Yang An's Colossus Behind Him

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The night had returned to darkness, all light vanishing in an instant.

Inside the room.

Yang An was currently appraising the man and woman before him with a curious expression.

"Are you truly cultivators?"

He remained wary, not daring to get too close to the two.

What he couldn't quite understand was why they didn't look like cultivators at all.

"We really are cultivators, fellow Daoist, it's the absolute truth!"

Pan Shi wiped the sweat from his brow, casting a pained glance at the clothes on his body, which now bore several burn marks. More importantly, the Protective Artifact given to him by his master couldn't be used again in a short period.

In order to resist Yang An's attack and suppress the erupting flames within his body, he had used the Protective Artifact gifted by his master, which was how he managed to avoid injury.

However, each time that artifact was used, it required several nights of absorbing Moon Essence to recharge before it could be used again.

This meant that one less life-saving method was available for the upcoming Communal Feast Convention, which truly pained him.

He hadn't expected Yang An's methods to be so bizarre and powerful, as if he hadn't held back at all.

If he hadn't used the artifact from his master, he and his junior sister would surely have died here.

He could only say that the direct disciples of these major orthodox sects were truly terrifying.

"If we were demons, why would we have revealed ourselves and provoked you, fellow Daoist? We really are cultivators!"

Pan Shi continued.

Beside him, Pan Yu also appeared quite disheveled. Not only were there several holes in her clothes, but her hair also carried the smell of being burnt.

If her senior brother hadn't shielded her, with her strength still at the Resonance Stage, she would have been the first to collapse.

At this moment, she looked at Yang An with a wronged expression.

"Why are you like this? You attacked us with lethal force the moment we met, without a word. Even after hearing my senior brother's explanation, you got even more excited. You... are you alright?"

She had wanted to say, "Are you out of your mind?" but considering what her senior brother had said about the other party's identity, coupled with the fact that the other party's strength was indeed terrifying, her words were slightly restrained to avoid provoking him further.

After speaking, she pointed to their clothes.

"Our clothes are ruined, and we even used the artifact from our master. You... you have to compensate us!"

Pan Yu said indignantly, yet with a hint of fear.

"No, no, it was an unintentional mistake, fellow Daoist. You had just fought demons and mistook us for them, which is understandable. The fault isn't yours; rather, we were the ones who intruded. Junior sister, please don't be rash."

Pan Shi immediately wiped his sweat and stopped his junior sister, speaking quickly.

He was truly afraid that if his junior sister said something out of line and angered Yang An, he might attack them again, and this time they wouldn't have any Protective Artifacts left to use.

Hearing their words, Yang An pondered for a moment and chose to believe that they were cultivators and not demons.

From the demons he had killed previously, most lacked reason and were filled with madness and killing intent.

If they were truly demons, why would they bother talking so much? It would be more direct to simply attack.

The behavior and speech of the two before him were more akin to normal humans, and Yang An found them quite interesting.

However, from their words, it seemed they also considered him a fellow cultivator and had witnessed him personally eliminate those demons, which was why they had actively sought him out to get acquainted.

Yang An hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should explain that he wasn't actually a cultivator.

"By the way, fellow Daoist, may I know your esteemed surname and given name, and on which immortal mountain you cultivate?"

Just as Yang An was hesitating, Pan Shi spoke first.

They had revealed their identities when they first appeared, but they still didn't know Yang An's background.

Pan Shi also wanted to know which major orthodox sect's disciple Yang An was, as he looked so young yet possessed such formidable strength.

Hearing Pan Shi's question, Yang An ultimately decided not to explain.

Firstly, they didn't know each other, and if these two had ulterior motives, he still needed to be wary.

Secondly, being mistaken for a cultivator wasn't a bad identity. At least, wearing this guise could deter the two. Otherwise, if they found out he wasn't a cultivator but an ordinary person, they might lash out in anger and attack him, and he couldn't afford any further depletion of his strength right now.

Yang An felt his body growing weaker and weaker. If it weren't for the Lighting Method in the Blood Bowl maintaining his consciousness, he would likely be unable to hold on any longer.

After some thought, Yang An decided to play along and replied:

"My surname is Yang, and my given name is An, like the Chinese toon tree. As for my sect, I apologize, but I cannot disclose it. It is inconvenient to reveal."

"So you are Fellow Daoist Yang. If it's inconvenient to disclose, it's fine not to say. We understand."

Pan Shi said with a smile, though he was making his own conjectures.

It seemed to be an reclusive orthodox sect, truly of significant origin!

No one could say for sure how many reclusive sects existed in this world, but without exception, those that could exist in seclusion were all famous sects from thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago.

After all, only those with sufficient heritage had the ability to remain hidden during times of chaos and maintain their lineage for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.

It wasn't as simple as some random person hiding in a mountain for a few years and calling themselves a reclusive sect.

Furthermore, from the methods Yang An had used previously, Pan Shi couldn't identify which sect or school his techniques belonged to. He only knew that the techniques were extremely peculiar, capable of igniting flames directly within another person's body.

More importantly, despite the strange form of attack in these techniques, the aura contained within them was righteous and grand, without a trace of impurity.

This was enough to show that the techniques were extraordinary in origin, definitely not something a minor sect could possess.

Besides this, there was another matter that piqued Pan Shi's curiosity.

It was the radiant white circular wheel that appeared behind Yang An when he first arrived.

Just being illuminated by that white light made Pan Shi and his junior sister feel deeply uncomfortable, as if they were being pricked by needles.

Yet, within that white light, Pan Shi sensed sanctity and solemnity.

If his guess was correct, this aura should be the Buddhist Principles cultivated by monks of the Buddhist sect, containing a very strong Buddhist aura.

However, to manifest the Buddhist Principles so completely, even solidifying them into a protective halo, one would have to be at a profound level of Buddhist attainment.

But looking at Yang An's appearance, he showed no signs of a monk's aura or demeanor, nor had he shaved his head. Yet, he had mastered such exquisite and profound Buddhist teachings.

This was also a point of confusion for Pan Shi.

Despite his deductions based on the available clues, he felt increasingly unable to grasp the situation. Instead, the sect Yang An belonged to seemed even more mysterious and powerful.

What kind of colossal entity was behind Fellow Daoist Yang?