Donning the eerie mask, the Red Birthmark Daoist transformed into a green-faced Evil Ghost and pounced toward Qi Xiu with thunderous steps.
Qi Xiu felt a chill gust of eerie air engulf him.
The soft numbness he had felt before began to invade his flesh through his pores.
Playing this trick again?
With a pinch, the "Suppress" Character in his hand burst into strands of golden light, dispelling the chill, as Qi Xiu threw the remaining "Suppress" Characters at the green-faced Evil Ghost.
TSSSS—
The golden light shot out like arrows.
Striking the green-faced Evil Ghost, it burned mangled, bloody holes into his flesh, oozing pus.
"Roar!"
The injured green-faced Evil Ghost became even more ferocious.
Its gaping maw split open, and numerous palm-sized, winged insects resembling corpse beetles screamed as they flew out.
Like a buzzing dark cloud, the ghost lice swarmed towards Qi Xiu, enveloping the sky.
These ghost lice were the parasites of the green-faced Evil Ghost.
Cunning and deceitful, with teeth as hard as metal.
Even the strongest steel armor could be easily penetrated, allowing them to burrow into the body and gnaw on flesh and organs.
Extremely vicious and dangerous!
With agile footsteps, Qi Xiu leaped and dodged, swiftly widening the distance between himself and the swarm of ghost lice.
"Hahaha, you have a lot of Talisman Scripts, don't you? Keep using them."
Seeing Qi Xiu continuously retreating to avoid them, the Red Birthmark Daoist, transformed into the green-faced Evil Ghost, laughed triumphantly.
The rumbling echo shook the cave so hard that rocks began to fall.
"That's what you said."
"You heard wrong, I didn't say that!"
Sensing something amiss, the green-faced Evil Ghost immediately denied it.
"Hahaha, too late, too late!"
With a loud laugh, Qi Xiu waved his sleeves and bit his right index finger, using the fingertip as a brush and his blood as ink.
A new Innate Cloud Inscription appeared in the palm of his left hand.
"Martial."
As the Inscription was completed, Qi Xiu's face turned slightly pale.
Apparently, the energy consumed by this Inscription was much greater than that of the "Suppress" Character.
But as soon as the "Martial" Character was formed, Qi Xiu's spirits were inexplicably lifted.
"I recently comprehended this 'Martial' Character. I was in need of an opponent to test its edge and savor its flavor. You happen to be the first enemy of this 'Martial' Character of mine; consider yourself lucky."
"Lucky your &%#\$#, I'll fucking eat you alive!"
A warrior can be killed but not insulted. Seeing Qi Xiu treating him like a punching bag, the Red Birthmark Daoist, whose mind was already contaminated and eroded by wearing the eerie mask, became utterly deranged.
"Swearing, huh? Eat this!"
Tensing his lower back, Qi Xiu raised his hand toward the emptiness and struck with his palm.
What is he doing?
Seeing Qi Xiu swing at the air, the Red Birthmark Daoist's expression faltered, and doubt began to rise in his heart.
A palm print half the height of a man, as if condensed from ink, suddenly appeared.
It carried a tremendous force capable of shattering mountains and breaking cliffs, landing heavily amidst the swarm of ghost lice like a cannonball.
BANG!
The dull impact mixed with the wet and sticky sound of the ghost lice being shattered and torn apart.
Large clumps of ghost lice debris rained onto the ground.
A palm-shaped void several meters in diameter was forcibly blasted through the horde of ghost lice.
"What kind of Spell is this?!"
Disbelieving the sight of the hollow in the swarm, the Red Birthmark Daoist shouted aloud.
How could a mere mortal warrior cast Spells?
"Buddha's Palm."
Spouting a random name, Qi Xiu went all out, launching palm strikes with the ferocity of a sudden stormy downpour.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—
With each palm strike from Qi Xiu, a new palm print materialized in the void, and a bit of the "Martial" Character on his palm dissipated.
In an instant, the cave was filled with overwhelming ink-colored palm prints crashing down.
The deafening noise was earth-shattering!
Rocks fell as the cave trembled violently, unable to withstand the onslaught.
The entire swarm of ghost lice was irresistibly crushed into dust.
The ground itself bore the deep imprints of palm strikes.
After launching ten consecutive strikes, the "Martial" Character in Qi Xiu's palm vanished completely.
Following this barrage of destruction inside the cave, dust billowed, and stones crumbled.
The green-faced Evil Ghost, covered in horrific palm prints and with half its body nearly obliterated, lay in a deep pit amidst the rubble.
Its dull yellow eyes moved slightly, and its lips quivered with unwillingness and terror.
A moment later, the bloated body of the green-faced Evil Ghost gradually wilted.
The True Body of the Red Birthmark Daoist reemerged; the eerie mask beside him fell off, blank once more.
"My master... will not... let you off..."
Drawing on his last bit of strength, the Red Birthmark Daoist secretly extracted a flesh sac from a pus-filled blister on his belly and crushed it.
Pus splattered everywhere, and a tiny, bright red, unnoticeable worm emerged from the cave, wobbling away into the distance.
After releasing the message worm, the Red Birthmark Daoist's legs gave a final kick; he had died and gone to join his junior brother.
Is he dead?
Qi Xiu stood ten meters away from the Red Birthmark Daoist. After confirming the demon Daoist was dead, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Exhausted, he found a flat stone and sat down.
After this battle, I somewhat understand the power of the "Martial" Character. It's powerful. The consumption is equally terrifying. Using it once, my body felt as if it had been drained; my heart pounded, I was short of breath, and my bones felt like jelly. It can only be used as a trump card. Only when my Martial Path realm is higher, my physique more robust, and my vital energy more abundant, will I likely be able to use it as a regular means of defense.
Looking at the palm of his left hand, Qi Xiu gently rubbed his temples, his thoughts churning.
Three days ago, he had made a breakthrough in calligraphy to the Second Realm. He smoothly comprehended the second of the Innate Cloud Inscriptions—"Martial"! And after condensing this Innate Inscription, he had a vague premonition in his heart. The Innate Cloud Inscriptions condensed by calligraphy seemed to be mysteriously linked to his own abilities. This "Martial" Character was condensed because he had stepped onto the Martial Path; thus, it had formed. However, when this premonition arose in his heart, a question was born along with it. If the "Martial" Character was born from the Martial Path, then from what did the "Suppress" Character—the first one he comprehended—originate? After examining himself over and over again, he still didn't understand the origin of the "Suppress" Character. With no solution in sight, he could only temporarily set aside this doubt and turned his attention to the recently acquired "Martial" Character.
The "Martial" Character arises from martial arts and is completely different from the "Suppress" Character, which spontaneously manifests Divine Marvel. This Innate Cloud Inscription is born from the martial arts I practice. Therefore, its Divine Marvel is closely related to my martial arts. Based on today's attempts, I can almost confirm the Divine Marvel of the "Martial" Character.
Picking up a piece of broken stone from the ground, Qi Xiu wrote the "Martial" character with normal text.
After obtaining the "Martial" Character, he had tried writing with it but found the Innate Cloud Inscription to be extremely volatile. Any ordinary paper and pen would instantly be blasted apart upon attempting to write it. It seemed like ordinary paper and pens simply couldn't withstand the power of the "Martial" Character. After several attempts, he found a barely feasible method to write it: using his own blood and writing it on his skin. Since the Divine Marvel of the Innate Cloud Inscription came from him, naturally it would not backlash against him.
The true Divine Marvel of the "Martial" Character should be its ability to manifest the essential power of martial arts. However, for now, it seems that it can only be imbued with the essence of martial arts above the First Realm. The essential power of Black Sand Palm is its overwhelmingly terrifying palm strength. Therefore, the "Martial" Character manifested those powerful and unmatched black palm prints. Even a third-rate Outer Sect martial art, when bolstered by the "Martial" Character, possesses such terrifying power. What about a first-rate martial art? Or perhaps... a True Cultivation Power?
As soon as he thought of True Cultivation Powers, images of Qian Yuchuan sprung into Qi Xiu's mind.
Previously, Qian Yuchuan had forcibly detained him to transcribe a scroll of scriptures on animal hide. Those scriptures were part of a True Cultivation Power. In the pugilistic world, martial arts are divided into ordinary martial arts and True Cultivation Powers. Ordinary martial arts mostly train a certain part of the body; the more advanced the martial art, the more comprehensively and strongly the trained parts are developed. True Cultivation Powers, however, can directly temper the entire body, leaving no part untouched.
I do remember the content of that Frigid Waterfall Genuine Skill scroll. However, that portion should only be about one-third of the complete text. Not only would I be unable to practice it, but doing so would also lead to Qi deviation. But since Qian Yuchuan was able to find part of the manuscript, he must have information about other parts as well. If I want the complete Frigid Waterfall Genuine Skill, I'm afraid I must get it from him.
As night approached, in the dim light of the cave, a pair of black and white eyes gradually brightened with a captivating glow.
No, no, stay calm, stay calm.
Just as Qi Xiu's eyes were growing more intense, he suddenly started slapping his cheeks; the mild pain quieted the frantic thoughts in his head.
I can't be impulsive; the world is vast, and there are many existences I don't know about. With my proficiency system, there's no need to rush for success. Being down-to-earth, steady, and sure—that's the most reliable way forward.
Realizing that his Temperament had become more and more aggressive after practicing martial arts, Qi Xiu rolled up his sleeves and pondered.
It seems I should avoid fighting in the future. Laying low and grinding skills is the most productive use of my time right now.
I can't be like some great brute, bullying scholars just because I have a bit of strength. PTUI! Despicable!
「Hundreds of miles away.」
In the depths of a dark ancient tomb, Qian Yuchuan was walking bent-over through a cramped and dim corridor. Suddenly, he sneezed, turned around puzzled, and muttered to himself.
Who the hell is cursing me?