Feng Zikang rested his sword, standing still. He gazed at the old man slowly emerging from the shadows.

The elder sat in a wheelchair, his face utterly devoid of expression. Only the soft, rhythmic whirring of the wheel casters could be heard.

The moment the old man appeared, all the previously active monsters ceased their movements, burrowing into the earth until they vanished without a trace. “Didn't you already deduce it just now?

This old man can barely be counted as someone from the Mohist school.” His voice was sharp and perverse, lacking the gentle refinement of his family lineage. Yet, it was undeniable; he truly knew how to craft automatons.

And these were automatons forged from living flesh and blood! Though Feng Zikang’s expression remained unchanged, his heart was seized by a tempest of shock.

The Mohists— Feng Zikang had encountered numerous Mohists before. Their Daoist arts, centered on universal love and non-aggression, were already considered esoteric, especially their practice of crafting mechanical beasts from the bones of living creatures.

But using human bones and flesh, well, that was something else entirely… “Don’t mutter to yourself in your mind, child.” The old man let out a cold laugh, as if he could peer straight into his thoughts. “Though I originated from the Mohist school, I long ago severed ties with them.

What materials I use to build my automatons is none of their business!” He truly was an apostate of the Mohist way! Feng Zikang cupped his hands in a respectful salute.

“I am Feng Zikang, a disciple of the Military Branch’s Bamboo Grove at Dragon-Tiger Mountain. May I ask for your esteemed name, Senior?” This old man’s appearance was bizarre, and those flesh-and-blood automatons were troublesome.

Since his objective for the day was already accomplished, there was no need to invite further complications; being courteous to him wouldn’t hurt. “Oh?

Someone from the Military Branch of Dragon-Tiger Mountain?” The elder glanced at him twice. While his face remained stern, it seemed significantly softer than before.

“I am Mo Zhongxiao. Who currently presides over your Dragon-Tiger Mountain Military Branch now?

Hmm, I recall a General Lu a few years ago who possessed transcendent natural talent. I wonder how he fares now?” Feng Zikang’s heart skipped a beat.

The fall of General Lu was a major event in the cultivation world in recent years. The fact that this old man didn't know suggested he had been utterly secluded from the world for a long time.

“So it is Senior Mo. Martial Uncle Lu failed his Tribulation Ascent a few years ago and has already ascended to immortality…” “Ah!” Mo Zhongxiao was greatly astonished.

“Someone like General Lu actually succumbed to his tribulation and perished?” His expression instantly darkened again. He shook his head ceaselessly.

Uncertain of Mo Zhongxiao’s background, Feng Zikang decided to gently lead him into conversation. “Senior must have been in seclusion for quite some time, which is why you are unaware of the changes in the current world.

When did you and my Martial Uncle Lu become acquainted?” “When?” Mo Zhongxiao counted on his fingers for a long while. “Calculating like this, it must have been over a hundred years ago…” He sighed deeply, his expression deeply despondent, then shook his head again.

“Boy, why have you come here? You are young, yet your cultivation is remarkable—perhaps even surpassing your Martial Uncle Lu in his youth.

Why would you venture to such a perilous island?” Initially, Mo Zhongxiao attacked them with flesh-and-blood automatons, clearly harboring ill intentions. Now that he knew Feng Zikang was General Lu’s junior martial nephew from the Dragon-Tiger Mountain Military Branch, he seemed to have dropped his hostile intent and shifted toward warning him instead.

Feng Zikang knew there was no point in hiding things. “Senior Mo, I heard that the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil is here, so I came seeking a way to collect it.

I have no other intentions.” “Oh?” Mo Zhongxiao snorted. “You certainly are well-informed.” He turned to look at the Ghost King Tu, a faint smile touching his lips.

“So, it is you…” Mo Zhongxiao pointed at the Ghost King Tu, then turned back to Feng Zikang. “Is she that little girl who fled from my Water Element Island back then?

I didn't expect you to subdue her. Did she tell you about the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil here?” The Ghost King Tu was greatly startled.

When Mo Zhongxiao first appeared, she sensed his profound cultivation and peculiar temperament and dared not speak. She never expected him to call her out directly now.

Moreover, he recounted the events of that day as if he had witnessed them firsthand. “Senior, were you perhaps inside the cavern then?” she asked fearfully.

“Nonsense!” Mo Zhongxiao swept her a disdainful glance. “If I weren't in the cavern suppressing the Myriad Transformations Yin Water, you would have been dissolved just like your fox companions long ago.

How would you even have the chance to stand here?” “It was Senior who saved me?” The Ghost King Tu quickly kowtowed her thanks, but Mo Zhongxiao lightly waved his sleeve, stopping her. “Don’t thank me.

I am only guarding this place to prevent a grand calamity of Heaven and Earth. I had no intention of saving you; you were just lucky, little girl!” His act of restraining and suppressing the Myriad Transformations Yin Water was solely to avert catastrophe; it had nothing to do with the Ghost King Tu.

Feng Zikang paused. “Senior has been here all along, guarding the Myriad Transformations Yin Water?” Mo Zhongxiao glanced at him.

“So what if I have?” Though phrased as a retort, it was an admission. This old man had been guarding the Myriad Transformations Yin Water, never leaving this desolate island for a hundred years!

Feng Zikang’s expression shifted slightly, and a related matter suddenly occurred to him. “Then, Senior must not be here guarding the Water Stabilizing Pearl, must you!” “Huh?” Mo Zhongxiao’s ancient face, seemingly unchanged for ten thousand years, finally showed a trace of surprise.

His expression grew grim, and he glared coldly at Feng Zikang. “Boy, how could you possibly guess that!” It was true!

Feng Zikang had sensed it and gambled on a guess, which turned out to be correct! “However, there are no Stabilizing Pearls up here.” Mo Zhongxiao displayed a hint of disdain.

“On this island, there is only one Water Repelling Pearl!” Feng Zikang blinked, then smiled faintly. The name was different, but the function was the same.

He stood up and bowed again. “So, Senior is here guarding the Water Eye.

Such arduous and meritorious service…” He spoke vaguely, making it sound as if he fully understood Mo Zhongxiao’s purpose, when in reality, he had guessed most of it. However, this demeanor led Mo Zhongxiao to believe him completely.

“Boy! I didn't expect you to know about the Water Eye.

The Military Branch of Dragon-Tiger Mountain treats you quite well…” But you are too young. Could you be the predetermined successor to the position of Master?

When General Lu first arrived here, he didn't even know about this Water Eye and the Water Repelling Pearl, yet you seem to know more than he did.” A century ago, General Lu was not yet the Sect Master of the Military Branch of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, but his status was already extremely high. As for Feng Zikang, although Yuan Buhuan spoke of cultivating him, among the third-generation disciples, only Luo Lianxin could contend with him.

But compared to the status of General Lu back then, his standing was naturally incomparable. He merely offered a faint smile, which served as tacit agreement.

It turned out the Military Branch of Dragon-Tiger Mountain was indeed aware of the truth of the Water Eye; it seemed the Sect Master must have known. Feng Zikang himself had relied entirely on guesswork.

He only thought of the Myriad Transformations Yin Water, recalling the Nine Nether Yin Winds he encountered at Cihua Temple on Luyun Mountain, finding them quite similar. The identity of Mo Zhongxiao, the Mohist renegade, was similar to that of Monk Huiji, who was a reincarnation of a Luohan but belonged to no particular Buddhist sect and was unbound by precepts.

He took the risk of guessing, and it succeeded, tricking Mo Zhongxiao into revealing the truth. It turned out this island, much like Cihua Temple on Luyun Mountain, was the location of a Water Eye, requiring the constant presence of a Water Repelling Pearl to maintain peace in the region.

However, this place was on the sea, where the Water Element energy was extremely strong, frequently causing the Myriad Transformations Yin Water to surge upward. Later, Mo Zhongxiao acquired the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil and finally sealed the exit, leading to a few years of relative peace.

But Mo Zhongxiao discovered that the power of the Myriad Transformations Yin Water was growing stronger; simple suppression was no longer enough. Thus, he released the formation to periodically vent some of the Myriad Transformations Yin Water, preventing a major calamity.

At such times, the brilliance of the Water Repelling Pearl would shine intensely, inevitably attracting petty thieves coveting the treasure, who frequently caused trouble on the island. The Ghost King Tu and her companions from that day were one such group.

The current Heart-Snatching Ancestor was another. However, with Mo Zhongxiao presiding here, even someone as powerful as the Heart-Snatching Ancestor would likely leave empty-handed.

Feng Zikang had witnessed Monk Huiji’s true strength himself. Although usually only at the Core Condensation realm, when truly spurred, releasing the Arhat’s Golden Body was astonishing!

This Mo Zhongxiao must also possess some ultimate, hidden technique. Yet, the existence of these Water Eyes and Wind Eyes piqued Feng Zikang’s curiosity.

He wondered how many more such ‘Eyes’ were hidden across the Divine Continent, and what dangers they concealed. “Disciples once dealt with the Nine Nether Yin Winds alongside Senior Huiji at Cihua Temple on Luyun Mountain…” He spoke as if the sect had dispatched him to assist Monk Huiji, when in truth, he had stolen the Wind Calming Pearl, causing the disaster.

Of course, he wouldn't reveal such details. “Oh?” Mo Zhongxiao listened, increasingly alarmed.

The matters concerning the disaster Eyes in various locations were highly secret. After the major sects of the Three Teachings and Nine Schools discussed the issue, only the sect masters were notified; very few others knew.

This young boy not only knew about it but had even fought side-by-side with Monk Huiji. He couldn't figure out who the boy was...

Still, it was unbelievable that Monk Huiji, a hero of his stature, had fallen so low as to need the help of a demonic cultivator. Mo Zhongxiao sighed deeply.

“I never imagined Senior Brother Huiji, a hero in his lifetime, would be reduced to needing assistance. Little friend, perhaps your Dragon-Tiger Mountain Military Branch Master sent you to help me as well?” Feng Zikang was startled, keenly sensing the hidden meaning in his words.

What sort of situation could cause such a powerful figure to feel such apprehension? Monk Huiji was the reincarnation of a Golden Body Arhat.

Mo Zhongxiao's origins surely couldn't be inferior to his. Judging by his tone, it seemed he genuinely required assistance.

A flash of realization struck Feng Zikang, and he made a quick decision. “Senior Mo, I was not sent by my sect.

As I mentioned earlier, I came to acquire the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil. Encountering Senior here is surely providence.

Could it be…” “Could it be that Heaven wills it so?” Mo Zhongxiao automatically finished his sentence. Feng Zikang bowed his head with dignity.

“Senior Mo has suppressed the Water Eye here for many years for the sake of all living beings, accumulating immense virtue in the world. I am profoundly respectful.

If you have any commands, I would gladly lay down my life to fulfill them!” He adopted this posture precisely to gain Mo Zhongxiao’s trust. “Good!

Good!” Mo Zhongxiao nodded approvingly, then sighed, before beginning to recount the aid he needed to Feng Zikang. He assumed Feng Zikang already knew most of the situation, so he held nothing back, explaining everything fully.

Although Feng Zikang didn't fully grasp some parts, by the end, he finally understood. It turned out that during this great Heavenly Calamity, four Disaster Eyes were about to erupt.

These were the Wind Eye Feng Zikang had seen at Cihua Temple on Luyun Mountain; the Water Eye on this desolate island; the Earth Eye in the Yellow River Valley in the Central Plains; and the Fire Eye in the Flaming Mountain of the Western Regions. These four locations contained the essence of Water, Fire, Wind, and Earth—places where chaos brewed and erupted ceaselessly.

Originally, the cultivators native to those areas, along with certain magical artifacts, could suppress them. However, several centuries ago, the esoteric circles of the Three Teachings and Nine Schools all divined the coming of this grand calamity.

Being within the esoteric realm, they were detached from worldly causality and safe from slaughter. But they worried that the calamity might trigger a massive eruption of the four Disaster Eyes.

If the main esoteric world was destroyed, they wouldn't benefit either. After deliberation, they dispatched four highly skilled cultivators to be reincarnated, each carrying a precious pearl to guard one of the four Disaster Eyes.

The one guarding the Wind Eye was Monk Huiji. The one guarding the Water Eye was, naturally, Mo Zhongxiao.

Mo Zhongxiao was actually a member of the Mohist school. Upon death, he was summoned to the Mohist Profound Realm, where he cultivated rapidly.

When he reincarnated into this lower realm, although his power hadn't fully recovered, he was still clearly superior to Feng Zikang, and perhaps even slightly stronger than Monk Huiji appeared. Upon arriving in the main esoteric world, he initially intended to rejoin the Mohist sect and visit his disciples and grand-disciples.

However, he found their philosophies incompatible, leading to conflict, causing him to leave in anger without taking any Mohists with him. Feng Zikang glanced at the ground.

The flesh-and-blood automatons were hidden underground, leaving no visible trace. However, the incompatibility of philosophy likely referred to these very creations.

In the main esoteric world, the Mohists would never tolerate his practices! But Mo Zhongxiao was accustomed to his methods in the Mohist Profound Realm.

Returning and being told to create automatons only from bamboo, wood, stone, and bronze—which was slow and diminished his power—he naturally refused. But using corpses to create automatons—to outsiders, wasn't that no different from zombies?

Thus, the Mohist Patriarch severely forbade him. He didn't care much initially.

After Mo Zhongxiao settled on the island, many more people died there due to greed for treasures. He refined their bones and flesh into flesh-and-blood automatons, and life passed quite comfortably.

But things couldn't be perfect; gradually, he discovered his strength was constantly diminishing! He assumed it was a result of not cultivating hard enough, but after long periods of effort, the results were minimal.

His ability wasn't improving; rather, it was declining faster. Mo Zhongxiao racked his brain but couldn't find the reason.

He contacted the other three guardians and discovered they were all beginning to notice the same gradual weakening of their cultivation! Among them, Monk Huiji, who originally possessed the strongest power with his Arhat Embodiment, was experiencing a faster and more obvious drop in cultivation.

Even so, Mo Zhongxiao didn't anticipate that Monk Huiji would need outside help to suppress the Nine Nether Yin Winds beneath the Luyun Mountain Wind Eye. However, the eruption of the Myriad Transformations Yin Water this time made him realize this necessity.

The scale of this eruption was unlike any previous one. Mo Zhongxiao found that although he was proficient in mechanical arts, he could not suppress it.

Furthermore, having people constantly causing trouble on the island was irritating him. Among those who entered the island today, there seemed to be an expert following from the west, whose strength surpassed the trump cards Mo Zhongxiao had already revealed.

But he could sweep away these unruly individuals once he unleashed his final cards. However, he couldn't rush things here, as his ultimate trump card had to be saved for suppressing the Myriad Transformations Yin Water—that was his true priority.

“If you have some free time, perhaps you could help me control the Water Repelling Pearl…” Having to divide his focus severely depleted Mo Zhongxiao's strength; he might fail at both tasks. He needed Feng Zikang to temporarily assist by using the Water Repelling Pearl to suppress the Myriad Transformations Yin Water, while he dealt with the intruders on the island first.

Feng Zikang’s face stiffened. He hadn’t expected this man to be so audacious as to hand over the Water Repelling Pearl, simply asking him to operate it and suppress the Yin Water.

He had witnessed the agony Monk Huiji endured while suppressing the Nine Nether Yin Winds. It was manageable when the Wind Essence didn't appear, but once it did, Monk Huiji was forced onto the defensive, his focus shifting from offense to survival.

He could imagine the scene here with the Myriad Transformations Yin Water. He wasn't confident he could manage it with just the Water Repelling Pearl.

“This… Senior Mo, this disciple’s cultivation is meager, and I possess no suitable magical artifacts. I fear I cannot suppress it…” If the Water Essence didn't appear, he might barely manage to suppress the Myriad Transformations Yin Water.

But if the Water Essence manifested, even two of him wouldn't be enough to stop the erosion! “Hahaha!” Mo Zhongxiao threw his head back and laughed.

“You are quite the bargainer, kid! Tell me, what exactly do you want from this old man?

I’ll give it to you!” Mo Zhongxiao wasn't a fool. From the tone of Feng Zikang’s complaint, he knew the boy lacked the proper artifact to handle the Myriad Transformations Yin Water alone.

He was far more straightforward than Monk Huiji. He asked Feng Zikang exactly what he desired!

After all, he was a Mohist; his mechanical arts were divine, and he could forge anything. Feng Zikang smiled faintly.

“Senior, how could I be such a greedy person? Although I have a few magical artifacts, how could I possibly ask a Senior like you for them?” “Ah?” Mo Zhongxiao was surprised.

He didn't want artifacts? Then what did he want?

Feng Zikang chuckled slyly. “Senior, if you were still a member of the Mohist school, I wouldn't dare ask.

But since you have already withdrawn from the Mohists, perhaps curiosity compels me: I simply wish to ask what exactly is the deal with these flesh-and-blood automatons!” He didn't want artifacts or divine abilities; his roundabout way of speaking was simply to acquire the secrets behind the flesh-and-blood automatons! Feng Zikang's gaze was sharp; he immediately recognized the immense value of the flesh-and-blood automatons!

If the firmness and preciousness of the material determined the quality of an automaton, this held generally true. But there were exceptions.

For instance, automatons crafted from the bones of living things, while inferior in raw quality to those made of refined metal, perhaps even bronze automatons, possessed numerous advantages in actual use. Since they originated from living beings, their bones retained a spark of spiritual essence.

With minimal guidance, their flexibility and coordination with the master far surpassed ordinary automatons. Long Que was a prime example, though he was forged from dragon bone, granting him even more advantages and fewer drawbacks.

If his dragon soul hadn't ruptured and he wasn't in recovery, his current strength would certainly not be less than that of a refined metal automaton or mechanical beast! But even bone-crafted constructs were a step below those made from flesh and blood!