Huo Zhongguang’s merit promotion task was to procure a thousand-year Fusang Wood from Longya Island on the coast of the East Sea.

This task was surprisingly simple, causing him a secret joy; he hoped that by achieving Foundation Establishment, he could finally shake off the torment brought on by the Sky Demon Devouring.

"Junior Brother Feng, at this point, there’s no need to lie to me. That so-called ‘Killing Intent Condensation,’ is that not the vital essence of War School disciples you refined using the Demonic Path’s Wheel-Turning Devouring method?"

Feng Zikang smiled faintly. "So what if it is?"

Huo Zhongguang had long suspected this matter, and it wasn't strange that he understood the truth after acquiring the Demonic Path inheritance. Moreover, after returning to Mount Longhu to complete his Foundation Establishment, he had secretly killed and consumed several low-level disciples, which finally exposed him; it seemed he had managed to complete the magical art of Sky Demon Devouring.

Huo Zhongguang gave a bitter laugh. "During that period when I couldn't absorb vital essence, the fits would strike me constantly. My whole body felt as if ten thousand ants were gnawing at me; the pain was unbearable. I was muddle-headed all day long, which is why I barely accepted the Foundation Establishment task—just to get out and clear my head..."

As it happened, Huo Zhongguang had incredibly good luck. Not only did he draw the simplest item-seeking task for his promotion merit, but while vexed, he carved a bloody path through a horde of sea demons and hacked off a branch of Fusang Wood on his return journey. On that island, he actually stumbled upon a hidden grotto-mansion.

A grotto-mansion left behind by an ancient cultivator was invariably a vast treasure trove for practitioners of the current age.

Every time an Immortal Estate opened its light, disciples would naturally flock there, hoping to scoop up some benefits. Huo Zhongguang had casually stumbled upon one just walking along the path—he had reached the absolute zenith of sheer, idiotic luck.

"Who knew that grotto-mansion wasn't an Immortal Estate, but the old lair of an Ancient Demonic cultivator!"

"Oh?"

Feng Zikang nodded. Since ancient times, the Central Plains had been held by the Righteous Path, while other demon, fiend, and ghost cultivators were scattered across the Four Directions. It was common for Demonic cultivators to make remote islands their strongholds.

A flash of panic mingled with deep awe appeared in Huo Zhongguang's eyes.

"When I first saw the entrance to the grotto, I was naturally ecstatic, hoping for some Immortal Arts or spiritual elixirs that could alleviate the agony on my body. Without thinking further, I plunged straight in, only to—"

"Encounter a peerless master!"

Feng Zikang’s expression shifted. Could it be that Huo Zhongguang’s Demonic Path inheritance hadn't come from secret manuals or passed-down lore, but from direct tutelage? If so, this Demonic figure was a looming threat!

Seeing his change in expression, Huo Zhongguang finally managed a small smile. "Junior Brother, you needn't worry. That peerless master wasn't truly alive; it was merely an illusion..."

When Huo Zhongguang stepped into the Demonic Manor on Longya Island, he was met by an overwhelming, thick darkness. After a long while, barely adapting to the faint light within the cave, he realized a chilling, gleaming sword was pointed directly at his nose, instantly scaring the wits out of him.

He turned to flee, but the exit had vanished. Instead, the cavernous ceiling began to illuminate slowly, resembling a sky full of starlight shining down upon the earth.

And the scene within the grotto gradually became clear. There stood a man in white robes with white hair, sword in hand, eyes tightly shut, rooted motionless in the central circle.

Huo Zhongguang mustered his courage and tried to greet him, but the figure completely ignored him, merely moving his sword slowly, immersed in silent contemplation.

It was then Huo Zhongguang noticed the person was not physical—apparently just an illusion. Yet, the oppressive aura emanating from this phantom felt utterly real, making him, a senior disciple at the peak of Qi Induction, feel suffocated.

He was forced to retreat far into the distance, only then discovering that the four surrounding walls were lined with row upon row of jade bookshelves, holding scrolls of every description. Huo Zhongguang casually picked one up to look, and they turned out to be powerful Demonic Sect divine abilities!

He was overjoyed, thinking he had struck the jackpot this time, when he suddenly heard a sharp shout from behind him!

The white-robed phantom had already drawn its sword!

Just one strike!

Huo Zhongguang stood dumbfounded, clutching a jade scroll. He felt as if the space between heaven and earth had become an absolute void; he couldn't even discern if he was alive or dead. He only saw the surrounding cavern walls, the jade bookshelves, and countless scrolls trembling as they dissolved into fine dust. Even his own body felt as if it were being ripped apart, no longer belonging to him.

His last impression was of the white-robed figure raising his sword to the heavens, laughing proudly.

The starlight vanished! Blackness descended!

Somehow, Huo Zhongguang passed out. When he reopened his eyes, he found himself lying on the sands of Longya Island, the sea waves washing white foam around his calves. In his hand, he was still tightly gripping that single jade scroll.

Only then did true fear grip him.

The might of that single strike was enough to annihilate heaven and earth. Although it was only an illusion, if that momentum had been directed at him instead of the stars above, even without substance, it might have been enough to shatter his soul into nothingness.

One sword strike, and the starlight was extinguished!

Feng Zikang was greatly startled.

If Huo Zhongguang had truthfully confessed this days ago, perhaps he wouldn't have felt such profound shock and interest.

But the single strike of that white-robed phantom was unmistakably the very technique he had just learned...

The Star-Light Great Annihilation Sword Art divine ability!

Who was this white-robed man? And what sort of place was that grotto-mansion on Longya Island? His mind filled with questions and curiosity, he resolved that he must visit Longya Island himself.

"When I woke up, the grotto-mansion had vanished without a trace. All I held was this jade scroll. Unfurling it, I saw it was the Ten Directions Demonic Path Rebirth Scroll—complete with heart-cultivation methods and divine abilities..."

It turned out that the Demonic Path abilities Huo Zhongguang practiced came entirely from this Ten Directions Demonic Path Rebirth Scroll.

"This Demonic Heart Cultivation is profoundly mysterious. I dared not practice it rashly, but while perusing it, I found the record for the third divine ability—Demonic Path Wheel-Turning Devouring!"

Huo Zhongguang laughed bitterly several times. Only then did he fully comprehend what Feng Zikang had given him initially, and the source of his suffering over the past year.

It was because he had absorbed the vital essence of his fellow disciples but was still unsatisfied. Thus, whenever the fits struck, it was like suffering from the addiction of the Nine Wheels Opium—the pain was unbearable, making life worse than death.

As long as he mastered the Demonic Path Wheel-Turning Devouring divine ability and proceeded to absorb the vital essence of others, the agonizing pain during the fits would naturally vanish. Without hesitation, Huo Zhongguang cultivated this Demonic Path divine ability right there on the island.

He already possessed a cultivation base at the peak of Qi Induction, making the entry-level Demonic Path heart cultivation easy to master. He immediately pushed the Ten Directions Demonic Path Rebirth Heart Method to the twentieth stage, and his Wheel-Turning Devouring divine ability was perfected.

"Brother, I recall the countless scrolls within that grotto. I don't know if they were destroyed by the power of that single sword strike, and I certainly don't know how many other treasures were inside. My heart filled with anticipation, but when I turned back to search, I could never find the entrance to that grotto again..."

Huo Zhongguang shook his head dejectedly, realizing his good fortune had ended there; he could not force it any further.

Feng Zikang nodded, extended his hand, and beckoned.

"Hand it over!"