Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 467 - 413: Return Once Again, Ninth Realm!

Forceful Refinement!

This unthinkable act for ordinary cultivators was precisely what Qi Xiu was about to do.

To forcefully refine a Dharma Spirit, one needed power far exceeding that of the Dharma Spirit. For ordinary cultivators, this meant being at least one realm higher than the Dharma Spirit. For instance, a Dao Expert could forcefully refine a Dharma Spirit from the Blood-Stained Realm. Consequently, to refine a Dharma Spirit from the Dao Body Realm, one would need the capabilities of a Primordial Spirit grand master.

Yet, as the "variable," Qi Xiu’s very existence was meant to break through various limitations.

Clasping the forehead of the Dragon Horned Daoist with one hand, Qi Xiu’s eyes surged with colors, as wisps of Innate Primordial Qi continuously flowed into the space between the eyebrows of the Dharma Spirit in his hand.

Ordinary cultivators couldn’t forcefully refine Dharma Spirits for two main reasons.

The first was that Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirits had already traced back to the origin of the Dao, possessing a transcendent Spirit Essence that made suppressing them without resistance as difficult as reaching the azure heavens. But Qi Xiu’s Suppression Talisman possessed an invincible trait that subdued everything. Under the relentless pressure of the Suppression Talisman, even the Dragon Horned Daoist, a Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirit with mature Spirit Essence, had his rebellious thoughts erased by the forceful suppression of the Suppression Talisman.

The second reason was that Dharma Spirits, as the tangible manifestations derived from the Divine Marvels of a Dharma Gate, required their own willing cooperation. Without their initiative to assimilate the master’s Dao Yuan into themselves and replace the traces of the original master, one would need to use one’s Dao Yuan to completely purify the Dharma Spirit’s entire body—perhaps multiple times, or even dozens of times—to entirely erase the traces of the original master. Such a degree of consumption was enormous. Most Dao Experts simply could not sustain it.

Only Qi Xiu, who had cultivated the "Immortal Scripture of Myriad Laws and Primordial Unity" and refined the Innate Primeval Breath, capable of harnessing the colossal power of heaven and earth at will, had this ability.

The Innate Primeval Breath, like a breached dike’s raging flood, ceaselessly surged and washed the Dragon Horned Daoist’s insides, gradually eroding the traces of the original master. Gradually, the pitch-black pupils of the Dragon Horned Daoist began to reveal strands of brilliant colored luminescence. This also meant that the traces of the original master within him were being replaced by Qi Xiu.

The process of forceful refinement wasn’t overly long. Moreover, with the time flow sped up within the Hunyuan Palace, to the outside world, it seemed as if only two hours had passed. The Dragon Horned Daoist, who was previously engaged in a fierce fight, was now standing respectfully by his side, his eyes swirling with colorful glints, no longer as sinister and venomous as before.

Having refined the Dragon Horned Daoist, Qi Xiu closed his eyes. His mind was bombarded by insights and knowledge a hundred times more intense and vast than when Shi Eryue had acknowledged him as her master. With a single hand, he formed a Dharma Seal resembling a great seal, and a black-golden glow faintly shone on his forehead. He sought to use the power of Yama’s Golden Chapter to stabilize his soul, preventing any unnecessary influence from the overwhelming flow of information.

It took nearly ten days to absorb this Dharma Gate.

No wonder it felt so familiar. Unexpectedly, after all the twists and turns, it has come back to me.

After ten days, Qi Xiu slowly opened his eyes. A flicker of sharp light in the depths of his eyes vanished in an instant. He slowly lifted his right hand, turning his palm over. In an instant, a sound like the roar of ten thousand tides surged deafeningly, as if his palm held an endless, vast ocean.

With a slight shift in gaze, Qi Xiu’s eyes swept to the proficiency panel, where a line of text that had previously disappeared was now gradually emerging.

[Black Water True Skill (Ninth Realm): Pending Dao Embodiment]

[Possible Dao Embodiments: Water Great Dao, Guanghan Dao, Guixu Dao, Five Elements Great Dao...]

Back in the netherworld, Qi Xiu had fallen into a trap set by the Meng Po clan. Stricken with the strange poison, Meng Po Soup, he was forced to forget three Dharma Gates. After these Dharma Gates were forgotten, he couldn’t even recall their names. And coincidentally, the Dragon Horned Daoist was one of the Dharma Spirits evolved from the "Black Water True Skill," a Dharma Gate he had once forgotten. The reason he felt a familiarity with it was due to a faint, profound connection from the past. When he had forcefully refined the Dragon Horned Daoist, reclaiming this Dharma Gate, the lost part of his memory had also been restored.

To lose it from my hands for so many years and then have it return as a Nine Realms Method.

Qi Xiu smiled faintly, dispelling the vast ocean within his palm, his gaze pondering the options on the proficiency panel.

As he had predicted, the Nine Realms Method was indeed the benchmark for Dao Embodiment. Once a Dao Body Realm Dharma Gate reached the Ninth Realm, it was possible to embark on the subsequent Dao Embodiment.

However, I didn’t anticipate that after elevating a Dharma Gate to the Ninth Realm, there would be so many Great Daos available for Dao Embodiment.

His eyes passed over the uniquely alluring alternatives on the panel, each emanating a distinct aura. Qi Xiu subconsciously ran his fingers over the Golden Cry Jade Beads wrapped around his wrist. There were no fewer than ten Great Daos on the panel available for Dao Embodiment. Whenever his gaze focused on a particular Great Dao, the necessary conditions for its Dao Embodiment naturally appeared.

The conditions for embodying a Dao varied in difficulty. Simple ones, like the Water Great Dao, did not require any additional conditions; he could start the Dao Embodiment right now if he wished. And he would go from being a Dao Expert with a blank slate to having embodied a Dao once. However, such lenient conditions also meant that the power of the Water Great Dao was far inferior to the other Great Daos.

Moreover, once he completed a Dao Embodiment, he would not be able to embody another Dao for a short period. This is because after Dao Embodiment, the embodied Dao will leave Dao marks within the Dao Expert’s body. These Dao marks cannot be erased by any means and can only gradually fade as they are eroded by time. The Dao Expert can only wait for the Dao marks within his body to completely disappear before embodying another Dao.

That was the trade-off Qi Xiu faced now. In the increasingly adverse situation, he could choose a stronger Great Dao and develop steadily. Or he could seize the initiative and grasp an even mightier power sooner. Both options were quite good. At least in Qi Xiu’s view, neither choice would lead to significant loss. But if he chose the Water Great Dao, he would not be able to embody another Dao for a short time.

With hesitation in his mind, Qi Xiu’s gaze eventually landed on the last Great Dao: the Five Elements Great Dao. As his eyes slowly scanned the conditions required to embody this Dao, Qi Xiu was about to look away, but then he seemed to think of something. His gaze moved across the proficiency panel, comparing options up and down several times.

In that case, choosing the Water Great Dao would indeed be a reckless waste. The corners of Qi Xiu’s mouth lifted slightly. No longer hesitating, he firmly decided on the Great Dao he wanted to embody.

The Five Elements Great Dao!

[Five Elements Great Dao: To embody this Dao, one needs to cultivate five volumes of Dao Body Realm Five Elements Methods to the Ninth Realm.

Currently fulfilled conditions: [Water] Black Water True Skill (Ninth Realm), [Fire] Boundless Fire Emperor (Sixth Realm), [Metal] Hidden Thunder Heavy Pupil (Sixth Realm).]

Among the ten Great Daos he could embody, the Five Elements Great Dao was the most formidable. This was because the conditions for embodying the other Great Daos typically hovered between two to three Nine Realms Methods. But the Five Elements Great Dao required a full five Nine Realms Methods. Higher difficulty meant higher rewards.

Qi Xiu changed his mind because the Boundless Fire Emperor and Hidden Thunder Heavy Pupil he cultivated happened to meet the conditions for embodying the Five Elements Great Dao. In this way, he only needed to cultivate these two Dharma Gates to the Ninth Realm. Then, after finding two Dharma Gates of [Earth] and [Wood], he could embody the incredibly powerful Five Elements Great Dao.

If I remember correctly, the Black Water True Skill was separated and derived from a scroll called ’The Great Five Elements Annihilation Scripture’. Looking at it this way, embodying the Five Elements Great Dao might actually be the most orthodox choice.

Having made his choice, Qi Xiu did not ponder any further. With a wave of his sleeve, he tucked away the Dragon Horned Daoist, which was formed from the Black Water True Skill. He then turned his thoughts towards the other Dharma Spirits in this level of the Hall of Myriad Laws.

If it were not for the fact that one could not embody another Dao immediately after an embodiment, he truly considered monopolizing all the Dao Body Realm Dharma Spirits in the Hall of Myriad Laws. This would allow him to rival those ancient Dao Experts, with thousands of years of cultivation, in a short time.

Stay level-headed, stay level-headed. I can’t be the only one to have all the good things in this world. Moreover, forcibly refining Dharma Spirits seems to have some unknown side effects.

Slowly raising his eyes, a flash of purple lit his gaze. From the depths of the endless void, he perceived a look projecting towards him. It was half-visible, half-hidden, and carried emotions of discontent, annoyance, and resistance.

Touching this gaze, a flicker of enlightenment rose in his heart.

The Spirit Essence of Dharma Spirits is the favor of the Dao. Though I could forcibly suppress them with the Suppression Talisman, I have also disturbed the Dao. Luckily, I did not choose to embody the Water Great Dao; otherwise, I would have really put myself in the line of fire. During Dao Embodiment, I would surely face opposition and resistance from this Dao. A failed Dao Embodiment would be a minor issue, but damaging my foundation would be severe.

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