The Big Hammer was forceful, smashing Li Chongguang's head into a pulp.

[Diagram Master killed Li Chongguang and obtained a strand of Four Realm Evil Energy.]

Chen Ku couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

It was because he had only seen his master chasing Li Chongguang, a Fourth Realm expert of the Fish and Dragon Association, from a distance. After being hit by his master's two punches, Li Chongguang was like a candle flickering in the wind. Just before his death, as he attempted to scream, Chen Ku had uncontrollably swung his hammer to land precisely where Li Chongguang was falling, delivering two blows.

Chen Ku didn't feel any pride about being able to kill the Fourth Realm expert Li Chongguang with just two hammer strikes. This was all because his master, Yang Luochen, was formidable. His master was the second strongest in the city, first in Qi Power, a Five Realms powerhouse. After two punches, one could say that Li Chongguang's life force had been 99% depleted. Those last two hammer blows were merely the finishing touch. In that moment, not to mention Chen Ku with his strength of over a dozen elephants, even an ordinary peak Second Realm Mystic Barrier expert could have done it. So, there wasn't anything to be proud of.

The puzzling thing for Chen Ku was that he had actually reaped some Evil Qi.

After searching the Transformation Diagram in his field of view for a long time, he understood the reason.

So it turns out this person was also one of the more than one hundred who bore malice and killing intent towards me today.

He had killed three young geniuses from the Fish and Dragon Association during the day. The news shook the entire city. It was not surprising that this provoked malice and killing intent from the Fish and Dragon Association towards him.

At that moment, Chen Ku looked at the strand of Four Realm Evil Energy in his mind. This wasn't the first time I've obtained Four Realm Evil Energy, he realized. The last time I got Four Realm Evil Energy was from that incident on the street with the Qilin Gu Blood Evil...

"Good, those two hammer strikes came just in time."

Not far away, Yang Luochen watched as his disciple timely swung the hammer, killing Li Chongguang. He couldn't help rolling up his sleeves and laughing, "It's been a long time since I've done this. I was almost exposed by that little brat."

Although they had left the City God Temple, it was ultimately Chen Ku's fine work that nipped the trouble in the bud.

"All credit goes to Master."

Chen Ku carried the two Big Hammers on his shoulders and suddenly stepped forward with a grin, asking, "Master, those two fist moves of yours were extraordinary, not just powerful. You never thought to pass them to Senior Brother and me before?"

He had seen everything clearly with his Golden Eyes Hundred Li. His master, from far away, delivered a punch whose fist aura covered the sky, creating a pulling Force Power as if hurling a huge lead ball, striking Li Chongguang's body fiercely. Could it be the Medicine King's Pursuit Fist from the Medicine King Hall?

"Heh, little rascal, you've broadened your horizons, haven't you? You thought all your old master had was impressive Stick Technique, eh?"

Yang Luochen twisted his wrist, slowly explaining, "This set of fist techniques... well, I chanced upon them when I was traveling West years ago. I met a senior on the road who, seeing some talent in my Root Bone, passed on twenty-four moves called 'Shake Mountains Fist.' It's just that over the years I've gotten more accustomed to using a staff, and I rarely fight empty-handed, so outsiders don't know of it. Want to learn?"

"I want to learn, I really do!"

There was no way I would refuse a Martial Art laid at my doorstep! What belongs to Master is mine too!

Yang Luochen harrumphed, "Humph! When you've mastered the first five moves of the Furious Ape Mighty Staff to great achievement, I'll teach you."

"Ah? Why is that?" Chen Ku complained with a troubled look. "How long would that take?"

"You little brat, stop pretending. With your talent in Martial Arts, it'd take just a year or maybe even less," Yang Luochen said, then slowly explained, "It's not that I want to set conditions for you, but Shake Mountains Fist demands a strong Root Bone. The opening line of the Fist Technique is 'Shaking mountains is easy, shaking peaks is hard.' Do you know what a 'yue' (peak) is? Ordinary mountains are called 'shan' (mountains), but only the highest mountains in the world are called 'yue'. The key foundation for cultivating the Shake Mountains Fist is to possess a Fist Intent: even if the highest mountain in the world stood before you, you must absolutely not retreat.

"Once you've achieved great mastery of the first five forms of the Furious Ape Mighty Staff and first grasped the martial intent of the Thousand-Jun Stick, I'll teach it to you then. That way, it won't negatively impact you. Otherwise, if you start training in this Fist Technique too early, you'll eventually become a stubborn mule."

Chen Ku pondered thoughtfully.

Yang Luochen then asked about the matter at hand, "Did you find Ma Mingfeng?"

"Found him. He's dead."

Chen Ku's response was also very brief.

At this moment, his gaze drifted to Li Chongguang's corpse on the ground. The reminder from the Transformation Diagram had been flashing ever since he killed Li Chongguang.

[Diagram Master meets one of the conditions for the Fifth Map's Cultivation.]

[At this moment, within three meters of the Diagram Master, the condition is met: One Jin of Incense Qi.]

(Note: The One Jin of Incense Qi beside the Diagram Master has not been refined and requires imprinting with the Diagram Master's spirit imprint before it can be offered in sacrifice.)

It was indeed the Hand Bone in Li Chongguang's possession.

"Huh, Kou was spot on."

Yang Luochen was also surprised. He initially thought that if they just killed Li Chongguang and the others, Ma Mingfeng would surely die without access to the Incense Qi antidote. But now that his disciple had already killed the man, it was best to leave no loose ends.

He then turned back to look in the direction of the City God Temple, saying, "Since Ma Mingfeng is dead, you deal with Li Chongguang's body and then head back. I still have two more to take care of."

At that moment, there were three more members of the Fish and Dragon Association inside the City God Temple. Two of them were at the Third Realm Jade Skin Realm. They were considered pillars of the Fish and Dragon Association. Such high-level experts wouldn't number more than a dozen within the Medicine King Hall. I'll kill two more if I can, he thought.

"As you command."

Chen Ku watched as his master headed back towards the City God Temple to continue cleaning up.

With Li Chongguang, the Fourth Realm adversary, lying dead, the remaining three pose no trouble for Master, Chen Ku thought.

Accordingly, Chen Ku, after ensuring no one else was around, bent down to pick up the Incense Hand Bone.

But at that moment, a sudden illusion struck Chen Ku between the brows.

[The Divine Thought of City God Duan Mingbi is hidden within the Incense Qi, attempting to influence the Diagram Master mentally, to the Diagram Master's detriment... Suppression and killing it may yield Evil Qi.]

[Note: The Diagram Master currently possesses a strand of Four Realm Evil Energy, which can be used with the Suppression Method to suppress the spirit of Duan Mingbi within the Incense Hand Bone.]

[Suppress?]

Chen Ku was instantly dizzy.

Within his field of view, a spiritual General about one foot tall, clad in the Flood Dragon Python Robe Official Uniform and wielding a Long Spear, suddenly appeared, thrusting the spear toward his spirit.

"What?"

Damn it, he thought, feeling regret. I didn't expect that what Li Chongguang handled so easily would actually be dangerous for me.

But unexpectedly, a reminder from the Transformation Diagram pulled him back to reality in an instant. He was overjoyed and, without hesitation, shouted in his mind, "Suppress!"

I hadn't imagined that even after Li Chongguang's death, there would be this effect! I used this Suppression Method once before, when I suppressed the Blood Blade.

「At this moment.」

[Diagram Master uses Li Chongguang's Four Realm Evil Energy to suppress the Incense Qi...]

In that instant, Chen Ku suddenly felt Li Chongguang's Evil Qi transform into a talisman. It attached itself to the Incense Hand Bone in his hand, and the dizziness he felt immediately disappeared. The General clad in the Flood Dragon Python Robe Official Uniform in his mind was also instantly annihilated by an invisible, massive force!

ZZZZZTTTT~~

Just then, from atop the Incense Hand Bone, a burst of golden light emerged. It transformed into a four-legged, scaled, hornless, dragon-like creature that burrowed into the space between Chen Ku's brows.

[Diagram Master uses the Suppression Method to suppress and kill a Divine Thought of City God Duan Mingbi, obtaining a strand of Third Realm National Destiny Dragon Qi.]

What? Chen Ku's eyes widened. This is the first time I've seen golden Evil Qi! No, it doesn't seem to be simple Evil Qi. National Destiny Dragon Qi? The City God is appointed by the Imperial Court and derives power from the National Destiny Dragon Qi. I understand some of this; it seems to be the source of the City God's power. But this... What use is National Destiny Dragon Qi? Could it allow me to transform into a dragon?

THUMP!

THUMP!

THUMP!

Suddenly, Chen Ku's heart began beating uncontrollably, his face flushing slightly. National Destiny Dragon Qi? A dragon?

Without hesitation, he immediately tried to place this Third Realm Dragon Qi onto the Fourth Transformation Map.

「Meanwhile.」

Just as Chen Ku used the Suppression Method to suppress and kill the Divine Thought on City God Duan Mingbi's Incense Hand Bone, the City God Lord was in the City God Temple. He was imposing a Mental Illusion Technique on the other two Third Realm Martial Practitioners from the Fish and Dragon Association. Suddenly, his three-foot tall incense-formed body shrank by one foot, becoming only two feet tall.

"AHHH! My incense! This county's Incense Qi, my Divine Thought—all wiped out! Fish and Dragon Association!!"

At that moment, City God Duan Mingbi roared, "It was you! You actually dared to steal the incense of an Imperial Court-appointed City God! You're courting death!"

Through the Mental Illusion Technique he used to control these two Third Realm Martial Practitioners, he had already fully probed the identities of the four individuals who came to steal his incense. The one his spirit couldn't control was none other than Li Chongguang, the second-in-command of the Baojiao County Fish and Dragon Association.

Just then, Yang Luochen returned, intending to eradicate the remaining two. He happened to overhear the City God's words.

A thought crossed his mind. That Hand Bone... destroyed. Well done, good disciple. He immediately figured his good disciple must have obliterated the Incense Hand Bone while disposing of Li Chongguang. That must be why the City God Lord's three-foot form shrank to two feet. He should have returned to the Medicine King Hall by now. We'll meet up with him there.

The old man and the young man vanished from the eaves.

They left the City God Temple in chaos, its master consumed by rage. The aftermath would be dealt with in the morning, when a formal complaint would surely be delivered to the county government office, demanding an explanation from the Fish and Dragon Association.

「Meanwhile.」

Chen Ku still stood incredulously in the forest, looking at the Third Realm National Destiny Dragon Qi placed on the Fourth Transformation Map.

[National Destiny Dragon Qi: tangible yet formless, it is tied to the Qi Fortune of a nation. It is concentrated in the Emperor and dispersed among Imperial Court officials, marquises, titled nobles, individuals of merit, and others.

The Dragon: a symbol of the Emperor's totem from Ancient Times, when the Ancient Emperor conquered the Nine Directions. It was formed by combining the Totem Divine Beasts of nine great tribes: the Peacock Shrimp Toad, Bai Ze, Qing Si, Sun-swallowing Dog, Nine-tailed Catfish, Nine Spirits Prime Lion, Golden Winged Great Peng, Mermaid, and Zhu Yin.]

(Note: As True Dragons do not exist in this world, this Dragon Qi possesses only their form, not their essence. To transform into a dragon, one must gather the Nine Totem Bloodlines. With the Emperor's Dragon Qi as the embryo, one can then refine one's shape into that of a True Dragon, thereby becoming a True Dragon Emperor.)

GULP!

Chen Ku swallowed hard.

What does this mean? Emperor?

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