Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy

Thunder Magic was domineering!

Even though the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop was a realm higher than Qi Xiu, she was struck until her exterior was crisp and her interior tender, with smoke billowing out of her seven orifices and her True Yuan chaotically surging throughout her body, leaving her in unbearable pain.

First, she was critically injured by the force of eighteen converging rivers, then sliced by a hundred and eight instances of Formless Sword Qi of Dismembering Body that flayed and slashed her thousands of times, and after that, she was bombarded with the Bing Fire Divine Thunder that specifically countered evil spirits and external demons.

Being brutally beaten by a Cultivator of Dao brought the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop to the brink of madness. Her eyes bloodshot, she recklessly exerted all her True Yuan, vowing to skin, dismember, and torture this ignorant junior cultivator to death!

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

The Golden Flower Grand Archbishop raised her head and let out a bitter, frenzied howl.

Splendid, dazzling clusters of golden flowers were derived from the void, blooming with ten thousand strands of golden radiance, shooting straight toward Qi Xiu not far away.

The golden flowers proliferated more and more until a vast expanse of the sky turned into an endless golden sea of flowers, its brilliance blanketing the surroundings in an inescapable, all-encompassing onslaught!

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—

An endless deluge of golden light fell. Dense golden threads poured down like a torrential downpour upon the city of Yuantong Prefecture below. There, the remaining Golden Flower Maternal Sect Disciples, who had barely escaped calamity, were just climbing out of the mud and ruins.

They were instantly struck by this golden light, growing pale with faces bloodied, golden flowers sprouting beneath their skin, convulsing and screaming in agony as they collapsed to their deaths.

Steadfastly enduring the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop's onslaught with his Holy Body, Qi Xiu glanced downward at the dead Sect Disciples below and raised his head to laugh, "You're killing your own people, have your dog eyes gone blind?"

"You!"

Enraged by Qi Xiu's comment, the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop let out a shriek, and the opulent golden flowers filling the sky simultaneously burst apart, turning into countless shattered petals.

Each of these golden flower shards contained the terrifying power to cleave through a mountain.

At this moment, they were like a storm of golden rain, sweeping towards Qi Xiu.

[Black Water True Skill·Thousand Mountain Mist]

Facing the golden rain imbued with ultimate destructive power, Qi Xiu remained calm, and a dense white fog spontaneously enveloped his figure.

The fog was thick and roiling continuously. One layer enveloped another, endless like perpetual mountains, never ceasing.

When the powerful and heavy golden rain, with might enough to shatter a mountain range, plunged into this thick fog, it was immediately like a clay ox entering the sea, without causing even the slightest ripple.

"Got anything else?" A hollow, tranquil voice echoed from the vast expanse of fog.

Upon hearing this voice, the complexion of the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop turned extremely sour.

This junior Cultivator of Dao's techniques are simply relentless. Water manipulation, Formless Sword Qi of Dismembering Body, Thunder Magic, and that clearly evil and heretical Soul White Bone Banner. Moreover, each technique is immensely profound and forceful. Far from the typical Wild Fox Zen! How many more techniques could he possibly have!

As a Blood-Stained Realm great cultivator, the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop was terrified to realize that she was already at a loss for how to deal with this junior Cultivator of Dao.

This is impossible; I am a great cultivator of the Blood-Stained Realm. How could I be overpowered by a mere Dao-Entering Realm cultivator! No way! This absolutely can't be possible!

Roaring in fury, the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop released her cultivation with madness, the spiritual light at her brow bone flashing continuously as she pushed the Ten Thousand Births Origin Sutra to its utmost limit.

Her vitality suddenly surged to the extreme, and upon her skin, golden flower patterns faintly emerged.

DING DING DING—

The Formless Sword Qi of Dismembering Body struck the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop's body in vain, unable to inflict even a scratch, only causing countless dazzling sparks to burst forth.

"Hahaha! A mere junior Cultivator of Dao, how can you be an enemy of this Grand Archbishop? No matter how abundant your unorthodox tricks are, don't fantasize about harming me in the slightest. In a little while, the experts of my Sect will arrive, and then we will see about really dealing with you!"

The tone of the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop was filled with self-assurance. Indeed she couldn't do anything to Qi Xiu, but if she defended with all her might, neither could Qi Xiu harm her. As a Blood-Stained Realm great cultivator, she was very certain of this.

"The eagle strikes the vast skies while the whale rules the seas; without a trial, how would one know the dragon from the earthworm. You say I can't kill you. Then I shall insist on killing you to show you."

Suddenly flashing behind the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop, Qi Xiu furiously unleashed a palm strike. His Holy Body was mighty and forceful, causing the void to tremble under this strike. The Golden Flower Grand Archbishop couldn't even dodge it.

Star Absorption Skill!

One palm struck the back of the Golden Splendor Grand Bishop.

The three hundred sixty-five Hunyuan Apertures burst out with a terrifyingly extreme suction.

In just a moment!

The complexion of the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop changed.

"What Demon Skill is this!"

Realizing her cultivation and Tao Blood were being wildly sucked away by the suction from the palm on her back, the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop panicked.

"Let go of me!"

Panic-stricken and desperate to escape, the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop instinctively struggled.

But it was already too late.

In the beginning, Cheng Junie, a Blood-Stained Realm seventh-layer cultivator, dared not confront Qi Xiu. Qi Xiu had already refined two hundred Mixed Primordial Beads, and Cheng Junie feared being ensnared by his Star Absorption Skill, having all his cultivation serve another's gains.

And now, Qi Xiu had transformed into the Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body. Three hundred sixty-five Hunyuan Apertures. Even the energy of heaven and earth was at his command! Let alone a so-called great cultivator of the Blood-Stained Realm.

Her once fair and delicate skin began to yellow and dull; the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop desperately activated her techniques, trying to escape.

But the large hand had already encircled her neck from behind. His other hand had reached around and clasped her waist.

"Spare... spare my life..."

Never had the Golden Splendor Grand Bishop thought she would one day beg a Dao-Entering Realm junior cultivator for mercy, with a look of desperate pleading in her eyes. She didn't want to die. She had only achieved the Blood-Stained Realm less than ten years ago and had been sitting in the position of the Grand Bishop for a mere nine months. She had her whole life ahead of her, endless blessings, and power...

As her consciousness completely sank into oblivion, Qi Xiu tossed aside the Golden Flower Grand Archbishop. Her body had shriveled into a human pelt. He regarded her with an indifferent gaze that held not a shred of pity or mercy.

"Beg for mercy? I think you'd be better off seeking repentance in Hell."

After killing the Golden Splendor Grand Bishop, Qi Xiu utilized the Observing Qi Skill to survey Yuantong Prefecture city below. It had suffered the previous tidal wave of destruction and the Golden Splendor Grand Bishop's precise finishing strikes. Now within the entire city, only a very few faint breaths of life remained.

At a thought, enormous ice spikes, tens of meters tall, burst forth where these lingering breaths were found, instantly erasing them.

Ensuring that not a single survivor remained, Qi Xiu moved away as droplets of water, leaving the scene.

「The Yuantong Prefecture city was destroyed, and the Golden Splendor Grand Bishop had perished in the line of duty!」

When this news reached the Golden Flower Maternal Sect Main Altar, all the high-ranking officials were visibly shocked.

At the elongated discussion table, adorned with extravagantly luxurious patterns of golden flowers, sat a woman in the foremost principal seat. She was tall and buxom, with a sensual, curvaceous figure that flowed into a perfect silhouette.

This woman's figure was nearly peerless among mortals. Yet, her face was extremely ugly, with coarse, uneven skin, covered in spots and wrinkles. Her eyes, one larger than the other and set closely together, were noticeably strabismic.

Even though she looked strange and hideous, she was a person of high authority within the Golden Flower Maternal Sect: Cao Zhen, one of its two Vice Sect Hierarchs, second only to one and above ten thousand others.

"In less than ten days, three cities have been destroyed, over thirty million citizens have died, and nearly a hundred disciples have been killed, including one Blood-Stained Realm Grand Bishop," Cao Zhen said without any preamble, immediately demanding a solution. "Ladies and gentlemen, regarding this Human Cultivator who roams unchecked within our An'ning Holy Nation, do you have any good strategies?"

But everyone present exchanged glances, with no one uttering a word.

Strategies? There were none. The mysterious cultivator's methods were as numerous as the stars in the sky. Though a Cultivator of Dao, his cultivation was comparable to those in the Blood-Stained Realm, and his combat power was terrifyingly formidable. He could level a city in an extremely short period. He was truly a monster among monsters! Moreover, this person carried Human Path Merit. Protected by Merit Golden Light, any divination or calculation method that involved him would immediately suffer backlash from the Human Path Merit. At best, divination would be interrupted, inflicting severe injury! At worst, the Merit Golden Light would scorch one to death! Untraceable and uncatchable. An'ning Holy Nation governed six prefectures and ruled over thousands of cities and towns. It was impossible to defend every single city. The only option now was purely a matter of luck. If this mysterious cultivator happened to stumble upon one of their ambushes, all would be well and good. But this idea was merely self-consoling. Would someone shielded by Human Path Merit be unlucky? Moreover, the mysterious cultivator always struck after an interval of several days, clearly scouting in advance. Relying on luck was as likely as finding an Ancient Sect True Scripture by chance when stepping out of the door.

Scanning the room and seeing that everyone remained silent and insular, Cao Zhen slowly leaned back in her chair and said, "There is less than a year left until the Sect Hierarch emerges from seclusion. I presume none of you want to see our hard-earned An'ning Holy Nation torn to shreds upon his return. Very well, then, one month. I will give you one month to capture that mysterious cultivator and bring him before me. Otherwise, I will cripple your cultivation and send you to the Gold Melting Hole; they just happen to be short on personnel there."

Upon hearing the threat of being sent to the Gold Melting Hole, the high-ranking officials of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect shuddered, fear irrepressibly flooding their eyes.

"Vice Sect Hierarch, rest assured, we will do everything in our power to capture that scoundrel," they declared, rising to their feet. The high-ranking officials forced extremely serious smiles to mask the sheer panic and tension within.

「In the depths of a secluded mountain forest, within a dark tranquil pool,」

The sandy and pebbled bottom was covered with colorful and varied water plants. These plants swayed elegantly with the gentle water flow, adopting a romantic and undulating dance. Fish darted between them, gleaming in an iridescent display under the rays of sunlight.

Resting against a cow-shaped bluestone, Qi Xiu slowly raised his palm. A round, hefty drop of Essence Blood from a Blood-Stained Realm cultivator, looking like a heavy Golden Core, surfaced in his hand.

Having killed the Golden Splendor Grand Bishop, Qi Xiu had preserved her Essence Blood at the very last moment.

His eyes slightly drooped, and the proficiency panel appeared before him.

Behind two lines of text, a faint hue of color began to shimmer.

[Formless Sword Qi of Dismembering Body (Sixth Realm): Awaiting Extreme Breakthrough]

[Myriad Soul White Bone Banner (Sixth Realm): Awaiting Extreme Breakthrough]