Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 418 - 373: A Battle of Wits!_2

Dongfang Qing, as the Supreme Patriarch of Shenxiao Sect, was never short of Magical Treasures.

Yet, he specifically proposed this condition as additional stakes, obviously prepared for someone in particular.

"Don’t you want the Hua Sheng Thunder Pond just as much?"

"Well, that’s not wrong," he admitted with a nod.

The two Primordial Spirit Bosses shared a smile, then turned their gazes towards the dueling arena before them.

Today’s battle, in addition to their raised stakes, also symbolized whether Shenxiao Sect could retain their spot for the journey to the Valley of Deceased Gods.

Surrounding the dueling platform, constructed from platinum and jade, Dao Experts from the Shenxiao Sect and the Domineering Body Sect each occupied one side, their eyes ablaze.

The battle today was not only a wager but also a contest of face and honor.

One was the foremost sacred land in the vast Huihuai Province; the other, a venerable ancient teaching that had withstood the test of time.

Neither party wished to lose face at the hands of the other.

Under the watchful eyes of the two Primordial Spirit Bosses and numerous Dao Experts, a figure from the Domineering Body Sect leaped onto the stage.

It was Yang Jingzhe’s disciple, Zhong Gu.

"Zhong Gu, this lad is no easy opponent," remarked Daoist Priest Yunqing, stroking his goatee, his eyes fixed on Zhong Gu below, seemingly familiar with this prodigy of the Domineering Body Sect.

"How so?" inquired Daoist Yunxiong, glancing sideways.

"The boy is Yang Jingzhe’s direct disciple. At just ninety years old, his Undying Golden Body has already reached the Sixteen Gates, his cultivation at the Blood-Stained Peak.

Two years ago, he ventured to Nanyang overseas alone. In the span of a year, he destroyed thirty-six evil altars there, provoking a group of Evil Cultivators to place a bounty on his head. In the end, they even summoned an old ghost from the Dao Body Realm to personally make a move against him.

But do you know what happened?"

"What happened?"

"He actually withstood the attack of that Dao Body Realm old ghost and killed the entire group of Evil Cultivators that had put a bounty on him.

Yang Jingzhe sending him to fight this battle shows that he truly wants to win."

"To withstand the strike of a Dao Body Expert..."

Realizing the young man possessed such profound cultivation made Daoist Yunxiong, initially brimming with confidence, feel a flicker of doubt.

But then, he instinctively looked up towards Dongfang Qing.

He saw the Supreme Sect Leader’s demeanor was as composed as ever, his expression serene, giving the impression he had everything under control, unhurried and unperturbed.

If the Sect Master is this calm, there probably won’t be any problems.

After Zhong Gu stepped onto the stage, he glanced up at the stands and gave Yang Jingzhe a slight nod of acknowledgment.

At that moment, his opponent, a clean-looking, young Daoist clad in a simple white Taoist Robe, also slowly entered the arena.

"I am Qi Xiu, a disciple of Daoist Yunxiong from Shenxiao Sect. Greetings, Senior Brother."

Approaching the dueling ground, Qi Xiu lightly gathered his sleeves and cupped his fists in salute to Zhong Gu.

"So it is Daoist Qi," Zhong Gu replied with a faint smile, returning the cupped-fist salute. "’Senior Brother’ might be premature. I am merely ninety this year. Might I venture to ask your age, Daoist? Perhaps it is I who should be respectfully addressing you as Senior Brother."

He bore no personal grudge against Qi Xiu; today’s conflict was all for their Sect, so it was natural to observe full courtesy to avoid appearing as an uncouth brawler.

"You have not misspoken. This junior is indeed eighty-four this year," Qi Xiu replied.

"Eighty-four?"

Upon hearing Qi Xiu’s age, not only did Zhong Gu look surprised, but even Yang Jingzhe in the stands showed a trace of disbelief and turned his head towards Dongfang Qing, questioning:

"Another Li Qingshan?"

With the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, Dongfang Qing slowly shook his head.

Thank goodness... Yang Jingzhe sighed in relief, thinking for a moment that such good fortune had yet again been snatched by that wily fox.

But before he could turn his head away, he heard Dongfang Qing slowly utter two words:

"Even better."

"Hm???"

...

Below, upon hearing Qi Xiu was six years his junior, Zhong Gu was first stunned, then chuckled, "Alright then... if that’s so, Junior Brother Qi, shall we begin?"

"Please bestow your guidance, Senior Brother."

"Come!"

With a low roar like thunder, a boundless aura of combat spirit surged from the ground. Zhong Gu’s blood qi surged tumultuously within him with a thunderous roar. In an instant, he seemed to transform into a vast, sky-covering tidal wave of blood qi sweeping over everything.

The immense, domineering power seemed to overturn the cycle of heaven and earth, boiling every drop of battle blood within him.

Even when catching a rabbit, the lion uses all its might!

Without any reservation, Zhong Gu fully unleashed his Undying Golden Body, which he had cultivated to the Sixteen Gates. He transformed into a war god, intent on striking down everything in his path.

This is the Undying Golden Body of the Domineering Body Sect.

Watching Zhong Gu, his wide Taoist robe billowing from the incoming fierce aura, Qi Xiu’s eyes reflected surprise and amazement.

Since he had initiated into the Dao, he had never seen such an overwhelming physical body; even the ancient blood demons did not compare.

Pure, robust, domineering!

The entire entity was as massive as a towering mountain that seemed to reach the sky, as if containing countless ancient gods and demons. A single thread of its blood qi could crush entire mountain ranges.

This was the famed Undying Golden Body, said to remain indestructible even if Heaven and Earth themselves were to perish!

BOOM—

The next instant, Zhong Gu moved.

He roared, his fearsome sonic boom piercing the void like a Martial Path deity awakening. His blood qi boiled, battle strength erupted, and his golden radiance blazed, shaking heaven and earth, magnificent and awe-inspiring.

He thundered forward!

Pure golden blood qi engulfed the area. Divine light, accompanied by pillar-like sonic booms, suddenly bombarded Qi Xiu. Wherever it passed, hairline cracks spread across the surface of the white jade and golden stone platform.

This roar alone had destructive power that faintly touched the threshold of the Dao Body Realm.

Pure strength, is it?

Feeling the terrifying sonic column coming head-on, Qi Xiu remained calm. Single-handedly performing several spells, a white light flew out, landing in his palm: the *White Bone Magic Sword—Vajra Majestic Dragon*.

Brandishing the sword with a casual swing, resounding dragon roars imbued with robust Dragon Power echoed throughout the dueling arena. These roars then collided with Zhong Gu’s sonic column, and both explosively dissipated into nothingness.

"What a move, Junior Brother!"

The voice was right beside him. Qi Xiu’s vision blurred; before he could react, Zhong Gu was already upon him. The boundless blood qi emanating from Zhong Gu felt like a great sun, threatening to roast him alive.

BANG!

The iron fist hammered down. Its edge, wrapped in fierce, brilliant golden light, condensed into a terrifying Fist Radiance that ruthlessly pierced Qi Xiu’s chest. Its momentum, undiminished, even gouged an inch-deep fist mark into the ground.

But just as it struck, Qi Xiu’s figure suddenly dissolved into countless flashes of Lei Mang and electric light, then dissipated.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!—

A series of fine sparks burst from Zhong Gu’s back. The White Bone Magic Sword, mighty and powerful enough to cleave mountains and rivers, struck him yet failed to even graze his skin, leaving only ephemeral white marks behind.

Turning around, they faced each other. Qi Xiu and Zhong Gu exchanged smiles.

The probing was over.

Now, the real battle began.

BANG!

With a heavy stomp from Zhong Gu, the entire dueling arena abruptly lurched downwards. He shot forward like a meteor colliding with heaven and earth, wrapped in a brilliance more dazzling than the sun itself, tearing through the void as he charged.

His hands forming gestures in the air, Qi Xiu spread his arms. Endless Cloud Seal Talismans surged from his sleeves, erecting towering Great Formations before Zhong Gu.

Talisman Array Dao: One Hundred and Eight Thunder Pupil Great Formation!

Talisman Array Dao: Eight Hundred Thunder Fire Extermination Great Array!

Talisman Array Dao: Twelve Yuanxu White Bone Demons!

Talisman Array Dao: All Heavens Demon-Subduing Thunder Drum Strongmen! 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

...

Hidden Thunder Heavy Pupils slowly opened in the void, brewing boundless Lei Mang within them and emanating a terrifying aura that threatened to annihilate everything. Dense, cataclysmic thunder fire rumbled within Cloud Seal Talismans that permeated every inch of the void, ready to detonate upon contact with world-destroying power.

Surrounded by a dark green, fierce flame, the Twelve Yuanxu White Bone Demons, with their green hair and red eyes, cackled grotesquely.

This formation, composed of the Boundless Fire Emperor and White Bone Demonic Dao, melded the strengths of both methods. The resulting Yuanxu White Bone Demons possessed both the White Bone Demon’s indestructibility and the terrifying destructive power of the Boundless Fire Emperor. Trapped within this formation, even Blood-Stained Great Cultivators would be utterly drained to death.

Alongside the Twelve Yuanxu White Bone Demons stood the All Heavens Demon-Subduing Thunder Drum Strongmen. They towered in the void—colossal and muscular, clad in deep blue Taoist robes, wreathed in circling Lei Mang and electric light—their eyes emitting blinding white beams.

These strongmen were born from the fusion of Hidden Thunder Heavy Pupils and Yellow Turban Strongmen.

In their left hand, they held hammers, each slight motion causing tremors in the air and resounding with rumbling thunder.

In their right hand, they held a drum engraved with thunder patterns, its imposing presence seemingly capable of overwhelming the Nine Heavens.

With four Great Formations arrayed before him, Qi Xiu slowly gathered his sleeves, his gaze serene as he watched Zhong Gu hurtling towards him with unstoppable momentum.

...