Skip this! Just tell me who to kill!

Fire Cloud City, Imperial Palace Main Hall.

"Having built upon the accumulated achievements of seven generations and spent 173 years, we have finally reached this point..."

The King of Huoyun Kingdom, Song Chengshan, looked on with reminiscence, sighing in his heart at the more than 170 years of forbearance he had endured.

He was the founding king of the Fire Cloud Kingdom, who led many generals to carve out a path to survival in the chaotic world and establish the Fire Cloud Kingdom.

However, as he grew older, his generals passed away one after another.

Song Chengshan's fear of dying of old age had also reached its peak.

Fortunately, in his later years, by chance, he obtained a technique called the "Puppet Substitute Secret Technique" from the common people.

The so-called magic arts are the secret techniques that magicians can perform.

The sorcerer is a mortal who has failed to infuse spiritual energy into his body and absorb it to advance to the Qi Refining Immortal Cultivation stage.

Using this puppet substitution technique, Song Chengshan maintained his own intelligence by using the body of his bloodline offspring and merging his soul with that of his bloodline offspring.

In the 173 years since the founding of the Fire Cloud Kingdom, the kingdom has had seven different rulers.

Every monarch had a very short lifespan, dying unexpectedly in their early twenties.

This is due to the influence of the puppet substitute technique.

But this was of no consequence to Song Chengshan.

In any case, the first thing he did after changing bodies was to establish an empress and concubines.

As long as one lives and creates more people, there will be an endless stream of offspring, with plenty of bodies to replace them.

Furthermore, it wasn't just the newly appointed empress and concubines who could bear him children.

Because the previous ruler had a short lifespan, the previous empress and concubines could also become the objects of Song Chengshan's reproduction.

However, Song Chengshan discovered that when the Crown Prince's body was combined with the Empress's, the children born to the Empress were often deformed or had some kind of problem.

In addition, the Empress was quite familiar with Song Chengshan's every move. Some clever Empresses could even discern from Song Chengshan's sudden death and the Crown Prince's sudden and dramatic change.

They noticed something was amiss.

So, the first thing Song Chengshan did when he transferred his soul into the Crown Prince's body 120 years ago was to secretly order the Empress to be murdered.

This was to prevent the secret technique of puppet doppelgangers that he had mastered from being exposed.

"Having used this puppet substitution technique for over a hundred years, the Dragon-Swallowing Gu Qi... is finally about to condense!"

Song Chengshan was thrilled.

He sat back on the dragon throne, his eyes slightly closed, as if he had merged with the shadows of the century-old palace.

Then, he slowly raised his hands, his ten fingers like hooks and claws, interlacing them in front of him to form a mudra, while he began to chant a deep and resonant incantation:

"Bloodline inherited from Xuanyuan, soul passed down through seven generations."

"The dragon-like insect lies dormant, devouring the veins to form a new embryo."

"A hundred years of dawn and dusk, all turned into kindling."

"Now we open the altar and offer our remains."

"I use dragon's blood as fuel, and the fate of the nation as my firewood—"

The incantation echoed in the spacious hall, causing the candlelight to flicker without wind. The swaying light and shadows made it seem as if a dragon's shadow was rising, only to be devoured by a ferocious Gu worm.

Whoohoo!

Suddenly, a violent hurricane rushed into the hall from outside.

At the same time, the clear sky outside suddenly darkened, with dark clouds looming overhead, as if a storm was about to break out.

Outside the palace area, the clamor and screams of the people of Fire Cloud City rose and fell.

Streams of scarlet blood rose from the city like rivers flowing into the sea, quickly converging into the imperial palace.

As soon as the crimson blood passed through the front of the main hall, it seemed to undergo a complete transformation, changing from crimson to golden.

These crimson bloodstains carry the entire destiny of Fire Cloud City over its 170-year history, emanating an aura that shakes the very soul.

A surge of intense joy flashed in Song Chengshan's eyes as his fingers flew like lightning, forming a complex hand seal.

Immediately, the hand seal was swiftly unleashed towards the crimson-gold mass of blood from all people, accompanied by a sharp shout:

"The blood of the people, may it all return to my body!"

"Dragon-Devouring Gu Qi—Awaken!"

The imperial edict, like thunder, echoed throughout the main hall.

The next second, the crimson-gold blood of the people trembled and began to contract and condense rapidly inward.

The crimson color gradually faded, turning into a pure and dazzling gold!

Finally, it condensed into a dazzling golden light, seemingly pulsating with life—

Low-grade Xuan-level [Dragon-Devouring Gu Qi]!

"Hahaha! The path to immortality is complete!"

Song Chengshan burst into a wild, unrestrained laugh.

He had suppressed this burst of wild laughter for a full 173 years!

Song Chengshan, at the young age of twenty, had already become a Taoist priest.

However, there are still two hurdles to overcome in order to advance from a Taoist practitioner to a Qi Refining Immortal.

Firstly, there is the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

If one cannot grasp a wisp of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, there is absolutely no way one can embark on the path of immortal cultivation in this lifetime.

But how precious is the spiritual energy of heaven and earth?

Even among the powerful clans of the Great Liang Kingdom, only a select few with exceptional talent are able to gather a wisp of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, thereby drawing it into their bodies and becoming immortal cultivators.

Secondly, there is talent.

Even if there is spiritual energy from heaven and earth, it is difficult to enter the body if this spiritual energy is not compatible with one's own.

If it is forcibly inserted into the body, there is even a risk of the body exploding and dying.

For Song Chengshan, neither of these two hurdles was something he could overcome.

In terms of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, he was born in the Southern Wilderness, a place devoid of spiritual energy, making it difficult for him to obtain it.

In terms of talent, he was mediocre. Even with the most common low-grade yellow-rank spiritual energy, such as [Minor Pure Spiritual Energy], he could not integrate it into himself.

Fortunately, he had many opportunities.

Fortunately, he obtained a secret technique called "Puppet Substitute Technique," which allows him to gain up to two hundred years of lifespan through substitute offspring.

I have obtained another [Dragon Devouring Gu Qi Refining Secret Method], which allows me to refine this [Dragon Devouring Gu Qi] that is extremely suitable for the monarch by sacrificing the nation's fortune!

With both of these qualities, plus Qin Muyuan's act of slaughter, Song Chengshan... can finally embark on the path of immortal cultivation and strive for immortality!

"Qin Muyuan, you did a great job!"

A rare, almost genuine look of gratitude flashed across Song Chengshan's eyes.

He had already secretly decided that once he successfully refined the Dragon-Swallowing Gu Qi, when Qin Muyuan stormed into the hall, he could grant him a chance to live.

Given Qin Muyuan's demonstrated talent in martial arts, as long as he is willing to submit and pledge allegiance to me...

Song Chengshan was willing to give Qin Muyuan a chance to form a warrior contract!

……

The sounds of battle outside the palace hall and in the square in front of the gate ceased.

Song Chengshan, who had been sitting upright on the dragon throne, suddenly opened his eyes from his closed state.

A bright glint flashed in his eyes, and his body emanated an extremely powerful aura of immortal cultivation.

"You've arrived."

Song Chengshan raised his eyes and looked at the young man who was slowly walking into the main hall, covered in blood and looking like a blood-soaked figure.

Song Chengshan could sense that none of the blood on this black-haired, black-eyed youth belonged to him; instead, it all came from the soldiers, martial artists, and warriors outside who had been killed by the youth.

After slaying thousands of enemies, the young man's condition not only did not decline, but instead became even more vigorous.

This prosperous state greatly pleased Song Chengshan.

Only a martial artist of this kind is qualified to serve as a warrior for me now that I have refined the [Dragon Devouring Gu Qi]!