The moment they made contact, Yang An felt his body, tempered by Dust and Magic Light, unable to resist. A terrifying force struck his hand, and if his body weren’t so durable, his entire arm would have likely shattered.

Before, he had only faced a quarter of Qing Sha’s body. Now that Qing Sha’s full form was revealed, empowered by the Power of Rules and the strength of four bodies combined into one, Yang An would not have been able to block the attack if he relied solely on his Jade Kala Vajra Body. The punch would have left him in a wretched state.

But!

’Since no one outside will know what happens here, doesn’t that mean I can finally cut loose?’

’So what am I waiting for?’

To protect his true identity at the Great Virtue Temple, he had been holding back for a very long time. He hadn’t even shown much of his strength during the Joyful Shrine Association’s gathering.

’This guy served himself up on a platter. I have to enjoy this.’

’The Power of Rules?’

’Who says the Power of Rules is inherently superior to Techniques?’

Qing Sha saw that Yang An couldn’t block the punch at all. His opponent’s arm was trembling uncontrollably as it recoiled, and the fist was about to tear through Yang An’s body and wreak havoc.

A cruel smile spread across Qing Sha’s face.

Yang An’s words just moments ago had thoroughly enraged him. If he didn’t tear this guy to shreds, how could he ever sate the hatred in his heart?

But just as his fist was about to land, a flash of light burst before Qing Sha’s eyes. In that instant, he saw Yang An’s entire body, flesh and blood, become suffused with an incomparably brilliant radiance.

At the same time, the hand that had been unable to withstand his attack suddenly clamped down on his fist, holding it steady and preventing it from moving another inch.

This is...

Qing Sha saw Yang An’s body suddenly fill with light, transforming him into a luminous being. The radiance seemed to be a convergence of countless types of light, all condensed within Yang An, putting him in a bizarre state.

A terrible premonition suddenly rose in Qing Sha’s heart.

His first instinct was to pull his hand back, but his fist felt as if it were caught in a vise, completely immobile.

The next moment, he made a split-second decision and threw a kick at Yang An.

This kick also utilized the Power of Rules and his four-in-one strength, amounting to four times his full power. He even activated his Pain Amplification, an ability unique to the Corpse Transformation Realm, and a flash of agony crossed his face.

BOOM!

But that kick also came to a dead stop before Yang An, caught by his other light-filled hand. The terrifying Power behind it surged past, causing the very space around them to tremble.

Once again, Yang An had blocked the kick with ease.

Yang An stared at Qing Sha, his eyes filled with pity.

"You didn’t really think using the Power of Rules would be enough to handle me, did you?"

’It’s true that Rules are superior to Techniques and Body Refining Techniques.’

’But I’m using Light Magic—the terrifying Forbidden Technique that everyone in this world avoids like the plague.’

In fact, Yang An had long been pondering a question: if he mastered enough Light Magic, would a quantitative change lead to a qualitative one? He wondered if, as he grew more proficient, his Techniques could eventually become a force at least on par with the Power of Rules.

After all, in some ways, the destructive force unleashed by enough Light Magic was even more terrifying than the power displayed by most Forbidden Artifact Fragments.

Before, when he was only at the Corpse Transformation level, he couldn’t clash head-on with a Zombie God. But things were different now.

Now he was a Zombie God, and he had all the time in the world to explore this possibility.

Blocking two of Qing Sha’s attacks in a row was enough to leave him stunned. But seeing Yang An’s current state, his shock was beyond measure.

The moment the words left his mouth, a flash of light streaked by. Before Qing Sha could even react, Yang An’s fist slammed heavily into his body.

Qing Sha cried out in agony as a soul-rending pain erupted from the point of impact, sending him flying backward. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The once pitch-black, lusterless chains shackling Yang An’s hands and feet were touched by a gleam of light. With a loud CRACK, they shattered, seemingly unable to withstand the terrifying power.

When Qing Sha stabilized himself and looked down at his chest, he saw a gaping hole. A chunk of his flesh had been completely obliterated by Yang An’s punch.

"This... What is this? What in the world is this?"

The flesh around the wound squirmed, attempting to regenerate, but it felt as if the area had been erased by some forbidden power. He couldn’t even heal quickly; his very Immortality was being suppressed.

Although he had a guess in his heart, Qing Sha was unwilling to admit it.

’A Light Forbidden Technique!!’

’How could he have mastered such a terrifying Light Forbidden Technique?!’

It wasn’t that he couldn’t believe Yang An had mastered the legendary Forbidden Technique; it was that he didn’t believe *anyone* could master a Forbidden Technique.

A Forbidden Technique was called "forbidden" precisely because no one could successfully cultivate it. That’s what made it forbidden.

Otherwise, with so many Techniques in the world, nearly all of which carried the price of harming both the user and the target, what was so special about one that could be cultivated? It was merely a matter of paying a steep enough price.

Yang An didn’t speak, didn’t answer.

’This is a rare opportunity. All I want to do now is let loose completely.’

’A single Qi Guang Technique already brings together all the Light Magic I have mastered. When this power is fully fused, how does it compare to the Power of Rules? Which is truly stronger?’