Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy-Chapter 516 - 451: Dragonvine!

Clang——

The terrifying ancient vine that was opening its mouth to swallow Qi Xiu suddenly stiffened. Its body trembled like dragon scales, and a faint sense swept across Qi Xiu.

In the next moment!

Under the astonished gazes of Old Man Bodhi and Ginseng Spirit, the terrifying ancient vine bowed its head and lowered in a submissive posture before Qi Xiu.

"How... how is this possible?!"

With eyes full of disbelief, Ginseng Spirit rubbed its eyes hard, even suspecting that it was seeing an illusion. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Looking at the ancient vine crouched at his feet, Qi Xiu smiled faintly.

It seems I was right.

No wonder I felt an incomparably familiar aura as soon as I saw this vine.

He raised his hand towards the ancient vine by his feet, and this ancient creature capable of devouring Dao Experts slowly lifted its head, gently touching Qi Xiu’s palm.

Buzz——

Threads of overwhelming, domineering pressure spread out, distorting and warping the surrounding void. The terrifying ancient vine vaguely manifested a hazy yet awe-inspiring silhouette that would inspire reverence in all beings from All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds.

True Dragon!

Roar——

The resurrected shadow of the True Dragon on the ancient vine roared skyward, and its mighty pressure instantly swept around, visibly sending a circular shockwave in all directions, forcing Old Man Bodhi and Ginseng Spirit to retreat repeatedly.

The diverse minerals and crystals within the Space-Bounding Grotto Heaven darkened, oppressed by this dragon’s roar.

Guardian Dragonvine, I never thought that the True Dragon Ruins would be hidden within this ancient battlefield!

Reviving the aura of this Guardian Dragonvine with the True Dragon Mark, Qi Xiu slowly scanned the surroundings, his eyes swirling with violet light, using Observing Qi Skill to probe the vital spots.

Guardian Dragonvine!

A Divine Marvel created solely by the True Dragon Clan.

Using Dragon Blood as its soil and Dragon Bones as its framework, once matured, it becomes a rare and extraordinary fierce creature in the world.

Adult Guardian Dragonvines are typically used to guard the treasure places of the True Dragon Clan.

Anyone not from the True Dragon Clan who approaches will face the frenzied attack of the Guardian Dragonvine.

This Divine Marvel inherits the powerful bodies comparable to the True Dragon Clan, with extremely tenacious life force. Cutting one root leads to two, multiplying as they’re killed, terrifying to the utmost!

The more it’s damaged, the stronger the regrown vine becomes.

It’s considered unsolvable!

A well-cultivated Guardian Dragonvine takes ten thousand years to mature, and once mature can even hinder Primordial Spirit True Honors.

The Guardian Dragonvine before Qi Xiu is still very young, compared to the lifespan of an adult vine which spans tens of thousands of years, it’s merely a newborn, no more than a thousand years.

Yet even so, it managed to swallow the self-destructing Li Su without a scratch, proving the frightening nature of this True Dragon creation.

"Such skill, to subdue my vine, what is your name?"

Hesitating for a moment, Old Man Bodhi approached, staring at the Guardian Dragonvine standing guard beside Qi Xiu, eyes filled with confusion.

He has known this ancient vine for eight hundred years, spending every day together.

Why would such a steadfast allegiance shift upon meeting this Daoist?

"To find that life can still evolve here in this ancient battlefield, with countless Immortal Herbs and Ancient Medicine sealed in crystal sources.

Who did this?

Your master?"

Ignoring Old Man Bodhi’s question, Qi Xiu instead turned and questioned him in return.

Old Man Bodhi, like Ginseng Spirit, is a naturally born Spiritual Object that gained intelligence and evolved into a sentient being, akin to magical creatures.

Originally he bore no grudge against these natives.

Yet this Old Man Bodhi blindly commanded the Guardian Dragonvine to attack him.

Though he resolved the crisis.

How would it be for other Dao Experts?

Callous disregard for life, such a death would be unworthy of pity!

This alone makes what he did unforgivable.

Detecting a hint of coldness in Qi Xiu’s tone, Old Man Bodhi, a seasoned spirit, quickly realized the dissatisfaction over his earlier order to have the vine attack.

"You were trying to eat my grandson, defense is reasonable right?"

"Which eye of yours saw me trying to eat your grandson?"

Caught off guard by Qi Xiu’s words, Old Man Bodhi turned to look at Ginseng Spirit behind him.

"Both were coming at me, how was I supposed to know if he was going to eat me." Shrinking his neck, Ginseng Spirit chuckled foolishly, rubbing his head.

Lightly patting Ginseng Spirit’s head, Old Man Bodhi turned and cupped his hands towards Qi Xiu:

"I acted impulsively, I ask for your pardon.

This place was established by Lord Wei.

Called: Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven.

All of us were nurtured by Lord Wei."

Expressing sincere apology, Old Man Bodhi first offered an apology, then answered Qi Xiu’s question.

Seeing Old Man Bodhi’s sincerity in apologizing, the coldness in Qi Xiu’s gaze subsided a bit, he waved his hand:

"Lord Wei? Survivor of the ancient decisive battle?"

"Uh, I don’t know about that, we’ve long resided in Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven, apart from this mischievous kid, never has anyone ventured outside.

As for who Lord Wei is, none of us in this generation have seen him, nor dare we ask beyond our bounds."

Speaking of which, Old Man Bodhi turned to glare at the Ginseng Spirit, thinking that if it weren’t for its reckless running outside, none of these troubles would have occurred.

Staring at the Immortal Herbs and Ancient Medicine, which had long disappeared from records, Qi Xiu felt a hint of curiosity about Lord Wei, the one who constructed this Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven.

The end of the Middle Ancient Era was tens of thousands of years ago.

Even a Primordial Spirit True Honor cannot live that long.

No, that’s not right!

If this Space-Bounding Grotto Heaven was created by that Lord Wei, then what’s with this Guardian Dragonvine?

It’s impossible for anyone but the True Dragon Clan to cultivate such a Dragonvine.

And even if by luck he cultivated the Dragonvine, without the nourishment of a True Dragon’s aura, it would’ve long withered, not thrived as it does now.

There must be True Dragon relics here.

Gently stroking the Golden Cry Jade Beads, Qi Xiu scanned the Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven before him.

Meanwhile, Old Man Bodhi, noticing Qi Xiu’s silent contemplation and shifting expressions, suddenly had a grave look in his eyes.

This is bad, this Daoist seems to have designs on my Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven.

Originally, he wasn’t afraid of this Daoist.

But now that the Dragonvine stands by his side, if a fight breaks out, he would surely be at a disadvantage.

Moreover, he still needs to protect the Ginseng Spirit behind him, splitting his focus, making him even less of a match for this Daoist.

At the same time, Qi Xiu keenly sensed the flickering hostility from Old Man Bodhi, just about to speak, when the entire Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven suddenly shook!

Countless crystals sealed within the Immortal Herbs and Ancient Medicine blossomed simultaneously, auspicious rays rising, and an immense formation appeared out of nowhere, autonomously breathing in and out, absorbing vast amounts of the herb’s spiritual energy, and sprinkling down strands of divine brilliance to the bottom of the Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven.

After this change, the originally tumultuous Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven regained its calm.

However, the Immortal Herbs and Ancient Medicine, having released much of their essence, became withered, slowly absorbing their sealed crystals to regain their strength.

Seeing this scene, Qi Xiu’s eyes changed suddenly.

Understood!

There are indeed Dragon Clan relics here, but since Lord Wei is not from the True Dragon Clan, and with the Guardian Dragonvine’s protection, he couldn’t retrieve them.

He had to construct this Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven to suppress and seal them.

These Immortal Herbs and Ancient Medicine and the formation just now were all used to suppress the True Dragon’s item at the bottom of this grotto!

"What’s underneath here?"

Using the Observing Qi Skill, Qi Xiu tried to see through the suppressed item in this Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven, but all he saw was a mass of rolling purple-black clouds, blocking his sight like the muddy fog on the ground.

"Why do you ask?"

Seemingly sensing Qi Xiu’s intent to seize the Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven, Old Man Bodhi added a touch of wariness to his words.

"Never mind if you don’t want to say."

Ignoring Old Man Bodhi, Qi Xiu reached out to the Guardian Dragonvine beside him.

Though this divine creation couldn’t speak, its spirit and intelligence were not inferior. He could completely view the Dragonvine’s memory to understand what was truly suppressed here.

"If you have nothing else, please leave here as soon as possible.

To be honest, the item suppressed below is extremely dangerous. Even a Dao Expert would die if encountered. Every word I say is true without any deception," Old Man Bodhi, unable to use force to remove Qi Xiu, had to stoop low and plead earnestly.

"Is that so? Well, I was thinking of helping you solve the suppressed item completely, but if you’re unwilling, then forget it."

Glancing at Old Man Bodhi, Qi Xiu folded his sleeves and appeared to leave.

"Wait!"

Just hoping Qi Xiu would leave quickly, Old Man Bodhi, hearing this, immediately held him back.

Suspiciously looking at the calm young daoist before him, Old Man Bodhi hesitated:

"Do you really have a way to deal with the suppressed item, or are you just deceiving this old man?"

"Believe it or not."

Controlling Old Man Bodhi completely, Qi Xiu flicked his sleeve, showing no intent to explain.

"Please stay!"

Hesitantly, Old Man Bodhi looked at Qi Xiu, unable to stop rubbing his smooth forehead.

He didn’t want to keep this mysterious daoist.

But as time goes on, the Immortal Herbs and Ancient Medicine in the Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven, having had their essence extracted year after year, have withered nearly halfway.

And with the weakening suppression, the resistance from the item grows more frequent.

This only leads to a higher frequency of activating the suppression formation, creating a vicious cycle.

Seeing that they can hardly keep suppressing the item below.

"If you can truly resolve the disaster of the Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven, I can promise you a great opportunity," Old Man Bodhi hesitated for a moment, eventually deciding to take a gamble.

After all, he had no better choice.

If he gave up this chance with Qi Xiu,

He could only watch as the Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven gradually collapses and disintegrates.

As to why he placed his bet on this young daoist he barely knew,

Looking at the Guardian Dragonvine docilely beside Qi Xiu, Old Man Bodhi pursed his lips.

Let’s hope this young man is indeed here to save my Hundred Herbs Cave Heaven.

...