The King of Black Fog

Amidst a burst of electric light and flint, Yang Qinglan leaped onto the basket sea star, landing next to the mermaid.

Without waiting for the mermaid, who looked panic-stricken, to speak, she whispered, "We also protect the basket sea star, help us!"

The mermaid's expression slightly softened, and he nodded.

Boom!

A blast sounded overhead, the two looked up to see flames flickering within the pit where Li Changzhou and the others were, resembling a furnace.

The sound of fists and feet colliding was like wood bursting open in the furnace, cracking loudly.

Zhu Xiongjie steadied his heart, licked his teeth, relaxed his crotch, and connected the small circulation.

His strength drilled into his left leg, sinking his body, like a tank, as if his spine had grown roots, deeply embedded into the ground.

He did not retreat an inch!

Li Changzhou had already entered "Concentration," forgetting everything like Black Death God, heavy machine guns, and king cobras at the back of his mind.

Attack!

The more Zhu Xiongjie fought, the more alarmed he became.

When they initially clashed, Li Changzhou was strong and quick, but that was it—just strength and speed, at most possessing a heart cruel to his enemies and even more ruthless to himself.

In his view, Li was completely a reckless brute.

But in just an instant, with each punch and each kick, Li Changzhou had already caught the whole body's momentum, his strength swirling like mercury in his body.

Shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers, knees—his whole body was like a fish covered in spines, with mercury flicking about, every part could parry, and every part could kill.

In the realm of swordsmanship, he had reached the level where he was unimpeded by objects, and everything could be a sword.

Even more terrifying was—

Zhu Xiongjie turned and pivoted, stepping over the Eight Diagram circle, moving fluidly like flowing clouds and water, walking in all directions.

With one intention in five strengths, forming circles with his movements, Eight Diagram Palm!

His palms waved, casting shadows all over the sky, due to moving too fast, faintly leaving an eight diagram pattern in the air.

Li Changzhou was forced back half a step, the next moment.

His body slightly sank backward, sitting like a tiger, his hands moving like swimming dragons.

The flow was unseen, only the motion of objects, Eight Diagram Palm!

To an ordinary person watching their fight, the moves were invisible, only the clashing Eight Diagrams visible, like two huge millstones thunderously colliding.

Crack! Boom!

One was undergoing Divine Fire Burning Body, the other Thunder and Lightning, their movements grand and powerful, every clash of "Eight Diagrams" more terrifying than real millstones colliding!

The narrow pit was swiftly splattered with blood and flesh by their fight, continually expanding in size.

Hatred, hate!

Zhu Xiongjie wished he could drink Li Changzhou's blood, eat his flesh.

His Visualization, Divine Fire Map, trained in fire, was restrained by Li Changzhou, but Li Changzhou's Thunder Map kept paralyzing his body "constantly".

He couldn't delay further with this young man here!

Zhu Xiongjie snapped back from his surprise and panic.

His goal was to kill the basket sea star and take its heart.

Once he reached the third layer of the Divine Fire Map (the third potential development)—Divinity Transformation in Divine Fire, with Li Changzhou's fire control abilities in front of him, it would be like playing with fire and burning himself.

Determined, Zhu Xiongjie changed his moves.

His elixir coursed through him, holding within one Qi, the way completed, Intention Fist!

Bang!

The Eight Diagram in Li Changzhou's hands shattered, and he staggered back three steps.

Zhu Xiongjie's feet like crushing venomous snakes, his left knee brushing against his right knee, inching forward, his right leg closely following, kicking out.

This kick did not come from the strength of the leg, but from the whole body in motion.

Bang!

Li Changzhou retreated again!

Seizing the opportunity, Zhu Xiongjie sprinted, running towards the pit, imagining Divine Fire in his mind, his whole body exploding like a barrel of gunpowder.

With a leap downward, he compressed the air, shooting towards the bottom of the pit.

Flames loomed overhead, Yang Qinglan, the mermaid, and the basket sea star looked up into the space above the pit.

A meteorite of flames roared, tearing through the wind, flames wildly dancing!

"Little sea star!" the mermaid yelled.

The basket sea star, intact, recovering, or still unhealed, all tentacles flailing wildly, hurled toward the flaming meteorite.

Merging instantly!

The scene before her reminded Yang Qinglan of a summer day in the courtyard on Yanhe Road, where Li Qianxia had caught a mosquito and placed it in a disposable plastic cup, then stabbed an incense stick into it, recalling the scene when the incense burned through the plastic cup.

The heat wave first made her body feel warm and cozy, but in an instant, it became scorching hot.

Yang Qinglan's eyes turned blue, a gravitational pull strong enough to lift battleships, completely useless against the meteorite of flames that had to crash down!

Golden red flames streamed down from the sky over the pit, unstoppable.

Yang Qinglan never thought of using "Attract and Repel" to stop this strike, simply trying to slow the opponent's momentum, making them go from landing to ascending.

"Let's go!" She grabbed the mermaid, jumping off the basket sea star.

Like a giant net spread over the surface of the lake, the tentacles of the basket sea star had vanished, the duo dove into the lake unobstructed, leaving a trail of bubbles.

"Ooh!"

The basket sea star's body contracted, swelled, and exhaled a breath of ice mist.

The lake surface instantly froze, but the ice fog was thin.

It no longer had enough strength.

After such a long fierce battle, there was even a moment when it almost got directly blasted into debris by a warship.

"Die!"

In the midst of the flames, Zhu Xiongjie, reckless, visualized again.

Great fire burning his body, his whole body's blood, fascia, and bones all contracted and compressed.

Layer upon layer of fire was squeezed out.

The golden-red flames, like oil splashed on, suddenly swelled, turning into a blazing purple-red.

The walls of the pit began to burn, the giant whale wailed and roared, the walls contracted.

Hisss, the fire waves collided with the ice mist, the white fog burst open, and steam billowed.

Bang!

The meteorite of flames plummeted.

"Ooh!!!"

The mournful cry of the basket sea star awakened Li Changzhou from "Concentration," his footsteps pounded, and he had already charged to the edge of the pit.

Heatwaves struck people, and the white mist was as scalding as steam.

Just as he was about to jump headlong, he suddenly remembered that Yang Qinglan had "Pelican-style Temperature Adjustment." As long as she avoided collisions, neither high temperatures nor cold could bother her.

He paused, his eyes focused, staring at the mist.

The void shattered, and Black Death God floated beside him, ready to strike Zhu Xiongjie with a deadly blow.

The King Cobra crawled out from under his feet. Li Changzhou intended to let it directly into the white poison fog, but he feared accidentally injuring Yang Qinglan.

Huh!

A gust of wind passed by his ear, and Li Changzhou looked up to see Yang Qinglan pulling a mermaid, flying toward the "sky" like a fairy.

Guessing she was probably fine, but seeing her truly unharmed still uncontrollably filled him with joy. He burst into laughter, stomped the ground, and chased after her.

"Chang'e Fairy, don't forget me when you return to the Heavenly Palace!"

As he brushed past her, he reached out his hand and pulled Yang Qinglan into his embrace.

"Hurry up" she said urgently in his ear before he could speak.

"What happened?"

Gravity shifted onto Li Changzhou, and the two along with the fish kept "falling" continuously.

A sudden furious roar came from below.

"I've stolen the Fire God Map!" Yang Qinglan said urgently, yet with a hint of laughter.

Li Changzhou was stunned, then burst into hearty laughter, and shouted down to the King Cobra still in the pit: "Golden Crown, spray poison!"

Because he was out of range, Black Death God was carrying the White Bone Scythe back into the void.

The King Cobra was also ready to leave, but he called it back, its mournful mouth opened hideously, shooting poison fog into the pit.

Li Changzhou beckoned with his hand, and with a flash of Jade Light, the Emerald Bee Sword returned to his hand.

As he summoned the Emerald Bee Sword, Yang Qinglan placed the Fire God Map into his embrace and took out a photograph from inside.

As soon as the Emerald Bee Sword was in hand, the two of them along with the fish immediately began to melt, turning into streaks of color.

Another bout of furious roaring like thunder came; the white mist instantly turned a fiery red, like clouds at sunset, a blast of firelight rushed upwards.

"Ah!" the mermaid clung tightly to Yang Qinglan's arm, her tail slapping continuously like a chain of palms.

As the firelight passed, the black and white photograph turned to ashes, scattering everywhere.

Zhu Xiongjie, holding the heart of a starfish in a basket, had bloodshot eyes as if flames were about to burst forth, but there was no trace of Li Changzhou or the others.

Seeing the poison fog swept away by the flames and rendered useless, the King Cobra also immediately burrowed into the void.

◇

A faint fragrance filled the air, surrounded by thousands of peonies in purple and red.

Black, white, silver, red ... various colors twisted and slowly transformed into two people and a fish.

A corner of the Commander Mansion's garden.

"How did you steal it?" As soon as they landed, Li Changzhou immediately asked with a laugh.

Yang Qinglan's face was still dotted with water droplets, and she laughed with a bit of excitement:

"Zhu Xiongjie's biggest worry was losing the Fire God Map. I used an illusion, and he immediately checked to see if it was still there. Once I knew where the Fire God Map was, I had the mermaid blow the conch shell, combined with my auditory illusion and the heavy fog, it confused him. I took the opportunity to steal the Fire God Map!"

Li Changzhou couldn't help but laugh heartily: "I never thought it would be this easy. Here I was fighting half the day, and you were smarter!"

Yang Qinglan looked at his profile, radiant and brimming with confidence, obviously when his intelligence dropped to 6 points, he started acting recklessly.

"Let's go change clothes first," she said with a smile.

"Right," Li Changzhou nodded.

Yang Qinglan turned her head to the still-shaken mermaid and said, "You hide here, don't run around."

The mermaid nodded subconsciously.

The two of them quietly returned to their room without alerting the maids and old mothers in the house.

After changing clothes and meeting up again, Yang Qinglan noticed that Li Changzhou had a smile on his face.

"So happy?" she restrained her attention and teased, "If Qian Xia were here, she would say your smile is disgusting."

"I guessed who pushed you into the whale's mouth." Li Changzhou laughed.

"...Your smile is kind of disgusting, I can't stand it either," Yang Qinglan could only say.

She immediately changed the subject, "Call Qian Xia back, I'll deal with the mermaid."

"Okay," Li Changzhou said, and the void in front of him opened its eyes.

"Brother!" Li Qianxia shouted from the other side, accompanied by deafening gunfire.

"Qian Xia!" Li Changzhou responded, "What's going on over there?"

"I and Chun Emperor came to assassinate the Commander, hoping to end the mission immediately and have you return at once."

"Wait, don't let her act yet!" Li Changzhou hurriedly shouted.

"Ah... she just succeeded," Li Qianxia looked toward the distance, her face slightly dazed, already fully appearing opposite the "eyes."

The heat-weapons-resistant Chun Emperor, herself a master of secondary potential development, made assassinating Commander Li seem effortless.

[Do you wish to inherit the Li Clan's warlord position?]

"I... Commander!" Li Changzhou had not anticipated that things would develop this far!

If they inherited, Yang Qinglan and Li Qianxia's third mission would fail, but they could win time.

If they did not inherit, in terms of time…

He immediately opened the "Divine Fire Map", entered "Concentration" in a second, restored his intelligence to 7 points, and prepared to take a chance.

On the "Divine Fire Map"—Heavenly fire flowed, falling from the sky, smashing onto the earth, the earth cracked open, and endless flames spewed from the crevices.

[Do you wish to inherit the Li Clan's warlord position?]

[Countdown one minute]

[…10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...]

In his mind, a stream of fire meteor smashed down, the whole body tightened as if fire burned his bottom, strength condensed into a force.

"Do not inherit!"

[.....0]

June's breeze swept through, peony petals fluttered all over the sky, and the world turned into a sea of flowers.

A few petals in the air outlined words.

[Mission ended]

"Changzhou." Li Changzhou looked up and saw Yang Qinglan standing in the sea of flowers looking at him.

"Brother!" Li Qianxia was trying to crawl across from the "eyes."

Everything went dark.

A broadcast voice reached his ears.

"Ding-dong~"

"Dear passengers, welcome back to the train, the train is currently traveling from the past to the present, expected to arrive in one hour, please complete the exchange within the specified time."