Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 427 - 381: Has He Always Been This Brave?

His expression solemn, Batal clasped his hands and looked intently at the young Daoist standing opposite him.

How had this Daoist arrived unnoticed? Batal wondered, having detected not the slightest hint of his approach.

Moreover, the man’s aura was profound and abyssal, like the sea. Despite being so close, Batal couldn’t discern the level of his Cultivation.

It was like looking up at a sacred mountain soaring into the clouds. Even after tilting his head back as far as it would go, he could only see the thick layers of mist, not the mountain’s true height.

"Immeasurable Living Buddha, what does this young benefactor mean by those words? Have we met before?"

Sure of never having encountered Qi Xiu before, Batal invoked the Buddha’s name and asked in a low voice.

"Demon Monks of the Secret Shrine Temple, how dare you, things neither fully human nor ghost, come to the Valley of Deceased Gods?"

Speaking indifferently, Qi Xiu slowly walked toward Batal.

His steps were light, yet they resounded like rolling Heavenly Thunder, shaking one’s soul.

With each step he took, it felt as if heaven and earth trembled along.

Facing him, Batal could clearly feel an overwhelming pressure surging toward him like the tide with the Daoist’s every step. The pressure was so heavy he could hardly breathe.

His shoulders felt as if they were pinned by two majestic mountains. His spine bent under the invisible burden, struggling to muster his robust Cultivation.

BOOM!

The earth spat dust, and a haze of dirt billowed into the air.

Gasping for air, Batal quickly backed away to reduce the pressure bearing down on him.

But as soon as he had retreated dozens of miles, he looked up to find the young Daoist with his calm demeanor still standing ten zhang away—somehow, the distance between them seemed mystically locked.

His eyes trembled, and Batal, unwilling to accept the situation, frantically changed positions. His speedy movement whipped up fierce winds, causing the nearby Baichuan Tribe cultivators to topple over, screaming as they fell to the ground.

Yet no matter how Batal changed his location, the distance between him and Qi Xiu continued to shrink.

"I said, you have to die here today."

Qi Xiu went on, pale luminescence shimmering around him, progressing toward Batal. Each footstep caused a barely discernible speck of golden light to flit through the void.

"Die? I have been cultivating for over four hundred and seventy years, and many have wished for my death. Yet in the end, they all died by my hand."

Even as he sensed the intensifying oppressive force emitting from Qi Xiu, Batal remained undaunted, grinning widely.

Those who dared to venture into the Valley of Deceased Gods were either the chosen scions of various Sect Aristocracy or elder cultivators who had reached a bottleneck in the Blood-Stained Realm, struggling and toiling for centuries.

Their Temperament and resolve were often stronger than their Cultivation itself.

With his robe billowing, Batal took a step forward, not retreating but advancing boldly.

If I cannot hide, then I will kill Qi Xiu.

His aura surged violently, and Batal’s skin radiated an eerie light, emitting an extremely terrifying heat. Waves of it swept out in all directions, sizzling through the void.

The Secret Shrine Temple was expert in the cultivation of essence, qi, and blood.

Moreover, they could freely convert their Cultivation between flesh and soul.

Therefore, these Demon Monks were usually tall and burly, their vigorous and intense blood qi on par with genuine Martial Path cultivators.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Batal’s punch thundered forward. Divine Light rolled, and endless streams of essence and blood qi converged. This caused his fist to swell immensely, as if to engulf the heavens and the earth. Even before his fist landed, the ground for hundreds of miles around began to shatter.

This punch left the cultivators of the Wolf Saint Tribe and Baichuan Tribe in shock.

Could such divine might truly belong to a Blood-Stained Realm cultivator?

As he calmly watched the terrifying punch that seemed capable of shattering heaven and earth, the Primordial Sword Gourd tied to Qi Xiu’s waist clanged loudly. The Primordial Sword Mang surged out like a torrential rainbow, coalescing into an equally colossal sword.

BANG—

Fist met sword, unleashing a storm of metallic roars, like a surging tide against iron walls!

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Retreating hundreds of steps in succession and plowing a long trench into the ground with his feet, Batal looked down at his right fist with a serious expression.

There were crosshatched bloodstains on it, tinged with a bit of colorful energy that was steadily eating away at his strength.

A Magical Treasure?

Believing the Primordial Sword Gourd to be incredibly powerful, Batal misjudged it as a Magical Treasure. His eyes swiftly shifted. Reaching deep into his sleeve, he pulled out a drum. It had bizarre illustrations on the edge, was white and smooth, and exuded an endlessly sinister and enchanting aura.

"Don’t think you’re the only one with a Magical Treasure; I have one too."

Holding the sinister and charming drum, Batal began to shake it vigorously while dancing, as if performing some sacrificial dance.

The fast-paced drum beats resounded continuously, as eerie and enchanting energy spread throughout the world. In the midst of the haze, numerous seductive figures appeared. They were faint yet perceptible, capturing hearts and souls with their smiles and glances. These alluring shadows materialized around Qi Xiu, each smile and glance like silk, their breath fragrant as orchids, relentlessly captivating one’s mind and will.

The Le Yuwang Sheng Drum!

This was Batal’s Life-Bound Magic Treasure, readied for his breakthrough into the Dao Body Realm. Once anyone heard the drumbeat, a burning desire that could not be restrained would ignite within them.

With time, this flame wouldn’t extinguish. Instead, it would grow more fierce until it completely dried the person’s spirit and resolve, leaving them defeated and powerless.

Crooked paths will always be crooked paths. Does he not know that I’m from the Shenxiao Sect? Is he always this brazen?

Shaking his head slowly and heaving a short sigh, Qi Xiu’s thoughts stirred, and he suddenly urged his robust Thunder Magic to its utmost limit.

The calm sky turned turbulent in an instant, with dark clouds rolling like ink spilled across the heavens!

Countless bolts of thunder roared in unison, their rumble deafening. Each clap resonated like giant drums in the heavenly court, echoing through the Nine Heavens and shaking the earth.

The tremor of thunder seemed as if the Heavenly Official was expressing its wrath. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The brilliant might of heaven instantly obliterated the strange and enchanting aura borne by the Le Yuwang Sheng Drum.

The Divine Marvel was utterly restrained and shattered. Batal’s complexion changed drastically as his Le Yuwang Sheng Drum tore open a small hole. Billows of black smoke surged out from it, accompanied by a piercing, shrill scream.

"You’ve hopped around enough. It’s time to be on your way."

Without even raising his hand from beginning to end, Qi Xiu took a step forward. He suddenly appeared in front of the sickly-faced Batal, his robes billowed fiercely. His right hand, displaying a dazzling array of colors, struck out, slamming down fiercely with his palm.

BANG!

Hunyuan Attraction!

Batal’s chest collapsed instantly. Qi Xiu’s palm strike seemed unremarkable, but in reality, it was laden with his entire profound and immeasurable Cultivation. It shattered Batal’s physical defenses and activated the Hunyuan Star Absorption Skill in an instant.

The radiant light burst forth from his body like a breached dam rushing toward the center of Qi Xiu’s palm.

At that moment, Batal finally showed a look of terror. Indeed, any cultivator would have such an expression when feeling their own Cultivation essence being rapidly drained.

"What is this evil technique!"

As if his very color was being drained by Qi Xiu, Batal screamed and struggled, but before he could activate his Cultivation, layer upon layer of ancient and majestic golden Talisman Scripts emerged, an overwhelming suppressive force instantly enveloping his entire body.

They actually managed to forcibly suppress his Cultivation, rendering him unable to mobilize the slightest bit.

The Seventh Realm’s calligraphy turned into a spell that required no casting and could be instantly activated.

As long as Qi Xiu’s mind and Cultivation were not exhausted, he could cover every corner under the scope of his Divine Sense with Cloud Seal Talismans in the blink of an eye.

His towering frame withering and shrinking, Batal roared in frustration.

He was a disciple of the Immeasurable Living Buddha, having cultivated for more than four hundred and seventy years, and was ranked third among the seventy-seven disciples of the Secret Shrine Temple.

If he could just enter the Valley of Deceased Gods this time, he was sure to break free from the constraints of the Blood-Stained Realm and become another Dao Body Living Buddha.

I shouldn’t die here! I shouldn’t!

With a final gaze filled with resentment and hatred towards Qi Xiu, Batal’s body completely transformed into an empty shell. All his essence, qi, and blood condensed into an Essence Treasure Bead shining with divine light.

Having killed Batal, Qi Xiu glanced at the Baichuan Tribe members, who were already scared silly in the distance. Without paying them any attention, he turned and walked towards Yan Baizhe and the others.

"This is for you. I’ve filtered the essence, qi, and blood within; it should be enough for you to reach the Blood-Stained Peak."

Indifferently tossing the Essence Treasure Bead formed from Batal’s essence, qi, and blood to Yan Baizhe, Qi Xiu casually remarked.

The essence within this Treasure Bead was full of extremely pure energy and was even more beneficial for Martial Path cultivators.

Although Yan Baizhe wasn’t a traditional Martial Path cultivator, the cultivation system of the Daliang Cultivators also incorporated aspects of the Martial Path, so it wouldn’t be wasted on him.

As for himself... The amount of essence qi that his Hunyuan Apertures inhaled and exhaled in a day was more than ten times that of this Treasure Bead, making it useless to him.

"This..."

Looking at the Essence Treasure Bead in his hands, which surged with vigorous life force, Yan Baizhe was initially stunned. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Qi Xiu already waving his hand and walking back the way he came.

"The rest of those people are up to you to deal with."

The lazy voice reached Yan Baizhe’s ears through a Secret Technique, along with the Dharma Gate to harness the Essence Treasure Bead.

With this Dharma Gate, Yan Baizhe could temporarily control the Treasure Bead and attain the Cultivation of the Blood-Stained Peak.

"He’s at the Blood-Dyed Ninth Layer, and so are you. This way, it’s fair when you fight."

As Qi Xiu’s voice gradually faded away, Yan Baizhe slowly tightened his grip on the Essence Treasure Bead, resolute and fierce determination swirling in his eyes.

Withdrawing a long spear about a zhang in length, Yan Baizhe took a deep breath. He activated the Dharma Gate taught by Qi Xiu. Instantly, streams of exceptionally pure and immensely vast essence, qi, and blood filled his entire body, imbuing him with unprecedented power.

His wolf-like sharp eyes instantly zeroed in on the distant Baichuan Tribe. A surge of soaring killing intent arose from the ground, transforming into a terrifying tornado that reached towards the heavens and the earth.

"This is..."

Feeling the oncoming, almost blade-like killing intent, Gao Leqi’s heart skipped a beat.

This is bad. I shouldn’t have listened to that monk; now that he’s dead, I’m going to suffer the consequences.

"Run!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Gao Leqi pulled on the reins of his mount and turned to escape with his group.

But at that moment, a Qing Tian golden light barrier suddenly appeared, cutting off their escape route.

From the earthen towers of the Wolf Saint Tribe in the far distance, Qi Xiu rested his chin on one hand, the glint of a fading golden light at his fingertip.

...