Words like those, Feng Zikang usually just let them pass.

Whether it was achieving fame across the world or claiming the title of 'Number One,' such things were like passing clouds to him.

Only the sword in his hand and his own cultivation were truly real for a practitioner.

Having slaughtered his way through Mangcang Mountain, the barrier of his demonic heart was finally removed.

He felt a sudden clarity in his mind, and the battles had yielded many insights that urgently required quiet contemplation.

He immediately tasked Mo Fenghuang with handling the aftermath—releasing the captured mortal women, cleaning up the mess, and waiting for the return of her martial aunt, who would never come back.

As for Feng Zikang himself, he took a hurried leave and set off eastward toward the East Sea.

He had Long Que drive the carriage, which was carried out with a semblance of propriety, while he sat inside, cultivating while on the move, diligently assimilating the gains from his trip to Mangcang Mountain.

This journey to the southwest had been entirely unexpected, interwoven with the death of Mo Li, which had chilled his own icy demonic heart in ways he hadn't realized.

But the harvest was far greater than he had anticipated.

The most significant gain was the massive boost to his cultivation, instantly reaching the sixth layer of Qi.

Furthermore, his Starfall Great Annihilation divine ability broke through its bottleneck, advancing to the fifteenth level, with faint potential for further ascent.

Through the battle at Mangcang Mountain, he had deeply experienced the utter detachment and obsessive persistence of the demonic heart.

With the barrier shattered, the Wuxiang Heavenly Demonic Heart Sutra could now advance just by being circulated.

The East Sea was ten thousand li away, presenting the perfect opportunity for him to cultivate.

Huo Zhongguang, whose Nascent Soul Blood Shadow form could not cultivate, enjoyed a carefree time, amusing himself by playing with the little fox inside the carriage.

The little fox, displeased by him, frequently bit him, but always missed its target, becoming quite frustrated.

During these few days, Feng Zikang advanced his Miaosuan Heart Method to the eighteenth layer, and the Starfall Great Annihilation Sword Technique naturally ascended to the eighteenth layer as well; meanwhile, the Wuxiang Heavenly Demonic Heart Sutra leaped past the twentieth layer, allowing him to master a brand new divine ability.

The Demonic Blood Escape Art! Feng Zikang was immensely pleased with this new technique.

Apart from its innate ability, the Wuxiang Heavenly Demonic Incarnation, the Wuxiang Heavenly Demonic Heart Sutra had two other abilities.

The Demonic Devouring carried side effects too severe for Feng Zikang to risk, and the Demonic Body Sacrifice was a mutually destructive tactic that, given his temperament, he would never allow himself to fall into such a dire situation, meaning it would rarely be used.

Now, this Demonic Blood Escape Art was invaluable for fleeing—consuming vital essence to travel a thousand li at a speed faster than lightning.

Paired with the Thousand Li Travel divine ability he already practiced, it was truly essential for escaping peril.

Feng Zikang felt a burst of joy and took out the Jingjing Treasure Orb to examine it.

He suspected this item was refined from the eye of the Five-Clawed Divine Dragon.

Indeed, as soon as he produced it, Long Que reacted, scratching its ears and rubbing its face, seeming desperately eager for it.

Feng Zikang smiled slightly. "Long Que, if you want this, you must earn more merits.

If one day you achieve a great deed, I will grant it to you." Treasures must not be given away lightly.

Although Long Que was now completely subservient, and its Dragon Soul Life Token was firmly in Feng Zikang's grasp, it should not be granted simply upon desire.

Otherwise, insatiable greed would only lead to trouble.

Rewarding merit and administering punishment clearly—this was the great way of military strategy, which Feng Zikang would certainly adhere to.

With a clear goal before it, Long Que was immensely delighted and even more willing to exert itself.

Huo Zhongguang was quite impressed, feeling his junior brother was truly extraordinary.

Back then, he had kept Huo Zhongguang hooked with small initial rewards until he became utterly addicted, willingly entering his command to deal with Liang Si'an.

And now, managing this foolish mechanism beast was also done by placing a carrot out in front, beckoning it to reach.

Never mind anything else; this psychological manipulation alone was far beyond Huo Zhongguang’s own capability. "Junior Brother, I am truly humbled by you," he praised sincerely, giving a thumbs-up.

The little fox took the opportunity to yelp and bite, but alas, it never grasped that Huo Zhongguang was merely a phantom projection; the fierce bite met empty air once again.

Feng Zikang smiled faintly. "Senior Brother Huo, you need not worry.

Once we find a suitable body, I will naturally help you achieve rebirth through body seizure, and your cultivation will surpass the past.

There is no need to fret." Huo Zhongguang, having his inner thoughts voiced, offered a sheepish smile.

※ Several days passed, and the cloud carriage sped like lightning, finally arriving in the territory of the East Sea.

Feng Zikang had a good-deed mission to slay a giant beast, so he first headed to a small fishing village called Wangcun, near the Tiger Rock shoal on the East Sea coast.

He intended to complete this task first before searching for the Demonic Mansion; Huo Zhongguang was still deeply unsettled by that place and didn't rush him.

Feng Zikang brought the cloud carriage down at the village entrance, asked a villager for directions, and proceeded to find the village chief.

Around the East Sea, there were many immortal islands, and practitioners often flew to and fro; the common folk there were used to seeing such sights and were not surprised, offering very detailed directions.

Feng Zikang followed the directions until he found a thatched hut in the center of the village.

Entering, he found the old village chief, who, upon hearing he was a cultivator who had come to exterminate a giant beast, was not overly enthusiastic, offering only a few polite greetings and explaining the situation regarding the beast.

The villagers hadn't clearly seen the monstrous creature’s form, only that every fifth or tenth day, the beast would rush ashore, overturn houses, and harm people and livestock.

Fortunately, it hadn't taken any lives, but the fishing nets, the villagers' livelihood, were constantly torn, requiring ceaseless repair, which was an immense hardship.

That was why they had sought help from immortal practitioners through various channels. "Village Chief," As he was speaking, a burly man pushed the door open, his body built like an iron tower, covered in coarse hair and beard, seemingly raging.

He froze when he saw Feng Zikang. "Another immortal here to subdue the demon? Why is it another child?" The Village Chief sharply chided, "Niu Wu, show some respect.

This is Immortal Feng, here to help us eliminate the monster." "Eliminate the monster?" The stout man named Niu Wu snorted. "Eliminate what monster? Someone this young pretending to be a deity? That little brat from the Lingbao Sect last time ate and drank here, treated like a true immortal, but what happened when he met that beast? Didn't he get scared stiff? I bet his pants were soaked." Niu Wu's words were biting and unrestrained, and he looked at Feng Zikang with considerable hostility. "Now another little child shows up, what capability could he possibly have?" The Village Chief sighed, though his expression suggested he mostly agreed with Niu Wu’s assessment.

He sighed again, then turned to Feng Zikang. "Little Immortal, please don't be angry.

It's just that the last immortal failed to fully eliminate the beast, which enraged the monster, causing it to destroy a row of houses by the village edge.

Niu Wu's wife had her leg crushed.

Please forgive us." His tone, though not explicitly stated, carried the unspoken implication: Little friend, if your abilities are insufficient, don't harm us.

If the monster goes mad again, the villagers will suffer, while you immortals will simply fly away after washing your hands of it.

We Wang villagers will be the ones to bear the consequences.

At his current level of cultivation, Feng Zikang naturally wouldn't stoop to arguing with mere mortals.

However, the fact that another sect had come to complete this good-deed mission before him and fled in defeat was rather interesting.

Although he didn't know the true strength of the giant beast, anything capable of repelling a cultivator must possess some formidable power.

Seeing Feng Zikang remain silent, Niu Wu became annoyed and stepped forward, waving his hairy fists. "Hey! Brat, if you don't have the skill to catch the demon, you should leave early to avoid harming people here.

I have a way with that monster." "Nonsense!" The Village Chief spat at him. "What method do you have?" The giant beast was enormous; mortal weapons were completely useless against it, which was why they had to invite immortals for aid.

Niu Wu was naturally displeased and grumbled, ready to argue further.

Feng Zikang had no interest in dealing with the petty squabbles of mortals; he only wished to complete the task quickly so he could proceed to the East Sea Demonic Mansion.

However, the giant beast only appeared on days ending in five or zero, and today was not one of those days.

He couldn't search the vast ocean, so he stepped outside to survey the terrain and familiarize himself with the area.

A group of young villagers saw him emerge, pointing and whispering, seemingly hurling crude curses behind his back.

Feng Zikang forced a bitter smile.

The supposed immortal who came before him was truly despicable—not only incompetent but also tyrannical, enjoying bullying mortals, feasting extravagantly, and harassing the weak.

Although it had only been a few days, he had become deeply hated, causing Feng Zikang to suffer slander by association.

That evening, dining at the Village Chief's house, the meal consisted of fish fillets pasted onto flatbreads, served with wine—the hospitality was quite decent.

Yet, the Village Chief's wife and children only had dried fish and taro roots to eat, and the children stared longingly at the food being served on the other side, their eyes full of yearning.

Feng Zikang noticed the Village Chief still looked anxious, constantly asking if they needed anything else, clearly terrified of the demands made by the previous cultivator.

Feng Zikang himself had no great appetite for delicacies, especially such coarse fare.

Seeing the children’s envious gazes, he called them over to eat the better food while he went outside to look at the sea.

There, he ran into Niu Wu again, whom he had encountered during the day.

Niu Wu was now quite drunk and no longer feared any cultivator.

Seeing Feng Zikang, he yelled from a distance, "You incompetent thing! Still mixing in here eating and drinking? Scram back where you came from!" Feng Zikang frowned.

He was not the type to tolerate insults easily.

He merely beckoned his hand, delivering a sharp slap from a distance that sent Niu Wu sprawling onto the ground, foaming at the mouth and unconscious.

This instantly caused a fresh wave of shrieks, with aunts and cousins crying out loudly as if someone had died.

Feng Zikang felt vexed but retreated to his room to rest.

He then overheard the Village Chief’s children whispering huddled near the wall. "This immortal who came this time is another weakling.

We scared him a little, and he gave us the fish-pasted bread! Brothers, wasn't that good?" "Good! Good!" the younger children cheered in unison, celebrating their elder brother. "When we cultivate immortality, we won't be such spineless fools!" The faint murmurs continued, making Feng Zikang smile wryly.

It was rare for him to share his own meal with others, only to be labeled a weakling for it.

The impression these villagers held of cultivators was truly abysmal.

He wondered just how useless the previous practitioner must have been to incite such universal resentment.

If his sect knew, they would likely punish him severely.

However, Feng Zikang had no intention of meddling in such trivial matters.

After nightfall, he cultivated and rested by himself, waiting only for the day ending in zero to complete his good deed.

Alas, though he ignored trouble, trouble was looking for him.

At dawn, just as the sky began to lighten, he heard the Village Chief frantically knocking on the door. "Immortal Feng! Immortal Feng! Are you there? That Immortal Liu from a few days ago has arrived and wants you to come out and meet him! Please get up quickly!"