Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy

Is this possibly... the Heaven and Earth Bridge?!

Gazing at the colossal bridge emerging from his spine, a structure that seemed to connect heaven and earth, Qi Xiu experienced an epiphany.

To ascend to the Blood-Stained Realm, a Dao-Entering cultivator must blast open the gate to the Ancestral Aperture between their eyebrows. They must gather their soul and take command within the Ancestral Aperture. Only then can one achieve the Blood-Stained Realm. But how does the soul reach the gate of the Ancestral Aperture? It must traverse this Heaven and Earth Bridge.

The Xuanhuang Qi must be the same kind of existence as the Gang Qi of Heaven encountered when one enters the Dao. Heaven and Earth nurture all things; they are the celestial father and terrestrial mother. The father, stern in authority, perhaps sends down the Heaven Gang Qi Tribulation to temper and refine. The mother, nurturing in compassion, perhaps bestows the Xuanhuang Qi to cherish and protect. The Xuanhuang Qi combines with the remnants of Heavenly Gang Qi within a Dao-Entering cultivator. This combination can induce the resurrection of the Heaven and Earth Bridge at the spine, allowing the soul to walk upon it and reach the Ancestral Aperture. This is also why only those who have overcome the breakthrough tribulations can ascend to the Blood-Stained Realm. Without undergoing tribulation, the Heaven and Earth Bridge cannot form in one's body. The soul would then be unable to cross the bridge and open the gate of the Ancestral Aperture. Moreover, the more challenging the tribulation faced, the more abundant the Xuanhuang Qi obtained, and the broader the Heaven and Earth Bridge that arises. Consequently, the time needed to ascend to the Blood-Stained Realm becomes shorter. And furthermore...

This time, by actively triggering the tribulation to preserve his Dao Heart, Qi Xiu vaguely grasped a crucial point: it seemed all breakthrough tribulations were somehow tied to the fate of the Human Race. Furthermore, the more abundant an individual's fortune and the higher their status, the greater the reaction when their tribulation was triggered.

For example, consider Gan Xingba's Heart Tribulation. If he had failed, it would have forced the Shenxiao Sect to intervene, igniting a fierce contest among the numerous great sects and powerhouses, all battling for supremacy. This would have further plunged the already chaotic Dianchuan Province into utter disarray. However, his successful passage through the tribulation invisibly quelled this calamity and preserved the strength of the Human Race in Dianchuan Province.

The same was true for Ge Ping. Had he failed, his failure could soon have had an irreversible negative impact on the Human Race's situation. But his success directly caused Divine Sorrow Ridge to lose a Dao Expert, leaving Yin Tian Nation leaderless and gradually disintegrating. This reduced the power of Divine Sorrow Ridge by an eighth.

Could it be... that there is some hidden secret behind these breakthrough tribulations?

Quietly noting this discovery, Qi Xiu decided to consult related texts after returning to the Shenxiao Sect to see if his speculations held true.

Collecting his thoughts, Qi Xiu transformed into a misty Escape Light and sped away. Having leveled a county town of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect with his Thunder Magic, he had essentially stirred a hornet's nest. The Golden Flower Maternal Sect must already know of his existence. Perhaps the experts sent to capture him were already on their way, likely to arrive soon. The Thunder Path Escape Skill was fast but too dazzling and easily detected. The Black Water Escape Skill, though slightly slower, offered the advantage of stealth.

Qi Xiu had not been gone long when the sky filled with resplendent golden light and colorful clouds. They surged overwhelmingly, as if the whole world had turned golden yellow, and countless soaring chants repeatedly extolled a certain existence.

A young woman, treading on golden flowers, wielding an Array Plate, her brows tightly furrowed, hurried over.

The county town had been reduced to a desolate wasteland, with not a trace of life. Gazing at it, the young woman's eyes shone with golden light. With a single hand, she formed countless spells, attempting to divine traces from the void.

Thunder Magic? Shenxiao Sect? Hmph! How audacious!

Sensing the extremely intense aroma of Thunder Magic in the air, the young woman snorted coldly, a glint of cold, murderous intent flickering in her shining golden eyes.

My An'ning Holy Nation is not Divine Sorrow Ridge. If you enter my nation, I'll ensure you come in alive but don't leave that way!

With a casual grasp, she captured several streaks of lightning from the void and forced them into the Array Plate in her hand. The young woman then turned, commanded the miles of golden radiance, and vanished in an instant.

「Several days later.」

In another county town within Yangshan Prefecture, a place that also exploited countless miserable Human Race subjects, the Golden Flower Bishop responsible for this city was gathering the Dao-Entering level Golden Flower Maternal Sect Disciples to discuss matters.

"The main temple has issued several warnings. A Shenxiao Sect cultivator has infiltrated our An'ning Holy Nation. This person is extremely ruthless, as mad as a Demon. He wreaks havoc everywhere, hindering our holy sect's grand plans. The main temple has ordered us to be on high alert and report immediately upon discovery!"

"Understood. We have already arranged for personnel to patrol day and night. We will notify you immediately if anything arises," the Golden Flower Maternal Sect Disciples below responded.

"That's good. It is rumored that this person possesses profound Cultivation and is highly skilled in Thunder Magic. Just a few days ago, he completely leveled a city. Everyone within was turned to ash by Heavenly Thunder; the scene was too ghastly for words." Remembering the warning from the main temple about the city reduced to scorched earth, the Golden Flower Bishop shuddered involuntarily.

"Bishop, don't worry too much. Our city isn't large, and it's in a remote area. It's unlikely to be us..."

BOOM—

The Golden Flower Maternal Sect disciple's words had hardly faded when the ground shook violently. Dust rained down. A deafening explosion accompanied a billowing dust cloud, like a yellow dragon, as if a meteor had plummeted into the city.

"This is bad! Quickly, go out and see what's happening!"

His eyes darting, the Golden Flower Bishop quickly instructed the Golden Flower Maternal Sect Disciples in the room to go outside and investigate.

SWISH!

The moment the door opened, the Golden Flower Maternal Sect disciple at the doorway had his Body-Protecting True Gang flash repeatedly. Then, it violently shattered. A spray of blood burst forth, painting the ceiling, as his head rolled groggily to the Golden Flower Bishop's feet.

He hadn't seen at all how his subordinate died. Without a second thought, shock coursed through the Golden Flower Bishop's heart. He hastily erected his Body-Protecting True Gang, his body surrounded by a radiant golden glow as he utilized all available protective Magic Artifacts.

SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT—

Blood splattered continuously. One after another, the Golden Flower Maternal Sect Disciples in the room had their Body-Protecting True Gang penetrated and their heads severed.

The sight of bodies falling one by one nearly brought the Golden Flower Bishop to the brink of collapse. Blood flowed throughout the room, hot steam rising. As a drop of blood fell from a beam above, landing right before the Golden Flower Bishop's eyes—

Is this... Sword Qi?

His pupils contracted at the sight of the formless Sword Qi, outlined by the dripping blood. The realization sent violent tremors through the Golden Flower Bishop's heart.

Wasn't it a Thunder Path cultivator from the Shenxiao Sect? How has it become a Sword Cultivator now?!

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The moment he perceived the Body-Piercing Formless Sword Qi, this sinisterly sharp and unparalleled Sword Qi had already penetrated the Golden Flower Bishop's Body-Protecting True Gang and Magic Artifacts.

The Sword Qi pierced back and forth violently, spraying blood wildly, riddling him full of holes.

"You..."

Kneeling on the ground and losing a massive amount of blood, the dying Golden Flower Bishop forced himself to look up. He saw a tall figure in a black robe, standing with hands clasped behind his back, eyes filled with cold indifference.

SWISH!

The Body-Piercing Formless Sword Qi shot through the Golden Flower Bishop's brain, tearing a large hole in his forehead.

BANG!

The corpse fell heavily into the thick, viscous pool of blood with a thud.

Qi Xiu stood outside the house, looking indifferently at the carnage within.

With a thought, the one hundred and eight strands of Body-Piercing Formless Sword Qi instantly flew throughout the city. They swiftly reaped the lives of the remaining Golden Flower Maternal Sect Disciples and delivered the innocent Human Race members to the release of reincarnation.

When Qi Xiu cultivated ""The Secret of the Primordial Dragon-Tiger Scripture"" to the Fifth Realm in the Nu River Palace, among the Dharma Gates he practiced, the Body-Piercing Formless Sword Qi and the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner had both reached the limit of the Sixth Realm!

But Qi Xiu did not possess the lifeblood essence of a Blood-Stained Great Cultivator. Therefore, he couldn't transform these two Dharma Gates into a True Scripture Volume like how the ""Minor Five Elements Water Patrol Evasion Skill"" had evolved into the "Black Water True Skill".

However, even so, the Sixth Realm Body-Piercing Formless Sword Qi and Myriad Soul White Bone Banner still possessed enough might to be revered in the Dao-Entering Realm.

The one hundred and eight strands of Body-Piercing Formless Sword Qi were not only shadowless and formless but also terrifyingly powerful and specialized in breaking protective Gang Qi. An unwary Dao-Entering cultivator would have his protective Gang Qi penetrated and his head severed in an instant, without even a chance to think.

And the Sixth Realm Myriad Soul White Bone Banner could control a horrifying nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine White Bone Skull Demons! With a wave of the Long Banner, a sky-covering swarm of White Bone Skull Demons could level a county town in the blink of an eye.

After some time fighting and controlling Dharma Gates, Qi Xiu gained further insights into the power of his Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body.

Initially, I had three hundred sixty-five Mixed Primordial Beads within me. The amount of True Gang contained within a single Mixed Primordial Bead was almost more than three times that of an ordinary cultivator. So, with three hundred sixty-five Mixed Primordial Beads, my True Gang capacity was over a thousand times greater than that of an average cultivator. Hence, whether it was Thunder Magic or any other Dharma Gate, I could wield it effortlessly, without constraints, never needing to worry about insufficient True Gang.

However, during the transformation into the Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body, those three hundred sixty-five Mixed Primordial Beads all melted and integrated into the Holy Body itself. At first, I even thought I would need to start cultivating True Gang all over again. But that wasn't the case.

Though the Mixed Primordial Beads had merged into the Holy Body, the three hundred sixty-five acupoints that once held them took their place, becoming entities of equal, if not even more terrifying, power. After cultivating the Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body, these three hundred sixty-five acupoints possessed an overwhelming power to devour heaven and earth, and a grand capacity like that of the Four Seas. I could refine any Dharma Gate into one of these acupoints. When activating a Dharma Gate, the acupoint would automatically absorb the myriad qi of the world, serving as the power source. The Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body can command the myriad qi of heaven and earth, without limit or backlash. Therefore, as long as heaven and earth do not perish... my True Gang is effectively... infinite!

However, my Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body is still in its initial stage. Each acupoint can only accommodate one Dharma Gate, and I cannot activate them without limit. After a certain period of use, I must let the acupoint cool down. Otherwise, it will tear, and such damage is extremely difficult to mend. But as the Holy Body grows, the acupoints will continuously expand. The number of Dharma Gates they can hold and the myriad qi of heaven and earth they draw in will also increase, until it achieves the true... One Qi births Ten Thousand Laws, Hunyuan incarnates Qiankun!