Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 395 - 358: The Elder with Livor Mortis

In the cold moonlight, the silence of the Loess Plateau was broken by an extraordinarily unusual sight.

Bathed in the gossamer moonlight, a Giant City, boundless in every direction, appeared silently on the horizon of the Loess Plateau.

The walls of this Giant City soared into the clouds. Each stone brick bore the marks of time, yet shimmered with an undying glow.

The architectural clusters within the city were arranged in an orderly fashion, like a three-dimensional painting. Palaces, markets, courtyards, and temples each exuded its unique charm.

Moonlight sprinkled on the glittering rooftops, reflecting a brilliant light that echoed the starry river above, creating the most magnificent night view between heaven and earth.

Lights within the city shone brightly, illuminating every corner of the Giant City. The air was filled with an atmosphere of prosperity, as if the whole world was condensed within this city.

"This is... the Evernight Ancient Kingdom."

Rubbing his knees, Wei’s eyes were somber as he gazed at the divinely marvelous city appearing on the horizon.

For this forbidden land, said to hold the treasures of the Sheng Tang Empire, the completely money-obsessed Wei was now maintaining a surprisingly calm demeanor. It was as if, in front of him, there was not a mountain of gold but an abyss that chose its victims.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Qi Xiu observed the vast city born beneath the moonlight. His lowered right hand formed a spell, and a wisp of purple slowly surfaced.

In his unique vision interwoven with black and white, Qi Xiu’s expression changed in an instant.

What seemed in normal sight a prosperous and bustling Evernight Ancient Kingdom was actually held in the palm of a mysterious and enormous hand. The size of the Evernight Ancient Kingdom was already breathtaking, but compared to the owner of this hand, it might appear as little more than a toy. One could hardly imagine how vast and boundless the entity to which this hand belonged could be.

Having seen this secret, Qi Xiu inconspicuously took a half step back. Although the legacy of the Food Demon Sect was coveted, it was not worth plunging into peril for.

"My lord, if you ask me, we should just give this up," Wei advised, sensing Qi Xiu’s hesitation. "This place is extremely malign. It looks lavish and dazzling, with all its splendor, but of those who’ve entered, not a single one has come back alive."

"Then how did you make it back?" Slightly turning, Qi Xiu looked down at Wei, who had started crunching on tobacco leaves again.

"Hehe, that’s because I never actually entered that city." Spitting out a mouthful of tobacco shreds, Wei laid back leisurely on the ground with his hands cushioning his head. "Everyone outside claims that I, Wei, can come and go freely within the Evernight Ancient Kingdom, but what they don’t know is... that story was spread by me."

"Oh? You do know how to do business," Qi Xiu said, raising an eyebrow. He had underestimated this skinny old man, not expecting him to be versed in marketing.

"Well, this old man has no other particular skills but knows a little of everything. In this world, money’s hard to earn and life’s hard. If I don’t think up ways to boost my own reputation, how would dignitaries like you ever come to seek me out?" Wei joyfully kissed the five purple-gold plaques he took out.

Just as Qi Xiu was looking at the Evernight Ancient Kingdom, his heart hesitant and undecided, a streak of Lei Mang, swift as a shooting rainbow, suddenly flashed across the night sky above him.

"Hmm?"

Startled, he looked up. Seeing the Lei Mang that flew overhead, Qi Xiu beckoned with his hand, and the Lei Mang from the Sky Dome instantly dropped into his palm like a homing swallow.

Thunder Sound Transmission, a Shenxiao Sect secret messaging technique! The Lei Mang in his palm transformed into a recorded sound that played in Qi Xiu’s ear. Hearing this familiar voice, the young Daoist’s hesitation and indecision slowly vanished, a faint smile gracing his lips.

"Let’s go."

"Alrighty! When we’re back, I’ll treat you to the Drunken Fairy Building. You probably don’t know, the Drunken Fairy Building is the best..."

"Who said we’re going back? I meant let’s move forward."

"Huh?"

Excited and ready to head back, Wei froze when he heard this, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. He stared at Qi Xiu several times with a strange expression, then finally sighed helplessly. "Fine, fine. Who can argue with a dignitary? Sigh... why does no one ever take my advice?"

Despite his reluctance, having taken the man’s money, Wei had no choice but to deliver. After all, the dignitary before him was a true Thunder Law Cultivator. Angering him could lead to a bolt of Heavenly Thunder that would spare even the need for cremation.

Dragging his feet with a dejected expression, Wei led Qi Xiu forward. Along the way, Qi Xiu observed this worldly-wise man’s stride. This old man’s seemingly casual, splay-footed walk actually involved steps of incredibly precise length. With each step, his fingertips subtly moved, as if he were performing calculations or divinations. This seemingly simple act of leading the way was far from simple.

Meandering along, Wei led Qi Xiu ever closer to the Evernight Ancient Kingdom, now bathing in the cold moonlight. As they drew nearer to this legendary forbidden land, Qi Xiu gradually began to feel an intangible pressure. But it was only pressure; his intuition had not yet signaled any potential danger.

Following closely, Qi Xiu found the journey to the Evernight Ancient Kingdom, without the aid of Escape Light, seemed exceptionally long. They walked for nearly five hours, and the moonlight in the Sky Dome reached its peak brightness.

Old Wei halted abruptly, bent over, and let out a long, turbid breath. "Alright, we’ve arrived."

"We’ve arrived?"

A trace of bewilderment flickered in Qi Xiu’s eyes. But just as he lifted his head again, the Evernight Ancient Kingdom, which had seemed some distance away, was now looming right before them.

The towering city gate stood like a pillar supporting the heavens. Craning his neck, Qi Xiu couldn’t even see the top of the gatehouse; a few white clouds, illuminated by the moonlight, floated midway up the gate.

"My lord, this is as far as Old Wei can take you." After taking several deep breaths to compose himself, Old Wei managed a smile and bowed to Qi Xiu. "I absolutely cannot enter this city."

His task was to lead Qi Xiu to the Evernight Ancient Kingdom. Now that the ancient kingdom was before them, his mission was complete. What happened next was no longer his concern. However, the dignitary before him was clearly a master. Although Wei was itching to turn and flee, he worried about angering this lord, so he forced a smile as he bid farewell.

"Mm, you’ve worked hard. Here is the final payment."

Qi Xiu tossed out five more purple-gold plaques. Before his words faded, the plaques were snatched by a blurred shadow. Old Wei, who had been standing before him, transformed into a streak of light, dragging a billowing cloud of yellow dust. In the blink of an eye, he was just a tiny speck in the distance.

A drawn-out shout gradually drifted over: "Take care, my lord~~~"

Qi Xiu chuckled and shook his head, watching the trail of dust settle. Then, he turned back to face the towering Giant City before him.

BOOM—

As if sensing something mystical, the tightly shut gates of the Evernight Ancient Kingdom began to slowly creak open after Old Wei departed. It seemed the city would not force entry upon those unwilling to come.

A dense mist wafted out as the gates opened, beckoning Qi Xiu like a gateway to an Immortal Realm.

So polite?

With a faint smile, his confidence bolstered by the support he’d received, Qi Xiu flicked his sleeves behind him and slowly strode towards the legendary forbidden kingdom.

Passing through the long, dim city gate, he found wide streets lined with shops on both sides, their signs swaying in the wind as if still awaiting customers. Deep ruts were etched into the stone-paved roads, testaments to former bustling days.

Yet, all this liveliness and prosperity were now mere hollow echoes. There was no trace of people, no breath of life—only silent buildings and soundless streets. The lamplight still shone brightly, but there was no one to enjoy it. The market still appeared bustling, yet no transactions occurred. Music drifted through the air, but no one listened.

The city brimmed with traces of past conviviality, but not a single soul could be seen. All its splendors seemed frozen in time, emanating an indefinable, eerie stillness.

A bustling ancient city, yet devoid of people?

Observing the ancient city, which exuded a contradictory and eerie atmosphere, Qi Xiu flicked his sleeve, scattering a handful of soybeans.

In an instant, radiant golden light flared, and the ground trembled repeatedly. Over a hundred Yellow Turban Strongmen slowly rose, their determined and valiant eyes instinctively scanning their surroundings with intense hostility and vigilance.

"My lord, the air here is thick with malevolent energy; there must be many strange dangers lurking," one reported.

As the supreme secret technique from the Yellow Official Document, the Yellow Turban Strongmen were not merely puppets with formidable combat power. These sacred spirits, born from the pure righteous essence of heaven and earth, possessed naturally keen six senses and an extremely strong perception of evil spirits and demons. Even before Qi Xiu had noticed anything unusual in the city, these Yellow Turban Strongmen had already reacted.

"Do you know where it is?" Lifting his eyelids slightly, Qi Xiu asked.

Closing their eyes, the hundred-odd Yellow Turban Strongmen simultaneously extended their senses. Vaguely, the phantom image of a giant over a hundred zhang tall coalesced in the void. Its eyes, as bright as suns, scanned the four corners and eight directions, and soon, it located several stooped figures moving ahead.

"Found them."

"Bring them here."

"Yes!"

With a chorus of "Yes!", the hundred-odd Yellow Turban Strongmen instantly shot forth, soaring through the air as over a hundred golden streaks of light, disappearing into the depths of the Evernight Ancient City.

Qi Xiu stood at the city gate entrance, sleeves gathered, his eyes half-closed as he rested his mind. About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the sound of wind approached. Two Yellow Turban Strongmen returned, escorting a man covered in corpse spots, his entire being exhibiting a strange, "desaturated" state.

Looking at the man, whose body was entirely in shades of black and white, Qi Xiu’s gaze shifted slightly as he employed the Observing Qi Skill.

This is...

Under the scrutiny of the Observing Qi Skill, an old man was clinging to the captive’s back. His face was withered, his body riddled with corpse spots, and he was dressed in black funeral clothes. It seemed the man was covered in corpse spots because he was infected by the old man on his back.

Not a remnant soul, nor a mere thought? What exactly is this...

Narrowing his eyes to examine the old man on the captive’s back, Qi Xiu slowly knitted his brows. No wonder Old Wei had been terrified of the Evernight Ancient Kingdom. The very first thing he encountered upon entering the city was something he completely failed to comprehend.

It seems this forbidden place... is indeed perilous.