My apologies, I have been utterly swamped these past few days! Now that I finally have a moment of respite, I am submitting this overdue request for leave. Though the apology may lack sincerity, I must nonetheless strive to perform well and seek understanding!

"The Demon Summoning Banner,"

Feng Zikang returned to his private chamber and scrutinized the newly acquired treasure, his brow furrowed slightly.

The object itself was rather straightforward to use. Once the restrictive enchantments upon it were broken and he could command it, planting it in the ground would continuously summon demonic entities to serve him.

Unfortunately, although the summoned demons were bound to obey the Demon Summoning Banner, if one's own strength was insufficient, the higher-ranking specters would not fully comply with orders. Furthermore, the lower-level, simple-minded sprites could not be organized into a vast demon army.

The summoned demons were each harboring their own sinister intentions; only under the immense pressure of the Banner did they commit acts of slaughter, destruction, and chaos.

This treasure was indeed an instrument for wreaking havoc and disorder, and its power was terrifying. However, the wielder of the Demon Summoning Banner would also find it difficult to maintain absolute control.

For such an artifact to emerge during a great epochal catastrophe was certainly not an auspicious sign.

The battle had raged for a long time. By now, dawn was approaching, yet Mou Canglang remained stubbornly unconscious. Feng Zikang glanced at the growing light outside the window and let out a cold laugh.

"Disciple Canglang, how long do you intend to feign unconsciousness?"

Given the physique of a Core Condensation master, even if he had suffered severe injuries moments ago, there was no reason for him to remain unconscious for so long.

Was Mou Canglang playing possum, hoping to slip by unnoticed?

How could he possibly allow that wish to be fulfilled!

Under Feng Zikang's sharp shout, Mou Canglang reluctantly stirred awake, forcing a wry smile.

"Feng Zikang, I did not expect you to actually be capable of breaking the seals on the Demon Summoning Banner, an ancient divine artifact. It seems my decision to apprentice under you was not in vain."

There was a distinct note of self-mockery in his words, but Feng Zikang ignored him, shaking his head. "This is only because it was in your hands that the Banner proved so useless. If wielded properly, this item—"

Feng Zikang sighed faintly. This Demon Summoning Banner was no ordinary object. For it to fall into his hands seemed, perhaps, to be the decree of destiny.

"We need not trade pleasantries, Disciple Canglang. Since you were defeated this time, what we agreed upon previously—does that still stand?"

Feng Zikang appraised Mou Canglang with a faint smile.

Mou Canglang showed a flicker of anger, but the demons of the Sea of No Return valued keeping one's word above all else. What was spoken could not be taken back. Since things had reached this juncture, and Feng Zikang had managed to subdue the Banner, Mou Canglang had nothing more to say.

"Very well! If that is the case, I shall offer you my Nascent Soul Heart Core and truly acknowledge you as my master! However..."

Mou Canglang paused, his expression awkward. "Might I ask if the Demon Summoning Banner could be returned? That treasure was a gift from a senior; I cannot—"

"Absolutely not!"

Feng Zikang waved his hand, the refusal sharp and definitive.

In Mou Canglang's possession, the object was indeed useless. But in his own hands, it held immense potential for the construction and development of his Mystic Realm. Since he had acquired it, he certainly would not relinquish it easily, and he refused without hesitation.

Mou Canglang sighed. He had only been testing the waters; he knew there was no reason for this opportunistic master to easily return the item now that it was his.

Since the matter was settled, he had no choice but to accept his fate.

He gritted his teeth, coughed up a mouthful of hot heart's blood, and offered the Nascent Soul Heart Core into Feng Zikang's hand.

Feng Zikang accepted with a smile. He now possessed several Nascent Soul Heart Cores, but Huo Zhongguang was missing, and the Foundation Building cultivation levels of Qin Li'er and the Ghost King Tu were still too low for current combat needs.

Acquiring a Core Condensation cultivator this time meant he would not lack a capable subordinate for future fights.

However, Mou Canglang was, after all, a demon from the Sea of No Return. His loyalty lay first and foremost with his own kind. Even with his life in Feng Zikang's hands, he might still choose self-sacrifice for a cause, so many confidential matters could not involve him.

"By the way, from whom did you obtain this Demon Summoning Banner?"

Recalling Mou Canglang's earlier statement that the Banner was a gift from an elder, it sounded as if it hadn't come from the White Eagle King. Feng Zikang wondered who had bestowed such an object of world-disrupting potential upon him, and for what motive.

Mou Canglang was now Feng Zikang's disciple, his very existence completely controlled. Although he was still unconvinced, this was not a secret matter requiring concealment. He gave a wry smile. "Within our Sea of No Return, who else is qualified to possess such an ancient treasure? This Demon Summoning Banner was a gift from the Sovereign of the Sea of No Return himself, Lord Netherworld!"

"Hmm."

Feng Zikang raised an eyebrow.

Lord Netherworld of the Sea of No Return—he had heard that name more than once.

That great demon of the Soul Transformation stage held some enmity toward him. His disciple on the Central Plains border, the White Bone Divine Lord, had died by his sword.

To be precise, he hadn't strictly died by his sword; the head of Long Que was always destined to return to its body. The erasure of its consciousness was unavoidable.

Lord Netherworld was the leader of the Sea of No Return, his status even above the Five Great Demon Kings, yet he remained exceedingly mysterious, rarely seen. Even when Feng Zikang scouted Eagle Wing Island and interrogated various demons, very few, even at the Foundation Building stage, claimed to have seen Lord Netherworld. Generally, only Core Condensation stage and the core great demons were fortunate enough to meet him.

Upon first hearing the name, Feng Zikang had considered the possibility of cooperating with this demon to oppose figures like Grandmaster Yuanyuan, who were in the Soul Transformation stage. Regrettably, he had already forged a deep grievance with the demon from the start.

Though he didn't know the exact relationship between the White Bone Divine Lord and the Sovereign, the fact remained that the Divine Lord was his disciple. Since a rift already existed between them, any chance of cooperation now seemed nearly impossible.

However, Lord Netherworld was clearly plotting something deeply calculated, likely aiming at the Central Plains, so perhaps an alliance was not entirely out of the question.

Feng Zikang gave a cold chuckle. During this great catastrophe, all manner of monsters and ghosts were emerging, all seeking to influence the Central Plains after the tribulation subsided.

Whether it was the Heaven-Defying Demonic Sect he learned about from Mr. Xuwanyuan, the horde of the Sea of No Return, or even the various sects of the Three Teachings and Nine Schools—which one did not harbor their own hidden motives toward the Central Plains cultivation world?

"The struggle for doctrinal inheritance is truly the paramount conflict in this world," Feng Zikang mused with a bitter smile, sighing ceaselessly.

It was a fight to the death, with no room for compromise.

The boundaries of this world could only accommodate so many 'Daos'.

The Three Teachings and Nine Schools maintained a fragile facade of harmonious coexistence, but internally, contradictions festered. Any interest could be surrendered; any grudge could be set aside.

Only in the Dao residing in one's heart—there was no ground for concession.

Feng Zikang recalled the religious wars of his previous life. Even when their so-called deities had not manifested true divine miracles, they had spurred millions to willingly die for their cause.

In this world, where cultivators could soar through the heavens and wield myriad supernatural powers, how could they not constantly strike at one another? Could peace ever truly settle?

Thinking of this, Feng Zikang felt a pang of weariness. He waved his hand, signaling Mou Canglang to leave first.

Watching Mou Canglang depart his private chamber with visible reluctance, Feng Zikang smiled faintly.

"This era is fraught with worries. It seems the sensible path is to accumulate enough advantages, and then focus on developing my own Mystic Realm!"

Only through the growth of his own internal reality, where one realm served a single master, could he attain a chance at transcendence. The conflicts of this chaotic age were truly fraught with mortal peril!