182: Born a demon

Whoosh!

The white silk he spat out was incredibly fast, creating a sharp, tearing sound as it cut through the air.

However, it didn't directly attack Xiao Shi; instead, it landed beside him.

Poof!

The moment the white silk touched the ground, it immediately formed a spiderweb, completely engulfing Xiao Shi.

This spiderweb covered a vast area, with Xiao Shi at its very center.

The instant this spiderweb formed, countless silk strands immediately wrapped around Xiao Shi's limbs.

These silk strands possessed extreme toughness.

Not only were they impossible to tear, but the more he pulled, the tighter they bound him.

These silk strands themselves didn't inflict any damage, but once entangled, they significantly affected the body's agility.

Furthermore, these silk strands were continuously siphoning power from Xiao Shi's body.

Although the absorption rate wasn't fast, Xiao Shi's Blood Power was steadily draining under the silk strands' absorption.

At the same time, Xiao Shi also felt that these silk strands seemed to carry a dizzying toxin, causing his consciousness to gradually dim as he was entangled.

His limbs also began to weaken.

Boom!

The ugly man leaped forward, charging directly into the spiderweb.

His body was also entangled by the numerous silk strands within the web.

However, these silk strands not only brought him no negative effects but instead provided him with enhancements in various aspects.

Especially his speed; it received an incredibly massive boost within this spiderweb.

In an instant, the ugly man seemed to transform into a predatory spider, and Xiao Shi became his prey, waiting to be devoured.

Xiao Shi had never encountered such a method before.

“Is this… the method of the Second Blood Realm? No, from the Demonic Path forces' system, it should be the Second Blood form!”

He narrowed his eyes, clearly sensing the enormous difference between the Second Blood and First Blood in the Demonic Path forces' Blood Martial Realm system.

Before this, although Xiao Shi had killed Second Blood Realm martial artists, those he had killed were from the Orthodox Faction and were among the weakest of their kind.

In fact, even within the Second Blood Realm, there were significant differences in strength.

This primarily depended on one's Natal Martial Blood, the cultivation technique practiced, and the treasures and Secret Skills possessed.

For instance, the ugly man's Natal Martial Blood was the spider in his pupils.

Thus, he could unleash the powerful spiderweb method through his Natal Martial Blood.

Although he wasn't among the strongest of the Second Blood Realm, he was still considered upper-middle tier, far beyond what an ordinary First Blood Realm martial artist could contend with.

However, with Xiao Shi's strength, if he were to use a Blood Art, he had full confidence in being able to kill this man.

Unfortunately, his current identity prevented him from using his strongest killing move.

At this moment, the Flame Bearers in the city were still observing the scene.

“What a pity.”

When they saw the ugly man unleash his powerful spiderweb method, they all shook their heads in regret, seemingly having already foreseen Xiao Shi's fate.

While they admired Xiao Shi, none of them thought of intervening in this situation.

Such was the modus operandi of the Demonic Path forces.

Admiration was one thing; they wouldn't step in for it.

Survival was entirely up to the individual; no one would offer help.

The ugly man's gaze was cold as he stared at Xiao Shi, not rushing to attack immediately.

He secretly decided not to let this man die so easily.

He wanted to torment him slowly, only then could he vent the fury in his heart.

As long as the opponent was within his spiderweb, he could only be manipulated at will.

Let alone that this person was only in the First Blood form; even those in the Second Blood form would find it incredibly troublesome once caught in his spiderweb.

“I’m going to play with you until you die!!”

A ferocious look flashed in the ugly man’s eyes.

But just then… Boom!!

A terrifying aura fluctuation suddenly erupted from Xiao Shi's body.

His black hair flew wildly without wind.

His body glowed crimson, like a red-hot iron block.

His expression was ferocious, his face contorted.

His entire demeanor and aura instantly underwent a heaven-shaking transformation.

His gaze, filled with ferocity, also carried a hint of madness.

His entire body rumbled incessantly.

An intense pain permeated his whole being, as a blazing fire raged within him, continuously burning his Natal Martial Blood.

It was precisely the Blood Burning Technique!

Ever since obtaining and cultivating this Secret Skill, Xiao Shi had never once used it.

Because this Secret Skill… was one that came with a price!

The activation of this Secret Skill involved burning one's Natal Martial Blood to achieve a significant boost in various abilities.

And during the burning of the Natal Martial Blood, it often led to the dissipation of the burned Natal Martial Blood.

It would then require re-cultivation to recover.

This was a Secret Skill that could temporarily grant enhancement but would incur a certain cost.

If he hadn't been unable to use Blood Arts, Xiao Shi certainly wouldn't have easily resorted to this Secret Skill.

But in the current situation… he could only rely on this Secret Skill to turn the tide.

Boom!!

As his Natal Martial Blood continuously burned within him, bursts of violent power surged endlessly into Xiao Shi's body, making him feel incredibly powerful.

He stomped on the ground, and his entire being transformed into a bolt of lightning.

The spiderweb that had entangled his limbs and was supposed to restrict his speed was forcefully torn apart by his violent charge, completely unable to trap him!

Even the ugly man only felt a blur before his eyes.

Before he could clearly see, Xiao Shi had already arrived in front of him.

An intensely strong sense of crisis instantly surged within the ugly man’s mind, causing him to instinctively dodge to the side without thinking.

He was extremely confident in his speed, after all, the greatest enhancement he received within the spiderweb was speed!

But even so, he despairingly realized that he hadn't dodged the opponent's attack.

A sharp, intense pain shot through his abdomen as he dodged.

He looked down and saw that the opponent's fist had solidly struck his abdomen.

This seemingly simple, unembellished punch carried incredibly astonishing power.

With just one punch, the ugly man's body arched like a shrimp.

The spinal column on his back even developed a series of cracks from this punch, almost being shattered by the opponent's single blow.

This was fortunate, as his physical body was somewhat stronger within the spiderweb than outside.

Otherwise, he would definitely not have been able to withstand the opponent's punch.

At this moment, the ugly man spat out large mouthfuls of blood, his eyeballs bulging.

He hadn't expected that a simple punch from the opponent would almost kill him… “How could he… how could he have such a massive increase in power!?”

A string of question marks flashed in the ugly man’s mind.

This scene was too unbelievable for him.

However, he didn't have time to think further.

The increasingly strong sense of crisis in his heart made him desperately want to escape.

But just as he looked up, a finger appeared in his line of sight.

Under the continuously intensifying light from the fingertip… Boom!!

The ugly man’s world was completely engulfed by a blood-red light.

Violent shockwaves swept through the entire spiderweb, transforming the area into a vacuum.

The ugly man's severed limbs and flesh splattered, his body completely dismembered, not a single part intact!

Xiao Shi stared blankly at the astonishing destruction caused by the Blood Vein Finger.

He hadn't expected that under the Blood Burning Technique, the power of the Blood Vein Finger could reach such a degree!

He felt that the power of this strike was even stronger than when he used a Blood Art!

It was just a pity that the Blood Burning Technique came with too great a cost and couldn't be used frequently.

At this moment, with the ugly man's death, Xiao Shi quickly ended this state.

At the same time, he checked the Natal Martial Blood within his body.

Although his use of the Blood Burning Technique was very brief, even so, a portion of his Natal Martial Blood had still dissipated during the burning process.

This caused his cultivation to drop… Originally, he had reached the limit of the First Blood Realm.

Now, it had fallen back down.

Fortunately, the numerous kills he had made since arriving here had allowed him to accumulate a good amount of Natal Martial Blood, so he only needed to refine this Natal Martial Blood later to replenish the dissipated portion.

It wasn't a big problem.

However, through this use of the Blood Burning Technique, Xiao Shi realized that he needed to be more careful when using this Secret Skill.

This time, he had only used it for a short while, and so much of his Natal Martial Blood had burned away… If he used it for too long, he worried that the entire mass of Natal Martial Blood would be completely incinerated!

“It seems this Secret Skill… must be used cautiously!”

Xiao Shi thought to himself.

If he accidentally burned away his entire Natal Martial Blood, it would be a huge loss.

Because the destructive power of his attack this time was so astonishing, it even destroyed the ugly man’s storage bag.

He could only collect the items that dropped from him.

He quietly picked up the items that fell after the opponent's death, his gaze still sharp, and continued to lock onto the fleeing Blood Martial Realm martial artists, swiftly rushing after them.

Originally, these fleeing Blood Martial Realm martial artists had hoped that the ugly man's intervention would turn their misfortune into good luck.

However, after witnessing this scene, they turned ashen and trembled, completely despairing.

Xiao Shi soon caught up to them and killed them one by one.

Through killing these Blood Martial Realm martial artists of the Demonic Path forces, Xiao Shi also gradually discovered that they seemed to lack the ability to detonate their Natal Martial Blood… If they possessed such an ability, in a situation where they knew death was inevitable, they would surely choose to detonate their Natal Martial Blood.

But from beginning to end, Xiao Shi never saw any Blood Martial Realm martial artist of the Demonic Path forces detonate their Natal Martial Blood.

Clearly, this was also a difference between the two systems.

Xiao Shi's killing spree in Lieyin City was watched by many.

Especially when they saw Xiao Shi even kill the ugly man in the Second Blood form, they were all shocked.

“A First Blood form can actually kill a Second Blood form!! And not even the weakest type of Second Blood form!!”

“His previous burst of power… was it a Secret Skill?”

“This person is not only ruthless and domineering in his actions, but his strength is also extraordinary; truly… a born demon!!”

The Flame Bearers exclaimed one after another.

Xiao Shi's standing in their hearts instantly rose significantly.

And besides these Flame Bearers, the nobles and other powerful individuals in Lieyin City were also paying attention to Xiao Shi.

Among these people were some of the powerful individuals and backers of those Xiao Shi had killed.

However, these powerful individuals were all silent now.

Not a single one went to trouble Xiao Shi.

It wasn't worth it to provoke such a demon for a mere subordinate.

People of the Demonic Path forces always valued profit and had no sentiment.

What's more… with the astonishing talent Xiao Shi displayed now, even the unfathomable City Lord would probably be moved.

Therefore, even some powerful individuals who had ideas about Xiao Shi would not act rashly at this time, but instead chose to observe for a while, first to see the City Lord's attitude.

If the City Lord intended to recruit and cultivate this person, then naturally they couldn't touch him.

If the City Lord showed no indication… it wouldn't be too late to find an opportunity to act.

In this seemingly calm Lieyin City, many eyes were already fixed on Xiao Shi.

After Xiao Shi killed all these Blood Martial Realm martial artists, he calculated that he had gained a total of five Blood Martial Grade items this time.

This was already a very good haul.

After all, the quality of the items that dropped after his kills was extremely high now.

It was very likely that all five of these items would be of top quality.

This made Xiao Shi very excited.

However, he knew that many people were watching him now, so he definitely couldn't check them at this moment.

At the same time, the young man Ming Wu also came to Xiao Shi's side.

His eyes were as firm as ever, but now, amidst that firmness, there was an added touch of fanaticism and adoration.

Xiao Shi looked at the young man.

Originally, he hadn't planned on taking subordinates.

However, he mused that having a subordinate might be very convenient for operating in Lieyin City.

It would also allow him to understand this place in more detail through his subordinate.

Another point was that Xiao Shi felt this young man was somewhat different from other Demonic Path forces members.

“Listen well. Follow me, and all matters must be conducted according to my rules. If you dare to defy my rules, I will kill you at any time.”

Xiao Shi looked down at the young man and said coldly.

However, the coldness and warning in his words did not make Ming Wu uncomfortable in the slightest; instead, it made Ming Wu incredibly excited and fervent.

He bowed to Xiao Shi with extreme reverence.

“Yes, my lord!”

Xiao Shi nodded slightly.

Just as he was about to give the other party some instructions, suddenly, the sky above his head became overcast with dark clouds.

The entire area of Lieyin City was already relatively dim, but now, the gathering of large patches of dark clouds plunged this world into even deeper gloom.

The most peculiar thing was that these dark clouds only gathered directly above Xiao Shi's head and did not appear in other areas.

“This is…”

Xiao Shi gazed at the dark sky, his mind trembling.