The sky rained down myriad thunders, leaving scorched earth in its wake! Even those who had previously witnessed the might of the Myriad Thunder Strike, upon seeing this tremendously powerful divine ability up close again, found their spirits stolen away, their hearts seizing in their chests.

A savage aura of destruction permeated the air; the surrounding crowd turned ashen-faced and retreated in droves, recoiling from the intense scent of death. Fe Tianhe sneered, a flicker of triumphant relief mixed with undeniable unease in his eyes.

Grand Tutor Pang shook his head sorrowfully. Events had finally escalated to this point; Feng Zikang was undoubtedly doomed, meaning there was no need to watch further.

His immediate concern was how to face the military scholars of Dragon-Tiger Mountain and settle this mess. The thunder roared—a full stick of incense it lasted.

After one stick of incense, the thunder ceased, the clouds parted, and the stirred-up dust gradually settled. As Grand Tutor Pang was brooding over his frustration, a sudden gasp reached his ears.

"No... could it be—" Grand Tutor Pang turned his head in disbelief, surveying the center of the drill ground.

A hazy figure was slowly emerging from the swirling dust! Feng Zikang!

He wore a calm smile, utterly composed, not a single strand of his hair out of place! "N-No way!" The first to roar out the denial was naturally Fe Tianhe, the one who had unleashed the Myriad Thunder Strike.

Impossible. How could this be?

Even if this youth had managed to evade all the heavenly lightning, he absolutely could not look this... Relaxed!

What did he take the True Law of Myriad Thunders for? "Myriad Thunder Strike descending, yet I stroll at leisure...

Sect Master Fei, are you convinced?" Feng Zikang chuckled lightly, while Fe Tianhe turned deathly pale, struck dumb by disbelief and utterly crestfallen. What kind of profound divine power was this?

His signature ultimate technique, shattered by this young man with such ease, his clothes still immaculate without a trace of disarray—what commentary did this send about the Thunder Duke's Fury, the very treasure artifact of the Lanshan Sect? Feng Zikang paid him no mind, offering a faint smile before returning to Grand Tutor Pang’s side, saying lightly, "My hands were itching today.

It was merely a small exchange of pointers with Sect Master Fei. If no one else feels the itch, then we should return to the camp.

We have crucial military matters to discuss; such exchanges can only be sporadic!" From Grand Tutor Pang downward, everyone was simply dumbstruck. Though each harbored their own dissent, Fe Tianhe's Myriad Thunder Strike was universally acknowledged as the pinnacle of offensive power; none of them dared face it head-on.

Feng Zikang’s casual emergence, completely unharmed, had shattered their pride, leaving no one willing to utter another word. Feng Zikang led the way off the drill ground, and they naturally followed, their minds still reeling from the shock.

The onlookers, only now recovering their senses, erupted into a frenzy of cheers! They had just realized that under the fierce onslaught of the Myriad Thunder Strike, this young man was utterly unscathed—what divine might was this!

The applause thundered, shouts of praise ringing out! Feng Zikang smiled faintly and waved gently toward the crowd, his bearing graceful and natural.

Fe Tianhe stood frozen in the center of the drill ground, motionless. The precious artifact, the Thunder Duke’s Fury, lay casually before him, and he didn't know how to even bend down to pick it up.

How could it be... how could it be...

Only this single thought cycled endlessly through his mind. "Sect Master Fei..." Pang Fei, sent by his father to find him, sighed, touching his wrist upon seeing Fe Tianhe's state, "Come back with me." Fe Tianhe shook his head miserably.

"Do I still have the face to return?" He, the dignified Sect Master, had given his all in a purely offensive attack and failed to subdue a nameless youth—and this happened in full public view. He glanced back; the crowd was still buzzing with discussion.

Though the noise was loud, he couldn't make out the words, but in his mind, every syllable must have been a stinging mockery. Pang Fei let out a wry chuckle.

"Sect Master Fei, don't overthink things. It was merely a standard spar.

Besides, Senior Brother Feng just mentioned..." He leaned close to Fe Tianhe. "Sect Master Fei, don't you want to know how Senior Brother Feng managed to neutralize your Myriad Thunder Strike?" "Ah!" Sect Master Fei finally snapped back to his senses, his heart hammering violently.

Losing face was one thing, but the Lan Sect specialized entirely in thunder arts; if their ultimate technique, the Myriad Thunder Strike, could be so cleanly dismantled, what credibility did their other thunder secrets possess? As the Sect Master of the Lanshan Sect, this was what he should care about most—it concerned the very survival of his sect.

Compared to that, this mere loss of face was nothing. "I'll go back with you!" He hurriedly swallowed his pride and followed Pang Fei toward the main military headquarters.

Pang Fei couldn't help but smile. That last line had been taught to him by Feng Zikang.

Feng Zikang had said that upon hearing those words, Fe Tianhe would certainly come. And indeed, he did.

"Senior Brother Feng, my father and I are truly humbled and convinced by you this time!" Seeing Fe Tianhe follow behind Feng Zikang, solicitously asking questions despite his humiliation, Pang Fei couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. This military brother, though young, possessed exceptional skill and cultivation!

※ Following this engagement, Feng Zikang’s prestige soared. At the very least, no one would again doubt the depth of his power.

Even Fe Tianhe had suffered such a great loss of face; others assessed that they were unlikely to fare better against him, so they dared not stir up further trouble. Only then could Feng Zikang begin to organize and assign duties in preparation for the coming battle.

Outside Luozhou City, approximately forty thousand monstrous creatures had amassed, scattered across the plains and fields. The garrison inside the city numbered seventy thousand, with three large camps stationed outside the city, totaling three hundred thousand troops, holding a standoff with the monsters for several days without engagement.

"Half a month ago, Sect Master Fei used the Myriad Thunder Strike to eliminate a demon general, causing panic among them, and they dared not fight again. Recently, they seem to be waiting for reinforcements." Grand Tutor Pang naturally would not allow them such an easy time.

He led charges several times outside the city to break the formation, but the monsters' camp arrangements, though seemingly scattered, possessed profound intricacies, forming a defensive matrix that was difficult to breach. After several skirmishes with mutual casualties, they had no choice but to remain stationary for the time being.

Feng Zikang nodded. "When I arrived, I observed the method these demons used to set up camp; I had the same thought.

However, this defensive formation is not something to fear; we need not concern ourselves with it. It's their reinforcements that I believe are arriving soon, so we must prepare sooner rather than later." When he observed the enemy camp that day, he had been falsely accused of being a spy by Fang Dingguo and his son.

After Feng Zikang executed Fang Dingguo, Fang Chengliang, too ashamed to remain, had requested resignation and departed yesterday. "Reinforcements are coming soon?" Grand Tutor Pang was startled, his brow furrowed tightly.

"General, may I ask how you can be certain?" Now that Feng Zikang had formally taken command, and being within the military camp, Grand Tutor Pang addressed him as 'General' rather than 'Nephew-disciple' to show his deference. "Yesterday, when I passed below the city walls, I saw that the demon central command tents had begun erecting canopies, clearly in anticipation of the arrival of learned cultivators.

I fear something unexpected will happen within these few days..." If it were a contest of genuine combat and troop deployment, Grand Tutor Pang had no fear. However, among the demons, there often appeared bizarre, unorthodox divine arts; a moment’s inattention could lead to disaster.

Pang’s repeated advances and retreats had kept the front line stubbornly stalled at Ganzhou precisely for this reason. While they were discussing, a minor soldier rushed in with a report: "Reporting to the General, the Grand Tutor, and all esteemed Immortals, a female demon outside the city is calling for a duel, specifically demanding Sect Master Fei step out!" "Oh?

A female demon?" Feng Zikang smiled faintly. "She's arrived quickly enough..." "General, beware of a trap.

We must not easily allow Sect Master Fei to fight!" Grand Tutor Pang was inherently cautious; after being fooled by the demons several times, how could he easily fall for it again? Feng Zikang nodded.

"You all follow me to the city tower to see for yourselves!" The group ascended to the battlements. Feng Zikang looked down and saw a scantily clad woman with bared breasts yelling loudly by the city gate.

Her physique was massive, nearly ten feet tall, yet her waist was incredibly supple and alluringly curved. The woman was incomparably seductive, unarmed, and riding a deep blue sea serpent that twisted awkwardly on the land, appearing quite strange.

"This is the woman who specifically challenged Sect Master Fei?" Feng Zikang smiled. "I wonder which general wishes to go down and engage her?" Fe Tianhe became anxious upon hearing this.

"General, though I am untalented and no match for you, how can this mere female demon be significant? Let me go down and decapitate her!" If she specifically called him out and he refused to fight, he would inevitably be seen as cowardly.

Having just lost face today, accumulating the reputation of a coward who avoids battle would truly ruin him. Feng Zikang laughed heartily.

"Sect Master Fei, no need to rush. Didn't you want to know how I evaded the Myriad Thunder Strike?

Perhaps the key lies with this woman, and then you might know!" Fe Tianhe was startled. "General, you mean this woman can also...

also counter my Myriad Thunder Strike?" His heart sank with dismay. If only Feng Zikang could counter it, that would be one thing, but if even a random demon could neutralize his Myriad Thunder Strike, then what was the hundreds of years of heritage of his Lanshan Sect worth?

"Since she specifically challenged you, she must have a means prepared. I only have a slight guess based on her appearance.

Sect Master Fei, do not worry. Send someone to probe the situation, and we shall know soon enough!" Feng Zikang remained unperturbed, instead offering her some consolation.

At that moment, a disciple from Clear Wind Mountain requested leave to fight, and Feng Zikang nodded, allowing him to go. The disciple flew down from the city wall, deployed his method of the Thunderclap Chain Sword, and announced his name.

"Hah! You demon, I am Zhang Ping, a disciple of Clear Wind Mountain, here to take your life!

Quickly state your name!" The female demon glanced at him dismissively, snorting. "Fe Tianhe doesn't show, and instead sends a mere junior to his death.

Very well, I will let you die to understand. I am Old Ancestor Manmu of the Seven Spirals Beach in the South Sea.

Attack if you dare!" The disciple showed no mercy, unleashing a torrent of sword light aimed directly at Old Ancestor Manmu’s head. Old Ancestor Manmu chuckled deeply.

In an instant, a flash of lightning shot out from an unknown source. It pierced through the layers of sword energy and struck Zhang Ping squarely on the crown of his head.

Zhang Ping screamed once, collapsed to the ground, his entire body charred black—he was already dead! "Ah!" Fe Tianhe cried out in alarm.

He pointed at the demon in disbelief, his fingers trembling uncontrollably. "This demon...

how can it cultivate our sect's thunder arts?"