Feng Zikang pondered for a moment, suddenly enlightened, a hint of amusement entering his gaze as he looked toward the Myriad Demon King.

"Audacious fiend!" Two red-robed figures beside the Grand Celebrant roared in anger. How could such arrogance from a demon be tolerated? Their forms flashed, transforming into twin streaks of sword light, streaking directly toward the Myriad Demon King seated centrally!

"Stop!" the Grand Celebrant cried out.

Before her voice faded, the pfft-pfft sound of impact was heard. Those two streaks of lightning-fast sword light fell instantly after crossing the boundary, collapsing into a pool of raw flesh!

"To have reached such a level of cultivation..." Feng Zikang murmured to himself. Those two celebrants, though clumsy and dull-witted, were at least at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet they were both dispatched cleanly, reduced to bloody paste.

Indeed, for those in the initial stages of cultivation, realm attainment was not everything. When it came to actual fighting, experience, divine abilities (shen tong), and magical artifacts played utterly crucial roles.

Simply striving for an early Foundation Establishment did not guarantee one's strength would truly surpass others.

For Feng Zikang, this feeling was remarkably clear; the Foundation Establishment cultivators he had defeated or slain already numbered more than he could count on one hand.

Now, he observed the same truth in others.

"Heh," he chuckled softly, leaving Huo Zhongguang utterly bewildered. "Junior Brother, how can you laugh when someone is reduced to such a gruesome splatter of flesh?"

Huo Zhongguang inwardly thought his junior brother was truly perverse, the very embodiment of demonic evil—cruel and ruthless. He resolved to keep his tail tucked in even tighter, ensuring he wouldn't become arrogant now that he possessed this body.

"Myriad Demon King, what a powerful shen tong!"

The Grand Celebrant's eyes sharpened. Though her expression remained hidden, one could imagine her fury. Her tone was no longer as amiable as before.

"Since you insist on resisting stubbornly, then do not blame me for discourtesy! I wish to see how your petty demonic realm abilities can withstand the divine might of the Celestial Emperor! Form the array!"

At her command, the celebrants behind her moved. Hundreds of figures sprinted back and forth without making a sound, each expression tense, their movements agile, clearly indicating practiced coordination.

In the blink of an eye, the celebrants arranged themselves in a crescent moon shape, with the Grand Celebrant ensconced at the center.

"Legend says this Crescent Moon Demon Subduing Great Array can draw upon the power of the Celestial Emperor's blessing. I wonder if that's true," the Myriad Demon King mumbled lazily, his eyes half-open, seemingly unconcerned by their actions.

"True or not, you'll find out if you try!"

The Grand Celebrant hissed sharply. Crimson energy billowed behind her, and her eyes turned blood-red, dripping color. Her voice carried an ethereal, transcendent quality. With a wave of her hand, a bolt of blood-colored lightning descended from the heavens, aimed squarely at the Myriad Demon King's skull!

"Well met!"

The Myriad Demon King made no move to evade. With a dry chuckle, he flicked his sleeve, sending forth a silken kerchief that rose up and gently enveloped the lightning. With a tremendous boom, the kerchief was shredded to pieces, but the crimson lightning dissipated harmlessly.

Feng Zikang chuckled again, his internal certainty growing stronger.

"Junior Brother, what exactly have you been laughing about?"

Since the confrontation began, Feng Zikang's inexplicable laughter had made Huo Zhongguang uneasy, wondering what scheme his junior brother was hatching.

"Nothing," Feng Zikang shook his head. "I'm merely considering who I should assist when the real melee breaks out."

"Assist whom?"

Huo Zhongguang paused to consider. Logically, if the Myriad Demon King was the great demon mentioned in the mission prompt, then striking him by surprise would be the right course. But if he wasn't, the cohort of celebrants were clearly here to exterminate demons, and Huo Zhongguang himself was currently counted among the demon kin. Should he not stand in solidarity against the celebrants first?

He became momentarily confused, unable to sort it out.

"The Crescent Moon Demon Subduing Array, it truly has some tricks; it managed to damage my artifact," the Myriad Demon King observed, the silken kerchief glowing with myriad rays of light and auspicious energy—clearly a fine item. Yet, seeing it shattered by the lightning did not seem to pain the Demon King; he merely nodded slightly.

"But..."

He shook his head again. "One does not respond in kind without returning a courtesy. Since you have made the first move, allow me to show you some of my shen tong as well!"

He swept his sleeves, and from within them poured forth countless silver blades of light, swirling and dancing, rushing toward the Grand Celebrant. Since the Myriad Demon King had remained seated to take the lightning bolt earlier, matching his momentum, the Grand Celebrant naturally could not evade this time. Moreover, even if she did evade, the hundreds of celebrants behind her would be defenseless.

She saw the lethality of the blade lights but felt no fear. Gritting her teeth, she shouted, and two dazzling, crystalline spots of blood-colored light shone between her palms, forming a transparent circular barrier before her.

"Boom!"

The blade lights collided with the shield, scattering instantly, doing no apparent damage, and continued toward the hundreds of surrounding celebrants. Those celebrants couldn't react in time; several had their heads cleanly severed, meeting gruesome ends, while several others were injured and forced back.

"Vicious fiend!"

The Grand Celebrant was finally enraged. These blade lights were clearly not aimed at her. This fiend had deliberately pretended to challenge her one-on-one, when in fact, he intended for the lights to scatter and harm her celebrants. Such malicious scheming—how could she, a pure and flawless emissary of the Celestial Emperor born from a divine infant, possibly comprehend it?

Deceit, viciousness, and conspiracy—these concepts were entirely foreign to her.

In the Grand Celebrant's world, even life-or-death combat was merely a direct clash of strength, perhaps augmented by sacrifice and courage.

She trembled with rage, and amidst her furious shouts, torrents of blood-colored lightning relentlessly slashed downward. The Myriad Demon King acted shrewdly, dodging and weaving, no longer taking the hits head-on.

Feng Zikang sighed and shook his head. "At a time like this, the Grand Celebrant is still preoccupied with mercy, unwilling to harm those demons. She is surely going to meet misfortune."

In terms of raw power, the Grand Celebrant and the Myriad Demon King were nearly equal. With the backing of the Crescent Moon Demon Subduing Great Array, she was even stronger. In a direct confrontation, the Myriad Demon King would undoubtedly be no match for her.

Unfortunately, warfare dictates no rule that one must always fight head-on.

The Myriad Demon King had already blunted her spirit at the start, further exploiting her anger and compassion to drain her strength. By the time the blessing of the Crescent Moon Demon Subduing Array began to wane, the Grand Celebrant was likely headed for defeat.

"So, this Myriad Demon King is the great demon?" Huo Zhongguang's eyes lit up. If he could defeat the current Grand Celebrant, then who else in this world could be the prophesied great demon?

"Impossible," Feng Zikang shook his head, smiling enigmatically.

"Impossible?" Huo Zhongguang was once again completely lost, unable to fathom why Feng Zikang was so certain.

"Hoo... hoo..."

The Grand Celebrant's continuous barrage of blood-colored lightning was beginning to tire her. The smarter demons had already hidden close to the cave walls to avoid being caught in the crossfire between the two masters. However, some foolish, small demons stood foolishly frozen in place. The Demon King, unwilling to massacre the innocent, had to constantly maneuver his control over the fiery lightning to avoid the lesser demons. This proved exhausting, slowing his offense, and he began to pant slightly.

The Myriad Demon King sneered, seizing the opportunity to unleash another volley of silver blade lights from his sleeve, slicing down several more red-robed celebrants. The momentum of the Crescent Moon Demon Subduing Great Array weakened, nearly collapsing.

The situation became even clearer: the Myriad Demon King struck ruthlessly, while the Grand Celebrant was constantly looking over her shoulder—how could she possibly win this fight?

Furious, the Grand Celebrant stamped her foot and finally dropped all restraint. With a loud cry, she first unleashed a wave of blood-colored lightning to blast the Myriad Demon King far away, then raised both hands toward the heavens, palms upturned, praying devoutly.

The surviving red-robed celebrants joined their hands and chanted loudly. From the dark ceiling of the cave, a beam of sacred white light suddenly pierced through, enveloping the Grand Celebrant within it.

"Oh? Divine Descent Technique (Shen Jiang Zhi Shu)?"

This particular skill, Feng Zikang was somewhat familiar with. In essence, it was a trick, a way to borrow external power, but its might should not be underestimated.

For ordinary cultivators, the so-called divine descent could only summon minor vengeful spirits or fierce gods to enhance their bodies, often resulting in severe aftereffects. Among various schools of thought, those protected by the Mystic Realm (Xuan Jie) could summon predecessors during the invocation, such as the Martial Saint Possession skill often used by military strategists, which summoned the Martial Saint Guan Yu from the Three Kingdoms era to possess them, unleashing tremendous power.

In the Formless Heavenly Demon Heart Method (Wuxiang Tianmo Xinfa) cultivated by Feng Zikang, reaching the higher tiers allowed one to attain a powerful shen tong called Heavenly Demon Manifestation, which directly invited the Great Heavenly Demon to possess the body, making one nearly invincible within that realm.

However, such techniques were inherently parasitic, and the stronger the summoned entity, the greater the damage to the host body. Few cultivators dared to practice it, lest they accidentally lose control of their bodies to the Great Heavenly Demon, essentially becoming a puppet.

This Grand Celebrant was utilizing the collective power of the celebrants behind her, seemingly to invoke the blessing of the Celestial Emperor—that was extremely formidable. Feng Zikang did not hesitate; he unleashed a sword strike, intending to stop her from completing this Divine Descent Technique.

The Myriad Demon King was startled and turned back, only to see a minor demon unleashing a torrent-like sword light, yet winking playfully at him.

As the Myriad Demon King watched in confusion, the minor demon clapped his head, revealing Feng Zikang's true appearance.

"It's you?"

The Myriad Demon King exclaimed in surprise and delight, then immediately shouted, "Junior Brother, do not harm her! Let her complete the divine possession!"

His voice shifted, transforming into a crisp, feminine tone. Huo Zhongguang was initially astonished, but then smacked his head in realization—he understood.

Luo Lianxin!

This Myriad Demon King was Luo Lianxin. Her meticulous efforts to gather all the demons here clearly had a special objective.

Feng Zikang was deeply shocked. He retracted his sword light. "Senior Sister, are you suggesting that the Lord of the Mystic Realm, this so-called Celestial Emperor, is the great demon targeted in the Foundation Establishment Good Deeds Mission?"

How could that be?

Even Feng Zikang, despite his boldness, felt a chill in his heart.

It wasn't because the Celestial Emperor governed with kindness, ensuring peace and prosperity for his subjects, making him seem unlike a demon. In truth, Feng Zikang vaguely felt that the Celestial Emperor's actions were somewhat strange; it wasn't impossible for him to be a demon.

The problem was that if the Celestial Emperor was the target of the mission, then this Foundation Establishment Good Deeds Mission was impossibly difficult!

It was so hard that it seemed utterly impossible to complete!

If the legends were true—that the Celestial Emperor was the creator of the mortal realm—and he was the mission target, then Feng Zikang and the others should abandon the fight immediately, flee back to Dragon-Tiger Mountain. A being capable of creating such a prosperous and complete Mystic Realm, even if his power fell short of the Primordial Giant Demon (Li Shi Ju Mo) of the Mystic Realm Feng Zikang originated from, would still far surpass their sect leader, Yuan Buhuan.

He must be at least at the Nascent Soul stage, perhaps even higher. Was Feng Zikang foolish enough to provoke him?

Even if this Celestial Emperor wasn't the true creator of the mortal realm, but merely a successor like Feng Zikang who inherited a Mystic Realm, the mere fact that he could manage this realm and prevent its collapse implied a cultivation base of at least late Core Condensation, requiring a supreme treasure to stabilize it, to even vaguely achieve such a feat.

For Feng Zikang, whether the Celestial Emperor was late Core Condensation or Nascent Soul, the result was the same: he and Luo Lianxin, two cultivators at the peak Great Perfection of Qi Invocation the Tenth Level, weren't even worth the opponent flicking a finger at!

This was why Feng Zikang had never taken him seriously. A Foundation Establishment mission would never assign a suicidal task, not even a Divine-tier mission. Asking a minor disciple at the Tenth Level of Qi Invocation to kill a great demon who was at least late Core Condensation was equivalent to asking an unarmed mortal to face a legion of a hundred thousand armored troops.

The Great Samsara Disk (Da Lunhui Pan) would never orchestrate something so absurd.

Luo Lianxin sighed. "Junior Brother, when I first learned this, I was as shocked as you. However, after extensive verification, this so-called Celestial Emperor is indeed the troublesome great demon. Did you know he consumes eight hundred people from this mortal realm every day? Although these people willingly transform into his flesh and blood, they are all ensnared by his soul-bewitching arts!"

Feng Zikang's expression instantly grew heavy.

Luo Lianxin had been in this mortal realm for nearly two years. By gathering the demons, she had ascended to the position of Myriad Demon King, meaning no other worldly demon could be stronger or more deserving of the title 'Great Demon' than she.

Searching the demon realm had yielded no results.

The only one potentially superior to her was this so-called Lord of Chaotic Creation, this so-called Celestial Emperor, who devoured eight hundred people daily yet was revered by his subjects as benevolent and merciful!

Since Luo Lianxin stated this, she must have at least an eighty percent certainty.

Therefore, the target of this mission was genuinely a demon whose cultivation was at least late Core Condensation, and the battlefield was within the Mystic Realm under his control.

Even if all their side's forces were deployed—Luo Lianxin, Feng Zikang, Huo Zhongguang, Long Que, Zhu Li'er, the Ghost King Tu, the Four Symbols Divine Demons—even counting the little fox who occasionally showed power, they would merely be an appetizer for him!

"No!"

Feng Zikang suddenly realized: even a Divine-tier Foundation Establishment Good Deeds Mission would not assign a guaranteed death sentence. If the target was indeed that Celestial Emperor, then no matter how high his cultivation, there must be some limitation on him!

"Wuu... wuu..."

At this moment, the Grand Celebrant began to wail. The Divine Descent Technique was about to complete. She floated in the air, the crimson cloth enveloping her body having completely dispersed, leaving her almost naked, though devoid of any seductive aura. A hole was visible on her forehead, slowly writhing with bloody flesh, as if an eye were about to open. A terrifying aura radiated from her entire being, filling the air. Some of the braver demons were so frightened they soiled themselves.

The air was thick with a strange stench.

The twenty-first day's ten thousand words, twenty-one thousand words for this month. I firmly believe diligence earns monthly tickets; I hope I am not disappointing!