A cultivator who has reached the Condensing Pill realm finds that his manifested spirit is no longer a defenseless, lumpen shadow, but gradually coalesces into a tangible form, indeed possessing the capability of self-detonation.

The self-destruction of a Condensing Pill cultivator's primordial spirit can indeed wreak immense havoc.

Feng Zikang offered a cold sneer. "If the Old Ancestor wishes to self-detonate, I naturally cannot stop it. But consider this: is it worth it? After self-destruction, both body and spirit are utterly annihilated, hundreds of years of painstaking effort ruined. Is the Old Ancestor willing?"

The primordial spirit of the Mind-Seizing Ancestor's face shifted, suddenly appearing hesitant.

With the Mind-Seizing Ancestor's many years of cultivation, he should have been able to maintain composure naturally, but now his physical shell was destroyed. Only a naked primordial spirit remained, and many thoughts that surfaced in his mind were now entirely unconcealed.

Seeing his color change, Feng Zikang knew that cultivators of this caliber feared death above all else, completely unconcerned by his reaction.

"Take him down!"

Feng Zikang roared. The four Divine Demons charged forward, seizing and pinning the Mind-Seizing Ancestor's primordial spirit with their many hands. He was still wavering, unsure whether to self-destruct or what else to do. Held down by the four Divine Demons, iron chains piercing his form, he was easily subdued!

"Congratulations, My Lord!"

Ghost King Tu, seeing this ferocious old demon, even one with Condensing Pill cultivation, fall into Feng Zikang's hands, was immensely impressed and congratulated him loudly. Moli'er chimed in with flattery as well.

Feng Zikang chuckled, recalling the four Divine Demons along with the half-dead Mind-Seizing Ancestor, feeling immensely pleased with himself.

His cultivation had currently hit a bottleneck, but the Great Heavenly Tribulation was raging fiercely. If he could not enter the Condensing Pill realm soon, he feared his fate would remain that of the oppressed.

But if he could devise a way to devour the Mind-Seizing Ancestor's primordial spirit...

He smiled coldly, pondering what method to employ.

※

The calamity of the Myriad Transformations Yin Water had now subsided, but that isolated island was nowhere to be seen. Feng Zikang smiled, flashing inside, where he found Mo Zhongxiao, pale-faced, sitting in a wheelchair and breathing shallowly. Numerous wounds marred his body.

It seemed this tribulation had cost him dearly as well.

"Senior Mo!"

Feng Zikang approached, his face etched with alarm. "How have you become like this?"

Mo Zhongxiao opened his eyes. Seeing Feng Zikang arrive, he offered a wry smile. "Boy, you have a kind heart. Under such a tremendous calamity, you didn't flee far off but waited nearby. Truly difficult for you!"

He had completely misunderstood Feng Zikang's intentions. He believed Feng Zikang had waited because the calamity was too great for him to intervene directly, hoping for an opportunity to assist.

But what Feng Zikang was waiting for was clearly the Mind-Seizing Ancestor, who was destined to flee in disarray.

"Senior Mo, the Mind-Seizing Ancestor fled just now. I only regret that my abilities were too meager to keep him."

This was, of course, a lie.

However, Mo Zhongxiao, unaware of the situation outside, believed him completely. His expression turned furious. "Hmph! That scoundrel was lucky! During such a grand catastrophe, he still wanted to hoard the Water-Repelling Pearl for himself, ruining my great undertaking. Death would have been too light a sentence!"

After cursing, he coughed several times, clearly badly injured himself. The Water-Repelling Golden-Eyed Beast was nowhere in sight.

"Senior Mo, rest assured. This junior will certainly help you take revenge!"

Feng Zikang knew that the guardian of a disaster eye could not leave their post. No matter how powerful he was, he was powerless to pursue a fleeing enemy. He generously made a grand promise to help.

"You?"

Mo Zhongxiao laughed, appraising Feng Zikang from head to toe before nodding. "If a few more decades pass, perhaps you could truly contend with that Condensing Pill stage old fellow. You have boundless prospects, boy. Since you are willing to vent my anger for me, this old man certainly cannot treat you unfairly..."

Feng Zikang was overjoyed. Why else had he rushed back here and made such sweeping promises if not for these very words from Mo Zhongxiao?

From the monk Huiji to this Mo Zhongxiao, the cultivation of those guarding the Wind Eye and Water Eye was unfathomably deep. Their true capabilities could not be discerned at all.

Although the reason they guarded these disaster eyes was unclear, Feng Zikang was certain that significant benefits could be extracted from them.

After the battle at Cihua Temple, although the monk Huiji hadn't blamed him, his theft of the Wind-Fixing Pearl had made establishing a true connection difficult. But this time was different.

Mo Zhongxiao sought his help, and the Water-Repelling Pearl was stolen by the Mind-Seizing Ancestor, having nothing to do with him. Mo Zhongxiao's impression of him wasn't entirely negative.

If that were the case, not seizing a greater benefit now would mean he wasn't truly the Formless Heavenly Demon!

He had considered striking while the iron was hot, taking Mo Zhongxiao's life. Perhaps the immediate gains would be greater.

However, there were subtly powerful figures behind these disaster eye guardians, and Feng Zikang couldn't grasp the full structure here. Prudence was still the best course.

"You inquired about the method for crafting my Flesh and Blood Mechanical Man, and you have seen my Water-Repelling Golden-Eyed Beast. You must have formed some ideas. If I guess correctly, you possess a Bone Skeleton Mechanical Beast?"

Mo Zhongxiao was also cunning and experienced. Feng Zikang, not being a member of the Mo family, was interested in his Flesh and Blood Mechanical Man, likely coveting its augmentation capabilities. But the power of the Flesh and Blood Mechanical Man was limited; what he valued so highly must be a far more formidable Flesh and Blood Mechanical Beast!

By deduction, the probability that Feng Zikang possessed a Bone Skeleton Mechanical Beast was extremely high.

Feng Zikang nodded. He knew there was no point in hiding anything now; Mo Zhongxiao had already guessed. Since this old man would not leave this Water Eye, Feng Zikang wasn't worried about him leaking information.

"Heh heh, what remarkable luck!"

Crafting a Bone Skeleton Mechanical Beast was no simple feat, especially finding the bones of a powerful giant beast, which were truly difficult to find.

Especially since the method for the Bone Skeleton Mechanical Beast originated from the Mo School, and members of the Mo School happened to forbid this method from spreading. In the six years since, the residual Bone Skeleton Mechanical Beasts scattered in the world were few indeed.

Feng Zikang, a military cultivator, had obtained a Bone Skeleton Mechanical Beast at the Foundation Establishment stage. How could Mo Zhongxiao not call him lucky?

If he knew that Feng Zikang acquired this mechanical beast when he was merely at the Qi Induction stage, he would likely be even more astonished.

Feng Zikang smiled faintly, offering no explanation.

"Since you have obtained my Flesh and Blood Mechanical Man crafting method, you must also know that the so-called Flesh and Blood Mechanical Beast follows the same general principles."

This was obviously redundant; they were all essentially the same, just using bone to generate flesh and blood.

"However, the materials required to craft these Flesh and Blood Mechanical Beasts are even rarer. Like my Water-Repelling Golden-Eyed Beast, I invested I don't know how much effort to bring it to fruition..."

Mo Zhongxiao's tone held a hint of wistfulness. Since the Water-Repelling Golden-Eyed Beast was not present, it was unclear if it was severely injured or utterly destroyed. However, mechanical beasts had an advantage over living beings: as long as the core remained intact, they could be repaired. Complete destruction was not so easy.

"I happen to have some materials here. Take them. When your Bone Skeleton Mechanical Beast takes form in the future, don't forget to slay the Mind-Seizing Ancestor for me!"

Mo Zhongxiao handed over several vials. Feng Zikang reached out and took them, utterly shocked.

"Dragon Blood!"

"Bodhi Marrow!"

"Ten-Thousand-Year Reconnecting Sap!"

These were all exceedingly rare treasures. In all his years of cultivation, Feng Zikang had never encountered a single one, yet here he received three at once.

Mo Zhongxiao seemed quite pleased that he could astonish Feng Zikang. "It's nothing much. I’m stationed here; these things are useless to me anyway. Since you have a use for them, take them..."

"Thank you, Senior Mo!"

Feng Zikang bowed respectfully. These items were certainly worth a formal bow to Mo Zhongxiao.

"After I complete the Flesh and Blood Mechanical Beast, I will definitely pursue and kill the Mind-Seizing Ancestor to avenge Senior Mo!"

Mo Zhongxiao chuckled. "Good! Be sure to stop by here when the time comes and let me see your mechanical beast!"

Feng Zikang smiled faintly. This promise was impossible to keep. If Long Que could recover its Five-Clawed Divine Dragon form, it could not easily show itself to others, especially considering the powerful figures who might stand behind Mo Zhongxiao.

He agreed verbally, but his mind was already made up.

※

"My Lord, this trip to the East Sea has truly been a fruitful haul!"

Ghost King Tu congratulated him again.

Feng Zikang nodded and smiled. His current expedition to the East Sea had indeed yielded many treasures.

Firstly, the primary objective, the Nine Heavens Quicksand, had been obtained in significant quantity; he also acquired much Water Essence. This substance multiplies rapidly. If refined using the method for refining Wind Essence and incorporated into the Sky-Devouring Ancient Sword, this damaged iron sword should gradually gain the ability to recover on its own, eliminating the need to spend so many spirit stones buying sword essence to feed it every time.

But the greatest gain was the crafting method for the Flesh and Blood Mechanical Beast.

This invigorated Feng Zikang. If he could further enhance Long Que's strength and restore its Five-Clawed Divine Dragon form, it might not only contend with Condensing Pill stage opponents but even defeat those at the Nascent Soul stage.

Once his Dragon Soul recovered, in this realm, he might even be able to roam unchecked. A few mere Transcendent God stage old monsters would be nothing to fear!

Another great asset was the Mind-Seizing Ancestor's primordial spirit. If Feng Zikang could successfully devour the primordial spirit of a late-stage Condensing Pill cultivator, the chance to advance his cultivation realm would be extremely high. Amidst this Great Heavenly Tribulation, nothing was more crucial than one's own cultivation!

Feng Zikang hadn't anticipated gaining so many advantages from this casual trip to the East Sea.

He desperately wished he had wings to fly back to the bamboo forest on Dragon Tiger Mountain, hide within the Profound Realm, and cultivate diligently.

The sword light beneath his feet naturally accelerated considerably!

Along the way, the Investiture of the Gods list chimed intermittently, with souls occasionally falling into it. It seemed the Southern Barbarians had started fighting again. By looking at the souls entering the list, Feng Zikang could roughly gauge the battle situation; the initial fierce fighting had not yet reached the point of life-or-death crisis, so he wasn't in a hurry to enter. However, having many souls enter the Investiture of the Gods list meant he could find some obscure individuals and enthrone them as gods within the Profound Realm—that was a good thing!

Feng Zikang returned to the small bamboo grove and immediately plunged into the Profound Realm. First, he enthroned a god, then summoned Long Que to discuss the matter of restoring its flesh and blood.

When Long Que heard it could restore its Five-Clawed Divine Dragon form, it nodded eagerly. It had always taken pride in being a divine dragon, so recovering its appearance was naturally something it desperately desired.

Feng Zikang nodded but was not in a hurry to begin the Flesh and Blood Rebirth technique. He told Long Que to enter seclusion and quiet its spirit first, while he intended to first figure out how to absorb the Mind-Seizing Ancestor's primordial spirit to reach the Condensing Pill cultivation, making the Flesh and Blood Rebirth technique more secure.

However, absorbing a primordial spirit, while simple to state, was troublesome in practice.

After being captured, the Mind-Seizing Ancestor's primordial spirit was also confined within the Four Symbols Divine Demon Prison, dejected and uneasy. But it was still the primordial spirit of a Condensing Pill cultivator; carelessness could still lead to its self-detonation, causing trouble.

Feng Zikang was not in a rush. He simply let the Four Symbols Divine Demon Prison slowly torment and control it, aiming to erase the killing aura and arrogance of this Condensing Pill master.

The dignified Condensing Pill Ancestor, due to a moment of fearing death, was tormented to the brink of collapse, losing all face.

Only when his will was completely shattered did Feng Zikang silently activate his demonic arts, secretly absorbing the Condensing Pill stage primordial spirit!

"Boom!"

Just a tiny fragment of the primordial spirit, absorbed into the Five-Storied, Twelve-City formation, caused a massive roar in Feng Zikang's mind, bursting forth with countless kaleidoscopic colors and lights.

The Foundation Establishment stage and the Condensing Pill stage were two vastly different tiers of power.

Upon absorbing the primordial spirit, Feng Zikang's original primordial spirit and demonic fetus both stirred restlessly, and even the solid Five-Storied, Twelve-City formation resonated thunderously.

"So powerful!"

Feng Zikang gritted his teeth and endured. Although the power of this foreign primordial spirit was transformed by his Heavenly Demon Devouring technique, it was still wildly rampant and immensely fierce.

Feng Zikang roused his spirit, using the Five-Storied, Twelve-City formation to lock it down, confining it with his primordial spirit, and dissolving it with his demonic fetus. Finally, he completely absorbed this primordial spirit fragment. Both the demonic fetus and the primordial spirit benefited greatly.

"Hoo..."

Feng Zikang let out a long breath.

"This primordial spirit devouring technique is truly exhausting, but the progress is undeniable. If I can devour the entirety of the Mind-Seizing Ancestor, breaking through to the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage might not be impossible... Having to go to the Merit Hall so soon again, Elder Yun will surely be stunned?"

He naturally had no need to risk self-condensing a pill. Since he had the aid of the Great Reincarnation Plate, why waste the opportunity? This time, he would choose the simplest mission. His goal was merely to quickly enter the Condensing Pill stage—having a safeguard was enough.

The Mind-Seizing Ancestor was currently muddled, unaware that he was being preyed upon like a vampire stealing his essence.

Over the next forty-nine days (seven times seven), Feng Zikang absorbed the majority of the Mind-Seizing Ancestor's primordial spirit, completing his cultivation. The Mind-Seizing Ancestor was now merely a chaotic entity, limp in the Four Symbols Divine Demon Prison, utterly incomparable to his previous majestic demeanor.

Feng Zikang emerged from seclusion. Within the Profound Realm, under the coordination of the Turtle Child, the expansion of the ground with the Nine Heavens Quicksand continued. It now spanned an area the size of a mountain. At this rate, within two years, it could reach an area of a thousand li.

"Well done!"

Feng Zikang patted the Turtle Child and the others, praising them loudly.

The Turtle Child chuckled. "That is also thanks to Brother Feng's luck, managing to procure so much Nine Heavens Quicksand. Truly admirable."

Feng Zikang chuckled, giving instructions to the others. He decided to bring along those who could accompany him; he wanted absolute certainty for this mission.

"Ghost King Tu, Qin Lier, Long Que, you will accompany me to complete the Great Reincarnation Plate's merit-earning task. The rest will remain here to develop the Profound Realm..."

The little fox was quite dissatisfied, rubbing against Feng Zikang to indicate she also wanted to go. Feng Zikang considered it for a moment and agreed. It was only the simplest upgrade mission; it shouldn't be a problem.

He took his retinue, left the Profound Realm, mounted his sword light, and flew toward Sunset Peak.

※

Elder Yun nearly dropped his jaw when he heard Feng Zikang's intention.

"Little Feng Zi, don't try to fool me. You truly wish to claim the Condensing Pill Advancement Merit Mission for the Great Reincarnation Plate?"

It had only been a few days since this boy passed the Foundation Establishment merit mission; how could he already be claiming a Condensing Pill mission? What kind of cultivation was this?

Cultivating quickly during the Qi Induction stage was understandable, though not noteworthy.

But to increase cultivation so rapidly after entering the Foundation Establishment stage—that wasn't genius; that was monstrous!

Elder Yun stared blankly at Feng Zikang.

Even among the second-generation disciples, many had yet to reach the Condensing Pill stage, and even these old men, the highest cultivation experts of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Military School, were only at the late stage of Condensing Pill.

"Little Feng Zi, you are putting a lot of pressure on us!"

Despite saying that, Elder Yun regarded him as the second coming of General Lu!

In the long history of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Military School, who had cultivated so quickly?

Only the world's number one, General Lu!

In those days, they had watched General Lu's cultivation speed, like a rocket, rapidly surpass his peers, his senior brothers, and eventually his grand-uncles and elders, finally becoming number one in the world!

Elder Yun shook his head, forcefully suppressing the joy in his heart.

"Little Feng Zi, don't be anxious. This matter is too significant; I must report it to the Sect Master..."

He thankfully remembered his duty. Feng Zikang nodded. He naturally understood that participating in a Condensing Pill advancement mission was a major sect affair that required reporting. "Whatever Martial Grand-Uncle deems fit!"

Yuan Buhuan was nearly driven mad when he heard this news.

So young, yet already attempting to break through to the Condensing Pill stage—this was even faster than General Lu in his time! Although General Lu was a freak who grew faster the more he cultivated, managing to jump from Condensing Pill to Tribulation Transcendence in just three hundred years.

Compared to this boy, at least in terms of initial momentum, he was slightly lacking.

"Since that is the case, let's proceed quickly!"

Yuan Buhuan hardened his resolve. "There is no need to announce it to the entire sect. Just let Zikang enter the Great Reincarnation Plate directly. We can notify the entire sect and other sects to come and congratulate him once he breaks through to Condensing Pill!"

Especially since Feng Zikang was currently the destined figure holding the Investiture of the Gods list, the Military School's influence could be further amplified.

This idea suited Feng Zikang perfectly. He urgently needed to boost his strength during this period and cared little for superficial fame. He immediately agreed with Elder Yun and selected the lowest-tier upgrade mission.

Yuan Buhuan patted Feng Zikang's shoulder and laughed heartily. "Zikang, the majesty of the Military School now rests on your generation!"

He was highly satisfied and extremely pleased.

Immediately, Feng Zikang entered the inner chamber and sat down on the Great Reincarnation Plate. As the turntable slowly spun, Feng Zikang's mind spun slightly. When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him had transformed! If you wish to know what happens next, please log on to Ji [Note: Placeholder for website/platform name], more chapters are available. Support the author, support genuine reading!