Feng Zikang stood firm against the wind, his expression composed.

"However, as a disciple of the military arts, I ultimately cannot rely on others for everything. If I dare not even attempt this in a mere three breaths, having lost the core virtue of courage, how can I possibly pursue the Dao?"

His words were resolute, unwavering in the slightest. Qin Li’er's expression dimmed, tinged with a subtle regret.

Since Feng Zikang’s mind was set, the Iron-Masked Man naturally had no desire to detain him. But Mo Li’er had misjudged the situation; seeing him about to rush headlong to his death, she felt a pang in her heart and held him fast, unwilling to let go.

Feng Zikang couldn't discern if her sentiment was genuine or feigned. Yet, firstly, he possessed means to safeguard his life, and secondly, he had another method for entering the Demon Abode. He preferred to operate in secret rather than be counted among these few, used as a mere pawn. Thus, he insisted on leaving immediately, without a shred of lingering attachment; Mo Li’er's barrage of tears proved utterly ineffective against him.

He cupped his hands in salute to the assembly, shifted his body sideways, and darted beyond the defensive formation laid out by the six figures. The golden light enveloping him instantly transformed into raging fire, turning him into a man of flame as he sped away.

Rong Li’er’s nose tingled; tears streamed down, falling into the essence of the Li Fire, instantly vaporizing into steam!

"Four Divine Beasts of the Quarters, guard my essence!"

In just one breath, the formidable Divine Ability of the Twentyfold Vajra Indestructible Body began to fail. Feng Zikang felt searing heat and numbness engulfing him; in just the snap of a finger, he feared he would be reduced to charcoal! He hastily summoned the Four Symbols Divine Beasts to shield his surroundings. Plunging into the Li Fire essence, his vision obscured, he cared not if those few watched.

As the four Divine Beasts manifested, the Li Fire essence parted on all sides. The pressure on Feng Zikang significantly eased. Although he was still submerged as if in a furnace, the situation was vastly improved compared to the moment just before when he could not hold on.

However, the four Divine Beasts were themselves quite battered. Within the Li Fire essence, the fur of the hirsute beast was completely incinerated, and it cried out mournfully, appearing pitiful.

Fortunately, only two breaths passed before Feng Zikang finally traversed the entire span of the Li Fire essence and landed beside the Fusang Tree.

"Hoo."

Feng Zikang let out a long breath. The might of the Li Fire essence was indeed formidable. If he had lingered any longer, even the four Divine Beasts might have been refined away, which would have been an unacceptable loss.

He rested briefly, activating the cave dwelling beneath the Fusang Tree. Without the illusionary realm created by the Five-Colored Bo Xun Flower obstructing him, he easily reached the entrance to the Dao Path, passed through another section, and arrived before the Bronze Gate of No-Thought.

The opening he had shattered a few days prior had completely healed, leaving no trace whatsoever.

Feng Zikang laughed aloud, "Then today calls for another breakthrough!"

He stood holding his sword, his aura relentlessly surging upward. Six swirling vortices circled his body in a cycle, augmented by the constant influx of Qi from the Yongquan Acupoint, intertwining and surging directly toward the Dantian!

Today, he would break through the Earth Barrier!

Before the Bronze Gate, he would achieve the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation!

This, too, was part of his calculation. He had made ample preparations over the past few days. The very reason he hadn't rushed to break through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation was for this precise moment, allowing him to deal with this Bronze Gate solidly and avoid wasting too much time.

His breath held no pause; it was as if water naturally flowed to form a river. Feng Zikang felt his Dantian acupoint expand slightly, and the connection was established. It was like a great river bursting through, having stored up immense volume, effortlessly overcoming the minor obstruction.

"Good heavens!" Huo Zhongguang, who had been entirely useless amidst the Li Fire essence, now reappeared. Watching his junior brother about to break through as easily as playing a game—a level he himself had spent forty years achieving—he could only shake his head and sigh, reminding himself: comparing men is infuriating; best not to compare.

With Feng Zikang’s breakthrough complete, he let out a long cry toward the heavens and drew his sword!

A white light sliced through heaven and earth, and the Bronze Gate shattered in response, carving out another long Dao Path.

Feng Zikang wasted no time, rushing down the Dao Path past the shattered gate and entering the world within the mountain belly.

Night had fallen. The artificial sun within the mountain belly was already sinking far in the distance, the sky filled with stars, and the moon, carved from white jade, hung above the treetops.

It was a full moon tonight.

"Junior Brother, by what means do you think they entered the Demon Abode? If they get in, will this Demon Abode still manifest here?" Huo Zhongguang was still quite bewildered, unable to grasp why the Demon Abode appeared simultaneously in two locations, and whether the manifesting Demon Abodes were the same one.

The communication between two realms was truly marvelous.

Take the East Sea Demon Abode, for instance. Feng Zikang, using the Dragon Tooth Ancient Mirror as a guide, could resonate with the central Pearl within the Demon Abode, causing it to materialize within the mountain world, allowing him entry. Similarly, the Iron-Masked Man and the others could use some unknown secret method to manifest the Demon Abode outside in the Li Fire essence, enabling them to enter as well.

This was because the Demon Abode itself did not reside in this realm. Whether it was the mountain world or the Li Fire essence, including the third location the Iron-Masked Man calculated—high above ten thousand zhang—these were merely portals leading to the Demon Abode.

Therefore, Feng Zikang entering the Demon Abode from here was the same as the six individuals, including the Iron-Masked Man, entering from the Li Fire essence.

"No matter what, we must enter the Demon Abode before they do, otherwise, it will be disadvantageous."

If the Iron-Masked Man and the others failed, so be it. But if they somehow succeeded in entering the Demon Abode through some unknown method, Feng Zikang absolutely had to be there sooner. Otherwise, if these six Foundation Establishment experts entered first, and he stumbled in at an unfavorable location, the consequences would be dire. However, with the Dragon Tooth Ancient Mirror in hand, he possessed far greater convenience than those six. He was not in a hurry, merely focusing on regulating his breath, waiting for the moment the moon reached its zenith.

He still had a few burns from the Li Fire essence, which he treated appropriately. Among the Four Divine Beasts, the hirsute beast suffered the most, burned completely bald, looking up at Feng Zikang with a scorched face, utterly devoid of any divine aura.

Fortunately, apart from that, the four Divine Beasts sustained no major damage, and Feng Zikang’s combat power was not significantly affected. As for the hirsute beast, he could only wish it a speedy regrowth of its black fur to regain its majesty.

Feng Zikang also released Long Que, preparing for battle. This time he dared not be overconfident, deploying all his trump cards without holding anything back. The little fox, though extremely reluctant, was tucked into the Rouge Box.

The moon reached its peak!

Feng Zikang shot to his feet. He brought forth the Dragon Tooth Ancient Mirror. The mirror spun with a trace of blue light, flying upward to merge with the jade moon, immediately scattering a field of blue radiance.

The blue light today appeared thicker, illuminating the open ground by the small river as if it possessed substance. The massive courtyard glimpsed last time gradually materialized.

It was still a deep azure color this time, but compared to before, it seemed more solid and weighty, bearing a greater resemblance to reality.

Feng Zikang smiled faintly and walked toward it, tracing the courtyard wall until he reached the main gate.

He placed a hand on the wall; it was solid stone, no longer like the void it seemed last time.

"It seems I truly have good luck."

Feng Zikang marveled at his fortune again. His current arrival, by sheer chance, coincided with the twelve-year cycle when the Demon Abode was most closely linked to this world. No wonder Huo Zhongguang could previously enter the Demon Abode merely by using sword energy as a guide, and he himself managed to obtain the central Pearl despite visiting on a non-full-moon day.

Had it not been for this twelve-year cycle, perhaps none of these things would have happened. Even on a full moon, the connection between the Demon Abode and this world might not have been as strong as it was during the mid-month period a few days ago.

The main gate of the courtyard, besides sporting two shining, thick door knockers, was identical to the Bronze Gate Feng Zikang had seen on the Dao Path, covered in mysterious patterns. The plaque above the bronze gate also bore four large characters, which Feng Zikang still could not recognize, causing him to smile and shake his head.

Huo Zhongguang, however, gasped sharply at the bronze gate. "Good heavens! We have to break through again here? Junior Brother... are you still capable?"

Experiencing consecutive bursts of power breakthrough was clearly not easy even for immortals. Feng Zikang smiled faintly. While he might be capable, perhaps even the original master of this place couldn't manage it this smoothly.

He reached out, grasped the door knockers, and tapped three times.

"Lock. Lock, lock."

The sound resonated like an ancient bell, clear and echoing far away. With a series of creaking noises, the two bronze doors slowly opened, revealing the scene inside the Demon Abode.

Feng Zikang stepped into the abode with an air of measured grace under Huo Zhongguang's astonished gaze.

"Old Iron-Mask, how much longer must we wait?"

Amidst the Li Fire essence, the Iron-Masked Man stood solemnly calculating the time. Hu Sha asked impatiently.

The Iron-Masked Man did not reply. Suddenly, he opened his mouth to the heavens, and a torrent of blood-qi shot upward, tearing through the heavy obstructions of the Li Fire essence to reveal the round moon above.

If he possessed the Dragon Tooth Ancient Mirror now, tossing it into the air to merge with the moonlight would naturally summon the Demon Abode. But the ancient mirror was lost; what method did the Iron-Masked Man have left to open the passage between the two realms?

A chilling cackle escaped the Iron-Masked Man. He pulled out a gourd from his robes and struck it with his hand; the stopper instantly flew off.

A wave of surging resentment washed over them, causing even those battle-hardened old demons to retreat. What sort of substance was in this gourd that possessed such fierce, baleful energy?

Amidst the Iron-Masked Man's roar, countless human-shaped souls poured out of the gourd, dyed blood-red and savage, momentarily overpowering the crimson hue of the Li Fire essence!

"Hahahaha! Fortunately, though the Mirror is lost, the Mirror Soul I refined for a hundred years remains. My children, make one last contribution for your father!"

The Iron-Masked Man’s laughter was maniacal. The souls of the blood-red figures writhed in profound sorrow, their mouths open in silent rage—they could emit no sound.

If Feng Zikang were present, he would surely recognize the faint similarities between these souls and the features of Liu Yuansu and his son, Liu Yue.

"He... he is truly using his own sons..." The One-Eyed Scholar suppressed his disgust and quietly leaned toward the Two-Faced Madam, whispering the question.

"What is so strange about that?" The reply came from the ruthless, cold back. Hearing her sharp, strange laugh, she said, "This type of technique only requires having many sons to practice. If I had the chance to learn it, I would go birth one or two hundred sons! Unlike that old monster Iron-Mask, who is so stingy!"

He was refining the Mirror Soul using his own flesh and blood!

They were kept close by, which prevented Feng Zikang from destroying them all in one go. Now, though the Mirror was lost, the Mirror Soul could serve the same purpose. Under the scorching heat of the Li Fire essence, the souls of his own offspring screamed incessantly, being refined into nothingness. But at this moment, the blood-red light enveloped the moonlight.

Within the Li Fire essence, the crimson light flickered, and a massive manor materialized.

Aside from being entirely blood-red, it was utterly identical to the Demon Abode Feng Zikang had entered!