The monster paused at the words but soon burst into hearty laughter. “A mere whelp!

So what if you recognize my true form? Behold my mighty magic!” The monster seemed to be one of those stubbornly single-minded sorts, not particularly bright, but certainly fierce and unafraid of death.

Despite knowing Feng Zikang was infinitely more capable, it continued to roar aggressively! It opened its mouth, the corners splitting back to its cheeks—what a cavernous maw!

A foul, murky miasma surged forth, pouring out in a vast, overwhelming tide. This turbid energy did not shrink back upon meeting Feng Zikang’s protective golden light.

It actively contested the power of the Indestructible Vajra technique and surprisingly seemed to gain a slight upper hand. “Heh heh, the Five Pungent Gases counteract Buddhist magic!

Little monster, you do have some brains after all!” Feng Zikang laughed heartily and withdrew the Vajra Relic. “Naturally.

When this master was unrivaled, even the Chan Master Bodhidharma had to retreat three leagues. What power do you possess, child, to dare try and subdue me?” The monster preened, swaggering boastfully.

The Five Pungents, known as wǔhūn, are five specific vegetables: onion, garlic, chives, scallion, and cilantro. Due to their strong, unseemly odors, Buddhist disciples abstain from them to prevent polluting the purity of their discussions on the Dharma.

When Chan Master Bodhidharma first arrived in the East, passing through the Southwest, the villagers, awed by his boundless teachings, offered him food. The village fare was exceedingly crude, including a stalk of wild chives.

Bodhidharma refused to eat it, discarding it by the roadside. This wild chive, having been touched by the spiritual wisdom emanating from the great monk’s mouth, miraculously returned to its origins and began to regrow.

In just a few decades, it managed to cultivate sentience and became a monster. It was precisely because it embodied the inherent quality of the wild chive—that if you cut it, it grows back—that it wasn't afraid of decapitation.

However, if cut too many times, even chives turn yellow (jiǔhuáng), and further cutting would surely mean death. It likely considered itself noble by origin, distinct from other monsters, possessing very potent magical arts, and had always been immensely arrogant.

Only after being subdued by the White Bone Divine Lord did it pledge fealty to him alone. “Youngster, hasten to your death!” The monster cast its spells from a distance, daring not to approach, merely inhaling and exhaling the noxious vapor, enveloping them tightly.

The foul mist permeated the air. The little fox was the first to show displeasure.

It leaped up and let out a violent sneeze. Suddenly, the wind and clouds shifted, and a whirlwind swept through, completely eradicating the mass of foul energy!

This action stunned not only the monster, whose mouth gaped open with a choking sound of disbelief, but even Mo Fenghuang jumped in surprise. “Little brother, what manner of rare species is this little fox, to possess such divine power?” Feng Zikang knew the little fox was born of a Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, inherently possessing great magic, though it had never been displayed.

Seeing it now, it was indeed profoundly potent. He was delighted, realizing he had stumbled upon a treasure.

If this little fox grew up close to him, wouldn't it become an excellent helper? With the noxious energy completely dispersed, Feng Zikang held nothing back.

He advanced several steps and, with another slash of his sword, severed the monster’s head. This time, the Wild Chive Spirit could not regrow its head.

It tumbled down in a daze, crashing to the ground, transforming into a dark greenish-black wild chive plant, thick as a zhang (about 10 feet) and long as three zhang. Where its stalk had been cut, greenish fluid seeped out.

The assorted plant demons below, witnessing their king slain, were terrified out of their wits. With a cry, they scattered and fled in all directions.

Feng Zikang wasted nothing. Using a wrapping technique, he bundled up the several-hundred-year-old true form of the wild chive and tucked it into his storage pouch.

Such a strange object, though its use was unknown, might prove useful someday for refining elixirs or medicine. As for the great shears the Wild Chive Spirit held, those were common tools, beneath Feng Zikang’s notice to collect.

“Let’s go!” He called out and continued driving the carriage forward. Mo Fenghuang was still trying to communicate with the little fox, but the latter ignored her.

It seemed to have expended its power with the spell, flopping listlessly in Feng Zikang’s arms, closing its eyes to sleep. “It is a spirit fox of a rare breed I obtained in the Southern Barbarian lands, though I don't know its exact origin…” Feng Zikang turned back to explain the fox’s background to Mo Fenghuang, but he held back a crucial detail, choosing not to mention its connection to the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon.

“This spirit beast’s power is extraordinary, and it shares a destiny with you, little brother. Indeed, A’Li was right: you are a person of deep fortune, and your future achievements are limitless!” His future achievements being that of a great Heavenly Demon, utterly free—such achievements were naturally limitless.

Feng Zikang smiled faintly, offering no confirmation or denial. The third peak’s demons were a pack of wolves that had attained sentience.

Feng Zikang showed no mercy, swinging his sword and slicing them all in half, leaving corpses strewn everywhere and blood flooding the wilderness. Mo Fenghuang wanted to persuade him against such heavy slaughter, but remembering that she had sought his aid to save her fiancé, her heart held personal desire.

How could she utter words questioning his efforts? She repented deeply, feeling her selfish motives violated the Mohist principle of universal, impartial love.

She immediately settled her mind to purify her spirit. “Senior Sister Mo, you met Mo Li on the third peak, and you separated from him here as well.

Shall we search the surrounding area first? If we don't find him, perhaps we should proceed further?” The demons of the Thirty-Six Rings were all increasingly formidable.

Though Feng Zikang did not fear them, there was no need to waste extra effort. Since Mo Li had scattered here, the probability of him hiding nearby was highest.

“Yes!” Mo Fenghuang agreed, thinking the same. “Little brother, shall we go check the cave where I first encountered A’Li?” Something must have happened to Mo Li inside that cave to cause him to merge with the Spirit-Guiding Mechanical Beast.

When Mo Fenghuang was injured by the White Bone Divine Lord, she had fled hastily to seek reinforcements, unable to investigate thoroughly. Now that they were here, she had to see inside; Mo Li could very well still be hidden there.

Feng Zikang agreed, putting away the cloud chariot, and followed Mo Fenghuang toward the cave on the mountainside. The cave was situated on the narrow cliff face of the third peak, its entrance shrouded in swirling azure mist, lending it a secluded and ancient elegance.

The two flashed inside. They saw a long passageway leading straight into an unfathomable depth.

Feng Zikang retrieved a luminous pearl from his storage pouch and placed it above his head, illuminating the scene within clearly. The cave walls were covered in green moss, stalactites hung from the ceiling, and the ground was dense with stalagmites.

Water dripped from above with a steady drip-drop. Moving further, they passed through the corridor and found an open area.

On the ground, a strange formation was drawn with white powder, emitting a faint, ghostly luminescence that shimmered and shifted through seven colors—quite beautiful. “This… this is one of our Mohist sealing formations!” Mo Fenghuang exclaimed in shock.

This formation was far beyond anything she or Mo Li could create. It was clearly a formation designed to seal the highest level of mechanical beasts.

Where could it have come from? She reached out a hand, and as her fingers neared the ethereal glow on the formation’s outer edge, it vibrated slightly, sending ripples across the light.

Simultaneously, the cave began to shake violently, and pebbles rained down from the ceiling. A soft sigh echoed through the cavern.

“Brother Zikang! Phoenix-er!

Why must you come here…”