305: Hunting

This treasure undoubtedly suited Xiao Shi's current situation perfectly.

Although once used, his appearance would be permanently fixed and unchangeable.

However, Xiao Shi could use it on his Evil Energy User clone.

This way, only the Evil Energy User's figure and appearance would be fixed, unrelated to his main body.

If necessary in the future, his main body could still alter its figure and appearance using similar items.

Xiao Shi felt this was the most suitable scenario.

The only thing that gave him a slight headache was the extremely high exchange points required for this item.

Currently, his Purple Treasure Plate did not have that many value points.

This required him to invest certain items into the Purple Treasure Plate.

And they couldn't be ordinary items.

They had to be highly valuable items.

“Among the items I currently possess, one that can be invested and is quite valuable is a Martial Demon Grade Molding Ancient Battle Armor. If I put this item into the Purple Treasure Plate, I believe it should be enough.”

Xiao Shi mused that exchanging the Molding Ancient Battle Armor for the Mirror of Transformation would definitely be a profit.

Although the Molding Ancient Battle Armor was also a good item, for his current self, the Mirror of Transformation was definitely in higher demand.

Immediately, Xiao Shi did not hesitate.

He decisively took out the Molding Ancient Battle Armor, placed it into the Purple Treasure Plate, and converted it into value points.

Xiao Shi glanced at it.

The value points of the Molding Ancient Battle Armor were 516.

It was even higher than the Mirror of Transformation.

After all, the Mirror of Transformation's function was merely to alter one's figure and appearance, and it was a one-time use item.

To a large extent, it certainly couldn't compare to the Molding Ancient Battle Armor.

However, Xiao Shi currently had a greater need for the Mirror of Transformation.

With enough value points, Xiao Shi decisively made the exchange.

He successfully obtained the Mirror of Transformation.

Then, he used the Mirror of Transformation to alter the Evil Energy User's figure and appearance.

This caused the Evil Energy User clone to completely transform into Wang Xiao's likeness.

This way, he would be able to move freely within the Imperial Domain using the Evil Energy User's body, and even if he encountered a powerhouse of the Upper Three Realms, he wouldn't have to worry about being seen through.

“Next is to find an opportunity to kill and drop the fourth Emperors Armor…” Xiao Shi thought to himself.

At night, the sky throughout the Imperial Domain displayed a dark golden hue, completely different from other places.

Under this dark golden night sky, Xiao Shi and Xiang Zizhen stood side by side on a tall building in Four Symbols City, overlooking the brightly lit Four Symbols City under the night.

Both of their faces showed solemnity.

“…So, according to you, your chance of obtaining a Saint quota is only fifty percent?”

After Xiang Zizhen relayed everything that happened when he met his master earlier, Xiao Shi frowned.

He had not expected that even after such a great meritorious deed, there was only a fifty percent chance!

This made him question the Great Wu Dynasty's current reward and punishment system.

In Xiao Shi's view, with such a significant contribution, even if they had previously promised the Saint quota to the Martial Pavilion, it could have been completely overturned.

From this, it could be seen that the Martial Pavilion was highly valued within the Great Wu Dynasty.

However, it made sense.

The Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect was an organization from the Martial Emperor era.

The Martial Pavilion, on the other hand, was a force created by the legitimate Imperial Prince who currently held power in the Great Wu Dynasty.

The Imperial Prince's attitude towards these two forces would certainly be different.

He would inevitably favor the Martial Pavilion more.

At the same time, Xiao Shi could vaguely sense that there seemed to be some signs of internal strife between these two forces.

This was by no means a good thing.

“The Great Wu Dynasty is already in this state, and if there's still internal strife, then it's truly beyond saving…” Xiao Shi sighed.

If it was just healthy competition, that would be fine.

He was only afraid that the struggle between the two sides was not healthy.

And it was very simple to determine what kind of struggle existed between the two sides.

It depended on whether Xiang Zizhen could obtain the Saint quota this time.

If the Martial Pavilion was willing to concede and give up this Saint quota, then it would prove that the Martial Pavilion and the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect had healthy competition.

They would not destroy the reward and punishment system within the Great Wu Dynasty for their own selfish desires.

However, if the Martial Pavilion still insisted on snatching this Saint quota even after seeing Xiang Zizhen's immense contribution… then it would indicate that the Martial Pavilion valued their own power and influence within the Great Wu Dynasty, rather than the dynasty's system.

Then, the struggle between the two sides would not be healthy.

“I hope the competition between them is merely healthy…”

Although Xiao Shi had given this meritorious deed to Xiang Zizhen primarily because he didn't want to draw the attention of those powerhouses and preferred to remain hidden behind the scenes, he genuinely wanted to help Xiang Zizhen become a Saint.

Especially after gaining a deeper understanding of the situation throughout the Imperial Domain, Xiao Shi felt that he greatly needed a Saint to serve as his backing and cover here.

Otherwise, as his cultivation level increased, it would become much harder for him to hide.

However, Xiao Shi was powerless in the matter of whether Xiang Zizhen could become a Saint.

The only thing he could do was to give the credit to Xiang Zizhen.

The rest would depend on the struggle between the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect and the Martial Pavilion… Early the next morning, Xiang Zizhen, led by his master, set off for the Imperial City.

Xiao Shi, on the other hand, began preparing for the upcoming hunting expedition.

Through Si Muyu, the leader of the Crimson Tiger Lineage, Xiao Shi learned that within this territory belonging to the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect, there were also Demonic Path forces.

After all, Demonic Path forces were an indispensable part of martial arts development.

This way, he could choose to hunt Martial Soul Realm practitioners among the Demonic Path forces.

In addition, within this territory, there were also some powerful fierce beasts.

These were deliberately left behind by the controllers of this territory.

Although these territory controllers all had the ability to transform their domains into peaceful places devoid of any danger, such peaceful places would not bring improvement to the many martial artists within their domains.

To have more powerhouses appear in one's domain, it was impossible for the domain to be completely peaceful.

Therefore, whether it was the thirty-three territories outside or the sixteen regions within the Imperial Domain, more or less, there existed different degrees of danger.

And in Four Symbols City, there were some hunting missions.

Usually, these disciples could undertake these missions to temper themselves by Going out.

Upon completing the missions, they would receive some rewards.

However, Xiao Shi did not take on overly difficult missions.

After all, his target this time was a Martial Soul Realm practitioner at the Life Soul Stage, and it was likely he would kill more than one.

If he revealed all his achievements, it would undoubtedly cause a huge stir.

Under the principle of keeping a low profile, Xiao Shi only accepted a mission to hunt a Martial Soul Realm practitioner at the Soul Consciousness Stage, as a cover for his Going out.

This way, even if he completed the mission, it wouldn't attract much attention.

That day, Xiao Shi left Four Symbols City alone.

His primary goal was to head to Evil Beast Mountain, which was some distance from Four Symbols City.

This vast mountain range had an enormous scope, filled with miasma. It not only harbored numerous incredibly powerful fierce beasts but also a group of Demonic Path cultivators who specialized in raising fierce beasts.

It could be said to be the most suitable destination for Xiao Shi at present.

As Xiao Shi stepped into this mountain range, he first felt the pervasive miasma of the place. These miasma were colorless and odorless, continuously seeping into the body through the pores, gradually affecting the physique.

In other words, the longer one stayed here, the greater the impact would be!

Even with Xiao Shi's current Martial Soul Realm cultivation, he could not avoid the influence of this miasma.

However, for him, this influence was relatively minor.

It was almost negligible within a month.

But if the time exceeded a month, his combat power would be somewhat affected.

If it exceeded a year, his cultivation realm would even drop.

Xiao Shi now enveloped his body with his Flame Moon Soul Consciousness, thereby entering the Dark Moon Form.

This allowed him to be immune to all Soul Consciousness scans and probes in this place.

Coupled with his speed, he transformed into a shadow, swiftly moving through the mountains and forests.

In the outer regions of the mountain range, Xiao Shi saw some Lower Three Realms martial artists undergoing training here.

He did not stop for them.

His target was the Life Soul General under the Ten Kings of Evil Beast Mountain.

It was important to note that while killing these Life Soul General, it was best not to attract the Ten Kings behind them, because all of them were Martial Demon Realm powerhouses!

According to the intelligence he had gathered earlier, Xiao Shi went directly to the area governed by one of the Ten Kings.

In his current Dark Moon Form, he was like a shadow in the darkness, completely unconcerned about being discovered or detected.

He moved freely here, searching for his target.

Finally, two days later, he found a Life Soul General in a mountain ravine.

This person was cultivating in a cave within the mountain ravine's waterfall.

Beneath the waterfall lay a fierce beast.

This was a huge fierce beast, five meters long, with three tails growing from its back. The end of each tail had a large mouth filled with ferocious teeth, looking somewhat like a leopard.

In addition to the three tails, the body of this fierce beast was also covered in black scales.

Although it was lying down, the aura and pressure it exuded were full of majesty and extraordinary power.

This was a fierce beast whose strength was comparable to the Life Soul Stage.

Adding its master, Xiao Shi would have to face two Life Soul powerhouses simultaneously.

Of course, he could also choose to have his main body and clone attack together.

After all, his main body and clone were currently together.

Only the main body was hidden within the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree, and the Azure Calamity Ancient Tree was hidden within the Evil Energy User's clone.

However, Xiao Shi did not choose to have his main body and clone attack together.

On one hand, he was confident in his own strength.

On the other hand, he wanted to see just how strong this Evil Energy User clone was.

Anyway, if he was no match, he could release his main body at any time.

He didn't have to worry about getting himself into trouble.

Thinking of this, Xiao Shi retracted his Flame Moon Soul Consciousness and walked grandly to the bottom of the mountain ravine waterfall.

Although he could launch a sneak attack in his Dark Moon Form, he chose not to.

Instead, he walked over openly.

The moment he emerged from the shadows, the fierce beast that had been lying under the waterfall with its eyes closed suddenly opened them.

In addition to a pair of pitch-black vertical pupils, it also had a green pupil on its brow.

This green pupil seemed capable of looking directly into one's Life Soul.

At the same time, the Life Soul General in the waterfall cave also opened his eyes at the same moment, his gaze penetrating the waterfall and focusing on Xiao Shi.

“To arrive here silently… Who are you?” he asked in a deep voice.

Xiao Shi's lips curled slightly, revealing a wicked smile.

“The one who came to kill you.”

“Arrogant!” The Life Soul General in the waterfall cave snorted coldly.

Swish!

A black light pierced through the waterfall, shooting towards Xiao Shi at an astonishing speed invisible to the naked eye, stirring up a burst of air current.

Xiao Shi could clearly see that what shot out from the waterfall was a black spear.

In response, he grinned.

The moment the black spear arrived before him, he slowly raised his hand.

He flicked two fingers.

Clang!

He directly flicked the black spear high into the air.

And the entire black spear instantly developed large cracks under his flick. The moment it was flicked high into the air, it shattered and disintegrated into countless fragments, scattering down with a clatter.

The Soul Consciousness condensed within the black spear was even shattered and pulverized by the flick.

The Life Soul General in the waterfall cave's pupils constricted.

Although this was just a probing attack from him, the spear he threw was a Martial Soul Realm weapon.

Yet, the opponent had merely flicked it with a casual gesture, and a Martial Soul Realm weapon was shattered!?

“Roar!!” A huge beast roar exploded in Xiao Shi's mind.

The fierce beast under the waterfall stood up and transformed into a black light, raging towards Xiao Shi.

The roar it emitted was capable of affecting one's soul.

However, with the strength of Xiao Shi's soul, this level of beast roar was simply insufficient to affect him.

“Let me show you… what a true beast roar is!”

Under the condensation of numerous Soul Consciousness, a huge Crimson Tiger head directly formed above Xiao Shi's head.

“Roar!!” It let out an earth-shattering tiger roar.

Invisible sound waves spread and exploded, causing the entire charging massive fierce beast to instantly show a pained expression. Its entire charging body also paused, its four limbs dragging a long mark on the ground.

By the time it reacted, Xiao Shi, who had been some distance away, had already appeared before it.

His palm extended, grabbing its neck, and lifting it high.

At this moment, Xiao Shi was suspended in mid-air.

Therefore, he was able to lift this massive fierce beast high.

This fierce beast, several times larger than him, was like a frail little chick in his hand.

“Is this a Life Soul fierce beast? It feels a bit weak.”