Chapter 73: Chapter 73 Flower Fox Mink
Skinny Dog, White Elephant, bait mouse...
What can be conceived and refined out of these?
[Burning Huang Gun’s Evil Qi, fetus transformation refining shape in progress...]
Chen Ku saw the Evil Qi on the three Transformation Diagrams, all converging toward the void in the center of the three charts. Certain parts on the Skinny Dog diagram directly faded and vanished; those parts were defects, like the feet, claws, and waist. The defects of the White Elephant Transformation also faded and disappeared, such as the ears and the clumsy limbs. The same was true for the bait mouse.
Finally, at the center of the three Transformation Diagrams, a streak of golden light suddenly burst forth, rushing straight towards Chen Ku’s Heart Sea. Thereafter, an exceedingly bizarre creature appeared in the center of the three Transformation Diagrams. It broke out of the womb!
It was something that kept growing and shrinking in place. When small, it was like a white mouse. Once grown, it was like a giant elephant, with sharp teeth and fangs, a gaping maw, akin to both a dog and a mink.
What the heck is this? It can even change size freely? Chen Ku was shocked. He immediately looked towards the Transformation Diagram.
[???? (Unnamed) — First Realm Demonic Being Level Evil Qi (Excellent)]
[Transformation Level]
[Abilities: Power of Two Elephants, Eating All Humans and Beasts, Size change, Fine Dog Sense, Immune to All Poisons, Able to View Internal Organs...]
Chen Ku looked at the string of question marks for the Evil Qi, and a string of question marks also appeared above his own forehead. After a moment, he faintly understood. It seemed he could name this creature himself, as nothing like it originally existed in the world.
And the more Chen Ku looked at this creature’s description and image, the more it reminded him of something from a myth.
Once swallowed a True Lord’s Purple Gold Flower Mink?!
The Flower Fox Mink, from the Investiture of the Gods, was a living Magical Treasure belonging to Mo Lishou, one of the Four Generals of the Dreamland Demon Clan at Jiameng Guan. This beast was extremely fierce. It stayed in the treasure bag like a white mouse, but once released, it grew as large as a white elephant. It could fly out and eat people, and once swallowed a True Lord whole into its belly. However, the True Lord possessed the Eighty-Nine Mystical Skill and the Seventy-Two Transformations. Even after being swallowed, he remained unharmed. Instead, he killed the Flower Fox Mink, then transformed into its appearance, thereby overcoming the challenge posed by the Four Generals of the Dreamland Demon Clan.
Chen Ku, looking at the new Strange Beast within the Transformation Diagram that could grow and shrink, stroked his chin and scrutinized it.
Aside from the ability to fly with wings under its ribs, which it lacks... the rest are indeed quite similar...
He pondered further.
The abilities of this new Strange Beast all seem to have evolved from the foundational abilities of the Skinny Dog, White Elephant, and bait mouse. For instance, the devouring ability comes from the Skinny Dog’s Moon Eating Dog bloodline, capable of swallowing the sun and the moon, as well as possessing great strength like an elephant’s and immunity to all poisons... But this size-changing ability... seems to have emerged during the process of fetus transformation refining shape.
Not long ago, during the conflict when Chen Ku challenged the Medicine King Hall at the Twin Rivers Guild, he had witnessed Master Yang’s body transformation—the ability to change size. He had watched with his own eyes as a man, about 1.8-something meters tall, swelled on the spot into a giant over two meters high. According to Huang Muxia, this was called ’Transforming Tendons and Bones, Expanding the Five Organs and Six Bowels, Sturdy Within the Body’—changes that would only occur in Martial Artists once they reached the Five Internal Strong of the Fifth Realm.
This newly transformed Strange Beast was only a First Realm Demon, yet it already possessed such an ability?! Then it wasn’t a matter of Realm, but some kind of special ability!
It’s only missing a pair of wings under its ribs, but that doesn’t hinder... I can eventually refine you into a true ’Purple Gold Flower Mink’...
A light ignited in Chen Ku’s eyes, his lips curling into a smile.
I shall call you ’Flower Fox Mink’ then. When the opportunity arises, I’ll find a Demon capable of flight, refine it into you, and you’ll be the genuine article... Now, let me see just how much power the Flower Fox Mink’s enhancement grants!
He suddenly opened his eyes in the courtyard. He took a light step forward, Cultivating the Spirit Ape Great Strength Skill, feeling the changes in Force Power throughout his body and the shifts in his Divine Intent.
BOOM!
With a slight exertion of energy, it felt as if the muscle groups of two or three elephants were working inside his body. At the same time, he felt as if his stomach could now digest anything—this was ’Eating All Humans and Beasts’—and he no longer had to fear an upset stomach or poisoning—this was ’Immune to All Poisons’.
Most crucially... Chen Ku felt a certain special ’power’ within his blood.
Is this... Demonic Qi?
Using Huang Gun’s Inner Qi as fuel, this Demonic Qi was the fundamental essence of all First Realm Demons produced through refining shape. Chen Ku could feel this wisp of Demonic Qi flowing within his bloodline. He tentatively allowed it to spread throughout his body.
BOOM!!
The yellow earth beneath his feet caved in like mud.
Under the diffusion of this wisp of Demonic Qi, Chen Ku’s figure actually transformed into a three-meter giant, instantly bursting all his clothes except for his large underpants. He stood about ten feet tall.
So that’s how it is, that’s how it is. This size change is an ability of the Demonic Qi... After mastering the three levels of the Flower Fox Mink Transformation, I now also have the ability to become a little giant. Although I definitely can’t be as robust as Master Yang’s Five Internal Strong, this Demonic Qi... seems to have doubled my strength and size again!
Originally, after cultivating the White Elephant Transformation to its full level, he possessed the Irresistible Power of Two Elephants. Now, by refining shape from three transformations into a ’First Realm Demon,’ he not only retained the original abilities but also gained Demonic Qi, doubling his strength from the base of the Irresistible Power of Two Elephants. With the Demonic Qi’s enhancement, it became the Irresistible Power of Four Elephants.
I’ve truly become Li Yuanba!
Chen Ku clenched his fist, feeling all the enhancements the Flower Fox Mink Transformation had brought him. After his body enlarged, he possessed the strength of over forty thousand jin.
So this is the effect of Martial Artists’ Inner Qi... and Demons’ Demonic Qi... Although I haven’t achieved Inner Qi myself, the Flower Fox Mink is already a Demon. This is like a preview of ’Qi’.
And all this was based on the Divine Skills brought about by fetus transformation refining shape.
Thus, Chen Ku wanted to try refining shape and combining something again.
[Cooling down. Can be used again in three days.]
For a Divine Skill, a three-day wait wasn’t unbearable. He didn’t feel it was a pity either, because currently, apart from the Spirit Ape, he didn’t have much high-quality Evil Qi left in his Transformation Diagram. Casually refining shape and combining them wouldn’t result in any significant fundamental improvement.
But this Divine Skill is really too powerful. Not to mention the significant enhancements brought by the evolved ’Flower Fox Mink,’ just the fact that three strands of Evil Qi have merged into one while retaining all abilities... this has instantly freed up two empty ’Transformation Chart Positions’...
On the Transformation Chart now, the Flower Fox Mink Transformation occupied the first position. One transformation was equivalent to three, and it had also freed up two spots. Chen Ku immediately added the Blood Blade Transformation and the Spirit Ape Transformation to the chart as well. Though there was not much stacking in strength, the sharpness of the Blood Blade Finger was no longer something he only activated when needed; it could now be constantly active on his body, becoming a passively stackable ability.
Chen Ku looked at the Blood Blade Transformation. He had long since replaced the Wild Beast Level Yellow Ox Evil Qi with Ferocious Beast Level Evil Qi. One strand of this Evil Qi could provide suppression for seven days, but he still lacked Demonic Being Level Evil Qi to fully advance the Blood Blade Transformation to the second level.
My current strength, with the enhancements, can kill the likes of Huang Gun effortlessly. In other words, I now have the capability of ambushing and killing most Martial Practitioners of the Inner Qi Realm with a single strike. Naturally... killing First Realm Level Demons is no longer something to worry about...
He could now practically work towards transforming his entire arm into a Blood Blade, capable of severing others’ Weapons with a single strike.
Nine First Realm Level Demon Evil Qi strands... or... nine experts of the Inner Qi Realm...
Chen Ku’s eyes flickered with contemplation as he stepped out of the courtyard.
Now that I have achieved Minor Achievement in Skyward Strike, fulfilling Master Ke’s requirement ahead of schedule, I should go tell him and see if I truly qualify to become a disciple of the grandmaster.
As Chen Ku walked out of the courtyard in the outer city and headed towards the Medicine King Hall, he heard bursts of gong sounds from the street ahead. He saw more than a dozen county government office constables, his brother-in-law Li Yuancheng among them, escorting a prison cart in their direction. The man at the front was striking a gong, shouting as he went:
"The great bandit Ni Kun has violated the laws of the Daji Dynasty, committing seven major crimes including smuggling, killing officials, and slaughtering commoners! He is beyond pardon and has been sentenced to be paraded through the streets, followed by immediate execution after autumn! Today, he is being escorted to the execution ground! Bystanders, make way!!"
The people on both sides of the street all moved aside, though some curiously peered at the person inside the prison cart.
I forgot, it’s after autumn, and Ni Kun, who was captured, is to be executed.
From the crowd, Chen Ku stared at Ni Kun. Disheveled, with a deathly pale face and emaciated to the bone, he looked as if he had suffered much inhuman treatment in prison. A thought stirred in Chen Ku’s mind:
How good it would be if I could execute him?