CHAPTER 109: CHAPTER 96: THE EVOLUTION PILL PRESCRIPTION

Chen Ku estimated that these six heads were worth at least five or six thousand taels of Silver. He could buy sixty stalks of Treasure Herb with that, which would be enough to cover the consumption of Vital Energy needed to reach Inner Qi Perfection.

At the counter, the person touched the foreheads of the heads, nodded, and said, "Indeed, Demon People of Peace Path cultivate with Talisman Paper and Strange Techniques. After using Talisman Paper, a certain part of the brain becomes more active than others. Inside the brain, there is a special area, which is the signature."

Chen Ku thought to himself, Grey Clothes Tower knows quite a lot, but I wonder how the Sorcery of Peace Path... cultivates the Spirit?

"Please report your code name."

"Er Lang."

「Meanwhile...」

"Lord County Magistrate, we’ve received intelligence from Grey Clothes Tower. A Blade-Handler known by the code name Er Lang delivered the heads of six Demon People of Peace Path today. Among them, there were two at the Peak of Internal Qi..."

「Inside the county government office.」

The County Magistrate, Ma Tianlin, wore a blue official robe embroidered with flying birds that shimmered slightly under the sunlight. He stood under the eaves with his hands clasped behind his back, basking in the winter sun and enjoying its warmth. He asked lightly, "Quite a force to be reckoned with. In your opinion, what rank could he claim on the ’Blade-Handler List’?"

"To kill two at the Peak of Internal Qi, two in the Inner Qi Realm, and two at the Peak of Force Transformation in one go... If it was really the work of just one person, even if he used other means, this capability in pursuit and assassination..."

Standing behind him was the number one on the Blade-Handler List and also one of the top ten experts in the county, the ’Sharp Blade,’ known as Blade King Wang Yixian.

After musing for a moment, he said, "He could be ranked among the top thirty-five on the Blade-Handler List."

"Blade-Handler List top thirty-five... Er Lang."

Silently, without a trace, the Blade-Handler’s code name, Er Lang, suddenly appeared on the Blade-Handler List viewed by Grey Clothes Tower and certain factions throughout the county.

"Er Lang?"

In the ruins of Snake Fish Town, Incense Master Yao Wensu looked at the newly emerged code name on her copy of the Blade-Handler List. Considering the strength and Realm ranking, she quickly deduced.

It’s him! He’s the one who wiped out my small Peace Path stronghold! she fumed. "Remember this code name! Put him on the kill list!"

After a busy night, Chen Ku returned to his small courtyard in the outer city to rest for about half a day, then began to examine his gains from the previous night.

[Diagram Master has met one of the conditions for cultivating the fourth Transformation Diagram]

He had sacrificed Su Liu’s Evil Qi to the Transformation Diagram, fulfilling one of the conditions needed to unlock the fourth diagram. He decided to save the remaining Evil Qi for later.

Chen Ku primarily studied the Talisman Paper on those eight Peach Wood Swords. After testing them one by one, as expected... they were all Demon Talismans! Made with the blood of a Taisui Demon!

Chen Ku touched one and felt the Evil Qi. So, he prepared a fire and burned them all to ash.

[Diagram Master has destroyed eight Demon Talismans... gaining eight strands of Evil Qi from Demon Talismans]

[Demon Talisman Fiend ×8 (First Realm Demonic Being Level)]

With these eight strands of First Realm Demonic Being Level Evil Qi, plus the four from the Inner Qi Realm cultivators, he now had a total of twelve strands of First Realm Evil Qi.

Chen Ku looked towards the Blood Blade Transformation. He needed just eight more strands of First Realm Demon Evil Qi to reach the Transformation Level. Then, he could directly Shape-Shift into a humanoid weapon, or use it for the refining shape of the Flower Fox Mink—either would be a good outcome.

[Burn the eight strands of Demon Talisman Fiend, infusing them into the Blood Blade Transformation!]

Within the Transformation Diagram, the eight Demon Talisman Fiends resembled eight shooting stars, fiercely crashing into the Blood Blade Transformation.

[Blood Blade Transformation Shape-Shifted]

...

「Inside the room.」

Chen Ku’s body suddenly vanished. On the bed, a long, narrow, blood-stained Treasure Blade appeared, stuck at an angle in a pile of clothes.

Damn... this feeling... It’s like being sealed inside the blade...

Chen Ku tried with all his might, but his body, now transformed into the Blood Blade, merely quivered ceaselessly on the bed.

As expected, I was overthinking it. I actually believed that after turning into the Blood Blade, I’d be like a flying sword, capable of taking heads from a thousand miles away. What a daydream. The original Blood Blade can’t even fly; how could I fly after transforming... unless...

Chen Ku’s blade-body trembled. Give the Blood Blade wings?

But it seems... to fully manifest the wings of a Golden-eyed White Feathered Sculpture, I would also need nine strands of Demonic Being Level Evil Qi.

Chen Ku shook the blade lightly and transformed back into his human form.

First, let’s see what kind of abilities I’ve gained now that I can completely turn into the Blood Blade...

[Blood Blade Transformation Shape-Shifted]

[Power of the Blood Blade: Blood Blade Tip (Sharp Enough to Pierce Stone), Blood Blade Edge (Cut Gold and Break Stone), Back of the Blood Blade (Ancient and Edgeless), Blood Blade Body (Like a Vajra), Blood Blade Hilt (Smooth Wood), Blood Blade Guard (Steel Reinforcement)... Blood of the Blood Blade (Become a Demon by Drinking Blood)]

Chen Ku opened his eyes. He glanced at his right arm, flicking it lightly, feeling as if his entire arm possessed the quality of Vajra Indestructible.

He looked around for something to test it on. With a glint in his eyes, he chopped at his own arm with a kitchen knife.

CLANG!

The kitchen knife was actually deeply notched from the impact with his arm.

Impervious to Swords and Spears. Even Bu Jingyun’s Qilin Arm is probably nothing compared to this, he thought.

But Chen Ku’s eyes were fixed on the most important entry: Blood of the Blood Blade.

He looked down at the bait mouse in the courtyard and tentatively poked a finger at it.

SQUELCH!

Though it was a bait mouse worth over four hundred taels of Silver, Chen Ku’s aim was to see if his arm could indeed absorb the Strange Beast’s Bloodline...

To his astonishment, his finger pierced the bait mouse’s body! And then... his arm actually began to absorb the bait mouse’s blood.

Before long, it had sucked the bait mouse dry.

At the same time, he could feel that after absorbing the bait mouse’s blood, his arm—now like a blade—seemed even harder and sharper.

Yes, yes, yes! It must be merged with the Flower Fox Mink!

Chen Ku immediately initiated Fetus Transformation Refining Shape.

[Calculations underway... merging the form of the Flower Fox Mink with the form of the Blood Blade...]

[Due to the Blood Blade’s Transformation Level, halting at Shape-Shifted]

[This Fetus Transformation Shape Shifting success rate is 70%]

[Additionally requires one strand of a Peak Demon of the First Realm’s Evil Qi as kindling...]

Chen Ku hesitated. Seventy percent? Only a seventy percent chance? And I only have one Blood Blade.

He suddenly asked the system, "What will happen if Fetus Transformation Refining Shape fails?"

[The kindling Evil Qi will dissipate, irrecoverable. Both Transformations will revert to their original state, unchanged.]

Chen Ku sighed in relief. If it only consumes the kindling without affecting the refining materials, then... seventy percent is a fairly high probability. Let’s give it a try. Even if it fails, it would just be a waste of one strand of Yang Xiaoshu’s Evil Qi. Not a big deal. I can just go out and kill some more another day.

"Start the Fetus Transformation Refining Shape for me!"

Before starting the refining shape, Chen Ku removed the third Transformation Diagram, the Ling Transformation. The Ling Transformation only involved Shape Shifting, and including it would merely affect the success probability. He left only the Blood Blade and the Flower Fox Mink.

[Fetus Transformation Refining Shape in progress...]

Chen Ku was filled with anticipation. Not only would Fetus Transformation Refining Shape save a slot in the Transformation Diagram, but from his previous experience, he knew the process might even synthesize a new ability during refining shape. He recalled gaining the ability to change his body size last time. His anticipation grew.

As the two Transformation Diagrams began to spin, Yang Xiaoshu’s Evil Qi constructed a new Fetal Form, and the images on the Transformation Diagrams started to fade...

Finally, five blood-red blades burst forth from the Fetal Form.

[??Flower Fox Mink (Peak First Realm Demon Realm)]

[Abilities...]

Chen Ku saw that its previous abilities were all still there, unchanged, and three new entries had appeared.

[Right Arm as Steel]

[Blood Claws Become Blades]

[Become a Demon by Drinking Blood]

Then, Chen Ku observed the Flower Fox Mink. Its fur color remained unchanged, but from the talons of its five front claws, it could now freely extend five sharp Blood Blade Claws, retracting them at will.

Chen Ku let it out into the courtyard for the Flower Fox Mink to test its new claws.

The Flower Fox Mink pounced towards a training stone lock in the courtyard. Five blood-red streaks flashed through the air as its claws passed. The stone lock, weighing over a thousand pounds, was instantly sliced into five pieces, as if struck by the Blood Blade five times, scattering across the ground.

Chen Ku watched as the Flower Fox Mink turned, settled on the ground, and examined its five Blood Claws. They were like five blades, extending and retracting freely under the control of its Demonic Qi.

This... Is it Vajra Wolf? Mei Chaofeng? Or Inuyasha? Chen Ku wondered.

A thought struck Chen Ku. Thankfully, they extend from the nails. If they grew from the knuckles and couldn’t self-heal, wouldn’t it have to injure itself every time...?

This was the result of the Blood Blade’s Transformation merging with the Flower Fox Mink.

So, ’Become a Demon by Drinking Blood’ means, needless to say, the more blood it absorbs, the denser its Demonic Qi will become. Eventually, it could thoroughly transform into a Demon Blade, perhaps even a blade-shaped Demon...

Chen Ku then said to the Flower Fox Mink, "Previously, around Two Realms Mountain, you always tried to avoid other Demons. But now, with such powerful attacks and the combined abilities of devouring, blood-drinking, digestion, and evolution, the Demons in Two Realms Mountain are like Treasure Herbs to you. Go! Feed on Demons! You are me; your strength is my strength!"

A glint of human-like intelligence flashed in the Flower Fox Mink’s eyes, and it nodded. Then, it transformed into a white shadow and darted out of the courtyard.

Ah, I forgot to tell it, if it finds any good Treasure Herbs, it should bring them back for me. If it eats Treasure Herbs without a Cultivation Technique, it can’t digest them properly...

Chen Ku touched his forehead. He looked at his own fingernails; they could also extend and retract, becoming as sharp as the Blood Blade. He also retained the [Right Arm as Steel] ability, which made him Impervious to Swords and Spears.

Excellent, another evolution! If this keeps up, one day I might... grow three heads and six arms... become Vajra Indestructible... pluck a single hair and produce tens of thousands of clones... Chen Ku mused internally.

Then, he headed towards the Medicine King Hall.

Although a Disciple’s treatment has improved, and I’m spared from miscellaneous chores, it doesn’t mean I have nothing to do but cultivate. There’s one thing that is very important. And that is...

"Disciple pays his respects to Master." Chen Ku stood respectfully outside Butcher Court and bowed.

Shang Yunfang came out, the bandages on his neck and hands now removed. He addressed Chen Ku kindly, "Apprentice, it has been over half a month since you became my Disciple. During this time, I’ve been teaching you bladework and footwork... But actually, as my Disciple, if you wish to take over Butcher Court in the future, the most crucial thing you need to master is something else."

Chen Ku’s heart stirred with excitement. It’s coming! The foundational craft of Medicine King Hall! The Pill Prescription worth Ten Thousand Gold!

Indeed, he saw Shang Yunfang take out a box from behind him and say, "This box contains a Pill Prescription used in Butcher Court for refining pills from a hundred types of beasts and Demons. Today, you will stay here and try your hand at refining one. Let’s see if you have the Talent for Alchemy."