Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 449 - 398: Taking Control of the Situation!
A chaotic dance of corpses swept about with arrogant disdain!
The sudden reanimation of the divine corpses truly caught the Human Cultivators within the valley off guard.
Compared to those Divine Puppets, the power of the divine corpses had risen to another level altogether. Their power was halted just shy of the Dao Body Realm due to the lack of Divine Origin containing Consciousness and primal power. Even so, relying on their formidable divine physiques and innate control over the Power of the Great Dao, the divine corpses still firmly suppressed the Human Cultivators.
If not for the fact that the Human Cultivators in the Valley of Deceased Gods were all prodigies and veteran cultivators from various great Sects and Aristocratic Families, each holding some trump cards, casualties would likely have already occurred under the siege of so many divine corpses.
"This can’t go on. These divine corpses are Undying and indestructible; our methods are hardly effective against them. If this continues, we will surely be exhausted to death by them," one cultivator lamented.
With a wave of his hand, Liu Qiufeng, a prodigy from the Sky River True Sect, summoned a tumultuous, surging great river. This river trapped a sturdy-looking god—one capable of harnessing infinite earthy Divine Marvels—right in the middle of its waters. The fierce, roaring river violently struck the divine corpse’s body. The vast flow, capable of grinding Divine Iron Immortal Gold to dust, bombarded this divine corpse, yet struggled to inflict effective damage. Endless water mist swirled, attempting to infiltrate this divine physique, but was completely blocked by flesh radiating with a marvelous divine luminescence.
Witnessing this, Liu Qiufeng wore a grave expression. We can only take hits, unable to counterattack, he thought, finding the situation troublesome even for prodigies like himself. These divine corpses might not possess the strength of the Dao Body Realm, but their divine physiques were genuinely those of gods. Unless one possessed a Magical Treasure imbued with potent offensive Divine Marvels, their own methods would hardly be effective.
Moreover, in addition to these divine corpses, the persistently lingering God’s Loathful Remnants also kept emerging, causing disturbances and launching sneak attacks from the periphery. If things continued like this, he feared it wouldn’t take long for the situation inside the Valley of Deceased Gods to deteriorate completely.
Just as Liu Qiufeng was furrowing his brows, pondering how to break the deadlock, a figure condensed from mist suddenly appeared and tossed a streak of light into his hands.
This is...
Hearing a voice transmission by his ear, Liu Qiufeng, surprised, raised his hand, only to see that the figure had already dispersed into mist again. Truly, he came like a shadow and left without a trace.
Can this tiny piece of Divine Fragmented Iron truly have such extraordinary effects? Caressing the unassuming piece of Divine Fragmented Iron in his hand, Liu Qiufeng was skeptical about the mysterious Daoist’s words. Although this person’s origins were mysterious, his aura was pure and majestic; he was clearly not some Demonic Evil Cultivator. Might as well give it a try, he thought. Despite his doubts, faced with the current impasse, the Divine Fragmented Iron given by the mysterious Daoist was the only chance to break the deadlock.
With the Divine Fragmented Iron in hand, Liu Qiufeng’s body suddenly transformed into a sky-high surge, its roaring waves like thousands of divine peaks, fiercely rushing towards the divine corpse. The normally expressionless divine corpse instinctively looked up when faced with Liu Qiufeng’s assault. But in the next instant, the face of this unfeeling god’s corpse, which acted only on instinct, bizarrely revealed a trace of panic.
It really worked!
Although the expression on the divine corpse’s face appeared for only a fleeting instant, for a great cultivator of Liu Qiufeng’s caliber, even such momentary changes could not escape their keen eyes. I didn’t expect the Divine Fragmented Iron from the mysterious Daoist to actually have the power to suppress the divine corpse!
Liu Qiufeng immediately ceased his hesitation. He channeled his entire Cultivation, and a terrifying wave vortex spanning hundreds of miles erupted from the ground. The extremely turbulent, horrifying torrent, like a colossal pulverizer threatening to swallow the world, forcefully locked the divine corpse in place.
"Freeze!"
An immense chill burst forth suddenly. The divine corpse, being torn by the water flow, thunderously turned into a sculpture frozen in place.
Flashing before the divine corpse, Liu Qiufeng pointed his finger, the Divine Fragmented Iron concentrating at its tip.
CRACK!
The ice layer shattered, and the Divine Fragmented Iron was accurately nailed into the divine corpse’s brow. The struggling divine corpse, causing the ice to crack continually, abruptly became still, with only a thin trail of blood slowly running down its cheek to its chin.
Standing with his hands behind his back amidst the misty ice, having never thought he would actually manage to subdue this divine corpse, Liu Qiufeng couldn’t help but take a few extra looks at the pinned divine corpse before him. What is the origin of that Daoist? To possess a Magical Treasure capable of suppressing divine corpses, yet he comes and goes without a trace, merely leaving an item behind and departing... Pondering the origins of the mysterious Daoist, even after thinking for a long time, Liu Qiufeng couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
He must be some powerful senior of our Human Race, he mused. With a self-deprecating smile and a shake of his head, Liu Qiufeng’s gaze flickered. When that Daoist had gifted him the Divine Fragmented Iron, he had also left him with a message. Previously, he had been hesitant about the Daoist’s identity and intentions and hadn’t paid it much mind. Now that he had confirmed the Daoist was no villain, that message naturally resurfaced in his thoughts: "With the divine corpses reanimating now, lingering here is too dangerous; it would be wiser to withdraw first."
His thoughts turning, Liu Qiufeng looked at the divine corpse pinned before him. Should I take this divine corpse with me? It’s the physique of a deity, a rare treasure material...
The moment this thought arose, Liu Qiufeng’s mind suddenly thundered. Eight large characters involuntarily surfaced in his mind: Divine Corpse Enters the World! Endless Calamities Follow!
"A Cosmic Warning?!" he muttered in bewilderment, his eyes filled with shock and his expression turning solemn. Feeling the profound voice still echoing in his mind, Liu Qiufeng instantly discarded the thought of taking the divine corpse. This must be a rule left by the creator of the Valley of Deceased Gods. Anyone who entertains the thought of taking a divine corpse will trigger this rule and receive a Cosmic Warning.
With a chagrined expression, Liu Qiufeng sighed, grateful that the Cosmic Warning had intervened. Otherwise, he might have truly taken such a calamity with him. Since there was nothing of value left, Liu Qiufeng turned and departed, leaving the nailed divine corpse behind.
Long after the prodigy from the Sky River True Sect departed, the mysterious Daoist slowly materialized once more. He first glanced in the direction Liu Qiufeng had left, then turned to look at the nailed divine corpse.
Fortunately, my main body used a Command Talisman to set up a rule in advance: anyone attempting to take a divine corpse will trigger the effect of a Cosmic Warning. Otherwise, these free laborers might have actually carried the divine corpses away.
Qi Xiu’s Avatar, created through the Heaven Demon Skinning Great Skill, smiled faintly. Then, with a wave of his wide sleeve, he used the Universe in the Sleeve technique to collect the pinned divine corpse.
The number of divine corpses within the Valley of Deceased Gods was difficult to estimate. If Qi Xiu wanted to subdue them all by himself, the endeavor would take far too long. Moreover, the Valley of Deceased Gods, now without the suppression of that Sword, could undergo new changes at any moment. Thus, Qi Xiu naturally set his sights on his fellow "cultivators" also present in the Valley of Deceased Gods.
Embracing the convenient philosophies of "since they’re already here" and "idle hands are the devil’s workshop," Qi Xiu decisively employed the Heaven Demon Skinning Great Skill. He created five Avatars, equipped them with pieces of Divine Fragmented Iron, and sent them to specifically target prominent Human Cultivators engaged in fierce battles with the divine corpses. Through some meticulous maneuvering, these "fellow cultivators" naturally became Qi Xiu’s unwitting assistants.
And to prevent these cultivators from taking the divine corpses after subduing them, Qi Xiu didn’t hesitate to use the Command Talisman again. Now, if any Human Cultivator within the Valley of Deceased Gods even thought of taking a divine corpse, the Cosmic Warning would immediately resound in their mind. The Human Cultivators capable of entering the Valley of Deceased Gods were either prodigies or veteran cultivators who had lived for seven or eight hundred years. They understood the gravity of a Cosmic Warning far better than ordinary cultivators. A single Cosmic Warning was enough to make them completely abandon any thought of taking the divine corpses.
The divine corpses, thus abandoned, were then collected by Qi Xiu’s Avatars hidden nearby.
Simultaneously, the five Avatars rushed about the Valley of Deceased Gods. Each appearance guided a prominent Human Cultivator to valiantly suppress a divine corpse. Meanwhile, Qi Xiu’s main body patrolled the entire Valley of Deceased Gods, searching for Demonic Evil Cultivators who had not yet been apprehended. These Demonic Evil Cultivators all had pieces of the mysterious Divine Fragmented Iron hidden within them. Each piece found meant one more divine corpse could be suppressed.
Imperceptibly, the entire Valley of Deceased Gods gradually fell under Qi Xiu’s control. Both Demonic Evil Cultivators and Human Cultivators alike became pawns on his chessboard.
Time flowed on. One by one, divine corpses were suppressed and pinned, then collected by Qi Xiu’s Avatars.
The Heaven Demon Skinning Great Skill only lasted for twelve hours. To extend the duration of his Avatars, Qi Xiu found an ingenious method: he enveloped his Avatars with the Hunyuan Palace, altering the Cosmic Light Flow Speed around them to delay their dissipation. Otherwise, once the Avatars vanished, it would be very difficult for him alone to gather all three hundred and sixty-five divine corpses in a short time.
Behind a desolate pile of rubble, Qi Xiu slew a Great Demon with a wave of his hand. He then reached out and retrieved a piece of Divine Fragmented Iron from the creature’s Ancestral Aperture, located between its eyebrows. After killing so many Demonic Evil Cultivators and extracting Divine Fragmented Iron, he had become increasingly proficient at the process.
One hundred and thirteen collected, Qi Xiu mused, sensing the tally relayed by his Avatars. His gaze flickered. It seems the prodigies within the valley have mostly departed. He recalled that the number of prominent Human Cultivators who entered the Valley of Deceased Gods was around seventy to eighty, with prodigies making up about twenty percent. Unlike the veteran cultivators, whose lifespans are nearing their end and who are desperate for a breakthrough, these prodigies would leave quickly upon sensing unusual developments. Most have probably abandoned this venture now that the situation is spiraling out of control. Though there might be exceptions, like that white-robed monk Fahai, who single-handedly suppressed three divine corpses and has yet to leave. So, only the veteran cultivators, still lingering in the valley searching for a chance to break through, remained. However, their methods are ultimately inferior to those of the prodigies; even suppressing a single divine corpse often leaves them utterly exhausted. This meant the task of suppressing the remaining two hundred-odd divine corpses would ultimately fall to me.
Sigh... It seems that’s as much slacking off as I can manage, he thought. Exhaling a long breath of turbid air, Qi Xiu’s expression gradually turned indifferent. He formed a Daoist Incantation with one hand, holding it upright before his chest, and softly intoned, "Tai Yin!"
"Taiyang!"
