Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 480 - 423: True Monarchs Gather!
Fujian.
The hinterland of Yunpu Main Port.
This majestic port stood above the sea of clouds, like an island floating between heaven and earth. The clouds rolled like a giant white curtain, occasionally veiling and unveiling to reveal the spectacular sight of the port. Here, the sea of clouds intertwined with the sky, forming a dreamlike Immortal Realm, filled with grandeur and mystery.
The port harbored countless merchant ships and majestic vessels. They were like mighty whales breaking waves, with their grandiose stature and wide decks. On each ship, intricate and exquisite Talismanic Array Patterns were carved. These patterns, like the lifelines of living beings, emitted a dense Divine Marvel aura. In the sunlight, the Talismanic Array Patterns shimmered with golden light, like stars inlaid on the hull, announcing the ships’ extraordinary origins and powerful strength.
In the port, the crowd surged. Cultivators in various Dharma robes and Taoist Robes flitted through the mist like shooting stars crossing the night sky, some rushing on their way, others stopping to converse. Every step they took, every Spell they cast, left faint ripples in the air. Every minute, hundreds upon thousands of ships shot off like arrows, embarking on their respective voyages. The sight was grand and staggering, like the endless waves of the ocean, vast and relentless.
Today, at the very center of the cloud harbor, a colossal Dragon Whale Giant Ship was docked in stillness. Its form resembled a white-gold Dragon Whale, majestic and solemn, capturing the gaze of any onlooker. The behemoth spanned over a thousand zhang, as broad as a mountain. Each scale glistened with a metallic sheen, reflecting the undulations of the sea of clouds. The ship’s back rose high, its dorsal fins sharp like knives, reminiscent of a dragon’s spine, while its whale tail seemed wide and powerful, ever ready to break through the waves.
Around the Dragon Whale Giant Ship, all other ships kept their distance, as if feeling the immense pressure it emitted.
On the five sails of the ship, five distinct Great Dao Dharma Seals were branded. The Dharma Seals radiated dazzling light in red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. This Five-Colored Divine Radiance intertwined and coiled, forming stunning halos that encircled the giant ship. These halos, acting like shields, flickered on and off, varying in strength as if alive, guarding the ship against any intrusion. Under the glow of these halos, the ship seemed even more sacred and inviolable, like a brilliant pearl in the sky, illuminating the entire sea of clouds.
"What’s going on? Isn’t that the Dragon Whale King of the Yunhai Waves Sect? Who’s the big shot arriving that they would even bring out their sect’s flagship to welcome them?"
The appearance of the Dragon Whale Giant Ship naturally attracted the gazes of countless cultivators in Yunpu Main Port. Endless great ships and treasure vessels passed through this cloud harbor daily. However, this Dragon Whale Giant Ship was the flagship of the Yunhai Waves Sect, the owners of Yunpu Main Port. Normally, it would only be sailed out to display the sect’s might during a Sect Master’s succession.
However, the current Sect Master of the Yunhai Waves Sect had assumed the position less than two hundred years ago. Since he had not met an untimely demise, it definitely couldn’t be about a Sect Master’s succession. In that case, it must mean that a distinguished guest had arrived, prompting the Yunhai Waves Sect to send out the Dragon Whale Giant Ship to greet them.
"Goodness, the Yunhai Waves Sect is taking this so seriously. Could the Military Governor be arriving?"
"Probably not; the Military Governor has visited before. When have you ever seen them dispatch the Dragon Whale Giant Ship for him?"
"If not the Military Governor, could it be one of the Primordial Spirit Bosses?"
"A Primordial Spirit Boss? That could indeed be possible."
As millions of cultivators in Yunpu Main Port engaged in lively speculation and discussion, they saw fiery clouds covering a thousand miles surging over the Sky Dome. Sweltering waves of heat rolled in, causing the skin of the cultivators below to burn as if being scorched.
"People from the Fire Dragon True Sect? With this display, could it be a Dao Expert?"
Soon enough, someone in the crowd recognized the two figures within the fiery clouds—they were indeed from the Fire Dragon True Sect, one of the Ten Great Sects in Fujian.
The status of a Dao Expert is indeed prestigious, but it doesn’t seem like something the Yunhai Waves Sect would make such a fuss about. Could these two have some special identity?
As the crowd pondered in confusion, pristine Buddha Light spread across the land from the Southeast Direction. Amidst the soothing Buddhist chants, a stern clang of swords suddenly resounded, sobering the hearts of all who heard it.
"The Heart Zen Sword Sect? Two more Dao Experts have arrived!"
Within the Buddha Light, two middle-aged monks, draped in white Kasayas with serene faces yet carrying Longswords on their backs, stepped forward on the Buddha Light. The Heart Zen Sword Sect was also among the Ten Great Sects of Fujian.
"The fluttering flags secure the rivers and mountains, the Iron Blood True Body illuminates all directions!"
Amidst loud proclamations, a clamor of hoofbeats echoed between heaven and earth. The ground trembled, the firmament shook as if a great horde was charging forth. Bright red light approached from the Northwest, thick with the scent of iron and slaughter, pervading the fields.
"The Iron Blood Flag Gate?"
With Dao Experts from three powerful forces all arriving in quick succession, the cultivators of Yunpu Main Port were utterly baffled. What on earth is happening?
Yet what astonished them further was still to come.
A dense white fog, like countless tidal waves, swept in. It was followed by surging red mist. As the red and white intertwined in the void, a wondrous fragrance filled the air. Every cultivator who inhaled it felt refreshed, their Divine Soul Realm quivering ever so slightly.
"The Red Dust White Mist Sect!"
Two young men in brocade robes, their sleeves tucked back, walked with measured steps beneath two immense abacuses that seemed forged from pure gold. With each step they took, the sound of colliding gold echoed, followed by a shower of golden rain.
"The golden aristocracy, the Song Family!"
The ground roared. Eight towering figures, like monumental mountains and divine peaks, appeared. These ghostly deities shouldered a red wooden palanquin, their breaths inhaling and exhaling endless divine light and cloud qi as they crossed a Cosmic Bi and appeared with a thunderous boom.
"Divine Puppet Sect!"
Infinite divine light shone, and an aura of treasures permeated the air. After the Dao Experts from the Ancient Sect Nobility of Fujian had arrived, elite powers from the remaining eleven provinces, including the Ancient Sect Nobility from Jiangnan Province, also rushed over in succession. The entire Yunpu Main Port seemed to transform into a celestial kingdom on earth due to the presence of these Dao Experts. All kinds of mystical phenomena, Spiritual Light, cloud qi, and Dao Charm permeated the air, lingering indefinitely. The endless radiance was overwhelming, so much so that the contours of the vast sea of clouds, stretching for thousands of miles, became invisible in the distance.
At this moment, the cultivators in Yunpu Main Port were so astounded that their jaws nearly dropped. It was unimaginable that Dao Experts from all corners of the land would, as if by unspoken agreement, arrive at this port simultaneously today.
"What on earth happened? Are the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains about to attack us?"
Seeing such a number of Dao Experts descend so suddenly, and considering the Yunhai Waves Sect had sailed the Dragon Whale Giant Ship today, some cultivators vaguely guessed what was happening. They discreetly withdrew from the crowd, their destinations unknown.
But in contrast to the chaos and clamor of millions of cultivators in Yunpu Main Port, the deck of the Dragon Whale Giant Ship, looking as though it was paved with platinum and seamlessly immaculate, appeared much more tranquil and serene.
After the arrival of the Dao Experts from the thirteen provinces of Great Xuan, there was very little communication between them. The instructions given by their elders in advance kept them all inexplicably tense. Especially since some of the Ancient Sect Nobility here held mutual enmity and even bore private grudges against each other. If not for a personal command from the Dao Alliance, they would probably never have appeared in the same place in their lifetimes. Had they met otherwise, they would have attacked each other fiercely, fighting to the death.
As the representatives of the various Ancient Sect Nobility were almost all present, a vast surge of golden light swept over from the north. The golden light spread, creating a wide, long, and immensely splendid golden road. At the end of the road, a troop of soldiers in Heavy Armor marched with dignity. Their armor sparkled with a hard metallic sheen, long halberds held high, pointing to the heavens, exuding an inviolable and stern aura.
Escorted by this troop of soldiers, four middle-aged men riding flood dragons advanced slowly. They were dressed in luxurious yellow robes, the patterns on them intricate and beautiful, complementing the flood dragons’ golden scales and enhancing their distinguished nobility.
Among these four, three rode at the front on flood dragons with unique green scales and a single horn. After them followed a man with a calm countenance, his robe even more opulent, astride a red-scaled flood dragon. The thumb ring he wore was adorned with a golden edge, faintly engraved with an ancient seal character.
Zhao!
Members of the Zhao Family? Why have four of them come?
At this moment, the eyes of all the Dao Experts focused on these four men. The four individuals from the Shangjing Imperial Clan evidently pulled out all the stops for their display. Whether it was the golden road or the soldiers’ escort, they seized the limelight to the fullest. Particularly, while other Ancient Sect Nobility had only brought two representatives, the Zhao Family had brought four. The man at the rear possessed an imposing and profound aura, his eyes subtly flowing with Five-Colored Divine Light. Even Dao Experts of the same realm felt a heaviness upon meeting his gaze, a tremendous pressure instantly weighing on their shoulders. He was indeed one of the foremost among the True Monarchs of the Dao Body!
Sensing the complex gazes of these Dao Experts, the middle-aged man let out a hiss from his nostrils. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard rumbling behind him as the wind and thunder intensified.
Hmm?
His gaze deepened. The middle-aged man paused in the action of twisting his ring and slowly turned.
Rumbling black clouds charged over from the horizon like stampeding behemoths, engulfing the originally bright sky and instantly darkening the world. The tremendous Thunder sound, like the sudden snapping of celestial strings, roared incessantly. It was deafening, reverberating between heaven and earth and inspiring a sense of reverence. Tumultuous lightning wove through the clouds, resembling mighty True Dragons frolicking in the sea of clouds. Flashes of electricity, like Dragon Claws tearing through the night, carried endless power with each movement.
CRACK! BOOM!
A Thunder sound resonated, shaking the heavens and earth. Whether it was the millions of ordinary cultivators below or the Dao Experts on the Dragon Whale Giant Ship, they couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
Heavenly Thunder!
A symbol of the divine authority of the Heavenly Dao! And a terror from which no cultivator could exempt themselves.
Amid the surging thunder, two figures strode forward with ease. They were donned in Deep Blue Taoist Robes, smiling faintly, their wide sleeves and robes flowing as they walked.
Seeing these two figures, a name simultaneously surfaced in the minds of all Dao Experts present.
Shenxiao Sect!
