CHAPTER 87: CHAPTER 87: HUNYUAN DRAGON TIGER SCRIPTURE MYSTERY

"Senior Brother, how long do we have to carry out this Demon-Subduing Order? Patrolling every day wastes so much of our cultivation time."

Riding a snowy white camel deer, a young girl with two pigtails, dressed in a plain white gown and carrying a wooden longsword, propped her chin in her hands and sighed heavily. She was pretty and delicate. Shouldn’t the imperial court handle these Demonic Evil Cultivators? Why make us do this grunt work?

"I’m not very clear on that either," the man beside her said with a smile. His features were simple; not handsome, but exuding a gentle tolerance. He was lean, his robes neat and clean, giving an impression of affability and reliability. "But now all the Sect Aristocracies in the province are in motion, so we naturally have to obey. Alright, alright, once today’s patrol is done, I’ll ask Master to adjust your shift so you can take a couple of days off, okay?"

"Thank you, Senior Brother; you’re the best!" Hearing she could get two and a half days off, the girl with pigtails beamed.

They moved slowly along the mountain path, one behind the other, the regular clatter of their mounts’ hooves echoing. The mountain breeze brushed their faces, bringing a slight chill. Miao Zhong squinted, raising his right hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he gazed ahead, searching for any deliberate traces.

"AH!"

Suddenly, a scream pierced the silent valley.

"There’s trouble!" Miao Zhong and Qin Zhu exchanged a glance, then spurred their mounts into a gallop, racing towards the sound of the scream.

Rushing through a bamboo forest that cast a dark corner into shadow, they found a horrifying scene. More than a dozen figures in black robes, wielding short daggers, were gleefully flaying and dismembering a group of villagers. They murmured as they conducted some sort of ritual, the ground slick with fresh blood and organs, a sickening stench rising to the heavens. A circle of twisted, oppressive, and bizarre symbols was etched into the earth.

"Stop!" Miao Zhong roared, drawing the wooden sword from his back. He leaped off his mount, transforming into a blurred shadow as he charged the black-robed Demonic Cultivators.

"Where did this meddling brat come from!" The leading Demonic Cultivator whirled around, revealing a ferocious wolf’s head, its teeth stained crimson, a foul stench spewing from its maw.

An aberrant fiend? Miao Zhong frowned. He flipped his palm, flinging out dozens of Sunfire Thunderclap Pellets.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The exploding pellets unleashed golden-red Yang Fire, instantly engulfing several of the fiends and setting them ablaze like human torches.

"You’re courting death, whelp!" Seeing his minions screaming and rolling on the ground, the Wolf Demon flared its nostrils. It howled, and a surge of earthy-yellow demonic qi erupted, causing nearby plants and shrubs to instantly wither and rot.

BOOM—

The ground buckled, two large pits forming instantly as earth flew. The Wolf Demon lunged, clashing with Miao Zhong.

"Wooden Sword, Sharpen Edge!" Miao Zhong cried, biting his fingertip and smearing blood along the blade of his wooden sword—one carved from eight-hundred-year-old peach wood. A fiercely sharp glint suddenly flared along its edge.

"Sharpen Edge? You’re a disciple of the Mysterious Sword Sect?" Green light flared in the Wolf Demon’s eyes. "Heh heh heh, perfect! I have an old blood debt to settle with your kind." It grew even more excited, its blood-red claws tearing wildly, its maw snapping repeatedly at Miao Zhong’s neck, trying to deliver a kiss that would send blood spurting.

The wooden sword clashed repeatedly with the wolf claws.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of hammering iron exploded, blinding sparks scattering. Parrying a deadly claw meant to rip him open, Miao Zhong reached into his robe and produced a small, transparent vial. Bright motes of light seemed to swim within it.

"Abomination! Face judgment!" Miao Zhong’s expression turned icy as he fiercely crushed the vial.

CRACK—

Dozens of snow-white sword lights howled out, swirling and streaking, instantly enveloping the Wolf Demon.

HISS! HISS! HISS—

As the Sword Qi danced, flesh burst from the Wolf Demon like blooming blood-flowers. It was as if by a thousand cuts, its flesh stripped away, leaving a gory, skeletal figure.

Warm blood dripped down Miao Zhong’s arm. He glanced at his shoulder; a bowl-sized chunk of flesh was missing. He’d sustained the wound from the Wolf Demon’s attack as he crushed the Sword Qi vial. Thankfully, Master gave me this Sword Qi vial. Otherwise, that would have been truly dangerous.

Miao Zhong breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the Wolf Demon reduced to a bloody, skeletal wreck, he prepared to finish off the remaining fiends. But suddenly, the "wolf corpse" opened its eyes, a wicked, eerie smile twisting its lips.

Not good!

Alarm bells screamed in Miao Zhong’s mind. With no time to dodge, he could only bring his sword up in a desperate block.

"DIE!!!" With a mad roar, the Wolf Demon lashed out with a fierce claw. The air vibrated, demonic qi surging as a faint film of light coalesced around its claw tips.

"Half-step into the Initiate Realm?!" Miao Zhong’s heart pounded violently as he saw the light.

"Qin Zhu, run!" he yelled to his junior sister. The wooden sword braced before his chest instantly shattered. His body bowed violently, and he was flung backward with a sickening thud.

BOOM—

A huge boulder behind Miao Zhong burst apart, showering the area with splintered rock.

Standing triumphantly at a nearby cave entrance was a rugged, wild-looking man, laughing boisterously. "Hahahaha, my, Qi’s, Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery is finally complete—OUCH!"

Before he could finish, the wild man was slammed back into the cave by Miao Zhong’s flying body.

"Who—who has such an utter lack of public decency!" Holding Miao Zhong, who had just crashed into his cave, Qi Xiu was furious.

I secluded myself for five months! Sleepless, I immersed myself in the profound mysteries. At long last, I fused ten True Cultivation Power scriptures into the Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery, forging this True Scripture from nothingness, a new path to the Initiate Realm! To think I’d be ambushed the moment I emerged! Who could tolerate this?!

"Who is this madman? Scram if you know what’s good for you, or I’ll eat you alive!" Licking blood from its face, the Wolf Demon threatened Qi Xiu, its eyes malevolent.

"Brother... be careful," Miao Zhong rasped, supported by Qi Xiu. "That Wolf Demon is... half-step into the Initiate Realm..."

Qi Xiu frowned, glancing at the gaping, bloody hole in Miao Zhong’s chest. The young man was on the verge of death. Qi Xiu flicked a finger, sending a stream of rich purple qi into Miao Zhong, stabilizing his life force. "Half-step Initiate Realm? So what if it were truly in the Initiate Realm?"

Setting Miao Zhong down gently, Qi Xiu stepped forward. His figure blurred, reappearing instantly—impossibly fast—before the Wolf Demon.

"You... you madman..." Startled by Qi Xiu’s ghostly movement, the Wolf Demon snarled, its face contorting into a grimace. It swiped ferociously with its claw, aiming to snatch the madman’s head and see if his brains were addled.

Calmly watching the descending claw, Qi Xiu raised his hand. In a flicker of movement, he caught and gripped the Wolf Demon’s wrist.

What?! The Wolf Demon’s veins bulged as it strained with all its might, feeling its wrist caught as if in an iron vise. The ground beneath its feet cracked under the pressure, yet its captured hand wouldn’t budge another inch.

Impossible!

The Wolf Demon stared in disbelief. A mere human is stronger than I, a demon?!

"Breaking a sweat, are we, little brother?" Qi Xiu smiled faintly, tightened his grip on the Wolf Demon’s wrist, then spun and slammed it downwards with brutal force.

BANG!

The earth shattered, the Wolf Demon’s outline violently imprinted into the ground.

"You mad—"

"Still want to play? Alright, I’ll indulge you."

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Qi Xiu flung the Wolf Demon about like a limp rag doll, smashing it into the ground repeatedly. Its miserable screams echoed to the heavens. Qin Zhu, Miao Zhong, and the remaining fiends watched, stunned into silence. Between these two, who is the demon and who is the human?

The merciless torment continued for several minutes until Qi Xiu, finally bored, tossed the Wolf Demon aside. Its bones and organs were utterly shattered; it lay on the ground like a pile of sludge. Dazed, the Wolf Demon stared at the sky, murmuring, "Kill... me... Just kill me..."

"Let’s go!" Witnessing Qi Xiu’s terrifying power, the other fiends ignored their leader—still babbling incoherently and vomiting organs on the ground—and turned to flee.

"Running off so soon? My bag here is warm in winter and cool in summer. Come on in and have a seat." How could I let these ready-made Alchemy materials slip away? Qi Xiu smiled gently. He took the Gathering Yuan Treasure Bag from his robes and tossed it into the air. His lips moved, reciting an incantation. Suspended in mid-air, the Gathering Yuan Treasure Bag opened, and a powerful suction force surged out, instantly drawing in the fleeing fiends and the broken Wolf Demon, collecting them all inside.

Catching the descending Gathering Yuan Treasure Bag, Qi Xiu shook it lightly and smiled with satisfaction. Not bad. A few more and I can concoct another Gathering Yuan Pill.

"Many thanks for your rescue, Senior! I am Miao Zhong of the Mysterious Sword Sect, and this is my junior sister, Qin Zhu. If not for you today, Senior, we would surely have perished at the hands of these fiends." Clutching his chest, Miao Zhong stepped forward, gazing at Qi Xiu with admiration.

This Senior is incredibly formidable! Not only is his martial prowess extraordinary, but his medicinal skills are also miraculous. That Wolf Demon’s claw nearly shattered my heart, lungs, and meridians. Yet, with a mere flick of his finger, this Senior reconnected my severed meridians. Even the injuries to my heart and lungs are nearly half-healed. Incredible... truly incredible!

"Mysterious Sword Sect?" Qi Xiu glanced at the earnest-looking Miao Zhong, then put away the Gathering Yuan Treasure Bag and looked up at the clear, calm sky.

I was in seclusion in this desolate mountain cave for five months. Turning day into night, I tirelessly pursued cultivation. From scratch, I cultivated one True Cultivation Power scripture after another, then fused all ten into the Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery, forging this True Scripture for the Initiate Realm. The process might seem simple, but each step demanded immense mental fortitude and effort. Fortunately, such a colossal and arduous undertaking yielded considerable rewards. Once the "Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery" was forged, I no longer needed to slowly draw upon [Primordial] externally via the dragon-and-tiger-clash Skill System and Methodology. Instead, I could directly cultivate it within my body, cycling yin and yang to generate [Primordial]. With a boundless supply of Hunyuan Power, I can now continuously drive the Hunyuan Body Refinement, accelerating my progress towards the Ancient Gathering of Celestial Strength. I must always be prepared to face the Celestial Strength baptism and step into the Initiate Realm. The Hunyuan Body Refinement is meant to continually divinely transform my bloodline, elevating it from mundane to transcendent. Compared to those major sects and clans who inherit their forebears’ bloodlines, I am, in essence, pioneering an entirely new one. As the progenitor of this bloodline, my physical body is inherently pure and powerful—even more dominant than that of Demons. However, the Hunyuan Body Refinement has its perils. To create something from nothing is to invite the jealousy of the heavens. My Celestial Strength tribulation will likely be terrifying beyond precedent.

He gazed at the sky, a sense of pressing unease coiling in the depths of his being. An inescapable doom hangs over me, like a blade poised to fall at any moment. It’s the Celestial Strength tribulation, stirring restlessly, biding its time, seeking my weakest moment to descend with thunderous might and obliterate this Anomaly that should not exist.

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