Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 378 - 345: Strike of the World!

"Shut up."

Upon hearing the roar emanating from the grave, Chen Wangyue maintained a stoic expression and lightly flicked the rusted sword with his finger.

HUM—

The blade trembled, penetrating deep into the grave. The shrill howling was instantly suppressed and silenced, leaving not a trace of sound.

"Remember, ’The heart follows the turning of heaven and earth, the intent commands the Sword of Qiankun; those who wield swords must not be wielded by them.’"

After imparting this final instruction to Qi Xiu, Chen Wangyue stepped aside.

The heart follows the turning of heaven and earth, the intent commands the Sword of Qiankun...

Reciting this maxim silently in his heart, Qi Xiu took a step forward and firmly grasped the rusted sword that was suppressing the head of the Great Asura.

BOOM—

In that instant, it was as if he had touched some forbidden seal. Suddenly, the sky and earth changed color. The once peaceful world trembled amidst the gale; rocks split apart, trees broke, as if the entire world could feel the oppressive might of the sword at that moment. Space began to warp, like ripples on water stirred by a heavy stone, expanding outwards in concentric circles. The sky instantaneously turned a bloody red, like an ominous dawn, yet it was filled with endless ferocity and rage.

Under that blood-red sky, Qi Xiu’s gaze remained calm, but his body involuntarily began to quiver slightly. The rusted sword he held in his hands was now, invisibly, furiously exuding a murderous aura, so strong that it nearly engulfed him. This was not merely destructive power, but more like an ancient and powerful will challenging Qi Xiu’s own, attempting to make him submit to its authority.

Yet, Qi Xiu did not flinch. Gripping the hilt tightly, he countered the tumultuous murderous presence with his unwavering will.

Heaven and Earth Imperial!

Sword Heart Alone!

His eyes suddenly burst with dazzling brilliance. Activating the "Heavenly Sovereignty Sword Skill," Qi Xiu held the hilt tightly with his right hand, intending to subdue this fierce sword with the secret sword-wielding intent of the Taibai Sword Sect.

HISS—

The murderous aura rampaged wildly, tearing Qi Xiu’s Taoist Robe in several places and even slicing a bleeding cut on his neck.

Chen Wangyue’s expression grew solemn as he observed Qi Xiu attempting to control the rusted sword. As the sword intent imbued within this rusted blade, he knew its horrors better than anyone. The fact that it could suppress the head of a Dao Expert for over two thousand years, grinding it almost to the point of extinguishment, made clear the terrifying power it possessed. For this reason, only by mastering and drawing this rusted sword was there a chance to slay the head of the Great Asura and bring a glimmer of hope to the decaying Longevity Star Realm.

Could it be done?

His gaze falling on Qi Xiu’s right hand gripping the rusted sword, Chen Wangyue’s expression subtly shifted. He saw that Qi Xiu’s fair and slender arm had startlingly turned grey and mottled with black. The erosion of the murderous sword intent was too much for his flesh to bear; given enough time, it would certainly collapse.

"Don’t overexert yourself. Once the sword intent enters the body, it will be difficult to remove."

Just as Chen Wangyue spoke his warning, Qi Xiu’s left hand moved rapidly over his right arm, covering his entire forearm with Suppressing Talismans that shone with golden light.

Suppress!

Utilizing the power of the Suppressing Talismans, he forcefully contained the sword intent that had invaded his body. With the immediate threat of the sword intent penetrating his body alleviated, Qi Xiu’s mind steadied, and he diligently circulated the "Heavenly Sovereignty Sword Skill."

After a grueling ten days and nights, just as his entire right arm was nearly numb, Qi Xiu suddenly felt a faint connection emanating from the rusted sword in his hand.

"It’s done!"

His eyes suddenly flared with an astonishing gleam, and with renewed vigor, Qi Xiu yanked his right arm upwards.

CLANG—

The sword-cry thundered like a storm, reverberating for thousands of miles! This awe-inspiring sound, like a dragon’s roar, resounded through the clouds, reaching the Nine Heavens above. The sword-cry, lingering between heaven and earth, caused all living creatures in the entire Longevity Star Realm to shudder uncontrollably upon hearing it.

As the sound of the sword’s cry dissipated, the rust on the sword seemed to be expelled by some mysterious force, flaking off piece by piece, as if the dust of ages was being swept away. The true form of the sword gradually revealed itself: pure white and flawless, as though freshly forged, it emitted a blinding cold light, too intense to look at directly. The sword’s spine resembled a coiling dragon, while its edge was as thin as a cicada’s wing, every inch radiating endless sharpness and might.

Qi Xiu held the longsword high. Its light, as brilliant as the sun, illuminated the whole world, dispelling the blood-red sky and bringing forth a hint of clarity. In the light of the sword, his figure appeared even taller, like an unyielding peak, facing all challenges of the world. Sword and man seemed to merge into one at this moment.

"Hahaha! I’m finally out!"

The moment the rusted sword was pulled out, the grave mound below exploded with a bang! Stones shattered, and dust billowed. Amidst the deafening, crazed laughter, a terrifying head the size of several acres soared out. The head had jet-black hair, a green face with fierce fangs, and in the center of its forehead was a bright red vertical eye. Its mere appearance instantly conjured countless ferocious and howling shadows of Asuras in the void.

"Chen Wangyue, you suppressed me for two thousand years, but I still got out! So much for the Taibai Sword Honor—nothing special after all!"

Arrogant. At the moment of breaking free from its shackles, the head of the Great Asura displayed supreme arrogance. It seemed that without the suppression of the rusted sword, it feared no one any longer. And as its boisterous laughter and ridicule rang out, from the smooth, mirror-like cut at the neck of the terrifying head, tendrils of twisted flesh began to rapidly sprout.

Just as Chen Wangyue had said before, members of the Asura Clan possessed an incredibly tenacious life force, and this was especially true for a Great Asura of the Dao Body Realm. Even with only a head left, as long as it was free from the rusted sword’s suppression, it could reconstruct its body in an extremely short period and return to its peak. At that time, Qi Xiu would stand no chance against it.

"Now!"

Seeing the Great Asura’s head beginning to reconstitute its body, Chen Wangyue immediately called out to Qi Xiu.

"Alright!"

Qi Xiu calmly responded and fiercely waved the snow-white, flawless longsword in his hand. In that moment, he seemed to transform into a ray of light between heaven and earth, striking directly at the Great Asura’s head.

As the longsword slashed down, time seemed to freeze. All things between heaven and earth entered a strange state of stillness. The sword light, like a bolt of silk, shot straight down, cutting through the air and leaving behind a clear trail. In this frozen moment, only the confrontation between the sword and the Great Asura’s head stood out vividly. The head hung in mid-air, as if locked by Sword Qi, unable to dodge or struggle. With every fraction the sword blade pressed down, an indelible, bone-deep, terrifying Sword Trace appeared on the head. In this profound state, time seemed to stretch to its limit, each second as long as a year.

"You..."

Having just broken free only to face the crisis of being slain, the Great Asura’s head glared furiously, its eyes filled with anger and unwillingness. The blood-red vertical eye between its brows widened to the extreme, seemingly containing a Blood Sea within. Endless waves of baleful energy from the Blood Sea surged forth, blocking the sword blade from pressing down any further. Seizing this bought time, the Great Asura’s head also hastened its body’s reconstitution.

Sensing the Great Asura head’s frenzied resistance, Qi Xiu slightly parted his lips, invoking the Heavenly Constitution with a voice that trembled the heavens:

"Decree!"

"The World’s Wrath!"

No sooner had his words fallen than a colossal peach tree silently emerged. The sheer size of the tree was indescribable. Its roots, like the very veins of Pangu forging the cosmos, delved deep into the void. Its lush branches and leaves, brilliant as constellations, blanketed the boundless expanse. The whole tree seemed a microcosm of the entire world, containing endless vitality and commanding pressure.

The Great Asura’s head, struggling with all its might, felt an immense pressure approaching from all directions, as if the weight of the entire world poured down upon it. In this fleeting moment, the peach tree slowly lifted its trunk, as massive as a mountain, moving with the oldest rhythm between heaven and earth. It hammered down on the Great Asura’s head with an irresistible, thunderous blow.

At that moment, space vibrated, and time came to a halt! Only that heart-stopping, thunderous rumble echoed through the void, as if the sky was falling and the earth was splitting. The wail of the Great Asura’s head was drowned in that deafening sound. Almost half its head was instantly shattered by the trunk, dissolving into dust within the void, leaving only an afterimage to prove its former existence.

During the two thousand years the Great Asura’s head was suppressed, it constantly tried to use its own power to corrupt and seize control of this world, hoping to thereby break free from Chen Wangyue’s suppression. This behavior not only caused the Taizu Holy Tree to wither and feign death but also led to the dwindling of the Taogong Clan’s population. Even the entire Longevity Star Realm fell into a state of decay because of this.

With Qi Xiu’s current cultivation, he naturally could not command the power of the entire world to aid him, so his earlier decree was merely a catalyst. It channeled the outrage accumulated by the Longevity Star Realm against the Great Asura’s head over the last two thousand years, releasing it in a torrent.

Taking the Longevity Star Realm’s retaliatory blow head-on, the Great Asura’s head immediately fell into a near-death state. Although he was a Dao Body Realm Leader, his body was utterly destroyed, leaving only a head, which had been suppressed by Chen Wangyue for a full two thousand years. Having barely escaped, he then endured a strike filled with the rage of the Longevity Star Realm. At this moment, even his consciousness had fallen into a blurred, empty state, and he remained dazed for a long while.

Without any resistance left, Qi Xiu faced no more obstacles and ruthlessly brought down his sword!

The blade sliced through the Great Asura’s head. A metallic ring sang out as a blackish-red blood droplet was shaken from the sword tip. Instantly, countless cracks appeared on the vicious head, and brilliant, immaculate white light burst forth from within.

"Human brat, daring to kill me! From the netherworld, I curse you... to be an Obstinate Spirit..."

In its final moment of death, the Great Asura’s head issued a hysterical curse.

The next second!

The Great Asura’s head disintegrated into dust. A Dao Body Realm Leader had thus completely perished.

And at the instant of the Great Asura head’s death, a clear, tinkling sound suddenly resonated from the longsword in Qi Xiu’s hand. The snow-white, flawless sword blade shattered into pieces, turning into countless sparkling, crystalline motes of light that slowly dissipated into the void. Slaying the Great Asura’s head had exhausted all of the longsword’s power.

And as Qi Xiu had said before, with the object of suppression gone, Chen Wangyue could now be liberated.

His form, already becoming insubstantial and dim with the crumbling of the longsword, faded further. Hands clasped behind his back, he smiled at Qi Xiu and spoke softly, "Kid, don’t forget our agreement."

"This junior will hold it in his heart and will certainly seek a pure-hearted prodigy for you, Senior, to pass on the Dharma Gate."

"Hahaha, good."

Tilting his head slightly, Chen Wangyue gazed at the gradually brightening and clear sky above. His form slowly ascended, transforming into a streak of brilliant, ethereal light.

"Riding the winds with my sword, I purged demons from heaven and earth!

Chen, I depart!"

...