Feng Zikang’s dark armor was stained with blood, a ghastly sight to behold, as he held a shadowy sword-light in one hand and laughed uproariously at the heavens. Behind him, the ground soaked red with gore pulsed faintly, occasionally spitting up dust that revealed an eerie crimson hue.
The harsh north wind howled, whipping his robes into a frenzy, creating a scene of profound strangeness! “ROAR!” It was out!
From that blood-soaked earth, a monstrous beast resembling a white python suddenly burst forth, its colossal, gore-drenched claws shooting toward Feng Zikang’s back! “Hah!” Feng Zikang didn’t turn; the light of his sword dissipated, reforming in the air into a sharp line that plummeted down, nailing the monster’s massive claw firmly to the ground!
The creature shrieked in agony, thrashing and convulsing, kicking up a storm of bloody mud! “Vermin!
You have a tenacious life, still not dead, eh!” Feng Zikang slowly turned his head. Within his crimson eyes burned a frantic killing intent; he seemed like a divine demon from the heavens, whose every word and deed could decree life or death, inspiring such awe that one could only prostrate in worship, daring not to defy him in the slightest.
Unfortunately, Feng Zikang currently had only one audience. It understood neither fear nor terror, merely shaking its head and tail in endless fury—it was none other than the unknowing, mysterious Skeletal Automaton Beast!
It had survived! Such a violent core self-detonation, the Mohist School’s supreme, secret formation, the “Great Array to Persuade the Worthy to Teach Others,” had been shattered, leveling Wolf Fang Peak, the third of the thirty-six linked peaks of Mangcang Mountain.
Yet, this Automaton Beast was merely damaged, not utterly torn apart and buried deep underground! The head of Mo Li that had rested on its back was long gone.
That youth who had devoted his life solely to the Dao had finally vanished from this world; perhaps his soul had entered the cycle of reincarnation, never to be found again. Only a strip of shredded coarse cloth clinging to the skeleton on the Automaton Beast’s back served as a trace that this selfless Mohist disciple had once existed in the world.
Beyond that, no remains were left! “ROAR!” The Automaton Beast let loose another earth-shattering bellow.
Amidst the tremendous sound, the massive claw pinned to the ground suddenly scattered, then, drawn by the black energy within its body, reassembled itself, breaking free from the sword-light’s entanglement. “Good!” This was the same trick the Automaton Beast had used in the cavern—disassembling its body for a core self-detonation.
Taking advantage of the weakened formation during the pull of the Xuan Realm of Ink, it had succeeded in destroying the array and regaining its freedom. It had then reformed its bones underground and emerged!
This god-like ability to reform and be reborn was terrifying. If it could continually regenerate, would it truly be unkillable?
Yet, Feng Zikang remained fearless; his eyes held only an increasingly blazing will to fight! The Barrier of the Demonic Heart!
If a master of Demonic Cultivation were present, they could discern Feng Zikang’s current state. Within the span of just one day, he had been bombarded by the Dao hearts of the Mohists, giving him several opportunities to achieve enlightenment into the Demonic Heart.
However, the dualities of good and evil in his mind remained stubbornly rooted, preventing him from reaching the state of utter detachment where nothing exists but the self. In truth, this realm was far beyond his current cultivation level.
Generally, demonic cultivators must first fully nurture the Demonic Fetus and forge the Demonic Body, reaching a point where they are nearly unrivaled across the world, before they can open their minds and truly take their own heart as the Dao, achieving the Demonic Path through self-centricity. Feng Zikang’s cultivation was merely at the Qi Induction stage.
While his Demonic Seed grew rapidly, the Demonic Fetus had yet to form. Even though he also cultivated the Way of the Soldier and possessed formidable divine powers, he was, ultimately, merely a slightly stronger ant among the teeming masses.
Beyond him lay towering peaks he could not ignore! Because he could not perceive only the self—that other things existed outside of him—this obstacle of the Demonic Heart was churning within him.
Furthermore, during his earlier spiritual scan, he had witnessed the ancient wars of billions of gods and demons, inadvertently absorbing a trace of the aura of the Supreme Ancient Demon. Under the shock of Mo Li’s death, it had finally erupted!
Now, his heart was filled entirely with intense battle intent and killing desire. Anyone who stood in his way would be slain.
The Automaton Beast’s power was so great that Mo Li deeply feared it, even sacrificing his life to suppress it, daring not let it step half a pace outside the formation. Yet, Feng Zikang had completely forgotten this immeasurable might!
He only desired battle: to defeat everything before him, to slay everyone before him! This was his Demonic Heart Barrier.
If he retreated now, his demonic heart would destabilize, his cultivation realm would undoubtedly regress, and worse, his progress in demonic cultivation for the rest of his life might stall! He might as well settle down and chant scriptures!
Though Feng Zikang’s spirit was frantic, a faint thread of clarity remained in his mind. He could not retreat!
He could not lose! Even if the opponent before him was the ancient, mysterious Automaton Beast that the Mohist disciples feared so much they dared not confront it directly.
The Automaton Beast roared once more, its five colossal claws dancing, raking wildly toward Feng Zikang’s head and body. Feng Zikang let out a soft hum and activated the Indestructible Vajra Divine Power.
Yet, the immense claws, seemingly carrying ten thousand jin of force, permeated with the ten-zhang golden light of the divine power, were instantly crushed, rendered utterly useless! Feng Zikang sidestepped, narrowly dodging the claw strikes.
If his Vajra Body was so easily overwhelmed, what would happen if his physical form were truly crushed? He would surely turn to paste!
Before he could regain his footing to counterattack, a sudden sound rang out—the Automaton Beast’s long tail swept sinisterly from behind, striking his spine squarely. Under the massive impact, Feng Zikang spat out a mouthful of blood and was violently slammed dozens of zhang away!
“Hahahaha!” Coughing as he laughed, Feng Zikang slowly crawled out of the undergrowth, his face pale, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, yet utterly devoid of fear. The fighting spirit in his eyes burned ever brighter!
“Impressive! Truly impressive!” This Automaton Beast had not even used any divine powers yet, relying only on its raw strength, and it had already wounded him so severely.
If it unleashed its full power, how strong would it truly be? In the past, Feng Zikang would have fled immediately, conserving his strength to strike later.
What was the big deal about one initial failure? But today, under the influence of the Demonic Heart Barrier, he felt no fear at all—only elation at the opponent’s immense power.
The Demonic Way, though insidious and cunning, possessed an inherent spirit of unyielding defiance. The enemy is strong?
Then I shall grow stronger! Feng Zikang stood firm, sword in hand, calming his mind, even closing his eyes.
At the tip of his sword, stars materialized, and a hazy radiance enveloped his body, as profound as the primordial universe itself. “The Great Extinction of Starlight Divine Power, I only command three forms!” “In the past, one activation of Kai Ming was sufficient against foes!” “Today, I shall let you witness the second form of the Great Extinction of Starlight Sword Technique!” “Po Jun (Army Breaker)!” As Feng Zikang roared, the tip of the Heaven-Swallowing Ancient Sword emitted white light that split into ten thousand filaments, shooting toward the heavens, flowing as he willed, until it reached the zenith and then sharply angled down, accelerating even further.
The white light descended like rain, its might ferocious, resembling millions of shooting stars plunging toward the ground! The sword is named Army Breaker, capable of shattering even a thousand armies and ten thousand cavalry!