Help me!"

It let out a desperate roar, calling to the other Great Demon Fiend in the distance.

At the same time, the countless black rings on its back sank into its flesh. The instantaneous wave of pain caused its body to begin shaking uncontrollably.

The Divine Aspect had been pinning the Demon Fiend’s body down, rendering it immobile.

But now, even with multiple Techniques holding it down, Yang An felt a tremendous resistive force suddenly surge up through his Divine Aspect.

The black light of the Dark Communication Secret Spell that enveloped its body began to stretch thin and crack, inch by inch.

’You motherf—’

Although the Golden Radiance was still relentlessly slicing away the Demon Fiend’s flesh, the creature’s resistance had slightly slowed the Seal remnant’s rate of absorption.

Yang An’s temper flared. A white light suddenly burst forth from the towering Divine Aspect.

A giant, white-glowing palm viciously slapped the Demon Fiend’s deer head.

BAM—

The deer head instantly shattered, splattering blood everywhere.

At the same time, another wave of Golden Radiance plunged into its body, suppressing it once more. All signs of resistance immediately vanished.

"Stay still!"

"..."

Yang An yelled. That one slap, empowered by the light of several Techniques, had been enough to knock the creature’s consciousness into a stupor.

’If it dares to move again, I’ll just kill it.’

’There are plenty of other Demon Fiends. I have no reason to hold back.’

Sure enough, the slap made the creature much more compliant. Yang An was greatly pleased, but when he looked up, another massive figure was charging toward him.

"Excellent, excellent! Perfect timing! Come on, join the party!"

A grin spread across Yang An’s face once more.

The charging Demon Fiend froze, seeming to sense that something was amiss. It tried to retreat, but it was too late.

The black light of the Dark Communication Secret Spell had already enveloped it, pulling it into the profound domain.

When it tried to pull back, the black light clung to it like a festering sore on a bone, severely impeding its movements.

The Demon Fiend opened its massive, ugly maw, its countless arms clawing desperately at the air, trying to pull itself out of the spell’s range.

But just then, countless beams of Golden Radiance pierced its body and began to forcibly drag it toward Yang An.

"Since you’re here, why leave? Don’t be scared, I’m not going to eat you."

Yang An said with a wry smile.

He had to admit, this Combined Skill of the Dark Communication Secret Spell and the Great Brightness Buddha Golden Zen Spell was incredibly effective.

He’d never really tried to use his mastered Techniques separately before. He usually just threw everything he had at his enemies at once in a massive bombardment, trying to pummel them to death without a care for whether they could handle it.

But now that he needed to keep these creatures alive to absorb their flesh and blood, he was, paradoxically, gaining a much deeper understanding and control over his Techniques.

’So a single Technique on its own is this powerful!’

’No wonder Light Magic is classified as a Forbidden Technique.’

Of course, it was also highly likely that their power was greatly enhanced because they were his Dao of Destiny Techniques.

And so, the meatball-like Demon Fiend with the giant maw was mercilessly dragged over, meeting the same fate as its companion.

However, compared to the other one, this Great Demon Fiend had far more flesh on its body.

As the bead devoured it relentlessly, it was providing almost three times the sustenance. Yang An was overjoyed.

’If I could just grab a few more Great Demon Fiends of the Corpse Transformation Realm to absorb all at once...’

’I refuse to believe I can’t revive the Earth Spirit Stele before I’ve exhausted these creatures’ Immortality.’

As if on cue, just as Yang An was suppressing the two Great Demon Fiends and absorbing their flesh, he keenly sensed the auras of several more Great Demon Fiends rapidly approaching him.

’More Great Demon Fiends are here!’

’And quite a few of them!’

Within his perception, there were six auras of the Corpse Transformation Realm. The weakest among them was at the Middle Stage of Corpse Transformation, just like him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, he sensed the auras of those Cultivators rapidly pulling away and regrouping at the city’s edge. But all the Demon Fiends were heading straight for him.

’Are they trying to get others to do their dirty work?’

’What did I ever do to them?’

Yang An was completely baffled. After all, he hadn’t had any interaction with those Cultivators since entering the city.

But from the looks of it, the Demon Fiends weren’t coming here randomly. They had been deliberately lured over by those Cultivators.

’What a bunch of bastards!’

He was naturally vengeful, so he would definitely remember this grudge.

Even though these Demon Fiends were exactly what he needed, the fact remained that the other Cultivators had deliberately led them to him.

’What does it mean to be clear on debts of gratitude and hatred?’

’Targeting me for no reason—that creates a debt of hatred.’

’But targeting me isn’t that easy. Since they dared to lure the Demon Fiends to me, then I’ll dare to lure the Demon Fiends right back to them. Heh heh!’

A plan instantly formed in Yang An’s mind. He looked in the direction of the other Cultivators and chuckled darkly.

’These Demon Fiends are after me. So if I run, they’ll just chase me, right?’

RATTLE—

The Golden Radiance piercing the two Demon Fiends beneath him suddenly transformed into thick chains, which Yang An gripped firmly.

While the Seal remnant continued to rapidly devour their flesh, Yang An began to drag their bodies, heading straight for the other Cultivators.

At the same time, he sensed that as soon as he started moving, the approaching Demon Fiends, as expected, changed course. They seemed to have locked onto him and were now all charging in his direction.

’Come on! All of you!’

Yang An was ecstatic and couldn’t help but pick up his pace.

The two Demon Fiends he was dragging carved deep gouges into the ground. They crashed into surrounding buildings, causing them to collapse on impact.

But held fast by the Dark Communication Secret Spell and the Golden Radiance, their flesh was still being continuously devoured by the Seal remnant. They grew weaker and weaker, completely unable to resist.

In just a few breaths, Yang An had charged from the edge of the Inner City to a spot not far from the group of Cultivators.

In the night sky nearby, one dark, hideous figure after another appeared, their eyes filled with malice.

...

"Something’s wrong! That Great Demon Fiend is coming for us! And it’s leading the other Demon Fiends this way!"

The scout dropped down from the sky, his face a mask of panic.

The faces of the cultivators, who had been waiting to watch the show, all changed instantly.

"That’s not right! We were the ones who led the Demon Fiends to it! How did it turn around and lead them to us?"

"Who said they’d kill each other? Who was it? Step forward!"

"We’re done for! Is this some kind of Demon Fiend scheme? We fell for it!"