Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 451 - 400: Crossing the Tribulation!

Sitting cross-legged on the barren, rocky ground, Qi Xiu’s eyes were half-closed, his hands resting flat on his knees as he murmured softly.

"True constancy responds to things, true constancy achieves nature;

Constancy in response is ever still, ever in tranquility.

In such tranquility, gradually entering the true path;

Having entered the true path, it is called achieving the Dao..."

As the Great Dao Tribulation drew nearer, an inexplicable restlessness grew within him. Even a succession of Suppression Talismans failed to calm his Mental State, so Qi Xiu had no choice but to recite the Tranquility Sutra to disperse his distractions and soothe his uneasy heart.

He had cultivated for a hundred years; whether he could achieve the Dao would be decided today.

Moreover, the tribulation he faced was far more difficult and arduous than that of ordinary cultivators, a situation with an infinitesimal chance of survival.

The Demonic Evil Cultivators within the Valley of Deceased Gods have all been eradicated by me. As for those Human Cultivators, given their strength, even if they harbor malicious intent, they cannot break through the layers of defenses I’ve set. So why does my heart still feel this inexplicable unease?

Clutching his chest, Qi Xiu’s brow furrowed slightly. Endowed with Human Path Merit, he possessed an extremely keen sense for unknown dangers.

Ever since he resolved to undergo the Great Dao Tribulation, he had felt an unsettling premonition, as if an unavoidable crisis was steadily approaching.

Slowly caressing the Golden Cry Jade Beads in his hand, Qi Xiu pondered deeply, his gaze inadvertently glancing at the palm of his right hand.

In the center of his palm were four shocking wounds, the flesh raw and exposed, far worse than before.

This was the backlash from another use of the Command Talisman. To discern the source of his unease, he could only use the Command Talisman again, forcibly elevating his Observing Qi Skill to peer into the future for answers.

But doing so meant the cumulative backlash would severely affect his condition.

The situation is already set. Even if I knew the answer, I couldn’t possibly give up this opportunity to achieve the Dao and avoid danger. This is a life-and-death gamble. Success means life; failure means death. Instead of letting yet-unforeseen events create pressure, it’s better to maintain my condition and face whatever comes with equanimity.

With a more relaxed mindset, the tightness in Qi Xiu’s brow also slowly eased.

「...」

Elsewhere, the Daoist of the Taiyin and the Taiyang Daoist acted simultaneously, patrolling within the Valley of Deceased Gods.

Both wielding Divine Fragmented Iron, they harvested divine corpses—which had greatly troubled the cultivators of the Blood-Stained Peak—as if reaping wheat in a bountiful harvest.

The Daoist of the Taiyin had inherited Mo Jiao’s Divine Marvel. He could masterfully employ almost every Dharma Gate and method the original entity possessed and had swiftly integrated them into his own style.

Wherever he passed, thousands of miles of Yin fire surged and burned. The ink-green flames dyed the sky, as if a Ghost Fiend realm had descended, subverting the mortal world.

The White Bone Devil God flanked him, carrying a pitch-black wooden palanquin; each step shook the earth.

Countless malevolent Sword Lights accompanied him. From a great distance, one could hear the piercing, furious howl of the swords, like a legion of demons shrieking in unison!

Viewed from afar, the Daoist of the Taiyin in this state resembled a millennium-old demon lord descending upon the world.

The overwhelming evil intent made a group of elder Human Cultivators look grave, all assuming stances as if to exorcise demons.

But they quickly realized that this brazen, malevolently dignified Daoist in a black robe targeted only the divine corpses, harboring no malice towards them, the Human Cultivators.

Seeing that the other party had no intention of attacking them, the old cultivators naturally wouldn’t provoke trouble needlessly. They were overjoyed that someone was helping them deal with the divine corpses.

Compared to the Daoist of the Taiyin, who grandly wielded endless Dharma Gates with great spectacle, the Taiyang Daoist was far more unassuming.

His self-created "Great Solar Sole Self True Scripture" aimed to discard all superfluous techniques, focusing all his energy on tempering his physical body and soul to overwhelm everything with ultimate power!

As he walked through the Valley of Deceased Gods, whenever he encountered a divine corpse, a casual palm strike would unleash a colossal, flaming handprint that blazed with golden light.

It was a mighty attack born from the union of spirit and flesh. Even divine corpses that were once deities could only roar in unwilling fury as they were ruthlessly suppressed, forced to watch helplessly as the Divine Fragmented Iron was driven into their foreheads.

Under the combined efforts of the Daoist of the Taiyin and the Taiyang Daoist, the number of divine corpses in the Valley of Deceased Gods decreased at a visible rate.

Until... all the Divine Fragmented Iron was exhausted.

It seems gathering three hundred and sixty-five divine corpses and absorbing them all in one go isn’t quite feasible.

Quietly observing the one hundred and seventy-five divine corpses before him, Qi Xiu’s eyes flickered.

He had slaughtered all Demonic Evil Cultivators within the Valley of Deceased Gods but had only obtained one hundred and seventy-five pieces of Divine Fragmented Iron.

Without the suppression of the Divine Fragmented Iron, subduing these divine corpses was nearly impossible. Now, all the Divine Fragmented Iron was embedded in the foreheads of the subdued divine corpses.

If he wanted to continue subduing divine corpses, he first needed to absorb those already subdued to retrieve the Divine Fragmented Iron from their foreheads. However, doing so would trigger his Great Dao Tribulation prematurely.

He let out a long, turbid breath. "The real ordeal... is about to begin..."

Qi Xiu’s eyes narrowed. His "The Secret of the Primordial Dragon-Tiger Scripture" was based on an unparalleled concept. Now that he was about to achieve the Dao, the opposition from the unseen realms had likely already begun.

The most difficult period was approaching.

Having made his decision, Qi Xiu no longer hesitated. He immediately grabbed a divine corpse and activated Hunyuan Attraction. A halo of chaotic light began to rise slowly from the divine corpse’s forehead.

As a Hunyuan Aperture was filled with the Dao essence from within the divine corpse, this Hunyuan Aperture, just like before, began to slowly disappear, reappearing on the spiritual embryonic body.

On his status panel, the proficiency value for "The Secret of the Primordial Dragon-Tiger Scripture," marked as "awaiting Extreme Breakthrough," also ticked upwards.

After absorbing all the Dao essence, Qi Xiu casually swept the divine corpse into the Primordial Sword Gourd and removed the Divine Fragmented Iron from its glabella, setting it aside.

Time passed. A dense, surging chaos mist swirled around Qi Xiu as the Dao essence from one divine corpse after another was channeled into his Hunyuan Apertures.

Had it been any other cultivator, absorbing such a vast amount of Dao essence would have likely led to an immediate breakthrough into the Dao Body Realm, becoming a Dao Expert. Even elite prodigies from major sects with profound foundations would have touched the threshold of the Dao Body Realm, their cultivation soaring.

Yet, under the surging influx of Dao essence, Qi Xiu’s aura grew increasingly frail and listless, and his eyes gradually dimmed.

In the blink of an eye, a full hundred Hunyuan Apertures within his body had vanished. The ineffable contradiction made Qi Xiu feel as if his body were split in two—like someone who had consumed vast amounts of delicacies yet whose stomach only grew emptier and hungrier.

And as the Hunyuan Apertures continued to transfer into the spiritual embryonic body, this Dao Body, condensed from his very life essence, slowly began its transformation from body to spirit.

After retrieving one hundred pieces of Divine Fragmented Iron, Qi Xiu handed them to the Daoist of the Taiyin and Taiyang Daoist, instructing them to continue harvesting divine corpses.

Before the Daoist of the Taiyin and Taiyang Daoist departed, Qi Xiu’s words reached their ears, "Since the game has begun, it’s time for the irrelevant to leave the stage." He casually tossed each of them a Golden Cry Jade Bead.

Understanding their main body’s meaning, the two nodded slowly.

Thereafter, while harvesting divine corpses, they also began to drive away the old Human Cultivators lingering within the Valley of Deceased Gods.

Their main body had already begun the Great Dao Tribulation; there could no longer be any uncontrollable elements within the Valley of Deceased Gods, including these old Human Cultivators. After all, the human heart is the most difficult thing to fathom and control.

Facing the imposing pressure of Taiyin and Taiyang, who could easily suppress even divine corpses, the old Human Cultivators grumbled but dared not simply leave. Their lifespans were nearing their end; abandoning this opportunity meant returning home to wait for death.

However, their determination did a complete one-eighty when the Daoist of the Taiyin and Taiyang Daoist took out a fragrant, precious, light-circulating Longevity Peach from the Golden Cry Jade Beads.

Longevity Peaches! A treasured specialty of the Longevity Star Realm. When Qi Xiu left the Longevity Star Realm, he had taken a large number of various spiritual peaches, including a portion of these that could replenish lifespan.

The type of Longevity Peach he now offered, while far inferior to the Immortal Peaches he himself had consumed, could still add a hundred years to one’s life. A hundred years of life! Although it only worked once, for these old Human Cultivators whose lifespans were nearly exhausted, nothing was more precious.

Thus, under the powerful temptation of extended life, the old Human Cultivators decisively chose to comply. Each took a Longevity Peach and then departed the Valley of Deceased Gods on their own.

In an instant, the Valley of Deceased Gods, once filled with slaughter and conflict, returned to silence, save for the divine corpses wandering aimlessly, devoid of consciousness. In the entire valley, only Qi Xiu remained—a single living being.

With no further obstacles, the Taiyang Daoist and Daoist of the Taiyin captured divine corpses much faster. One after another, divine corpses were brought back to Qi Xiu’s side, and the retrieved Divine Fragmented Iron was taken away again by Taiyin and Taiyang.

When the Daoist of the Taiyin and Taiyang Daoist returned to their main body’s side for the fifth time, their expressions showed a hint of surprise.

The Qi Xiu sitting before them now was calm and seemingly unharmed, yet his aura had weakened to less than one percent of its peak.

The Daoist of the Taiyin silently made a calculation with his fingers. "Three hundred fifty-five. After we absorb these ten divine corpses we brought back, all of the main body’s Hunyuan Apertures will have transferred into the spiritual embryonic body. At that point, he will revert to being a mortal."

As if hearing the Daoist of the Taiyin’s thought, Qi Xiu slowly opened his eyes. His eyes, which once possessed Divine Luster Inward Concealment, had now become dull and dim.

Eighty to ninety percent of his cultivation was gone. The immense disparity was itself an indescribably terrifying shock. Had it been any other cultivator, their mind and spirit would have suffered severe trauma, possibly driving them to madness.

Fortunately, Qi Xiu possessed the Suppression Talisman to safeguard his mind and will, allowing him to maintain his true self and avoid collapse.

"Is this the last batch?" Qi Xiu asked slowly, his voice tinged with hoarseness.

"Yes," the Daoist of the Taiyin nodded.

"Good." With a wave of his sleeve, Qi Xiu brought the final ten divine corpses before him. He took a deep breath, and his slightly stooped back gradually straightened.

The vast, surging chaos mist billowed once more, pouring into Qi Xiu’s body like an unrestrained, torrential flood.

Just then, the Taiyang Daoist seemed to sense something. He turned to look toward the entrance of the Valley of Deceased Gods, his brows furrowing.

"Hmm?"