Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy

"Do you think that when I engage in close combat with you, that's all I'm capable of?"

With a loud, clear cry, Qi Xiu's aura was overwhelming, and golden light splashed beneath his feet.

1,080 Suppressing Talismans condensed into the Suppression Talisman Seal Skill. It was magnificent and dazzling with golden light, as giant chains like earth dragons rose from the ground, spanning the entire sky.

This is bad!

Suddenly turning to look all around, the Elephant Demon's expression changed drastically. With a single step, the Blood Sacrifice Skill activated once again. A terrifying demonic aura shot into the sky and gushed forth as it threw a fierce punch, compressing and blasting apart the empty space.

"Now that you've realized it, it's too late!"

Raising two fingers in a Daoist Incantation, a sharp light flashed in Qi Xiu's eyes.

"Rise!"

BOOM—

Powerful and vigorous, golden chains swept in like azure dragons, instantly entangling the three Great Demons tightly.

Limbs!

Trunk!

Head!

Bound in midair, spread-eagled as if forming a large character, the three Great Demons roared and howled in anger, their sound waves, like tangible things, spreading violently in all directions.

"When did you lay this trap!"

The Elephant Demon roared in shock. After ingesting the Blood Infant Fruit, it had kept a close watch on Qi Xiu, vigilant against any attempt to escape or employ some tactic.

It hadn't noticed anything unusual at all.

How could this mere human, at the First Heavenly Layer of Blood Stain, have laid out such a Great Formation without anyone noticing?

"It was when you were staring at me with those beady green eyes of yours."

"Why do you think I waited here for you for two hours, until you returned to your peak?"

"You must have been wondering too."

"Why didn't I take the opportunity to flee while you were healing?"

Every word pierced the Elephant Demon's heart like a sword.

Qi Xiu stood with his hands behind his back, his voice resounding,

"Because I, Qi Xiu, never planned for any of you to leave here alive."

His clear cry echoed to the heavens.

Before his voice had even faded, the golden chains entangling the three demons suddenly tightened with a creaking sound of constriction, as if to dismember the three Great Demons.

1,080 Suppressing Talismans formed the Suppression Talisman Seal Skill.

This was almost one-third of all Qi Xiu's Suppressing Talismans.

And such a massive number of Talisman Scripts made this Suppression Talisman Seal Skill incredibly powerful.

Even the Elephant Demon, a Great Demon at the Fourth Heavenly Layer of the Blood Stain, was tightly bound by the golden chains, unable to move.

Qi Xiu stood calmly with his sleeves clasped, watching the three demons being continually suppressed by the Suppression Talisman Seal Skill, their auras diminishing and their eyes growing dull and weak.

I had originally planned to kill these few Great Demons one by one using the Hunyuan Palace. But Bai Qingfeng's appearance and my decision to save him disrupted this plan. Unwilling to forcibly slay these demons, I had considered temporarily evading them. Yet, unexpectedly, the Lion Demon's arrogance expedited my formation of an Immortal Blood Body, which in turn activated the power of the Divine Body. It was while forming the Immortal Blood Body that I devised another plan: to use Divine Authority to suppress the three Great Demons while secretly deploying a figurine, created through the art of turning falsehood into reality, to lay down the Suppression Talisman Seal Skill, thus setting a new trap. I just didn't expect these three Great Demons to be such perfect blunderers, each outdoing the last in ineptitude. To ensure victory over me, the Elephant Demon ingested a Blood Infant Fruit, allowing the three brothers to return to their full strength. They thought a mere two hours would pass in a blink. But it was this inconspicuous period that gave me the perfect amount of time to set up the formation. The figurine, created from falsehood, wasn't a normal living creature, so its presence couldn't be detected. Despite racking its brains, the Elephant Demon couldn't fathom how I had set up such a terrifying stratagem right under its nose.

"Brother Qi, this talismanic technique of yours..."

Behind Qi Xiu, Bai Qingfeng, propping himself up despite his weakened state, gazed at the Suppression Talisman Seal Skill before him, his eyes shining with brilliance.

"What kind of Talisman Scripts are these? I've never seen them before. They're marvelous, marvelous, marvelous!"

Gazing at the Suppressing Talismans before him, Bai Qingfeng couldn't help but utter "marvelous" three times.

Compared to the talismanic techniques of this world, Cloud Seal Talismans are essentially the tangible manifestation of the Great Dao's Divine Marvels.

By using Cloud Seals as talismans and Talisman Scripts as the law, they bypass the lengthy and complicated steps of other methods.

Condensed into a single Cloud Seal Talisman, the method is more direct, more convenient.

As a master of talismanic arts who also commanded the Talisman Array Tao, Bai Qingfeng felt a new world open before him as he observed Qi Xiu's Suppressing Talismans.

"I've never seen the slightest trace of this talismanic technique in any ancient books or rare manuscripts. Brother Qi, could this talismanic technique be your own creation?"

His body trembling, Bai Qingfeng instinctively grasped Qi Xiu's arm.

The Yunpu Bai Family is a family renowned for its talismanic arts. Although not as ancient as sects like the Radiant Light Treasure Sect, their family library boasts a rich collection of books, especially on the path of talismanic techniques.

Bai Qingfeng, having inherited the family's knowledge from a young age, had studied various talismanic arts even more profoundly than some of the family's elders.

Looking into Bai Qingfeng's sincere and earnest eyes, Qi Xiu, who had initially intended to fabricate an excuse, inexplicably felt a pang of reluctance to deceive him.

"You could say that."

"Excellent!"

Upon receiving the answer, Bai Qingfeng looked immensely gratified. He lay flat on his back on the ground, his face wreathed in smiles,

"With a great talent like Brother Qi in our Human Race, we shall surely prosper! Indeed, we shall prosper!"

There was not a hint of envy or jealousy, only admiration for such a great talent and joy for the bright future of the Human Race.

Watching this unique young master of the Bai Family, Qi Xiu nodded thoughtfully.

But at this very moment, a sudden throbbing pain erupted between Qi Xiu's eyebrows. An intense, numbing premonition of crisis overwhelmed him, as if a catastrophe was about to strike.

"Die!"

An eerie, oily laugh sounded by his ear. Behind him, Qi Xiu saw a sinuous, writhing figure suddenly flash into view.

It was naked, its smooth muscles like white porcelain, its inhuman vertical pupils shot with blood.

Billowing ink-black clouds surged tumultuously.

This figure raised a hand and flicked two dark green, cold glints of light directly at the back of Qi Xiu's head!

And the imminent sense of crisis Qi Xiu felt came precisely from these two dark green, cold glints!

"Hahaha! Fourth Brother, well done!"

The fury on the Elephant Demon's face, still bound by the Suppression Talisman Seal Skill, vanished. It was replaced by a triumphant, joyous laugh as its pair of small, cold, and venomous eyes stared fixedly at Qi Xiu.

"You arrogant human vermin! Today, you will die regretting your conceit!"

Hearing the Elephant Demon's wild laughter, Qi Xiu's gaze shifted, glancing at the other two demons.

The Lion Demon was still bound securely.

So, that means...

Turning his gaze to the side, Qi Xiu's pupils suddenly contracted. He saw that where the Snake Demon had been trapped, only a shriveled snakeskin now remained, tightly bound by the golden chains.

Snake molting!

The Snake Demon actually circumvented the Suppression Talisman Seal Skill's restraint using a molting technique?

No, that's not right! The Snake Demon must have been using a shed skin as a decoy for some time. Its true body was hidden in the shadows all along. What the Suppressing Talismans had restrained before was merely one of its shed skins.

I was careless, Qi Xiu frowned, reflecting inwardly. I've spent too long in the quiet days on the mountain. Plus, after advancing to the Blood-Stained Realm and becoming a great cultivator, a bit of pride and complacency inevitably crept in. I didn't even realize this Snake Demon was just a decoy.

Qi Xiu realized this, but the Snake Demon, having seized the opportunity for a surprise attack, already wore a cold sneer.

The two dark green, cold glints it threw were no ordinary Dharma Gate. It was a deadly poison of the Serpent Clan, specifically prepared to assassinate great cultivators of the Blood-Stained Realm—Lady's Heart. This poison was incredibly fierce and could even corrode the soul.

Even a great cultivator at the Blood-Stained Peak, possessing nine Immortal Blood Bodies, would suffer a shattered soul and perish on the spot if invaded by this poison.

Although Lady's Heart was terrifyingly potent, it was very difficult to hit a target.

The Snake Demon had been lurking and hiding all this time, waiting for the moment Qi Xiu relaxed his guard to suddenly appear and deliver a fatal blow.

At this distance, that human vermin definitely can't dodge it!

Just as Lady's Heart was about to drip into and invade Qi Xiu's body, the Elephant Demon and its companions laughed with delight.

A weak, pale, yet resolute figure suddenly rushed forward, using his own body to intercept and scatter the two drops of Lady's Heart.

"Brother Bai!"

Seeing Bai Qingfeng shield him from the deadly poison, Qi Xiu's eyes narrowed. His expression turned to furious rage as he glared fiercely at the incredulous Snake Demon.

How could anyone willingly seek death...?

Before the Snake Demon, still bewildered by Bai Qingfeng's actions, could fully process it, a figure with a face as grim as still water and an overwhelming aura thundered before it.

"You beast!"

The Hunyuan Palace descended abruptly, enveloping the Snake Demon. A raging Qi Xiu activated his Divine Authority, his immensely powerful physical body crushing down.

The might of a Divine Body capable of battling the Elephant Demon and even gaining the upper hand—how could the Snake Demon possibly resist it?

It was a completely one-sided thrashing, leaving the Snake Demon shrieking miserably within the Hunyuan Palace.

But the Hunyuan Palace was only so large; the Snake Demon could neither hide nor escape.

It could only watch helplessly as Qi Xiu destroyed all of its Immortal Blood Bodies, leaving it like a boneless slug. Qi Xiu then seized its head, holding it in his hand.

Star Absorption Skill!

Without hesitation, Qi Xiu activated the Star Absorption Skill, devouring the Snake Demon's blood, flesh, essence, and Cultivation source.

In the blink of an eye,

Qi Xiu emerged from the Hunyuan Palace, holding a long, shriveled snakeskin in his hand.

"You..."

Its pupils trembling, the Elephant Demon involuntarily swallowed. The situation it thought was secured had, due to Bai Qingfeng's self-sacrifice, flipped 180 degrees. A chill ran through its entire body.

It's over...

Qi Xiu threw the snakeskin before the Elephant Demon and Lion Demon. His gaze was icy. Colorful mists swirled around his hands as his fully unleashed Cultivation caused countless deep vortexes to faintly appear in the sky.

"Since you brothers share such a deep bond, I, Qi Xiu, will send you to reunite!"

"Wait, I still have—AH!"

...

His robes stained with blood from slaughtering the last two beasts, Qi Xiu hurried back and helped up Bai Qingfeng, who had collapsed on the ground, his physical body gradually disintegrating.

This poison is so potent!

A dozen Suppressing Talismans were applied to Bai Qingfeng's body, but they couldn't suppress the spread of the poison at all.

The potency of this venom far exceeded the limits of the Suppressing Talismans.

Frowning deeply, Qi Xiu began to employ various methods, attempting to neutralize this deadly poison.

But neither the many detoxifying Talisman Scripts he possessed, nor the exotic beings with healing abilities summoned by his Shangqing Bell, nor even using the Star Absorption Skill, could extract this virulent poison.

It was as if the poison was an inherent part of Bai Qingfeng's body.

By now, Bai Qingfeng's body had already dissipated by half. Around the Ancestral Aperture between his eyebrows, wisp-like dark green substances writhed, attempting to invade and corrode his soul.

...