Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 432 - 386: Am I... dead?

Prodigies of Great Sects!

Watching Qi Xiu, who stood with his sleeves folded, capture and kill the weasel with a single move, the Bull Demon and the portly butcher simultaneously thought of this term.

According to the information they had received, those who could come to the Valley of Deceased Gods were either veteran cultivators from the major Sect Aristocracies whose lifespans were nearing their end, or a very small number of exceptionally talented prodigies who had cultivated to the Blood-Stained Peak at a young age. These individuals possessed formidable cultivation, nearly all of them the chosen ones of the major Sects. They came to the Valley of Deceased Gods to accumulate foundational strength, intending to achieve the Dao Body Realm as soon as possible.

However, the two Demonic Evil Cultivators had not expected to encounter such a figure so soon.

After exchanging a glance, the Bull Demon and the portly man turned and fled.

Although they were all at the Blood-Stained Peak of cultivation, these prodigies of the great Sects cultivated the top True Scriptures of the various major Sect Aristocracies. Their sets of Dharma Gates were meticulously matched, and they might even possess Magical Treasures gifted by their elders. To contend against such individuals of equal cultivation was certainly not a wise move. Moreover, this young Daoist had instantly dispatched the weasel upon appearing, demonstrating the terror of his methods.

The best choice at this moment was to distance themselves from this Daoist. As long as the God’s Loathful Remnants pursue us, they thought, even a Prodigy of a Great Sect cannot withstand this divine malevolence!

Staring calmly at the two fleeing Demonic Evil Cultivators, Qi Xiu’s gaze shifted slightly, and a corner of his Great Formation suddenly unfurled.

Twelve Yuan Chen White Bone Demon Gods Great Array!

Dark clouds surged, and demonic fog roiled!

Twelve green-haired, red-eyed, cackling Yuanxu White Bone Demons strode forth. A ruthlessly fierce Soul-Burning Green Fire erupted, instantly cutting off the two Demonic Evil Cultivators’ escape route.

Their escape route blocked by the Soul-Burning Green Fire, the two Demonic Evil Cultivators had intended to rely on their powerful physical bodies to forcefully break through. However, before their bodies even touched the green fire, their souls within their Ancestral Apertures already felt an unbearable, searing pain.

Realizing the terrifying nature of this green fire, the two demons dared not act recklessly and had to halt.

"Don’t kill them!" Tie Mu, the bushy-bearded man, shouted loudly, afraid that the young Daoist who had suddenly appeared might impulsively slay the two demons.

Noticing that calm gaze turning towards him, Tie Mu hastily said, "These Demonic Evil Cultivators have a way to evade the pursuit of the God’s Loathful Remnants; their appearance here is no accident."

Upon seeing this bearded man, Qi Xiu also felt a sense of familiarity. After pondering for a moment, he realized this was one of the seventeen cultivators who had flamboyantly crossed the skies. This man was also the first to rush into the great vortex leading to the Valley of Deceased Gods, displaying a certain boldness and carefree spirit.

"Senior, rest assured, I understand," Qi Xiu replied lightly.

Operating his Dharma Gate, a dense multitude of golden Talisman Scripts suddenly materialized beside the Bull Demon and the portly butcher. Countless Suppression Talismans branded the void, emitting a potent and domineering aura of suppression.

"Damn it, I know who this is!" Seeing the golden Talisman Scripts appearing beside him and the faint traces of talismans underfoot, seemingly forming a Great Formation composed of innumerable talismans, the Bull Demon slapped his thigh, startling the portly butcher next to him.

"Who?"

"The one who carved a bloody path through Dianchuan Province, ranked tenth on the Blood List—Six Arts Dao Idiot, Qi Xiu!"

A chill flickered in his eyes; the Bull Demon’s gaze towards Qi Xiu trembled with fear. Many from his clan, including his father and six older brothers, had gone to Dianchuan Province that year. Although he himself had not gone, he frequently paid attention to news from Dianchuan Province. The Blood List, an important record used by Demonic Evil Cultivators to mark Human Cultivators, was widely circulated within the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Although Qi Xiu was only tenth on the Blood List, his promotion speed was undeniably the fastest. That was why he had made such a deep impression.

The Bull Demon nervously muttered a stream of curses, beads of sweat the size of beans dripping down his face. "Damn it, how did this murderer end up here? Wasn’t he at the Blood-Stained Double Realm? How many years has it been, and he’s already at the Blood-Stained Peak?"

The great battle of Dianchuan had ended just over twenty years ago. In that time, this fiend had risen from the Blood-Stained Double Realm to the Blood-Stained Peak. Could this guy be some Primordial Spirit Boss reincarnated and recultivating?

While the Bull Demon was lost in these wild thoughts, countless Suppression Talismans had already taken shape in the void. The suppressive golden light bore down, and the two Demons resisted frantically. But if even entities like the God’s Loathful Remnants could be suppressed by Suppression Talismans, what chance did they have?

Covered head to toe in Suppression Talismans, the Bull Demon and the portly butcher shrieked miserably. Their demonic qi and fog were continuously evaporated, their cultivation bases visibly shrinking under the suppression, rendering them unable to move an inch.

"This is no place to talk. I’ll trouble you two to come with me," Qi Xiu said. With a flick of his wide sleeves, he swept the two Demons away.

Turning to the big-bearded man, Qi Xiu said, "Senior, please come along as well. I might be able to take a look at your injuries."

"Then, many thanks!" Grinning broadly, seemingly a natural optimist, Tie Mu could still smile even though his entire arm had turned black and decayed. He nodded, then transformed into a streak of firelight and followed Qi Xiu.

「Later, within the established sanctuary.」

"This is an injury caused by God’s Loathful Remnants?"

A void concealed by layers upon layers of Talisman Script Great Formations, augmented by the [Cloud Conceals Moon] of the Clear Moon Cloud Robe, and supplemented by Qi Xiu’s own Hunyuan Palace, transformed this expanse of flowing brilliance and swirling mist into an absolutely safe sanctuary.

Frowning at the black finger mark on Tie Mu’s forearm, Qi Xiu flicked out a Suppression Talisman, wanting to see if its power could extinguish this strange force.

The profoundly majestic golden talisman adhered to the arm. Tie Mu’s expression changed drastically; his cheeks puffed out, and with a muffled grunt, fine beads of sweat instantly broke out on his skin. He was clearly enduring extreme agony.

Hissing sounds and white smoke continuously rose from his forearm. The Suppression Talisman’s power was constantly being neutralized, yet the finger mark on Tie Mu’s hand showed no sign of fading.

This is proving to be a bit tricky, Qi Xiu thought. Quietly observing the confrontation between the Suppression Talisman and the black finger mark, he discerned a few clues. The injuries caused by God’s Loathful Remnants appeared to be physical, but in reality, they had penetrated deep into the soul. Forcibly erasing them would damage the soul.

If a direct assault won’t work, then I’ll have to use a more subtle approach.

"Senior, please do not resist in a moment. This method might cause you some injury, but I will find a way to repair it for you afterward," Qi Xiu said, having devised a treatment plan.

"Handle it as you see fit! If you doubt someone, don’t use them; if you use someone, don’t doubt them. I understand that very well," Tie Mu responded heartily, wiping the sweat from his face, his words full of a frank and unrestrained spirit.

Somewhat admiring the character of this bearded cultivator, Qi Xiu also smiled. "For that statement alone, Senior, this junior will certainly do his utmost."

Untying the Primordial Sword Gourd from his waist, Qi Xiu opened its seal. Forming a sword technique with two fingers, he lightly flicked, drawing out strands of Primordial Sword Light, each countless times more slender than a strand of hair.

"Go." With a soft shout, Qi Xiu raised his hand and pointed. Countless fine strands of Primordial Sword Light, numerous as ox-hairs, suddenly turned into streaks of light and pierced into Tie Mu’s arm.

Since a direct assault is not possible, I might as well use the Hunyuan Star Absorption Skill to directly siphon away the residual power from the God’s Loathful Remnants’ attack.

As the Primordial Sword Light coursed through Tie Mu’s body, strands of strange and ominous power were gradually absorbed by these colorful, hair-thin silken threads.

Looking at his arm with some astonishment, Tie Mu’s eyes quivered. This young man truly has some skill; he can actually heal injuries left by the God’s Loathful Remnants!

"Don’t be hasty, this is just the beginning. The crucial part comes next."

Taking a deep breath, Qi Xiu focused his mind, controlling the Primordial Sword Light as it instantly drilled into Tie Mu’s Ancestral Aperture. The soul is delicate, unlike the physical body; the slightest harm can cause irreparable damage. Moreover, Qi Xiu had to be meticulous in peeling away the power of the God’s Loathful Remnants embedded deep within Tie Mu’s soul. The difficulty of this task was immense.

Extracting the power of the God’s Loathful Remnants from the flesh took less than a quarter of an hour. But to extract it from the soul, Qi Xiu spent a full three days.

"It’s done."

His expression relaxed. Qi Xiu spread his fingers, and strands of colorful energy suddenly flew out from between Tie Mu’s eyebrows. Gathering these strands of Primordial Sword Light in his palm, Qi Xiu looked at them intently. He saw faint, almost imperceptible black threads weaving through the flowing, colorful Primordial Sword Light.

The Mixed Yuan Path commands the Ten Thousand Laws. Although the God’s Loathful Remnants originated from a deity, they could not escape the purview of the Ten Thousand Laws. The Primordial Sword Light had absorbed the power of the God’s Loathful Remnants from Tie Mu’s body, thereby controlling and integrating this power. And with the Primordial Sword Light mastering this power, it naturally meant Qi Xiu had mastered it as well.

This was also why he had expended considerable effort to help Tie Mu heal. After all, to navigate the Valley of Deceased Gods, the God’s Loathful Remnants were an unavoidable, insurmountable chasm. Understanding it sooner meant devising countermeasures sooner.

"Next comes the main event."

After giving Tie Mu some secret soul elixirs to help repair his soul, Qi Xiu slowly turned to face the Bull Demon and the portly butcher, who were bound like meat dumplings by chains formed from Suppression Talismans.

"Gentlemen, shall we talk?" Qi Xiu asked, getting straight to the point as he approached the two Demons.

"What do you think?" Grinning, the portly butcher took a deep breath, about to spit a thick wad of phlegm at Qi Xiu’s face.

With a slight flicker in Qi Xiu’s eyes, a Suppression Talisman directly sealed the butcher’s mouth. The thick phlegm backflowed into his throat, choking him into a violent coughing fit. Unable to breathe through his sealed mouth and nose, he thrashed about wildly, convulsing.

"And you? Same answer?" Qi Xiu asked the Bull Demon.

"Your Excellency, don’t waste your breath. Since we dared to come here, we were prepared not to return. As for Dharma Gates such as Soul Search, Your Excellency is welcome to try." Exhibiting an air of utter resignation, the Bull Demon spoke slowly. He now only sought a quick end; though not afraid of death, less torture was preferable.

"So confident?" Intrigued by the Bull Demon’s words, Qi Xiu raised an eyebrow. Peculiar divine lights flickered in his right hand. He was ready to use a Dharma Gate from the White Bone Demon Dao to transform the Bull Demon into a White Bone Demon and then extract the information from its mind.

But as his palm descended towards the Bull Demon’s head, an intensely brilliant purple light simultaneously flared in his own eyes.

The next moment, an ephemeral vision of the near future appeared before him.

He saw the instant his palm made contact with the Bull Demon’s forehead to activate the White Bone Demon Dao’s Dharma Gate.

A utterly plain, three-foot longsword suddenly materialized. It possessed no dazzling radiance, no ornate decorations—just a simple iron sword, suspended quietly in the air.

At that moment, the surrounding heavens and earth were enveloped in an invisible, tense atmosphere. The vitality of all things seemed to be awed into stillness by the sword’s appearance, frozen in that instant.

The heavens and earth fell into a deathly silence!

Three seconds later!

BOOM—

An indescribable power erupted from the seemingly ordinary longsword, like a suppressed torrent instantly bursting through a dam.

His body, like fragile porcelain, was instantly rent by this force into countless minute cracks. Myriads of sword lights surged forth from within, like shattering stars.

His body was thus annihilated, reduced to nothingness.

The hand about to press onto the Bull Demon’s forehead abruptly halted. Qi Xiu’s brows furrowed, and the vision in his mind ceased.

I... died?