Lily’s face froze, and she pondered for a long moment. “Fellow Daoist, this matter does not concern you. It is best that you do not get involved with the Four Flaws.

Our goals are different, so there is no conflict.” She paused. “More people might arrive over the next few days. Although you are a disciple of the Military School, they might not dare to do anything to you, but it is still best to avoid conflict with them.

If you are willing to step aside for a few days until this passes…” Zhu Lily considered, knowing that a Military School disciple would never retreat in the face of danger, so she could only urge him to exercise restraint and avoid confrontation with those who might arrive later. Feng Zikang, however, was inwardly alarmed. Someone else was coming to the usually desolate Dragon’s Tooth Island?

Judging by Lily’s tone, the arrivals were likely experts, and there seemed to be quite a few of them! What were they coming here for? Involuntarily, his gaze drifted toward the depths of Dragon’s Tooth Mountain.

※ The next day, another rough martial artist arrived, riding a dark cloud. He was fiercely fierce-looking and disliked fresh fruit, focusing only on drinking several jars of the wine offered by the villagers. The villagers dared not approach him too closely.

When he saw only Mo Lily and Feng Zikang as the cultivators present, he showed a degree of surprise. “Brat, what sect are you from? Why send you two?

This boy clearly hasn’t even reached the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he dares to come and try to claim a share?” Sha Lily offered a charming smile and waved her hand, revealing a flash of treasure light. Feng Zikang, quick-eyed, saw a sharp, conical object, but before he could properly make it out, Rong Lily had retracted it. The brute, however, dropped his arrogant air and nodded.

“So, you are a disciple of the elder. You may come, then. And who is this young boy a disciple of?” Rong Lily giggled sweetly.

“Uncle Hu, you don’t even recognize me and still demand proof of my token. As for this young brother, he is a descendant of the Military School of Longhu Mountain, one of the orthodox three religions and nine schools.” “Ah?” The brute surnamed Hu was startled, his face showing alarm and dread. “Why are you here?” Sha Lily pulled Feng Zikang behind her.

“Uncle Hu, don’t scare people. This young brother just happened to be passing by on his way to Dragon’s Tooth Island to fetch the Fusang Branch; it has nothing to do with us.” She was quite protective of Feng Zikang, for reasons unknown to him. This fellow named Hu was known as Thousand-Hand Butcher Hu Sang, a renowned giant demon from overseas.

He had been in the Foundation Establishment stage for years, and his current cultivation was above the mid-Foundation Establishment level. He was known for his vicious methods, and Zhu Lily worried that his volatile temper might endanger Feng Zikang. However, the Thousand-Hand Butcher seemed somewhat wary of the Military School of Longhu Mountain and showed no intent to fight.

Hearing that their goals were unrelated, he let the matter drop, merely muttering, “Little brats, don’t get in the way.” He grabbed several jars of wine and went to the edge of the village to drink himself into a frenzy. Zhu Lily followed him, and the two began whispering together, though it was unclear what they were discussing. The two were extremely cautious, sealing the surroundings with divine arts and spells.

Even Feng Zikang’s Formless Heavenly Demon Incarnation could not approach, leaving him to speculate and deduce internally. These people had clearly arranged to arrive on the same day. What were they here for?

On Dragon’s Tooth Island, as far as he knew, only the Demon Abode held such allure. Feng Zikang discreetly inquired among the villagers about cultivators gathering here on specific days. He was shocked by what he learned: every twelve years, a group of cultivators would arrive, causing great unrest.

Initially, the villagers of Zhu Lily’s village had never seen such a gathering, so they hadn’t made the connection. But when Hu Sha arrived, many remembered him. They recalled he had visited several times before, always drinking and displaying a savage temper that kept the villagers from daring to offend him.

“Twelve years.” Twelve is the number of the Earthly Branches. This year is the Gengzi Year. Twelve years ago was the Niannian Year, and twelve years before that was the Bingzi Year.

The Heavenly Stems change with the cycle, but the Earthly Branches remain constant. The character Zi is the first of the Twelve Earthly Branches, representing the beginning of the cycle and the renewal of all things. Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai is the ancient method of numbering, from which the Twelve Zodiac signs originated.

This group convenes every time the Earthly Branch cycles, suggesting they are waiting for the opening of the Demon Abode. Feng Zikang couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile. Could it truly be such a coincidence that his arrival coincided with these fellows causing trouble?

His luck was truly poor. “Junior Brother, what is the background of these people?” Huo Zhongguang had cultivated for many years and was well-informed, but he had never seen or heard of these powerful figures. “Most of the Central Plains cultivation world doesn’t recognize these overseas cultivators.

I don’t know their origins either.” It was clear that none of them were from the Central Plains; after all, the orthodox powers of the Central Plains—the three religions and nine schools—were overwhelmingly strong, leaving no foothold for these unorthodox, scattered cultivators. “Do you think they came for the Demon Abode?” Feng Zikang nodded. “Eight or nine times out of ten, they must be here for that.

But they don’t have the Dragon’s Tooth Ancient Mirror in hand; I wonder how they plan to enter the grotto-mansion. Could it be that the celestial mechanisms are set in motion, and the Demon Abode opens every twelve years? If so, your previous entry due to sword qi resonance doesn't align with the timing either.” Without the Dragon’s Tooth Mirror, there was no key to entry, nor could they induce the moonlight transformation that revealed the Demon Abode.

This fact was utterly baffling. “We should wait and see,” Feng Zikang thought. In any case, he possessed the Dragon’s Tooth Ancient Mirror, the key, and even the Nexus Orb, meaning he didn't need to wait for the grotto-mansion to open; he could enter on his own terms.

If all else failed, he could simply wait for all these people to leave before entering. They had been coming for so many years, and clearly, none of them had succeeded yet. Feng Zikang remained calm and unperturbed.

Two days later, three more people arrived sequentially. One was a scholarly man dressed elegantly, yet he possessed a lewd and vulgar expression. His right eye was missing, replaced by a prosthetic that was cold and lifeless, quite frightening.

He kept attempting to grope Mili’er, but she dodged him at every turn, only restraining herself after she sharply rebuked him. This man was the One-Eyed Scholar Cui Ke from the East Sea, known for his lechery, yet possessing mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation. Another was a gaunt old man with a gloomy expression who rarely spoke.

He lacked hair and eyebrows; Feng Zikang initially suspected alopecia, only to discover he was a monk from the land of Wa (Japan), named Venerable Kongchan. This was a fringe branch of Buddhism, though the connection was distant enough that the Zen Sect of the Central Lands probably wouldn't acknowledge him. The last arrival was a middle-aged woman.

Based on her figure alone, she was stunningly shapely and could be considered a beauty, but her head was truly terrifying. Like the monk, she had no hair. Her face in front wore a beaming, pleasant smile, but behind, she concealed a sinister and hideous visage.

Cui Ke, unbothered, advanced to grope her, and the woman didn't mind either. Both faces smiled simultaneously—the front one alluringly charming, the back one chillingly sinister. The effect was deeply unsettling.

She was from the Two-Faced Country overseas, known as Madame Two-Faces. She maintained a cheerful facade but would stab someone in the back without hesitation. Upon seeing Hu Sha, Cui Ke, Kongchan, and Zhu Lily, she greeted them all with a warm smile.

Originally, she took an immediate dislike to Feng Zikang and almost struck him down. Only upon learning he was a disciple of the Military School of Longhu Mountain did she immediately plaster on a smile again. When the five of them gathered, every single one possessed cultivation at or above the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Although Feng Zikang did not fear them, he felt pressure washing over him, causing him to be inwardly startled, remaining constantly vigilant and daring not to lower his guard. The next three days saw no further arrivals. The five seemed to grow impatient, especially Hu Sha, who drank and cursed drunkenly all day long.

“That old bastard, he always takes this long to arrive. The next time I see him, I swear I’ll take a couple of swings at him!” “Tch!” The One-Eyed Scholar Cui Ke had grown closer to Madame Two-Faces these past few days, feeling emboldened. Usually the weakest among them, he hadn't dared to speak rashly.

But since Lily’s master hadn't arrived and he now had Madame Two-Faces as backup, he dared to straighten his back. “Butcher Hu, stop your drunken ravings all day. Even if Old Ironhead arrives, can your Wild Wind Cloak Saber Technique truly defeat his swordplay?” Hu Sha flew into a rage.

“If my Wild Wind Cloak Saber Technique can’t beat him, can it not beat you? Come, come, I feel like stretching my limbs! Give me a few cuts!” The One-Eyed Scholar grew somewhat timid, but pride kept him from backing down verbally.

“Let’s try it then! Your Wild Wind Cloak Saber Technique is fierce, but is my Evil Eye Divine Ability just for show?” Madame Two-Faces twisted her head with a kaka sound, turning her cold face to the front, crossing her arms, and watching coolly. “Enough!” Venerable Kongchan shouted sharply.

Although usually silent, his cultivation was the highest among the group. He cast a cold glance at the two. “Excluding this young girl, the five of us have been coming here for sixty years.

We still haven’t unraveled the secret of this grotto-mansion, and you start arguing over trifles?” Cui Ke mumbled sheepishly and retreated to the side. Madame Two-Faces turned her head back, offering him a friendly smile and soothing him softly. Hu Sha grunted in annoyance, ignoring them, and drank his sorrowful wine alone.

Feng Zikang was currently playing chess with Gu Lily in the room, but since the group’s conversation was not sealed by divine arts, stray words carried over to his ears. It was indeed related to the Demon Abode on Dragon’s Tooth Island. This group had persisted for sixty years, coming to investigate every Year of the Rat, yet they still hadn't grasped the true essence of the Demon Abode.

“Don’t let what you heard trouble your mind. My next move will leave you in a dire situation.” Zhu Lily’s eyes were fixed solely on the chessboard. Placing a stone, she cleanly severed Feng Zikang’s black stones, plunging his black army into a desperate fight.

“My forces here are overwhelmingly strong. Although you have thick supporting lines behind you, you are ultimately too far away. If you don’t escape quickly, I fear I might devour this entire great dragon!” Feng Zikang smiled bitterly and conceded the game by dropping his stone.

In the game of Go, he had never seriously trained; without relying on the profound calculus of the Myriad Thoughts Divine Art to keep his calculations clear, he wouldn't have been able to hold his own against this young girl for so long. He considered for a moment, then decided to speak plainly. “Sweet Lily, you don’t need to hide it from me.

You many Foundation Establishment cultivators coming to this desolate little island must have a major objective. Since I’ve overheard a few things, why don't you just tell me frankly, to ease my curiosity? After all, with my Qi Induction cultivation level, I can’t hinder you in any way, so why not tell me?” Zhu Lily’s eyes fluttered, smiling enigmatically, yet a distinct air of flirtatious composure crossed her brow.

“Aren’t you afraid that knowing too much will lead to us silencing you?” Feng Zikang appeared startled and quickly waved his hands. “No, no! If you intended to silence me, you wouldn’t have kept me here until now.

Therefore, I surmise that whatever you are doing, you are not afraid of me leaking it out later. Am I right, little sister?” Sha Lily giggled sweetly. “Young brother, you are quite clever.

My master also said that this trip to Dragon’s Tooth Island will be the last. If we cannot uncover the secret of the grotto-mansion within this sixty-year cycle, when the celestial cycles shift and the two realms can no longer communicate, then that will simply be the end of it. If you had come twelve years earlier, I fear these people would have eliminated you, even at the cost of offending the Military School of Longhu Mountain.” “Oh.” Feng Zikang felt a sudden awakening in his heart.

So, the communication between these two realms was subject to temporal restrictions. As time flowed, the Demon Abode could manifest in this world only within this sixty-year period; after that cycle passed, contact would be lost, and communication would become impossible. This meant that even though he possessed the Dragon’s Tooth Ancient Mirror and the Nexus Orb, his window to explore the Demon Abode was limited to this sixty-year span!

“It seems a confrontation with these five is inevitable then…” Feng Zikang sighed inwardly, but his expression remained normal, showing only a hint of confusion. “Sweet Sister Lily, I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. Please tell me the whole story so I can resolve the doubts in my heart.” Lily had actually been observing his expression closely.

Seeing that he genuinely looked bewildered, she finally seemed to relax. “Since it has come to this, telling you is no great matter.” Sixty years ago, Zhu Lily’s master and the others had just finished celebrating the birthday of a great demon lord overseas. On their way back to their respective domains, they traveled together and noticed a radiant light emanating from Dragon’s Tooth Island, suggesting a rare treasure had emerged.

Being inherently greedy, they naturally encircled it without hesitation, only to find an iron-faced man opening a grotto-mansion. Inside, rare treasures were countless, their light piercing the heavens. At that moment, the iron-faced man was trapped at the entrance, caught between going in and retreating.

Naturally, they stepped forward, claiming to help but actually intending to take a share. The iron-faced man was shrewd and decisive; he immediately agreed that if they helped open the grotto, everything inside would be divided equally among the six of them, but he stressed that it was impossible to open without unified effort. The five tested it and found this to be true.

They immediately agreed to the iron-faced man’s terms and joined forces, intending to open the grotto-mansion and seize the treasures within. Who knew that halfway through the opening process, a beam of sword light suddenly shot out, like a celestial dragon descending from beyond the heavens, possessing immeasurable divine might. None of the six could withstand a single move, and all were injured.

As the sword light flew away, the grotto-mansion sealed itself shut. The iron-faced man cried out in regret, then explained the origins of the place to them. He said the grotto-mansion was where his ancestor once secluded himself, containing countless divine abilities and magical artifacts.

He had searched for many years to accurately calculate the precise moment the grotto would open, but his strength failed him at the critical juncture. The others hadn't gained anything and had suffered a loss for nothing, naturally making them angry. Fortunately, the iron-faced man informed them that there would be another chance to open the grotto in twelve years.

The group then made an appointment to return in twelve years. True to his word, the iron-faced man returned to Dragon’s Tooth Island twelve years later. However, even with the combined strength of the six, they still failed to open the grotto-mansion and had to return disheartened, setting another twelve-year appointment.

Thus, several times passed, and sixty years finally elapsed. This was their sixth time returning to claim the treasure, and according to the iron-faced man’s calculations, it would be the last. After this sixty-year cycle, unless someone’s divine ability matched that of the expert who created the grotto-mansion, no one would be able to facilitate communication between the two realms again, nor open this treasure trove.