By the methods of Jasmine’s conduct, her Master must be even more formidable; none of the Five Great Fiends were easy characters, and that Iron-Faced Man, with his painstaking efforts, was certainly no ordinary personage. These individuals had collaborated five times over sixty years to establish this stronghold; how could they speak of it so lightly? There must be countless hidden secrets and conflicts that Jasmine simply glossed over, never mentioning them.

These six people, unknown to outsiders for sixty years, scheming against each other yet cooperating closely, did it all for this Demon Manor on Dragon’s Tooth Island; its value was naturally incalculable.

Feng Zikang offered a bitter smile internally. He feared that this time, with the Demon Manor being opened, he would be forced to participate. Otherwise, after a full cycle of sixty years, merely possessing the key mechanism while gaining nothing would be truly regrettable.

The five who had currently arrived on the island were all at the Mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation level. Individually, any one of them could give Feng Zikang a fight, but if they joined forces, he would likely have no choice but to immediately unleash his Demonic Blood Evasion divine ability, coupled with Thousand-Mile Movement, to escape far away.

However, these five were not a solid unit, and Feng Zikang felt no fear. The most critical figure was the Iron-Faced Man, who had yet to show himself.

This person’s identity was mysterious. For sixty years, none of these old Fiends had managed to discover his true identity. Furthermore, this person seemingly orchestrated the opening of the manor, and everyone appeared quite deferential to him. Besides holding the secrets of the cave mansion, his strength must also be extraordinary.

Jasmine’s Master, for this final opening of the manor, surprisingly did not come himself, sending only his disciple instead—a move one step ahead of the others. The rest—Hu Sha was reckless and bloodthirsty, rushing forward blindly; the One-Eyed Scholar, Cui Ke, had the lowest cultivation, acted sneakily, and was timid—these two were the weakest points. The Two-Faced Madam was outwardly charming but inwardly malicious, possessing considerable cunning, but her duplicity showed on her face, making her nothing to fear.

The Empty Zen Ascetic was deeply hidden, and Jasmine was enigmatic; these two would require careful handling.

Since Feng Zikang had resolved to seize this Eastern Sea Command Post, he had naturally mapped out his enemies clearly. Twirling a chess piece in his hand, he fell into deep thought.

“What? Are you stunned senseless by what you heard!” Jasmine stretched out her small, fair hand and waved it before his eyes. Her five fingers were as delicate and tender as water reeds. “Little Sister is the notorious female fiend of the Outer Seas. You righteous disciples had best retreat quickly!”

Feng Zikang snapped back to reality. “If Sister Jasmine is a female fiend, then I am the Heavenly Devil… I thought you were plotting something else; so, it’s about opening the cave mansion. This is a matter of great significance, so it’s understandable you don’t wish outsiders to know. I misspoke. Rest assured, Sister, I absolutely will not breathe a word of it…”

He adopted an appearance of utter loyalty, as if completely captivated by Jasmine’s allure.

Jasmine smiled sweetly, seemingly quite pleased.

“However…” Feng Zikang said with a cautious expression, offering a well-intentioned reminder, “Sister Jasmine, I see those other few are not good people. You must be careful working with them. If anything happens, just call on me!”

He thumped his chest with masculine bravado, but Jasmine secretly chuckled. Those others were old fiends, long past the Foundation Establishment stage; what use was he, a mere late-stage Qi-Gathering disciple? All men, in the presence of women, became bold and boasted loudly—her Master’s words were entirely accurate.

“Don’t worry,” Jasmine tapped his forehead lightly with her finger. “Little Sister is here on Master’s orders. Success or failure is up to fate; I never had any certainty of winning. Those few are indeed powerful, but Little Sister has her own methods; I don’t need your protection!”

Feng Zikang smiled sheepishly and was about to speak when he heard Hu Sha bellowing from outside: “Is that old ghost’s female disciple here? The Iron-Faced Monster is about to arrive! Don’t waste time with that young pup; hurry up and discuss the important matters!”

His voice was both coarse and loud. Jasmine’s face flushed, and she spat lightly before flying out of the room.

“Uncle Hu, look at me tearing your mouth apart! Why aren’t you fighting anymore?”

Just moments before, Hu Sha had clashed with the One-Eyed Scholar Cui Ke. They were stopped from fighting by the Empty Zen Ascetic. Not long after, the Iron-Faced Man’s summons arrived by token, stating he would reach Dragon’s Tooth Island in an hour.

“That fellow puts on quite an airs…” the One-Eyed Scholar grumbled again. The Two-Faced Madam tugged his sleeve, signaling him to say no more.

In truth, all five harbored a trace of fear towards the Iron-Faced Man.

Led by Jasmine’s Master, these five were all notorious ruthless fiends of the Near Seas. Upon hearing the news that the Iron-Faced Man intended to open his cave mansion, they certainly weren't extending a helpful hand out of goodwill; instead, killing intent arose simultaneously in all of them.

But after several rounds of open and covert struggle, even with the combined might of the five, they could only barely gain a slight upper hand over the Iron-Faced Man. If it were one-on-one, and the Iron-Faced Man hadn't needed them to help open the mansion and search for treasures, these five would certainly not have gathered so amicably after sixty years. Moreover, this person’s identity was mysterious; he had investigated high and low but never found a single clue.

Hu Sha having called for Jasmine, the five gathered and sat idly at the edge of the village. Empty Zen stood aloof in one corner, Hu Sha drank from his wine jar, and Jasmine sat beside him, giggling happily. The One-Eyed Scholar and the Two-Faced Madam were holding hands intimately nearby.

Each harbored their own ulterior motives. Though they were supposedly discussing important matters, not a single person spoke. Only Cui Ke mumbled nonsense and flirted shamelessly with the Two-Faced Madam, making anyone watching sick.

But apart from Jasmine, every few moments, someone would lift their head to gaze toward the western sky, their eyes filled with anxiety, greed, and tension—even the Empty Zen Ascetic was no exception.

“Just what kind of person is this Iron-Faced Man? To hold these powerful figures in check without even appearing yet—if he shows up, I wonder what will happen?”

Feng Zikang frowned deeply, finding the situation extremely troublesome. This Iron-Faced Man did not seem easy to deal with.

“Junior Brother, these people are all Foundation Establishment masters. Although you are powerful, surely you don't need to clash head-on…” Huo Zhongguang, since transforming into a blood shadow, had become a standard proponent of self-preservation. Seeing the enemy’s might, his fighting spirit sank by thirty percent; he only wanted to urge Feng Zikang to be cautious, completely forgetting his previous arrogance when he spat blood onto Elder Chi Yuan’s face and sneered that even a Core Condensation master was nothing more.

However, having died once, growing a bit more timid was understandable.

The Fox snorted dismissively through its nose, seemingly looking down on him. Feng Zikang shook his head. “The common folk understand the principle that fortune is sought amidst danger. Let’s observe the situation first!”

Just as they were speaking, a wave of blood suddenly appeared in the western sky. Amidst the clamor of the myriad sea demons, a streak of blood-red sword energy tore through the firmament and sped toward them.

“He’s here!” Hu Sha and the One-Eyed Scholar could not hold back and jumped up simultaneously, then shot glares at each other.

Empty Zen half-opened his eyes, his face grim, but the corner of his mouth curved slightly, as if in a smile. The Two-Faced Madam smiled broadly, revealing a face full of delight, but the face on her back was gloomy enough to drip water, her eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Jasmine, however, seemed unperturbed, rising languidly and flicking dust from her skirt. Today, she wore a pleated skirt of brocade blue, cinched at the waist with a golden thread sash, her hair casually bound with a soft jade hair ribbon. Her black tresses flowed like a waterfall, making her charming and captivating.

Feng Zikang, still in the room, could not help but spring to his feet! The Starfall Great Annihilation Sword Art! The divine ability this Iron-Faced Man used to pass through the mass of sea demons was actually Feng Zikang’s own Starfall Great Annihilation Sword Art! However, this person’s refinement of the technique seemed quite different. The best energy to drive the Starfall Great Annihilation Sword Art was the swirling demonic energy accumulated within Feng Zikang’s body, which realized the true essence of the Annihilation Sword Art, allowing it to reach the highest realm in time.

The majestic, upright killing aura of the military arts could break through anything and could also serve as the inner energy to propel sword techniques.

But what the Iron-Faced Man used was not military killing energy, but a surge of blood qi! It was the boundless, bloody radiance born from kindred slaughter! This ultimate form of blood qi, terrifyingly cold, caused even demonic cultivators to inwardly shudder.

For the same move, Qiming (Enlightenment), Feng Zikang wielded a pure, untainted white sword light, whereas this person used a vivid, dripping blood-red light! Since this person’s sword technique was not derived from the military arts, the greatest possibility was that he acquired it from the Dragon’s Tooth Island Demon Manor! The Dragon’s Tooth Island Demon Manor indeed had a deep connection to the Starfall Great Annihilation Sword Art! Feng Zikang was overjoyed. It seemed this place not only offered insights into demonic lineage for reference, but the deficiencies in his own Starfall Great Annihilation Sword Art also had a chance to be mended! However, the newcomer’s strength was immense, and he would likely require more cautious handling. Feng Zikang roughly judged that the speeding Iron-Faced Man’s cultivation was also around the Mid-Foundation Establishment level, but relying solely on this ultimate Starfall Great Annihilation Sword Art, his true power could easily overwhelm the five currently present—this was not surprising.

Before the person even reached the island, his voice echoed from afar.

“Fellow Daoists, my apologies for the delay! Please forgive my tardiness!”

His voice was sharp and thin, like the high notes of a huqin, instantly revealing that he had deliberately forced his throat to mimic a higher pitch to disguise his real voice.

The Empty Zen Ascetic chuckled twice like a night owl: “Daoist Iron-Face need not be polite. We haven't waited long for you!”

The man laughed loudly, “That is excellent!”

In the space of those few exchanges, the Iron-Faced Man’s figure became clearly visible. He was tall, striding over the waves, wearing a large, dramatically billowing black cloak on his back. With solid pectoral muscles visible, his head was indeed covered by an iron mask shaped like an ox’s head, his eyes gleaming with a terrifying light.

He flashed into the island. The moment he landed, he sniffed the air and exclaimed, “Why is there the scent of a living person here?”

The Iron-Faced Man’s gaze did not fall upon Jasmine, the only living person among the five, but turned slightly toward Feng Zikang’s hiding spot.

The Two-Faced Madam, however, misunderstood his intention and purred coquettishly, “Daoist Iron-Face, this is Sister Jasmine, the old ghost’s disciple. It’s her first time here, but she hardly counts as a stranger…”

“Hmph—!”

The Iron-Faced Man snorted and waved his hand angrily. “I wasn’t talking about her!”

He pointed his finger at the small hut where Feng Zikang was concealed. “Where did this brat come from?”