Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy

"Fifty li, then enter upon encountering water."

Where does water come from in this three thousand li of barren grasslands?

Frowning, Tai Yin looked around, his Taiyin Eyes rapidly scanning his surroundings, searching for the "water" mentioned on the mysterious Bone Armor.

Behind him, the towering inferno cloud that spanned eight hundred li was drawing ever closer. More than ten Red Dragons surged and roamed restlessly, the intense heatwave threatening to ignite the grassland below and turn it into a soaring sea of flames.

And within the center of this sun-eclipsing sea of fire clouds stood a tall man with slicked-back long hair, sharp, slanted eyebrows, a long flowing beard, and eyes that radiated imperious authority. He stood with his hands behind his back, his feet planted on a giant sword the size of a door panel. This man was none other than Cheng Junie, from whom Qi Xiu had once seized the Food Demon Sect's Magic Artifact, the [Mysterious Medicine Pot]!

Riding his sword, Cheng Junie's expression was cold and detached. An oppressive aura of brutal tyranny emanated from him, so potent that others dared not even glance his way.

"Daoist of the Taiyin, if you know what's good for you, hand over the Bone Armor, and I, Cheng, might spare your life," he declared, his rumbling voice echoing incessantly.

Cheng Junie looked down from his high vantage point, his golden-red pupils, filled with overwhelming authority, remaining locked onto the frantically fleeing Tai Yin ahead.

"Cut the crap! Cheng Junie, I saw with my own eyes how you slaughtered the Changlin Xu family to refine your Nanming Li Fire Sword.

"The Xu family dealt in human trafficking and deserved to die, true. If it had been me, I would have tortured them for three days and three nights before extracting their souls and refining them into skeletal demons.

"But you! You promised to spare their bloodline, then turned around and slaughtered their entire clan. And now you claim you'll spare my life? Heh heh, do you really expect me to believe that?"

Tai Yin turned his head, gave Cheng Junie a cold smile, spat fiercely, and accelerated his escape.

"Hmph! So unappreciative!"

Seeing Tai Yin remain unmoved, Cheng Junie lifted his right hand slightly. In an instant, more than ten Red Dragons opened their cavernous maws. Highly concentrated red-gold flames coalesced into colossal swords that seemed to cleave the heavens and split the earth, unleashing myriad dazzling Sword Lights as they thundered down!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

When the giant swords struck the ground, terrifying flames surged skyward, their brilliance blinding, tearing long fissures into the earth. The earth-shattering explosions shook the very void, as if the entire land was about to be overturned.

"Taiyin Refinement Form, my body returns to nothingness!"

Amidst the sweeping fire waves, Tai Yin's hands blurred, forming hundreds of Dharma Seals in an instant, leaving a trail of afterimages. His eyes glowed with an ink-green divine light, and his body visibly twisted and blurred, becoming as transparent as mist. Having transformed into this ethereal form, Tai Yin swiftly wove through the terrifyingly fierce Sword Light surrounding him, ignoring its dreadful power.

The Taiyin Refinement Form can only be maintained for a quarter of an hour. I must quickly find the entrance to that land of Exotic Treasures, he thought, glancing back at the persistent Cheng Junie and cursing his bad luck.

He had been the first to discover the Bone Armor, an Exotic Treasure. However, just as he had schemed to snatch the Bone Armor, he ran head-on into Cheng Junie. And the Bone Armor's original owner, seeking revenge, had immediately blurted out that the Bone Armor was a token for a land of Exotic Treasures. Without a second word, Cheng Junie had begun his relentless pursuit, chasing him for over three months without a single day's rest.

This man possessed a genuine Blood-Stained Realm cultivation. And by some outrageous luck, he had obtained the Nanming Lihuo Sword Skill, one of the thirty-six top-grade sword techniques from the Sword Sect's [Sword Shocking Heaven]. His combat prowess was terrifying beyond words. Riding an eight-hundred-li fire cloud that blotted out the sky, his power seemed immense enough to prop up the heavens and cover the earth. With a casual wave of his hand, he could unleash an endless torrent of Nanming Li Fire Sword Light.

Even with my numerous esoteric arts and techniques, I can't withstand his torrential and peerless Sword Light. Helpless, I can only temporarily avoid his spearhead. While fleeing, I must continue to search for the entrance to the land of Exotic Treasures recorded on the Bone Armor.

Watching the eight-hundred-li fire cloud grow increasingly vivid and intense, it seemed Cheng Junie was preparing a powerful attack. Just as Tai Yin frowned, his nose twitched; he had faintly detected a trace of water vapor.

Found it!

Deeply versed in the Black Water True Skill, Tai Yin was extremely sensitive to water vapor. His mind stirred, and he instantly pinpointed the water's source, quickly changing direction to head towards it.

Huh?

From the Sky Dome above, Cheng Junie noticed Tai Yin's sudden change of direction. He snorted coldly and swiftly gave chase.

「The source of the Nu River.」

Having rushed all the way here, Tai Yin's eyes lit up. This place must be the gateway to the land of Exotic Treasures!

His form shifted, and Tai Yin transformed into a hazy mist, plunging headfirst into the spring that was the source of the Nu River's waters.

"Burrowing like a rat, do you think you can escape that easily?"

Witnessing Tai Yin transform into water and dive into the spring, Cheng Junie waved his sleeve. A Nanming Li Fire Sword Light, over a hundred zhang long, roared through the air, the void itself seeming to burn and melt before it. The colossal sword descended, its oppressive might intensifying layer by layer, bursting forth with tangible force that swept out in all directions. He intended to forcibly tear this spring apart!

THUD—

But just as the giant sword was about to strike, an immense cloud of water vapor suddenly rose from the ground, and a colossal yellow torrent surged forth from the void. The heavens and earth seemed to change color. Cheng Junie's strike appeared to have triggered some kind of chain reaction. In an instant, thousands of li of barren grassland transformed into the roaring Nu River. Surging waves billowed, overturning heaven and earth, evolving into a magnificent and vast phenomenon: ten thousand dragons soaring from the abyss, patrolling a seemingly boundless sea!

"Who dares to destroy the source of my Nu River?!"

A furious shout echoed from the unseen depths, and an immense, majestic pressure sealed the layers of the void, as if to entomb the villain who dared to destroy the source of the Nu River.

A Dao Expert? Keenly sensing a trace of the Great Dao's aura permeating the air, Cheng Junie's expression shifted slightly.