Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 465 - 411: Shortcut to Dao Embodiment

The meeting of the two Dharma Spirits seemed to carry a strong whiff of gunpowder.

However, Qi Xiu was not very concerned about this.

Whether it be the Hunyuan Sword Spirit or Shi Eryue, as long as they were Dharma Spirits with masters, they could only use their power with their owner’s permission.

So, there was no need to worry about the Dharma Spirits clashing or even coming to blows.

Qi Xiu knew that the Hunyuan Sword Spirit felt Shi Eryue was upstaging it—despite being an outsider, she displayed too great a value, arousing its dissatisfaction.

Qi Xiu soothed it with a smile, and only then did the newly born, somewhat petty Dharma Spirit return to the Primordial Sword Gourd.

"Let’s go. If we can truly subdue a Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirit this time, you’ll get the primary credit."

Smiling, he patted Shi Eryue’s head. Qi Xiu’s gaze shifted slightly as he glanced at the Minor Azure Heaven Skill on the proficiency panel.

Sixth Realm!

This glaring rank was the reason Qi Xiu had suddenly become interested in subduing a Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirit.

Beyond being a decent auxiliary combat force, subduing a Dharma Spirit had another benefit.

By Refining and Assimilating the Dharma Spirit, he would also gain the capabilities of a Sixth Realm Dharma Gate.

He didn’t know about the other Blood-Stained Realm Dharma Spirits.

Shi Eryue’s uniqueness was likely due to Daoist Qingya.

Although she was a Dharma Spirit of the Blood-Stained Realm, the Minor Azure Heaven Skill was a Dharma Gate of at least Dao Body caliber.

Otherwise, the Sixth Realm should be the limit for Blood-Stained Realm Dharma Gates; to break through further, one would need to achieve an Extreme Breakthrough to evolve it into a higher-level Dharma Gate.

And the words "Extreme Breakthrough" did not appear after the Minor Azure Heaven Skill.

This meant the Dharma Gate hadn’t been cultivated to its limit.

The prerequisite for The Path of Parasitism is to Refine and Assimilate any Dharma Gate to its absolute limit. Only then can one trace the flow backward to perceive the fundamental ’Dao’ of that Dharma Gate, thereby completing The Path of Parasitism. From the current looks of it, the limit for Dao Body Realm Dharma Gates should be the Ninth Realm. If I can subdue and Refine and Assimilate a Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirit, I can directly obtain a Ninth Realm Dharma Gate. With that, I’ll have the capital to attempt The Path of Parasitism.

After achieving the Dao Body, Qi Xiu did not feel the slightest bit relaxed. On the contrary, due to the challenges faced during the Great Dao Tribulation, he felt a pressure far heavier than in the Blood-Stained Realm.

Although he had only just stepped into the Dao Body Realm, the current situation was clearly not going to give him much time to develop.

And the Hall of Myriad Laws, at this moment, subtly offered him a shortcut.

If he could subdue a Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirit, then he could progress from a novice Dao Expert to the first level of Dao Embodiment at the fastest possible speed.

This single step could take hundreds, or even thousands, of years for an ordinary Dao Expert.

His mind made up, Qi Xiu no longer hesitated and immediately followed Shi Eryue toward the upper floors of the Hall of Myriad Laws.

The passage to the upper floor of the Hall of Myriad Laws was quite peculiar—it was an encircling peach tree in full bloom, standing in the very center of the entire hall’s space.

To ascend to a higher floor of the Hall of Myriad Laws, one could only step on the peach blossom staircase, step by step; regardless of one’s ability to fly or tunnel through the earth, one could not reach the second floor otherwise.

"This peach tree was planted by one of the six seniors from the seventh floor. Legend says that if one can uproot this peach tree, they will gain that senior’s recognition and be acknowledged as their master," Shi Eryue whispered to Qi Xiu as they walked along the fragrant peach blossom staircase.

"Uproot this peach tree?"

Hearing Shi Eryue, Qi Xiu instinctively glanced at the peach tree beneath his feet, which seemed like a pillar holding up the sky.

Just the distance from the first to the second floor was at least 2,000 zhang in height.

The Hall of Myriad Laws had seven floors. Assuming each floor was the same height, this peach tree would be over 14,000 zhang tall—and that was just its height.

To uproot such a massive tree, one would likely need at least a Primordial Spirit Boss to have a chance. It is indeed a requirement posed by a Primordial Spirit Realm Dharma Spirit. Only a Primordial Spirit Boss could solve such a difficult puzzle, Qi Xiu mused with a light chuckle, shaking his head. A Primordial Spirit Realm Dharma Spirit, with combat power comparable to a Primordial Spirit Boss, would naturally not submit to anyone lesser; such an almost impossible demand seemed reasonable.

Upon reaching the second floor of the Hall of Myriad Laws, the space here was significantly smaller than the first, and the complexity of the environment had increased manifold.

Various visible Divine Marvels and halos floated in mid-air, rendering the space with a bizarre and colorful, kaleidoscopic light. From time to time, streaks of light in groups would also traverse the sky, leaving long-lasting trails of light against the Sky Dome.

"The Dharma Spirits here are only a third of those on the first floor, but their strength is much greater," Shi Eryue chimed in at the right moment.

With a brief glance around, Qi Xiu said nothing and continued upward.

He hardly considered the Blood-Stained Realm Dharma Spirits.

Because apart from Shi Eryue, who was a special case, the other Blood-Stained Realm Dharma Spirits would only bring him a Sixth Realm Dharma Gate that required an Extreme Breakthrough.

Once a Dharma Gate undergoes an Extreme Breakthrough, its level resets to zero, returning to the First Realm.

What he needed was not a Dao Body Realm Dharma Gate, but a swift method to achieve The Path of Parasitism. Otherwise, if he truly had to start cultivating from the First Realm all over again, why would he bother coming here to test his luck with the Extreme Breakthrough of a Dharma Gate? He might as well have gone to the library to choose one.

Understanding that Qi Xiu had no real interest in these Blood-Stained Realm Dharma Spirits, Shi Eryue said no more.

They passed the second floor and arrived at the third.

The number of Dharma Spirits here was even fewer. On desolate, mottled, towering stone mountains, solitary figures sat in aloof and quiet meditation.

The Dharma Spirits here were all at the Pinnacle of the Blood-Stained Realm; in terms of their aura and strength, they were only a step away from the Dao Body Realm.

But this single step was like a celestial chasm, forever insurmountable for them.

After all, Dharma Spirits were merely a spark of Spirit Essence bestowed by the Dao’s favor; only by relying on humans could they potentially advance.

Yet, the Dharma Spirits here had existed alone for far too long, their nature making them unwilling to attach themselves to anyone.

They could only remain here day after day, indifferently watching everything before them, like reefs on the shore, ceaselessly battered by the waves.

Without lingering, Qi Xiu and Shi Eryue continued upward, heading straight for their destination: the fourth floor of the Hall of Myriad Laws.

RUSH—

As soon as they entered the fourth floor, Qi Xiu immediately sensed oppressive darkness before him as endless currents of water swept toward him.

This fourth floor of the Hall of Myriad Laws turned out to be a boundless ocean.

Transforming into a stream of colorful mist, he burst out of the water in an instant.

Gathering his sleeves, Qi Xiu stood mid-air, looking slightly astonished.

He saw that this fourth floor of the Hall of Myriad Laws seemed to be a corner of a mythical world. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A multicolored divine ox 1,000 zhang in length, treading upon Five-Colored Divine Light, its roar like thunder; the Garuda, wingspan vast, human-headed and eagle-bodied, abruptly wreathed in raging golden-red flames, with faint Buddhist chants emanating from behind its head; the Asura of a Thousand Hands, with a thousand arms and fleshy topknots, towering and robust, yet its face full of fierce, murderous aura.

Above, in the Sky Dome, a brilliant sun and a hidden moon echoed each other. Through the dense fog, the Iron-Blooded Warship advanced with thunderous war drums and booming cannons. A portly old man, cradling a wine jar, dozed upon a chessboard, snoring continuously as black and white pieces lay scattered.

"These are all..."

"Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirits."

Returning to her normal size and standing beside Qi Xiu, Shi Eryue spoke softly, explaining, "The Spirit Essence of Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirits is more abundant and Ruyi. And because the Dao Body Realm can trace back to the Dao’s origin, these Dharma Spirits are getting stronger almost every day. However, because their Spirit Essence is stronger, the self-consciousness of Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirits is also more intense, making the likelihood of them acknowledging a master significantly lower than that of Blood-Stained Realm Dharma Spirits. At the same time, compared to Blood-Stained Realm Dharma Spirits, Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirits often..."

Before Shi Eryue could finish, the Garuda, engulfed in blazing golden Buddhist flames, suddenly shrieked, its cry like a giant bell being struck violently.

It transformed into a massive, majestic golden torrent, crashing thunderously into the nearby Asura of a Thousand Hands, which was striding through the ocean, stirring up boundless waves.

BOOM—

A sound like the cleaving of heaven and earth, the collision of worlds, erupted violently. A scarlet light, like a meteorite striking the vast sea, exploded upward into a colossal, raging wave from the center, threatening to engulf the entire floor.

With a flick of his sleeve, a colossal, Qing Tian hand of colored light shattered the approaching tidal wave. Shi Eryue, resentfully hiding behind Qi Xiu, tugged the corner of his robe and whispered, "They often fight, and usually, the battle only ends when one side is completely powerless to fight back."

"Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirits are this hot-tempered?" Qi Xiu, hands clasped behind his back, gazed at the center of the clash between the Garuda and the Asura of a Thousand Hands.

The Sky Dome within a 1,000-li radius had already turned dark, black clouds swirling in a vortex. Scarlet light and golden Buddhist flames frantically collided, various divine radiances shining with blinding brilliance, as if about to tear a hole in the heavens.

"Endless eons demand some form of diversion. However, not all Dharma Spirits enjoy fighting. Their natures differ, so their ways of passing the time also differ," Shi Eryue said.

A diversion? Qi Xiu shook his head and chuckled lightly. At this moment, he finally understood why the Sect Master had built this Hall of Myriad Laws and gathered all these Dharma Spirits here. Though they possessed Spirit Essence, they lacked complete human nature. If these Dharma Spirits were allowed to roam free, they would be like ticking time bombs, potentially igniting a major conflict at any moment. Confining them all within the Hall of Myriad Laws, letting them cause whatever ruckus they pleased, would prevent many potential disasters.

"Are those several Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirits you mentioned on this floor?" Qi Xiu averted his gaze and asked Shi Eryue beside him.

"No, they are all on the fifth floor."

Shaking her head, Shi Eryue pointed upward, indicating they needed to ascend another floor.

"Alright, then let’s go."

Nodding, Qi Xiu was about to take Shi Eryue to the fifth floor of the Hall of Myriad Laws. However, just as they reached the peach tree and had not yet ascended halfway up the staircase, a streak of light shot towards them. Its extreme speed carved a long dividing line across the sea surface below, even exposing the mottled, stone-strewn seabed.

Hmm? That aura... it’s very familiar. Qi Xiu shifted slightly, his eyebrows arching.