The blue flame flickered, unsteady. It seemed frail, yet in the face of the shockwave from Er Yue Ao’s sword qi just moments before, it remained utterly undisturbed, as if the outside world held no sway over it.

This was the Soul of the Profound Realm, and mastering it meant naturally inheriting the legacy of this entire domain. Feng Zikang gazed at it silently for a long while, not rushing to reach out.

Within that faint, sharp brilliance, some profound, arcane truth seemed to be transmitted. Beside him, the phantom-like Ghost King Tu stared fiercely at that wisp of blue flame, looking as if she desperately wanted to devour it.

Yet, knowing she possessed no strength left to contend for it, she managed to restrain herself. Her hatred for her wicked disciple intensified, and she turned to glare at Sha Lier, who was still unconscious within the Four Symbols God-Demon Array, spitting at her with venom.

"Hmph!" Feng Zikang reached out and grasped the wisp of blue flame. As if struck by lightning, countless illusions flooded his mind, whirling and dancing like butterflies through flowers, leaving him dazzled.

The Profound Realm. It, too, had known its triumphs and shames, its eras of splendor and its periods of decline, right up to this very day.

In his daze, Feng Zikang witnessed brutal, tragic battles; he saw the awe-inspiring majesty of the ancient God-Demons, and he felt the sorrow and agony of their fall. The impermanence of worldly affairs had reached its zenith.

His eyes glazed over, trapped, unable to extricate himself from this illusion. "For what purpose do we cultivators strive?" Countless mighty cultivators, some born, some destroyed, were like flames—even if brilliant for a time, they could not escape the fate of being extinguished.

Was the path to longevity ultimately a delusion? Even if one achieved immortality, what joy was there in merely existing?

If the heavens and earth would not bend to one's will, what pleasure could be found in meekly pursuing endless life? He vaguely perceived a Celestial Palace where throngs of immortals knelt before the Celestial Emperor; elsewhere, under a Demon King's seat, legions of demons trembled in fear.

Any single one of these figures was a supreme hero in their world, possessed of deep cultivation, having ascended to the Upper Realms, only to meet this outcome. Was it worth it?

※ "Bitch!" Long Que watched menacingly from the side, guarding his master. Ghost King Tu dared not interfere, instead circling to where Sha Lier was bound by the four God-Demons, stomping on her viciously.

Alas, she was currently an ethereal body, and the unconscious Sha Lier felt nothing. Huo Zhongguang, who was keeping watch nearby, yawned.

He had been upgraded from prisoner to jailer and was naturally arrogant. "Old woman, don't be angry.

You aren't the first to have a disciple kill their master, nor will you be the last. Why let it bother you so?" "Nonsense!" Ghost King Tu dismissed him, seeing he was merely a specter of essence and blood, and cursed loudly, "I am not only her master, I am her mother!" "M-mother?" Huo Zhongguang was slightly stunned.

He glanced at the still-unconscious Zhu Lier and couldn't help but sigh. Moli'er was indeed the daughter of Ghost King Tu; otherwise, the Ghost King would never have trusted her so completely.

She had not only used the secret technique of the Ghost Mother to refine herself into a Ghost Child and her daughter into the Ghost Mother but had also fused her own cultivation with the accumulated souls and skeletal remains of thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Ghost King Manor, injecting them into her daughter to ensure her successful foundation building, thus enabling this current plan. Who knew she had raised an ungrateful viper that, at the critical moment, delivered the tragedy of a daughter murdering her mother and a disciple murdering her master, allowing Feng Zikang to benefit for nothing.

Ghost King Tu vented her grievances tearfully and breathlessly to Huo Zhongguang. In her fit of rage, she didn't care who listened; as long as she had an audience, she kept talking, leaving Huo Zhongguang dumbfounded.

It turned out that Ghost King Tu, being a spirit body, could not naturally conceive. One day, sensing a heavenly opportunity, she ate a red fruit in the back mountains and became pregnant.

After ten months, she gave birth to a daughter. Her power was low then, and while fleeing pursuers with her child, she drifted at sea, filled with bitter sorrow.

She toiled for decades to rebuild her cultivation, finally achieving Foundation Establishment by chance, becoming a great cultivator of some standing. But this daughter, Rong Lier, remained an infant for decades, never growing.

Worried, Ghost King Tu sought the Bodhisattva Guanyin of the South Sea, learning that the child was a heavenly gift, different from ordinary beings, and would grow extremely slowly. Ghost King Tu begged endlessly and obtained a prescription.

After gathering dozens of herbs and compounding them into pills, she managed to slightly accelerate Moli'er's growth rate—roughly one year for every ten of normal human time. "You mean this little girl is already over a hundred years old?" Huo Zhongguang was shocked; he truly couldn't tell.

Just then, Rong Lier groaned and slowly awoke. Ghost King Tu’s face contorted, and she lunged forward, almost biting her, yet ultimately unable to bring herself to do it, two streams of bloody tears rolling from her eyes!

"Qin Lier, Qin Lier! What were you thinking?

Isn't what mother has yours? Why, why did you—" Moli'er slowly raised her head, her expression unchanged.

With her intelligence, she naturally understood the situation was amiss. She glanced at the four ferocious God-Demons surrounding them, then swept a look over the disdainful Huo Zhongguang, completely ignoring her master and mother.

She turned her gaze to Feng Zikang, who held the blue flame, lost in thought. "So it was the heart..." Moli'er nodded.

"...the least likely person. The one who laughed last.

A move short of perfection, everything ruined, and yet mocking others." Her demeanor was calm, unlike her agitated mother. "Moli'er!" Ghost King Tu roared in fury, sharply scolding her.

Moli'er turned back with a smile. "What is it, Master-Mother?

What use is it for you to shout at me? We are both losers who were one move short.

Why be so vexed? My ending seems no better than yours; why are you angry?" "You!" Ghost King Tu was choked into silence.

Moli'er slowly rose, observing the four God-Demons with interest. The Heavenly King Vajra and the Dark Demon King stood rigid and wide-eyed, holding her back.

Only the hairless giant beast, whose fur had recently been burned off and was too ashamed to show itself, flinched back when it saw her glance. "Is this the young man's trump card?" Moli'er clicked her tongue in amazement.

"Master-Mother, even if I hadn't acted, I doubt the two of us could defeat these four God-Demons. Why fret?

Didn't you teach me to always pursue the greatest benefit?" Ghost King Tu's face turned white with rage. "We, mother and daughter, were united, yet you—" United?

Ha!" Mi He'er scoffed, cutting off Ghost King Tu. "Weren't you always ashamed of me?

What unity? Before today, when did you ever admit to being my mother?

If I hadn't moved the Six Paths Styx, wouldn't I still be your obedient little disciple?" This rebellious girl seemed burdened by deep resentment as well. The mother and daughter bickered like fighting cocks.

Huo Zhongguang shook his head, paying them no mind, his gaze drifting back to Feng Zikang. Feng Zikang remained motionless, still gripping the blue flame.

Huo Zhongguang grew somewhat worried; after all, his junior brother's life was inextricably linked to his own. "All you Immortals, Bodhisattvas, and Ancestors, you must ensure my junior brother comes to no harm!" He clasped his hands together with unexpected piety.

※ Feng Zikang was still immersed in his bewildered contemplation when a voice questioned him in the dark void, a question to which he could not answer. What, truly, was the ultimate goal of cultivation?

Initially, he only sought survival, but immediately after seizing a body, that goal was shattered. He then possessed the body of a child, and his first objective was revenge: to attain the pinnacle of the Great Heavenly Demon, sweep across the world, and subdue all monks and Daoists.

But later, as he diligently studied the Great Dao and read ancient texts, he gained further insight. When questioned about the Dao, his answer was "Victory," which was one form of understanding, but it was not the final objective.

Reaching the heights of cultivation naturally led to ascension. However, in the Upper Realms, there were countless more formidable mighty cultivators.

To finally reach the apex in this world, only to start over in another world—what was the point? Even if he repeated the process, became a powerhouse in the Upper Realms again, and ascended once more, who knew if there wasn't yet another realm above that?

This pursuit continued endlessly; where did cultivation ever cease? What was the purpose of those monks, Daoists, and devout sect members?

Feng Zikang’s mind churned with questions, sensing a dawning understanding but unable to grasp the crucial spark of enlightenment. Why did the Three Teachings and Nine Schools all establish their own Profound Realms, attracting and nurturing countless cultivators to flourish?

What was the motivation? Could it be...

A sudden flash of insight struck Feng Zikang, illuminating the nature of the Profound Realm he was about to acquire. True supreme masters did not chase mere ascension.

For them, ascension was less an achievement and more an evasion—a simple escape from the limits of cultivation and life in their current world, only to strive anew in a world where those limits were higher. But by ascending this way, upon entering the new world, one became merely an unknown nobody, no different from a newborn infant in that realm, often looked down upon despite possessing some residual powers.

The path taken by truly great masters was different. It was: When one attains the Dao, their entire entourage ascends with them!

Those with slightly lesser power protected a small domain, perhaps a few disciples, and established a grotto-heaven in the Upper Realms, living as carefree Loose Immortals. Those with greater power, such as the founders of the Three Teachings and Nine Schools, created an entire Profound Realm, safeguarding countless believers and disciples—this was the pursuit of the great masters.

But the highest realm was Ascension of the Entire Realm! The worlds inhabited by cultivators varied in quality and could not compare to the Immortal Realm.

However, if a cultivator, through supreme power and immense merit, could transform their world, elevate its people, and bring the entire domain up with them, they would instantly secure the position of Celestial Emperor, setting them far apart from those who ascended ordinarily! One soul ascends, saving billions of people—including birds, beasts, insects, fish, demons, and ghosts—granting them all advancement.

What profound merit was this! Feng Zikang sucked in a sharp breath, finally understanding the ambition of the Demon Lord who had established this Profound Realm.

What he sought was not merely his own longevity and ascent, but the ascension of this entire world! Magnificent!

A surge of passion rose in Feng Zikang’s heart, finding expression only in those two words!