This is the ultimate release, the secret of Heaven, the final law and order. All the myriad others are merely methods to seek the Dao. The Confucian school seeks the Dao through benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and law; the Daoist school through carefree immortality; the Buddhist school through compassion and nirvana. The Military school seeks the Dao through slaughter and strategy; the Legalist school through order and fairness; the Agrarian school through the growth of all things. The Yin-Yang school through the transformation of Yin and Yang; the Syncretist school through embracing all doctrines; the School of Names through logic and language. The Mohist school seeks the Dao through universal love and non-aggression; the Diplomat school seeks the Dao through instigating discord... As for the Demonic Path, its method of seeking the Dao must be through devouring and plundering. These methods are countless, all leading to the same final result.

Feng Zikang suddenly understood, closing his eyes in contemplation. He had always been intent on keeping the Way of War and the Demonic Path separate, reminding himself that possessing two inheritances meant he could not show any flaw—this was his way of survival. But, equally, this had also led him astray. He was neither of the Way of War nor of the Demonic Path. But rather, a Demonic War Way, the Demonic Path of Military Strategy! Every person seeks the Dao through their own method. Even within the same sect and lineage, understanding of the method will differ slightly. This was his personal method for seeking the Dao. Confucius spoke of Ren (benevolence); Mencius spoke of Yi (righteousness). Both were Confucian Sages, yet their methods held subtle distinctions. Laozi spoke of the Profound Mystery; Zhuangzi spoke of the Carefree Wanderer. Both were founders of the Daoist school, yet their approaches diverged. Then why should Feng Zikang trouble himself with whether he belonged to the Demonic Path or the Way of War? Following his own true heart was the orthodox path! Only at this moment did he truly release the knot in his heart, feeling his mind become utterly clear, as if on the verge of another breakthrough.

"Congratulations, Brother Feng!" Gui Tongzi was also well-behaved. Seeing Feng Zikang’s demeanor, he knew he was about to break through again and quickly offered congratulations. Feng Zikang smiled and bowed. "I must also thank Brother Gui for a timely word of awakening. Should I achieve success in the Mysterious Realm, I shall certainly not forget Brother Gui's kindness!" Upon hearing this, Gui Tongzi was overjoyed. He knew that by assisting here in the Mysterious Realm, he would certainly not suffer any loss in the future. "Then, after I condense the Wind Essence, I will venture out to seek the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil. The construction of the Earth Altar will be entrusted to Brother Gui!" Gui Tongzi readily agreed. Feng Zikang first entered seclusion to stabilize his realm, and then prepared for artifact refining. During this period, his accumulation was profound. Awakened by Gui Tongzi’s words, his cultivation increased, allowing him to break through to the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, catching up to the level of many second-generation disciples. Considering he had only cultivated for a few years, the various fortuitous encounters he had experienced were truly astonishing. Furthermore, the demonic fetus nurtured within him grew stronger, already beginning to show the shape of an infant. This infant currently resided in the 'ten-story city' within his body. The previously incongruous parts now seemed perfectly natural as his state of mind clarified. After about ten days, he stabilized his realm and calmed his Dao heart, finally commencing the refinement of his sword. This time he had acquired a considerable amount of Wind Essence. When taken out, they were still struggling violently. Feng Zikang dared not take them all out at once; without the Wind-Calming Pearl in hand, he could not suppress them, so he had to condense them slowly. He intended to refine all this Wind Essence into the Heaven-Swallowing Ancient Sword. Speaking of this sword, it had devoured many excellent items over the years, and he had also spent a great sum at the Flying Cloud Mirage Tower to purchase numerous flying swords for it to consume. However, its growth remained slow, though generally keeping pace with Feng Zikang's rise in cultivation, which was sufficient. After merging back into the sword soul, he had long wanted to summon the sword soul to inquire about the past situation and the specific conditions in the Southern Barbarian lands. Unfortunately, ever since the Grand Master transformed back into the sword soul, it had remained in deep slumber, never— Feng Zikang was not anxious; cultivators lack nothing more than time. Today’s task, refining the Wind Essence into the sword, was a massive undertaking. The Wind Essence was not a magical tool or weapon, so the Heaven-Swallowing Ancient Sword held no inherent interest in it, nor would it willingly absorb it. It required the method of artifact refining—melting the Wind Essence and merging it into the Heaven-Swallowing Ancient Sword. Feng Zikang’s primary reason for this meticulous refinement was to enhance the speed of his sword light. First, it would increase his travel speed; second, the faster the sword light, the quicker the killing. He already possessed the Heaven Demon Blood Evasion and Thousand Mile Travel divine abilities, making him fast among Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, if he focused his sights on the Core Formation stage, this speed was unremarkable. Having this opportunity to strengthen himself, he saw no reason to waste it. Even if the Wind Essence might have greater uses later, during the current Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth, accelerating the enhancement of his strength was the top priority.

"Hah!" Feng Zikang employed the Heart Refining technique, slowly melting the Wind Essence with the fire from his heart. The Wind Essence emitted mournful cries. This substance already possessed sentience; even this small fragment had achieved spiritual awareness. Knowing its doom was sealed, it wept bitterly. Feng Zikang paid it no mind, manipulating his sword light to fuse it. "Whoosh!" This art of fusion and refinement was extraordinary. Even with his profound cultivation, fusing a single piece exhausted Feng Zikang greatly. He needed to rest for one or two hours before he could continue. The total number was three hundred and twenty-seven small fragments of Wind Essence. He did not keep any back, spending several tens of days to condense them all into the Heaven-Swallowing Ancient Sword. On the day the great achievement was complete, he rode his sword light, speeding through the Mysterious Realm. He felt as swift as lightning, many times faster than before! Ghost King Tu, Jasmine, and the others watched, mesmerized. Dragon Que and Gui Tongzi, with their higher perspectives, were secretly impressed. The current Heaven-Swallowing Ancient Sword could travel thousands of miles daily, taking only an instant to sever a head when its light flashed. Aided by these three hundred and twenty-seven fragments of Wind Essence, its quality had ascended another level.

The artifact refinement was done, but the Earth Altar was still under construction. Feng Zikang entrusted the Mysterious Realm to Gui Tongzi, Immortal Tianfu, and the others, taking Ghost King Tu and Milly to the East Sea to search for the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil. Initially, Ghost King Tu had informed him of the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil’s location so that Feng Zikang would venture to that dangerous place to die. But during this period, Feng Zikang’s strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, and Ghost King Tu had become genuinely submissive to him. Though the island still held perils, she believed Feng Zikang could navigate misfortune to safety.

"Ghost King Tu, tell me precisely what dangers lie on that island?" Although confident, Feng Zikang was not arrogant. He needed to clearly understand the dangers from Ghost King Tu so he could be prepared to counter them. However, when it came to details, Ghost King Tu was rather vague. That was decades ago, before they discovered the Demonic Mansion of Dragon Tooth Mountain. By chance, Ghost King Tu learned of a dazzling treasure light emanating from a small island in the East Sea. Greed flared, and she gathered a group of hangers-on to scout it out. That area was surrounded by numerous sea demons acting as pests, which was manageable. They struggled their way through, losing several people, before reaching the island. But the island itself was riddled with countless traps—fatal upon contact. They blundered about, and after most of their company died, they stumbled into a cave and discovered a well sealed by the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil.

"A well?" Feng Zikang frowned. The Nine Heavens Breathing Soil is a divine object. In ancient times, Yu the Great’s father, Su, once used this material for flood control, capable of resisting mountains and rivers. What significance did a mere well hold that it required the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil to seal it?

"There must be an extremely dangerous entity within that well." Ghost King Tu nodded, giving a bitter smile. "My Lord, you see clearly. At that time, we did not understand the secrets of Heaven. We rashly lifted the seal of the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil. I took a little, and my heart felt that something was amiss, and I was about to urge everyone to retreat. But those people did not listen to me, their greed insatiable, and they stripped away all the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil sealing the well mouth." Once the soil was removed, the well mouth was exposed. Still unsatisfied, those few peered into the well. They saw a pool of clear water, quite beautiful. As they attempted to explore, the clear water suddenly sprayed out, instantly engulfing several of them and dissolving them into nothingness. Ghost King Tu, being farther away, was so terrified that she fled on the spot. She barely managed to save her life and had no idea what happened on the island afterward.

"Water that can dissolve people?" Feng Zikang frowned again. Ghost King Tu nodded. "Precisely. But it dissolves them slowly, without any agonizing pain, which is precisely what made it so terrifying!" Those people had water doused on their heads and faces and didn't notice until their flesh and bones were slowly melting away. By then, it was too late. Ghost King Tu shuddered recalling the scene from that day. Feng Zikang nodded. "Since this water can dissolve people without a sound, it must be the legendary Myriad Transformation Yin Water. It is said that this water can transform anything except a few divine artifacts. The Nine Heavens Breathing Soil pressing down on the well mouth was surely to suppress it." Ghost King Tu exclaimed, "My Lord is indeed knowledgeable! It took me decades of researching ancient texts to learn this; I never expected My Lord to possess such wisdom!" Feng Zikang smiled, accepting the flattery. This meant that most of the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil should still be in that cave. Although the Myriad Transformation Yin Water was powerful, it could not dissolve the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil. However, retrieving the soil from it would undoubtedly be difficult.

"With My Lord's current cultivation, breaking through the siege of the sea demons, entering the island, and bypassing the traps to reach the cave should not be an issue. But that Myriad Transformation Yin Water is truly terrifying." Ghost King Tu spoke accurately. Feng Zikang pondered for a moment, then smiled, "No matter. If only the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil sealed the well mouth, it surely couldn't stop the Yin Water from surging up. There must be other restrictive measures. We will go and see for ourselves!" Unless the entire well and the entire area in front of it were made of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, the Myriad Transformation Yin Water would eventually dissolve all things and emerge. The fact that it was contained on this island surely implied other restrictive means. The Nine Heavens Breathing Soil was merely one component. Feng Zikang planned to go there and act according to the situation.

Ghost King Tu patted her head. "My Lord sees clearly! Truly a single word awakens a sleeping man!" Feng Zikang knew she was flattering him again and laughed heartily. "Ghost King Tu, your sycophancy is getting more and more impressive. No need for this. As long as you work diligently, I will naturally treat you and your daughter well!" He deliberately glanced at Jasmine and smiled faintly. Ghost King Tu’s efforts were seen through, and her face flushed slightly. She humbled herself and flattered excessively, partly because she was genuinely convinced by Feng Zikang's power, and partly for her daughter. Jasmine, since being turned into a puppet, had recovered but remained somewhat dull and listless. Her innate power of seduction was largely lost. In front of Feng Zikang, she was timid and dared not speak. Ghost King Tu saw this and worried deeply. She knew her daughter was subdued by her Lord’s imposing aura, harboring an unexpressed grievance that caused her current state. Ghost King Tu feared Feng Zikang would be displeased because of this, so she resorted to clowning around herself, taking over the role Huo Zhongguang once played, hoping to earn a bit more leniency from Feng Zikang. Feng Zikang understood her intentions and pointed it out deliberately. Now, Jasmine and Ghost King Tu were inextricably linked. Frankly, Feng Zikang did not really wish to bring the young girl along; she was of little use now. If Ghost King Tu were not astute and knowledgeable, Feng Zikang would have dealt with her long ago. But as long as Ghost King Tu diligently served him, and Jasmine did not become a liability, he would turn a blind eye to these matters. Jasmine listened to their conversation. Being a sensitive person, she guessed they were discussing her. Panic seized her, making her appear even more wooden. Feng Zikang let out a cold smile and said no more. With his swift sword light, they reached the East Sea in just one day. Ghost King Tu recognized the location of the island and guided the way directly. Just as they neared the island, they saw a vast expanse of black clouds ahead, seemingly concealing several cultivators within. Feng Zikang frowned. This area was desolate; where did so many cultivators come from?

"Ghost King Tu, didn't you say this place was desolate?" Ghost King Tu was also startled, not expecting such a crowd here. Just as she was about to reply, a streak of dark light shot out from the black cloud, transforming into a burly man who blocked their path. "Who goes there? We people of the East Sea are conducting business; outsiders are not welcome! Please retreat immediately!" Ghost King Tu scoffed angrily. "What 'people of the East Sea conducting business'? When did I, Ghost King Tu, ever hear of such a rule? Even if it is business of the East Sea, I am a person of the East Sea! Why should I retreat?" The burly man was momentarily stunned. He didn't recognize Ghost King Tu, nor had he heard of her. However, someone within the black cloud recognized her and let out a cackling laugh like that of an owl. "I wondered who it was—it’s Sister Ghost King Tu! Haha, we are all on the same side; no need for the Dragon King’s Temple to flood our own people! Come, come, Senior Duoxin, allow me to introduce you!" The black cloud dispersed halfway, revealing a man with the face of a shrew and beady eyes, waving his hand erratically at Ghost King Tu. "Old Fang San..." Ghost King Tu was also startled and whispered urgently to Feng Zikang, "My Lord, this man is a tyrant of the East Sea, his cultivation is above mine. Who is this 'Senior Duoxin' he mentioned? I fear he is even more formidable!" Feng Zikang perceived the situation clearly but felt no fear, only curiosity. He looked forward as the black cloud spread further, finally revealing several figures. These figures were strangely shaped, each with unique features, but the oddest was a massive elder in the center. His face was pitch black, and he was three zhang tall, and equally three zhang wide when viewed horizontally—a perfect square! Upon seeing this elder, Ghost King Tu's heart skipped a beat, and she gasped, "Is that the Old Ancestor of the East Sea in person? Why has the Ancestor graced this spot?"