276: The ghost's request for help

Buzz!

As the dream jade stone opened, a dark, ethereal glow expanded from Xiao Shi's palm, casting a black veil over the surroundings.

The surrounding scenery began to distort, replaced by a blanket of darkness.

Xiao Shi appeared out of thin air in the pitch-black Dream World.

Before him stood seven brilliant figures, glowing with light.

"Xiao Hu has arrived."

Everyone looked towards Xiao Shi.

Xiao Hu was Xiao Shi's codename within the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect.

Because the members of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect did not interact in reality and kept their identities secret, they used codenames when meeting in the Dream World, rather than their real names.

For example, Qin Mo's codename in the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect used to be Mo Hu.

Now that Xiao Shi had joined, he also had his own codename... Xiao Hu!

"Since everyone is here now, Man Gui, tell us about the matter for which you gathered us."

The glowing figure representing Xiang Zizhen looked at another glowing figure.

This person's codename was Man Gui, and he belonged to the Evil Ghost Branch of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect.

Among the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect members in Star Luo Province,

three were from the Mountain God Branch, two from the Dream Witch Lineage, one from the Crimson Tiger Lineage, and one from the Evil Ghost Branch.

The one who had called everyone together this time was Man Gui from the Evil Ghost Branch.

Man Gui nodded.

He looked at everyone and said,

"Everyone."

"I've recently encountered a tricky situation and need help..."

As soon as he spoke,

many people frowned.

According to the rules, members of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect were not allowed to meet privately.

Now, Man Gui was asking them for help.

This was undoubtedly a breach of the rules.

"I have no other choice..."

"This matter is extremely important to me, and I really need your help!"

Man Gui said with utmost seriousness.

"First, tell us what it is."

One of the glowing figures asked.

However, Man Gui shook his head.

"Sorry, I can't go into detail about the specific situation, as it would reveal my identity. I can only explain the specifics to those who are willing to help me..."

"All I can reveal now is that this matter is related to my upcoming Life Soul, and you might need to come to the city where I am to assist me."

Everyone fell silent at this.

It wasn't that they didn't want to help.

Nor was it that they didn't trust Man Gui.

Rather, they felt somewhat powerless to assist.

Firstly, they all had their own identities in Star Luo Province. Someone of Xiang Zizhen's status had to be stationed in Prison City and could at most go to Demonic Path forces to capture prisoners, with no opportunity to go to other cities.

Secondly, each of them held different positions and maintained different personas within their respective forces.

This was their reliance for concealing their identities.

Most people maintained a low-key persona.

If they rashly went to help, it was very likely that they would destroy the persona they had carefully built up.

Especially if Man Gui's situation was tricky, they would need to expose even more of themselves.

This would be very disadvantageous to them.

After all, not all Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect Clerics were as skilled at hiding and disguising their identities as Xiao Shi.

They only had this one identity, so they certainly couldn't take risks easily.

Man Gui sighed at this.

He also knew that everyone had their own difficulties and could only figure things out himself.

And so,

everyone successively withdrew from the Dream World.

However, as soon as Xiao Shi withdrew from the Dream World,

the dream jade stone in his hand vibrated again.

"Hmm?"

He looked at the jade stone in his hand with confusion.

He realized that this time someone was looking for him for a "private chat," not a "group chat" like before.

Immediately, he entered the Dream World again.

He found that the person looking for him for a private chat this time was none other than Xiang Zizhen.

Within the entire Dream World,

there were only the two of them.

"What do you think about Man Gui's situation?"

Xiang Zizhen asked directly.

Xiao Shi thought for a moment, then shook his head, indicating,

"I'm powerless to help."

Although if he really wanted to help, he could.

He would only need to leave his clone in Prison City.

And his main body could rush to provide support.

But his main body was his foundation, and even in front of Xiang Zizhen, he couldn't expose his main body.

This wasn't a matter of trust or distrust.

It was his way of survival in this world.

"This matter... I want you to go help him!"

Xiang Zizhen said seriously.

"On one hand, I don't want to see our brother get into trouble. We already don't have many members, and in the Evil Ghost Branch, Man Gui is the only one... If something happens to him, it would be very detrimental to the entire Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect."

"On the other hand, I also have some selfish motives..."

"I learned from my Master that within our Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect, there is a method to control Demonic Body Clones. If I could control Demonic Body Clones, then I wouldn't have to worry about my Demonic Body Clone anymore."

"However, this method involves the Evil Ghost Branch... and is related to the Life Soul of the Evil Ghost Branch."

"So, I want you to use this opportunity to provide support and, while you're at it, learn about the Life Soul of the Evil Ghost Branch from Man Gui."

"If we had this method to control Demonic Body Clones, it would also make things much easier for you when you reach the Martial Demon Realm."

Xiang Zizhen's words successfully piqued Xiao Shi's interest.

Ever since he learned that the Martial Demon Realm required the division of Demonic Body Clones, he had been worried about it.

Now, there was nothing that interested him more than Demonic Body Clones.

"What's so special about the Life Soul of the Evil Ghost Branch?"

Xiao Shi asked in confusion.

Xiang Zizhen shook his head.

"I'm not clear on the specifics either..."

"Typically, each Cleric of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect can only master two types of power. The powers I master are those of the Dream Witch Lineage and the Mountain God Branch."

"I'm not very familiar with either the Crimson Tiger Lineage or the Evil Ghost Branch."

"However, Master once said..."

"Each of the Four Branches of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect has its unique characteristics in the Martial Soul Realm."

"For example, the Mountain God Branch's uniqueness is evident in the Soul Awakening Stage."

"But the Evil Ghost Branch's uniqueness only becomes apparent when it reaches the Life Soul Stage."

Xiao Shi suddenly understood.

He began to ponder the unique characteristics of the Crimson Tiger Lineage.

From his current situation, Xiao Shi felt that the Crimson Tiger Lineage's uniqueness seemed to lie in the clone formed by the Crimson Tiger Soul!

However, the reason he could form such a clone,

besides the power of the Crimson Tiger Lineage, was also partly because his Crimson Tiger Totem had undergone an ancestral transformation under the Fire of Omniscience of the Extreme Fire Sect.

His first clone was formed from that time.

It's just a pity that Qin Mo died early and he didn't have a chance to ask him if he could do the same.

"How should I go and help him?"

Xiao Shi asked.

His current public identity, after all, was a Prison Guard in Prison City.

Prison Guards likewise could not leave Prison City at will.

"I'll find a way to transfer you there."

Xiang Zizhen said.

"I'm not worried about anything else; what I'm most concerned about is that Man Gui's trouble might be too great and exceed your capabilities."

"You must remember, no matter the situation, safety comes first."

"If the matter has exceeded your capabilities, don't try to be a hero; discuss it with me first."

If it weren't for his identity preventing him from acting,

Xiang Zizhen would have preferred to go help himself.

With his strength and cultivation, handling this matter would certainly be easier than for Xiao Shi.

But there was no other way.

His identity was a given.

As a Martial Demon Realm Expert, and holding an important position in the Star Luo Army, his every move was closely watched throughout Star Luo Province.

This matter could only be entrusted to Xiao Shi.

Xiao Shi was not too worried about this.

When he arrived in Star Luo Province, he had already gained some understanding of each Cleric of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect through Wu Muzhen.

He knew that Man Gui's strength was at the Soul Consciousness Stage.

Now, it seemed he was attempting to break through to the Life Soul Stage.

He wouldn't be unable to intervene in the troubles of this stage.

Immediately,

Xiang Zizhen brought Man Gui into the Dream World again.

"Man Gui, perhaps Xiao Hu can help you with your matter."

Xiang Zizhen said.

He was mainly acting as an intermediary now.

After all, neither Xiao Shi nor Man Gui belonged to the Dream Witch Lineage, so they needed to go through him, the intermediary, to have a private chat in the Dream World.

"Really!?"

Upon hearing this, Man Gui

was immediately invigorated.

"Tell me about your situation."

Xiao Shi asked directly.

Xiang Zizhen, understanding, withdrew from the Dream World at this point.

Only Xiao Shi and Man Gui remained.

Man Gui pondered for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"It's like this..."

"My identity in Star Luo Province is actually a Protector of the Nether Antiquity Sect within the Three Swords Alliance."

"Recently, our Nether Antiquity Sect discovered an important ancient ruin within Star Luo Province. Within this ruin, there are numerous rare treasures and powerful Soul Entities."

"However, a traitor emerged from within our Nether Antiquity Sect."

"This caused the news to leak, resulting in the Prayer God Temple also receiving the information."

"Now, the Prayer God Temple and we are vying for and confronting each other over this ancient ruin. The specific situation cannot be explained in a few words."

"The most troublesome thing is..."

"I'm being watched! I can't enter the ancient ruin."

"And within this ancient ruin, there is a crucial item for me to break through to the Life Soul Stage..."

"If I miss this opportunity, I don't know when I'll have another chance to assault the Life Soul Stage."

"So I need a trustworthy helper who can go into the ancient ruin for me and retrieve the item I need."

Xiao Shi nodded.

He had some understanding of the Three Swords Alliance and the Prayer God Temple in Star Luo Province.

He knew that these two forces were the second-tier powers in Star Luo Province, second only to the Star Luo Army.

They were much stronger than third-tier forces like Thousand Weapons Mountain and Mo Yu Trading Company.

An ancient ruin that could make two major forces contend with each other... must not be simple.

"I need more information and data about this ancient ruin."

Xiao Shi said.

"No problem!"

...That day.

After Xiao Shi learned a lot of information from Man Gui,

he immediately conveyed it to Xiang Zizhen.

"Mysterious ancient ruin?"

Xiang Zizhen looked thoughtful at this.

"Do you know the origin of this mysterious ancient ruin?"

Xiao Shi's heart stirred.

The Three Swords Alliance and the Prayer God Temple were currently somewhat unsure about the origin of this mysterious ancient ruin.

They would only know the relevant origin after entering and exploring the ruin.

It's just that they were now in a standoff, soldier against soldier, general against general.

Neither side's personnel could enter this ancient ruin.

"As for ancient ruins... they aren't very common throughout the Tianwu Continent. Most ancient ruins often date back to dynasties before the Great Wu Dynasty."

"However, such ruins are extremely valuable."

"It seems that while the Three Swords Alliance and the Prayer God Temple are at a standoff over this matter, they have tacitly sealed off the news."

"If the Lord knew about this ancient ruin..."

"I believe they wouldn't get any valuable items."

"So no matter the final outcome, neither side will make a fuss."

"This is a good opportunity."

Xiang Zizhen analyzed.

"As for the dangers within..."

"Although preliminary explorations by the Three Swords Alliance indicate the presence of some rare treasures and powerful Soul Entities, this is only the outer part of the ancient ruin..."

"No one knows what exists in the depths of the ancient ruin."

"It's not impossible for you to go in and retrieve what Man Gui needs, but remember not to go deep into the ancient ruin, and certainly don't be greedy..."

"It's best to get what Man Gui needs and then immediately withdraw. In such ancient ruins, the most dangerous thing is greed for wealth."

"If you see some precious treasures inside and become greedy, you might not be able to get out."

Xiao Shi nodded.

He wasn't worried about this aspect.

With his cautious nature, he wasn't the kind of person who would be stopped in his tracks by the sight of treasure.

Moreover,

he had a great resistance to treasures themselves.

Whether it was the drops from his kills along the way, or the treasures in the Myriad Treasure Pagoda... the treasures he had seen were not comparable to what ordinary people had seen.

His 'resistance' to treasures was far stronger than that of ordinary people.

He certainly wouldn't lose his head just because he saw a certain treasure.

"I will arrange your transfer as soon as possible. In the meantime, you should try your best to improve your strength and make more preparations."

...After deciding to go and help Man Gui,

Xiao Shi began his preparations that same day.

What he was mainly considering now was whether he needed to let his main body enter the ancient ruin... The advantage of his main body entering the ancient ruin was that his main body's strength was much greater than that of his clone.

Whether it was the items he carried or his various methods,

his main body had more advantages than his clone.

The disadvantage was instability.

If his main body died inside, then he would truly be dead!

But similarly, if his clone entered the ancient ruin and the clone was lost within it, he would also lose his identity as Wang Xiao, the Prison Guard... Afterwards, if he wanted to contact Xiang Zizhen again, he would have no choice but to expose the existence of his clones.

After much thought,

Xiao Shi felt that his main body might be more suitable than his clone for entering the ancient ruin this time.

On one hand, he was very confident in the strength of his main body.

On the other hand, entering the ancient ruin with his main body would definitely yield greater rewards than with his clone.

Acting with a clone was more about considering identity issues.

And in this ancient ruin, it was very likely that he would be the only one, so there would be no issue of identity exposure.

However, before that,

he still had to ensure that he had sufficient means of escape.

Even if he encountered danger, he could escape smoothly.

"There's still time..."

"It's a good opportunity to spend these few days killing a few Martial Soul Realm cultivators in the prison, accumulate a wave of items, and then go."

Xiao Shi thought to himself.