314: Entering the Martial Soul Realm

Now that Xiang Zizhen had arrived, he immediately took up residence in the highest-standard inn in East Dipper City.

Xiao Shi and the others accompanying him also all stayed there.

Inside the room, Xiao Shi looked at the collected information before him.

It mainly displayed information about the Martial Artists in East Island.

This included the total number of Martial Artists on the entire East Island, as well as the specific numbers for each realm.

Among these Martial Artists, those in the three lower realms were the most numerous.

However, Xiao Shi's main focus was on the number of Martial Demon Realm Martial Artists.

Because relatively speaking, Martial Demon Grade items were the most difficult to obtain.

"There are a total of nine Martial Demons in the entire East Island..."

"Which means..."

"I must kill at least nine Martial Demon Grade sea beasts!"

With Xiao Shi's current strength, he basically didn't need to worry about sea beasts below the Martial Demon Realm.

Even if his strength might be somewhat affected when fighting in the sea, killing sea beasts below the Martial Demon Realm would still be a very easy task.

He was now mainly considering how to kill Martial Demon Realm sea beasts.

Although Xiao Shi currently didn't know much about Martial Demon Realm sea beasts, he knew that their strength in the sea must be far greater than that of ordinary Martial Demons.

"I feel like it depends on how much I improve after breaking through to the Martial Demon Realm..."

Xiao Shi took a deep breath.

At present, he was still in the Martial Soul Realm and had not yet broken through.

After all, after he left Evil Beast Mountain, he had just returned to Four Symbols City when he immediately followed Xiang Zizhen to the Nan Dou Region.

Only now did he have the opportunity to break through.

However, Xiao Shi thought about it and felt that breaking through here might not be the best option.

Many people were watching them now.

If he were to break through here, any significant commotion would inevitably attract more attention.

It would also expose himself.

The most suitable place for a breakthrough should be in the sea!

Meanwhile, on West Island in the Nan Dou Region, ever since Xiang Zizhen arrived, Rong Sufei had been continuously monitoring Xiang Zizhen's situation.

On one hand, he harbored thoughts of watching a spectacle.

On the other hand, he also wanted to know if Xiang Zizhen would directly abandon this competition under such circumstances.

However, what he didn't expect was that as soon as Xiang Zizhen arrived, he actually announced that he would give every Martial Artist on East Island a treasure equivalent to their own realm.

This completely caught Rong Sufei off guard!

Before this, he had considered many possibilities, but he had never thought that Xiang Zizhen would respond in such a way!

"How could he possibly have so many treasures? That's absolutely impossible!"

Rong Sufei's expression was grim.

He had some understanding of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect's resources and knew that they absolutely could not produce so many treasures at once, and as a free gift at that!

"What exactly does he intend to do?!"

Rong Sufei was perplexed.

Although he couldn't understand Xiang Zizhen's intentions, he knew that Xiang Zizhen's action had directly shattered the image he had previously created for him.

"Your Excellency need not worry."

At this moment, an old man with a pale, beardless face stood beside Rong Sufei, sneering, "In my opinion, Xiang Zizhen's action can at most only solve an urgent problem; he will inevitably face backlash later!"

"No matter what tricks they play, as long as they can't produce the promised treasures in the end, then even without us making a move, East Island will not tolerate them."

Rong Sufei nodded.

Regardless, they didn't believe Xiang Zizhen could produce so many treasures.

They thought Xiang Zizhen's strategy at that time would likely be to produce one or two Martial Demon Realm treasures to win over the high-ranking officials of East Island.

As long as the high-ranking officials of East Island were won over, someone would naturally come to suppress this matter for them.

If that were truly the case, then they would inevitably have to intervene to prevent Xiang Zizhen from succeeding.

"No matter what they're up to, we must keep a close eye on them to prevent any unexpected situations."

Rong Sufei's voice was heavy.

He had initially thought Xiang Zizhen would be easy to deal with, as he held a huge advantage.

However, Xiang Zizhen's first move made him realize that the other party was not simple.

There was no longer any hint of underestimation in his heart... The sun in the sky emitted dazzling light, piercing into the defiant sea, stirring its waves to roll skyward, letting out deep roars.

The echoes had not yet faded when the waves crashed down, splashing large amounts of white foam high into the air, scattering onto the protective layer of Xiao Shi's boat.

Xiao Shi stood at the bow, looking down at the sea below him.

Under the sea breeze, his black hair danced, his figure was as tall as a pine, his black robe fluttered, reflecting the morning glow in the sky, causing the sunlight to pass through his hair and refract into brilliant colors on him.

The boat he was currently piloting was just an inconspicuous Blood Martial Realm vessel.

In fact, for Martial Artists in the Nan Dou Region, if they were to go out to sea for hunting, they often needed to be equipped with powerful boats.

Boats were not only capable of traveling on the sea but also served as their dwellings at sea and as sharp weapons against sea beasts.

They could be entirely regarded as another type of divine weapon.

Usually, the higher a Martial Artist's cultivation, the more advanced their boat would be when they went out to sea, as these boats would also be classified by realm according to their power.

With Xiao Shi's current status, he was fully capable of piloting a Martial Demon Realm boat.

However, to avoid watchful eyes on this voyage, he deliberately chose an unremarkable Blood Martial Realm boat.

Recalling the scene when he quietly left, Xiao Shi realized that there were many watchful eyes inside and outside the inn where they were staying, closely monitoring their every move.

These watchful eyes might have been left by Zou Xiang, or they might have been set up by Rong Sufei, or perhaps both.

But no matter what, if he stayed at the inn, he would constantly be under the surveillance of these people.

If it were anyone else, avoiding this surveillance would be an extremely difficult task.

Especially for Xiang Zizhen, he was currently the most watched.

Even if he left the inn, he would constantly be under the surveillance of others, completely unable to avoid it.

However, for Xiao Shi, avoiding this surveillance was not difficult.

After he entered Dark Moon Form, no one could detect his presence with Soul Consciousness, and coupled with his terrifying speed, he easily avoided the surveillance and went out to sea alone.

At this moment, he looked down at the sea.

This sea was extremely vast, and many people who went out to sea for the first time would feel a sense of their own insignificance.

And for some ambitious people, when facing this vast sea, they would have a desire to conquer it.

It could be said that when many Martial Artists first faced this sea, it would reflect their inner selves.

Facing this sea, Xiao Shi neither felt insignificant nor had the desire to conquer it.

He only wanted to lurk in this sea, not attracting anyone's attention, hiding behind the scenes, controlling everything.

Just like that, time flowed in the echoing sound of the waves.

Until two days later, Xiao Shi looked around.

"This will do!"

After two days of travel, he was now some distance from the Nan Dou Region.

He decided to break through here.

There weren't many people here, and even if someone passed by during his breakthrough, as long as he maintained his Dark Moon Form, he wouldn't be afraid of anyone noticing anything amiss.

Thinking of this, Xiao Shi's main body appeared out of thin air.

This breakthrough was mainly for the Evil Energy User.

The Life Soul within the Evil Energy User would transform into a Demonic Body Clone of the Martial Demon Realm.

Of course, the main body would also receive some improvements and enhancements from this.

"Let's begin!"

Xiao Shi's eyes sharpened.

The entire Life Soul within the Evil Energy User immediately began its transformation.

The key to the Life Soul transforming into a Demonic Body Clone lay in the Life Soul becoming completely independent, no longer a soul body controlled by himself.

Instead, it would differentiate to form a separate life form, essentially forming a completely new person!

This stage was called 'Demonification'!

During this process, many of one's negative emotions would be amplified, thereby forming inner demons.

However, Xiao Shi had already condensed an Evil Life Soul when he previously condensed his Life Soul, so he didn't need to specifically amplify negative emotions now.

He could clearly feel that during the transformation of the Life Soul, he gradually lost control over the Evil Energy User.

Originally, the Life Soul belonged to his soul.

Therefore, his control over the Evil Energy User was no different from controlling his own hands, feet, and body.

But now, he felt as if his hands and feet no longer belonged to him, having escaped his control.

At the same time, the Evil Energy User's eyes gradually differed from Xiao Shi's.

While becoming more agile, the light in his eyes also changed completely from Xiao Shi's.

It could be said that at this moment, the Evil Energy User, whether in physique, appearance, or soul temperament, was completely different from Xiao Shi's main body.

The two of them stood together; it was impossible to tell that they were the same person!

This was vastly different from other Martial Demon Realm Experts.

Just like Xiang Zizhen's Demonic Body Clone back then, besides having completely identical physique and appearance, the soul aspect also clearly conveyed the same sense of origin.

However, Xiao Shi's Demonic Body Clone, whether in physique, appearance, or soul aura, was completely different from his main body.

From the inside out, it was impossible to tell that this was his Demonic Body Clone.

In addition, as the Evil Energy User transformed into a Demonic Body Clone, Xiao Shi's main body also underwent a transformation.

His entire aura continuously strengthened, and both his body and soul improved simultaneously.

And during this improvement, his soul power and physical body rapidly merged.

However, Xiao Shi's current focus was not on his main body but on the Demonic Body Clone.

If he had felt like he was looking in a mirror when his main body faced the Evil Energy User clone before, now, facing the Evil Energy User directly, he could clearly feel that this was another stranger.

Cold, bloodthirsty, indifferent, tyrannical, chaotic emotions filled the other's pupils.

His entire face exuded a sense of madness.

The most terrifying thing was the killing intent emanating from the Demonic Body Clone!

His killing intent was unprecedentedly strong!

Compared to him, the demonic cultivators Xiao Shi had encountered in the past were not even worth mentioning!

They were completely on different levels.

Even the 'Demon' flesh and blood Xiao Shi had encountered back then were far inferior in terms of bloodlust.

Xiao Shi had no surprise regarding this.

He knew that his strongest attribute was his bloodlust!

Now that a Demonic Body Clone had formed, the bloodlust inherited by the Demonic Body Clone would undoubtedly be far stronger than his main body's, reaching an incredible level!

Under those eyes filled with killing intent, Xiao Shi felt that any life appearing within the Demonic Body Clone's sight would ignite the killing intent in his heart!

It seemed that in his eyes, all things could be killed!

And in front of him, Xiao Shi himself would cause his killing intent to boil and surge, reaching its peak!

At this moment, Xiao Shi could feel that the Demonic Body Clone's entire body was trembling due to the surging killing intent in his heart; his eyes were completely blood-red, and veins popped out on his face and neck.

The entire killing intent seemed to have materialized, causing the air around him to emit tearing sounds.

Furthermore, this increase in killing intent could also enhance his strength, causing his power to continuously climb beyond its original foundation.

"He wants to kill me..."

"He really wants to kill me!"

Xiao Shi's eyes narrowed slightly.

In fact, it wasn't just the Demonic Body Clone who wanted to kill him.

He also felt a strong killing intent brewing, and he also wanted to eliminate the Demonic Body Clone before him.

After all, upon entering the Martial Demon Realm, both the main body and the Demonic Body Clone would desire to kill or integrate with each other.

This was an instinct originating from life itself.

For a moment, the killing intent of the two continuously clashed fiercely in the air, emitting dull thudding sounds.

At the same time, the entire boat also continuously shook.

If Xiao Shi hadn't tried his best to suppress it, the boat would have long since shattered under the collision of their killing intents.

Just as the Demonic Body Clone's expression gradually twisted with the surge of killing intent, and he was about to lose control and attack Xiao Shi, his entire body suddenly trembled.

His left knee buckled, and he slammed heavily onto the boat's deck, kneeling on one knee.

Xiao Shi looked down at him coldly, knowing that the Evil Energy User's body was beginning to take effect.

The reason he had previously condensed his Life Soul within the Evil Energy User's body was because he had strong control over the Evil Energy User.

This control allowed him to directly control the Demonic Body Clone after its formation.

Now, Xiao Shi began to suppress the Demonic Body Clone and force it into submission by controlling the Evil Energy User's body.

However, the Demonic Body Clone's stubbornness far exceeded his imagination.

Even with his control over the Evil Energy User, he was unable to make it directly submit.

Xiao Shi could clearly feel the Demonic Body Clone's fierce resistance.

His kneeling knee trembled incessantly, trying its best to lift up.

Xiao Shi let out a cold snort, and a black Yin Flame immediately ignited between his eyebrows.

He began to enhance his suppression of the Demonic Body Clone through his own Yin Flame!

Yin Flame itself had immense destructive power against souls, making it perfectly suited for suppressing the Demonic Body Clone.

Hiss!

When Xiao Shi extended his finger and pointed it at the Demonic Body Clone's glabella, the Yin Flame within him immediately seeped into its body through the glabella.

Under the penetration of these Yin Flames, with a bang, the Demonic Body Clone's other knee also slammed heavily onto the boat's deck.