My Arts Evolve When Perfected

SHHFF—

The flaming spear pierced through the Sakai Family Patriarch’s chest. He fell unwillingly amidst the inferno, dumbstruck, his eyes turning into snake pupils before losing focus.

A light breeze scattered the ashes as Jiang Qiu’s figure emerged from the Secret Realm’s entrance. He glanced at the skeleton in front of the ruins of BaKi’s palace, then, spear in hand, raised his head to face the statue of BaKi.

"You’re not dead yet?"

During the Contest of the Chosen for the Dragon Body Casting, I personally saw BaKi’s body melt in the lava of Northern Boundary Mountain. Not even ash was left; his very Soul had vanished completely.

Even a Grandmaster couldn’t withstand the searing heat of that magma, let alone BaKi, who at the time was only at the level of an Ancestral Great Demon and had not yet reached the Peeping Dao Realm.

But now, his presence could be felt again.

"Heh heh, how could a Demon Emperor who once stood at the Peak be so easily killed by you? My methods are far more numerous than you can imagine."

The statue of BaKi hummed and vibrated. A dark light flowed from its serpentine eyes, as if a true Demon Emperor stood there, one who could summon ten thousand demons to worship him.

He was, after all, one of the most powerful experts in the Celestial Profound Great Realm during the Era of Dragon Fall. If he were to recover to his Peak, he might even be able to challenge the Venerable Zuo Xuan, who had plundered all of Blue Star.

Of course he’d have numerous life-saving techniques.

Besides, BaKi was famous for his survival skills. His natural talent wasn’t particularly high, and he had lost countless times, yet he still managed to become a Demon Emperor.

’Just you wait. I will make sure you truly die this time.’

With a cold snort, he swept his Chuyuan spear. A perfectly smooth arc of Dragon Roar Spear Intent, shaped like a half-moon, split the entire ruin of BaKi’s palace. The towering statue before him instantly broke in two.

The aura of BaKi seemed to dissipate under the cleansing wash of the Dragon Roar Spear Intent, but the Secret Realm also erupted with a strange fluctuation of an Ancient Inscription, revealing the remnants of a Grand Array.

"HAHAHA, Jiang Qiu, Blue Star isn’t worth staying in anyway! What’s so great about this barren little corner of the universe? I’ve already activated the Teleportation Array to go to another Great Realm! If you want to find me, you can try again in a few tens of thousands of years!"

BaKi’s arrogant laughter echoed through the Secret Realm. As the last light of the Array faded, his presence gradually subsided, as if it had never been there at all.

The damaged Array was now completely destroyed and beyond repair. There were no Treasures of Heaven and Earth worth taking in the palace ruins, either. It seemed to have been a wasted trip.

’BaKi, sooner or later, you will die by my hand.’

Jiang Qiu clenched his fists, his gaze as sharp as a blade, seemingly able to pierce through the void.

’Although I can’t confirm his exact destination, the connections are all related. The legacies of the Celestial Profound Great Realm can’t all point to completely different places.’

’In other words, teleporting using a legacy Teleportation Array from the Celestial Profound Great Realm means the destination falls within a certain range. As long as I go to that area, there’s a chance I’ll run into BaKi again.’

’That despicable Demon King... I don’t know when he revived, but he’s been hiding out on Sang Island all this time. The world thought he was just an ordinary regional Demon Race king, never suspecting he was actually the Ancient Demon Emperor, BaKi.’

’He spent years guiding the Martial Artists of Sang Island to integrate with the Demon Race bloodline, then took control of the entire island’s ecosystem. Meanwhile, he secretly collaborated with the Western Church, snuck into the Northern Boundary through the Northern Wilderness, and participated in the Contest of the Chosen.’

’A Demon Emperor with that much patience must have a grand scheme.’

’If I had lost the Contest of the Chosen and he had succeeded in the Dragon Body Casting, his aptitude would have been completely transformed, his potential skyrocketing. If he had then taken control of the Northern Boundary, it’s hard to imagine what heights he would have reached!’

To the Human Race and Xia Country, a creature like him was a great scourge. Blue Star could not allow someone like him to exist; even a single day he remained alive was a threat to the planet.

"A Fusion Realm expert can utilize the Laws of space and time to traverse between Great Realms. When my Cultivation reaches that Realm, no matter where you flee, no matter how many lives you have, you will die."

Leaving that final vow hanging in the air, Jiang Qiu swept through the ruins one more time, destroying any creature or object that possessed a life force.

He departed.

「...」

Using the same methods, Jiang Qiu cut a path to the Northwest Province. To his surprise, although the number of Ancestral Great Demons here was frighteningly large—almost overwhelming Xia Country—there were no Great Demons at or above the Peeping Dao Realm.

SHHFF—

A pillar of flame soared into the sky, incinerating all the members of the Demon Race entrenched in the cities of the Northwest Province. Cries of agony filled the land.

The Xia Country Martial Artists defending the city were all stunned. The generals and Warriors stared at the fiery glow rising on the horizon and the blurry silhouette of a young man.

"The Kunlun Demon Clan’s army... is annihilated?"

As the last border army of the Northwest Province, they were mostly local Martial Artists. Many of them recognized Jiang Qiu, and their hearts trembled. "The young Grandmaster who saved Gao Yuan City has returned."

Piece after piece of good news traveled from the border to the central command. As a leading authority among Grandmasters, Lin Yu contacted the interim leaders of each province and formed a temporary central government. When he heard the news, he was astounded. "So fast? He’s like an unstoppable force!"

He didn’t waste words, simply giving the order to spread the name of "War God Jiang Qiu"—the National Guardian War God!

Honor is not only praise for one’s achievements; it is also an immortal war drum, inspiring the Martial Artists who fight for their country. Jiang Qiu would become a benchmark, one that would forever point toward the dawn.

Right now, all of Xia Country had fallen into chaos. There had to be a fire to burn a path to the light, and that fire was Jiang Qiu.

’After barely holding Gao Yuan City last time, my lifespan was shortened. I’m already considered a dying old man, and I’m not a combat-type Martial Artist. It’s difficult for me to project a great image.’

’The future belongs to the young.’

Under his direction, stories of Jiang Qiu saving cities and wiping out Sang Island spread across the internet. Various media outlets broadcast his deeds, and those living in the Shantytowns or lying in hospital beds all saw a glimmer of hope.

"Our magnificent Great Xia truly hasn’t fallen."

"He cleared out North Border City, Sang Island, the East Coast, and the border provinces in a single day! That’s the National Guardian War God, Jiang Qiu!"

"Ahaha, with a hero like this among us, aren’t other countries just dying of envy?"

"Our legacy will never be broken!"

While this news was spreading wildly online, Jiang Qiu had already fought his way to Kunlun City. With one sweep of his spear, he annihilated thousands of demons; with one glance, he took in tens of thousands of corpses.

ROAR—

HOWL—

The Ancestral Great Demons roared. They bellowed before their deaths, venting the rage and unwillingness in their hearts: "You bastard, you weren’t taken away! You waited for our Emperor and the lords to leave to launch a sneak attack here!"

The Chuyuan spear suddenly pierced through its chest. Another Ancestral Great Demon fell. He was killing members of the Demon Race as easily as slaughtering chickens.

WHOOSH—

A gust of wind blew, sweeping the stench of blood across the land. Jiang Qiu stood at the edge of a massive crater in the center of Kunlun City, his clothes and hair fluttering, his eyes sharp and focused.

The vast crater before him was the one left behind when the Red Flame Spider Mother first appeared. The aura of Dragon Lake even lingered here, but now, it too was empty.

Chen had actually disappeared, taking all the Great Demons at the Peeping Dao Realm and above with him.