He Learned Our Lighting Method!

This bird's head, which had somehow burrowed out from who knew where, was unmistakably a crane's head.

Even in the faint light, Yang An could seemingly make out very obvious emotions in its eyes, and it gave him quite a fright as well.

Who was this, daring to yell at a True Person with such an attitude?

Could it be an existence even more terrifying than Mother Diviner True Person?

And what did it mean by what it said?

Had it sent Mother Diviner True Person to capture him?

Countless questions instantly flooded Yang An's mind, making him feel that the situation was growing ever more dire. He did not dare speak.

Yet before this suddenly appearing crane head, Mother Diviner True Person did not dare reveal the slightest emotional change. Instead, her attitude was extremely respectful.

"Senior Fate Crane, I will bring the person to you at once."

No one knew what she was thinking when she said that.

But Yang An was dumbfounded.

Senior Fate Crane...?

Upon hearing that form of address, Yang An's mind buzzed, and he froze completely.

It couldn't be... such a coincidence, could it?

He had actually encountered the real owner of the name he had impersonated here?

And that person had discovered him first, which was why they had come looking for him.

When Muckworm Child had informed him that the True Person wished to see him, he had suspected that his impersonation of a disciple under Old Man Fate Crane had been exposed.

And it really was because of that.

He had originally thought Fate Crane Sect was merely some obscure little sect. Even Pan Shi had never heard of it, so it surely could not have been well-known.

But now it seemed that even the famed Mother Diviner True Person of Xi Yue River had to respectfully address him as Senior Fate Crane and did not dare show the slightest defiance.

Just what kind of terrifying existence was this Old Man Fate Crane?

"Since this old man has come himself, why would I need you to bring him over? Get lost!"

The crane head let out a strange shriek. Yang An did not even dare breathe loudly before he saw the darkness around them easily torn apart like a vast curtain.

When he came back to his senses, he found himself inside a dim cave.

Beside him stood a woman nearly ten feet tall. Her upper body was that of a normal human, with bright eyes and pearly teeth, but her lower half was a mass of flesh sacs and eggs piled into a grotesque structure.

Before him, within the shadows, sat a figure. Its body was rather thin, its withered, aged arms holding a cup, yet two heads rested upon its shoulders and neck.

One of them was the enormous crane head that had just emerged from the darkness.

The other was an entirely ordinary elderly human head.

There was no doubt that these two were Mother Diviner True Person and Old Man Fate Crane.

The instant he saw them, cold sweat seeped from Yang An's forehead. An invisible, terrifying pressure suddenly descended upon him, leaving him breathless.

Sure enough, not a single one of these cultivators was normal!

Mother Diviner True Person stood silently to one side without uttering a word. The flesh-and-egg mass beneath her slowly wriggled before adhering itself to the wall.

The enormous crane head stretched out its neck and came before Yang An, circling past his left side before poking out from his right.

At such close range, a fishy stench wafted from its head and bored into Yang An's nostrils, making him want to vomit. He could only endure it as his heart pounded wildly.

The two nostrils on its long beak twitched slightly. The crane head suddenly revealed an intrigued, sinister expression.

"He really is a mortal."

Then it looked excitedly at the other head.

"You smelled it too, didn't you? It's the scent of the Lighting Method! He learned our Lighting Method! Hahaha!"

Yang An suddenly felt his right hand controlled by an invisible force, and it jerked upward.

The bandages wrapped around his right hand abruptly turned into countless scraps, exposing the still-unhealed scars left from bloodletting.

"Where did you learn the Lighting Method?"

Old Man Fate Crane slowly set down the cup in his hand. A small amount of golden fluorescent light still gently rippled within it.

A pair of slightly grayish-white eyes stared straight at Yang An, as though they could see through his heart.

"My father left it behind."

Yang An unconsciously swallowed, but still decided to answer honestly.

Before such a terrifying great cultivator, he could not play any tricks.

"How did your father die?"

"He killed my mother and younger brother, then committed suicide."

When he had obtained the Lighting Method and seen the price required to use it, Yang An had guessed why the previous owner's father had killed his family before taking his own life.

The fire ignited by the Lighting Method would make people lose their minds and go mad.

Upon hearing Yang An's answer, the crane head before him immediately let out a piercing, mocking cackle.

"So, you know the Lighting Method came from my Fate Crane Sect, and you also know what consequences come from learning it?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you still learn it?"

"If I didn't, I would have died."

"You are a child who has had it hard as well."

Old Man Fate Crane sighed softly, seeming deeply moved.

"Stop putting on an act, Old Man. We released the Lighting Method specifically to recruit disciples. You know better than anyone what happens to those who learn it. Your sanctimonious performance truly makes me sick."

The crane head spoke without restraint, directly revealing the truth. It looked at Old Man Fate Crane's human head with disgust.

"Hahahaha, yes, I forgot."

Old Man Fate Crane laughed and patted his forehead.

Perhaps he was old and forgetful. He considered himself far too old already.

But he looked at Yang An again.

"You used the name of a disciple under me to come here, and I happened to discover you. If I truly intended to take you as my disciple now, would you agree?"

The abrupt question left Yang An somewhat at a loss. This was entirely different from what he had imagined.

But he looked at the enormous, ferocious crane head before him, then at the kind-looking human head.

What would happen if he dared refuse?

"I agree! I agree! This disciple pays respects to Mas—"

Without question, Yang An did not want to die. He immediately made the most correct choice and intended to seize the opportunity to formally become his disciple on the spot.

But just as he was about to kneel in salute, another invisible force stopped him.

His body tipped forward, yet froze in midair. Neither falling nor standing, he looked rather ridiculous.

"Don't rush. I do intend to take you as my disciple, but first I must see whether you have the fortune for it."

It was Fate Crane who stopped him. He smiled as he spoke.

"Even if you can't become a disciple, becoming food would be nice too." The crane head suddenly added, its crane face filled with greed.

Either way, they had no intention of letting Yang An off.

"What fortune?"

Yang An still asked curiously.

"Let me say it, let me say it! Old Man, shut up!"

Just as Old Man Fate Crane was about to speak, the crane head excitedly shouted first, its long neck twisting like the body of a thick serpent.

Its gaze abruptly turned toward Mother Diviner True Person, who had remained silent from beginning to end, as though it had thought of an excellent idea.

"Little one, kill this bitch, and we'll take you as our disciple! How about it?"

Mother Diviner True Person: "..."

Yang An: "..."

What kind of joke was this?

"Senior Fate Crane! Please do not toy with this junior. This junior cannot bear it."

Mother Diviner immediately pleaded in a pitiful manner.

A mere mortal could not kill her, but if she dared resist, the crane head would certainly attack her.

Damn crane head!

Damn it!