Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 400 - 361: The Ancient Stranger

BOOM—

The initial explosion marking the world’s genesis erupted. Two columns of white light burst forth, their colorless radiance carrying destruction in its most extreme form. The rampaging shockwave tore a long, narrow crack into the city wall, as if the boundless, formidable force desired to puncture through the very void itself.

Escaped?

With a raised eyebrow, sensing that the Hunyuan Ultimate Cannon had not struck its target, Qi Xiu’s eyes swirled with purple intent.

In the next instant!

A bone-chilling coldness suddenly assaulted him from behind his neck. A fine, long, pitch-black blade, thin as cicada wings, had already reached the back of his neck. It was a hair’s breadth away from chopping off his head.

Heaven and Earth’s Ward, the White Bone Magic Sword!

With a wave of his hand, the white skeletal, dragon-mighty White Bone Magic Sword blasted through the void. With its overwhelmingly mighty force, it smashed fiercely onto the dark longsword.

HUM—

The blade of the black sword trembled. The White Bone Magic Sword, formed from the Mighty Dragon Demon Vajra, despite appearing no different from an ordinary iron sword, carried one hundred percent of its power with every move.

BANG!

They both disappeared on the spot. The two tall, upright figures then collided countless times in the blink of an eye. The black sword was like an abyss, the white sword like frost and snow! When the two swords clashed, they instantly sparked dazzling flashes, like falling stars, brilliant and fierce.

As Sword Qi raged, the surrounding buildings couldn’t withstand the powerful impact and crumbled, falling apart into ruins. Stone pillars crashed down and rooftops shattered into dust. What was once grand now lay fragmented in an instant. Broken slabs, snapped beams, and scattered rubble lay everywhere.

With a vertical slash, Qi Xiu’s eyes trembled slightly, the purple intent surging within their depths.

All of a sudden.

Qi Xiu abruptly changed his swordplay, sweeping across with one broad stroke. The bizarre man, previously outside the range of attack, now seemed to react to some provocation, hurtling himself toward the sword. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

CLANG—

The unexpected threat caught the bizarre man off guard. He uttered a soft sound of surprise as he watched the White Bone Longsword, capable of slicing through mountains and shattering peaks, descend upon him. He quickly raised his sword in defense. After a loud blast, his entire arm turned numb and painful, as if he could no longer hold onto his weapon.

After this, Qi Xiu’s attacks became even more unpredictable, his every move made as though he had completely seen through the bizarre man’s techniques. Each stroke aimed directly at his opponent’s weaknesses and even seemed to guide him into his own attack range.

HISS, HISS, HISS—

After being pierced through the back of the hand three times, the bizarre man furrowed his brow.

Mocking me?

He had started practicing swordsmanship at the age of five, swinging his blade five thousand times daily without fail for four hundred years. And today, he was being outmaneuvered in the Dao of the Sword itself?

Stabbed through the neck by Qi Xiu’s sword, the bizarre man’s eyes, obscured by a black cloth, widened in disbelief. He was unable to grasp the reality before him.

If that’s the case, then I will...

Just as the fighting spirit within the bizarre man began to intensify, he saw the young Daoist opposite him nod thoughtfully and then, sword in hand, start advancing towards him.

THUMP, THUMP—

The bizarre man’s heart suddenly contracted, and he was slightly moved. To outsiders, it appeared that Qi Xiu was merely calmly walking over. But from his perspective, the young Daoist exuded a terrifying aura. This aura wasn’t heavy, yet it effortlessly induced a sense of despair. Under its influence, he suddenly realized that no matter how he retaliated, the young Daoist would anticipate and counter him in advance. It was as if all his actions had already been foreseen.

In an instant.

The bizarre man felt as though he was standing in the palm of the young Daoist’s hand, those faintly purple eyes gazing down at him calmly from the Sky Dome above.

Seventh Realm, the Observing Qi Skill!

During his twenty years in the Longevity Star Realm, Qi Xiu had nearly constantly activated the Observing Qi Skill. This sustained, intensive use had continuously enhanced his proficiency with this Divine Marvel. And on the eve of his departure from the Longevity Star Realm, he finally made a breakthrough. It became the only Seventh Realm Dharma Gate in Qi Xiu’s possession!

The Sixth Realm observes the past. The Seventh Realm... foresees the future.

As Qi Xiu had suspected before, the ultimate Observing Qi Skill could indeed achieve a glimpse into the future. However, in contrast to the Sixth Realm’s Observing Qi Skill which could deduce past events up to a month ago, or, to put it differently, the future seen by the Seventh Realm wasn’t exactly the true future. It only grasped the potential outcomes of how Qi could evolve. The reason he could make the bizarre man feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness was that he used the Seventh Realm Observing Qi Skill to preemptively grasp the evolutions of his Qi. The fluctuations of the mind, temperament, true essence, and vulnerabilities were all laid bare under the gaze of the Observing Qi Skill.

The Seventh Realm Observing Qi Skill could barely achieve a glimpse into the ’imminent future’ by perceiving changes in Qi. To reach the level of Daoist Qingya, who could peer decades into the future, would probably require the Tenth Realm or even higher levels. The deeper his cultivation of the Observing Qi Skill, the more Qi Xiu could sense the terror of Daoist Qingya.

But that was a tale for another time.

As his swordplay flourished, having discerned the bizarre man’s techniques with the Observing Qi Skill, Qi Xiu effortlessly executed his strikes, severing his opponent’s hands in an instant. With the Observing Qi Skill at his command, Qi Xiu was nearly invincible in close combat, unless his opponent’s strength far exceeded his own.

"Hmm?"

The severed hands hit the ground. Qi Xiu’s gaze flicked towards them, his expression suddenly turning grave. On the right thumb of this bizarre man was also a bronze ring, nearly identical to the one on his own hand.

Could it be that he was the one I had a premonition about?

His eyes moved, and Qi Xiu had the thought to seize the severed hand, but the bizarre man reacted faster; or rather, he was also very aware of the value of the bronze ring. Countless pale arms suddenly reached out from the void, embracing the bizarre man while also snatching up the severed hand.

"Fellow Daoist is indeed formidable. I, Wei, am no match for you. However, your victory now does not mean you will also win next time. We shall meet again."

The man’s severed hands grew back. The bizarre man laughed lightly as he held aloft the hand with the bronze ring, waving it at Qi Xiu.

WHOOSH—

The next instant.

The bizarre man activated an unknown Dharma Gate and plunged deep into the void. Qi Xiu only caught a glimpse of a wisp of dark energy rushing into the depths of the Evernight Ancient City before it disappeared from sight.

Loosening his grip on the White Bone Magic Sword, Qi Xiu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction where the bizarre man vanished, his fingers lightly twirling the bronze ring.

It seems that the one who set up this inheritance released more than one inheritance token, probably to avoid the inheritance being buried in obscurity. Not only does this increase the chance of the inheritance being passed down, but it also allows for the selection of the most outstanding successor.

What a clever scheme. This person cannot be left alive.

With a slight movement in his eyes, Qi Xiu charged forward, abruptly transforming into a dazzling bolt of lightning in pursuit. He wasn’t so much afraid that this bizarre man might truly obtain the Food Demon Sect inheritance and turn on him. With his current cultivation and techniques, unless he faced a Dao Expert, not even the most outstanding Blood-Stained Great Cultivator could possibly defeat him. What worried him was that if the bizarre man failed to obtain the inheritance and instead became corrupted by the strange power within the Evernight Ancient Kingdom, turning into an undying monster—given the man’s power, if he were to turn into such a monster, that would indeed be rather tricky.

Relying on the millions of avian spies scattered throughout the ancient city, Qi Xiu had almost complete control over all surrounding corners. As he ventured deeper into the Evernight Ancient Kingdom, Qi Xiu’s expression gradually became more solemn. Compared to the outskirts near the walls, the interior of the Evernight Ancient Kingdom was even more grand and prosperous. The level of the city’s development far exceeded that of major provinces like Dianchuan Province and Qinlong Province. Yet the more he beheld the prosperity, the more the extreme, deathly stillness seemed to underscore an even deeper sense of horrid dread.

Passing through a long and broad street, Qi Xiu suddenly stopped, transitioning from extreme motion to extreme stillness in an instant!

BOOM—

A colossal axe blade thundered down, cleaving the whole street in two. The billowing dust that surged into the air was like a grey dragon, raging and roiling violently. If Qi Xiu hadn’t stopped in time, his body would likely have been split in half by this terrifying axe strike.

Is this... a Rongdi?

His gaze shifting, Qi Xiu saw a massive figure striding forward with thundering steps that shook the earth, wielding a hundred-meter axe. He quietly summoned the Purple Cloud Boundless Sword.

Rongdi.

Ancient beings.

During the era of the Sheng Tang Empire, there emerged a category of beings that existed somewhere between humans and Demons. These beings resembled the Human Race but possessed talents and Divine Marvels akin to Demons, so they were known as ancient beings. Legend has it that the Tian Kehan of the Sheng Tang Empire once gathered all the ancient beings in the world and formed an army composed entirely of them. They were named: The Eternal Conquest Army! However, for some unknown reason, this project, which had already begun, was suddenly abandoned. And as the Sheng Tang Empire vanished into the dust of history, the ancient beings disappeared along with it.

The figure that now appeared before Qi Xiu was nearly a hundred zhang tall, wielding a giant axe and covered in wolf totems. It was one of a branch of the ancient beings from that era, known as the Rongdi.

The Rongdi Giant, rumored to possess the strength of nine bulls and two tigers at one year old. By five years old, its height surpasses a hundred meters, capable of moving mountains and shifting peaks. Upon reaching adulthood at ten years of age, it becomes indestructible like a Vajra, and only cultivators of the Blood-Stained Realm have the ability to harm it. Furthermore, every hundred years after reaching maturity, the Rongdi Giant grows a wolf totem—a testament to its Divine Marvel, immensely terrifying. But the books do not record what power this wolf totem actually possesses.

Casting a glance at the Rongdi Giant before him, Qi Xiu’s brow raised slightly.

Nine wolf totems! This giant is almost a thousand years old. The ancient beings’ disappearance was mysterious; one could say they vanished suddenly without any warning. If a Rongdi Giant exists in this Evernight Ancient Kingdom, could it be that when the Sheng Tang Empire fell, all the ancient beings were relocated here?

Qi Xiu’s speculation was interrupted by a sudden terrifying roar. The raging shockwaves made his Taoist robe flutter wildly and his black hair dance in the air.

BOOM—

The hundred-meter axe fell once more, its chilling power heralding terrible destruction, with surging black qi enveloping it, shattering layers of the void.

Annoyed at the interruption, Qi Xiu faced the descending axe, raised his hand, and struck fiercely with his palm.

BANG—

The fair and slender palm suddenly shimmered with colorful radiance as he mustered the full power of a Hunyuan Aperture in his palm. This palm strike could truly be described as earth-shattering!

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