425: Preaching

Xiao Shi could clearly feel that the heart in his body had merged even deeper with him.

After the heart underwent a series of frantic beats,

Puff!

A mass of black shadow suddenly leaped out from Xiao Shi's heart.

It landed in front of Xiao Shi, and directly transformed into a black silhouette.

When Xiao Shi's gaze focused on this black silhouette,

He could clearly sense the auras of the Evil Ghost, Crimson Tiger, Dream Witch, and Mountain God Four Branches simultaneously existing within this black silhouette.

It was like a combination of the Four Branches.

“Is this the Four Symbols Profound Secrets of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect?”

Xiao Shi's eyes flashed.

He was deep in thought.

It was just as he had previously guessed.

The Four Symbols Profound Secrets was like a key, primarily used to open the most mysterious Altar of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect.

At the same time, only the wielder of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect

possessed the ability to decipher the Four Symbols Profound Secrets.

After all, the Four Symbols Profound Secrets had always been hidden within the heart of the one who wielded the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect.

Apart from unlocking the seal on the heart,

there was no other way to obtain the Four Symbols Profound Secrets.

Now that Xiao Shi saw the silhouette before him,

he understood that he only needed to condense the silhouette onto his body, and then he could use it to open the entrance to the Altar of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect.

However, before that,

he had to seriously consider a major problem he was about to face.

Since he had no specific understanding of the Altar of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect and did not know the situation there, he could not predict how long he would stay there.

If he stayed too long,

Xiao Shi worried that by the time he came out, his domain might have already been destroyed!

After all, this trip to the Altar of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect was different from the last time he entered The Primordial Martial Era.

The flow of time in The Primordial Martial Era was completely different from that on Tianwu Continent.

Even if Xiao Shi spent three hundred years there,

the time on Tianwu Continent remained frozen, without any changes.

But there would be no such time-freezing in the Altar of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect.

Once Xiao Shi stayed there for too long,

his domain would inevitably face danger.

Even with the Nine Dragons Divine Sky Formation formed by the Martial Emperors Royal Robe, it was not entirely secure.

Last time, Xiao Shi was mainly guarding against the three Demigod Heavenly Kings.

Therefore, as long as the Nine Dragons Divine Sky Formation was maintained, there was no need to worry about his domain being in danger.

But this time, he was facing a mysterious expert who could even kill Heavenly King Yao Xi.

Relying solely on the Nine Dragons Divine Sky Formation was clearly not reliable.

If by the time he came out, his domain had already been destroyed... without a domain, even if he broke through to become a Demigod, it would still not change anything.

Moreover, the forces Xiao Shi currently controlled, whether the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect or Tianji Hall, all used his domain as their base of operations.

At the same time, all the people Xiao Shi cared about were also within his domain.

Therefore, no matter for what reason,

he absolutely needed to prioritize the safety of his domain.

“Since even the Nine Dragons Divine Sky Formation is not secure, there is only one solution.”

Xiao Shi took a deep breath.

He had made a decision.

Ever since he obtained the Martial Emperors Royal Robe, he had always used the Nine Dragons Divine Sky Formation of the Martial Emperors Royal Robe as the protection for his domain.

But the function of the Martial Emperors Royal Robe was not just the Nine Dragons Divine Sky Formation.

The Martial Emperors Royal Robe had a total of two forms.

In addition to the Nine Dragons Divine Sky Formation's protective form,

there was also a combat form!

When the combat form was activated,

Xiao Shi could use the Martial Emperors Royal Robe to integrate his domain into his body, thereby allowing him to carry his domain into combat.

However, he had never used this form before.

He knew very well.

This form had two major drawbacks.

First, after he integrated his domain into his body, his domain would disappear from Tianwu Continent.

In this way,

the territory that originally belonged to his domain would definitely be occupied by those three Demigod Heavenly Kings.

This territory would become part of the three Demigod Heavenly Kings' great domains.

It would not be so easy for him to reclaim this territory then.

And once there was no territory,

Xiao Shi would not be able to release his domain from his body, because there would no longer be space on Tianwu Continent to accommodate his domain.

At that time, he would only be able to maintain the domain within his body.

If the situation of the domain inside his body was the same as outside, there wouldn't be too much impact.

But the second drawback of integrating the domain into the body... was that he would bear the immense burden brought by the domain every moment.

This was still under the condition that his physical body was much stronger than ordinary people.

Even if ordinary people possessed the Martial Emperors Royal Robe, they would not have a strong enough physical body to support accommodating a domain.

Moreover, the burden brought by the body accommodating the domain was not even the biggest drawback.

The biggest drawback was that after Xiao Shi integrated the domain into his body,

everyone within the domain would fall into a deep sleep.

While in a sleeping state, all their power would be at Xiao Shi's disposal.

This allowed Xiao Shi to maximize his domain and everyone within it, transforming them into the strongest combat power.

This was also the power of the Martial Emperors Royal Robe's combat form.

It was not only useful for Saints.

Even for those who became Dao Masters, or even Demigods, this combat form could elevate their combat power to a level that ordinary people could hardly reach.

After all, whether Dao Masters or Demigods, they were in their strongest state only when they were within their own domains.

This was also the main reason why Demigod Xing Kui and Demigod Mu Wen both chose to retreat into their own great domains.

If Heavenly King Yao Xi had also been in her own domain at that time,

she might not have died.

Although integrating one's domain into the body would greatly enhance combat power,

the slumber of everyone within the domain would cause their cultivation to stagnate, preventing them from further improving their strength.

In the short term, there wouldn't be much impact.

But over time,

Xiao Shi's faction development would inevitably face great obstacles.

Especially Tianji Hall.

Currently, all the important members of Tianji Hall were within Xiao Shi's domain.

Once they fell into slumber,

no one would manage Tianji Hall.

At that time, the development of Tianji Hall would inevitably be affected.

If this continued for a long time... it would definitely be more detrimental than beneficial.

After all, the development of any domain is inseparable from the martial artists within the domain.

Integrating the domain into the body was equivalent to making the entire domain stagnate.

However, in the current situation,

Xiao Shi felt that integrating the domain into his body was the best choice.

Although everyone in the domain would fall into a deep sleep this way,

at least they would not face the crisis of death and destruction.

At the same time, judging by the current situation on Tianwu Continent,

the other two Demigod Heavenly Kings had clearly been scared by the death of Heavenly King Yao Xi.

Even the great domain that collapsed after Heavenly King Yao Xi's death, they did not dare to seize and occupy, so he believed that at this time, they would not come to seize his territory.

And the mysterious expert hidden behind the scenes, for some reason, had not yet appeared; even after killing Heavenly King Yao Xi, he still remained hidden behind the scenes, not showing himself.

Similarly, he would not occupy any territory on Tianwu Continent.

Because once any territory on Tianwu Continent was occupied, it would be exposed to everyone's sight.

Xiao Shi was the best example.

Before refining this special area,

no one paid attention to him at all.

But once he refined this special area, no matter how much he wanted to hide, he would inevitably be noticed by everyone.

Therefore, Xiao Shi was certain.

As long as the person behind the scenes was unwilling to reveal himself openly,

he would definitely not come to seize his territory.

As long as he didn't stay too long in the Altar of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect, he believed that after coming out, his domain would still have enough territory to accommodate it.

Thinking of this,

Xiao Shi immediately stopped hesitating.

He decisively began to switch the Martial Emperors Royal Robe on his body from its protective form to its combat form.

Immediately,

with the change in the Martial Emperors Royal Robe's form,

the nine golden giant dragons circling Xiao Shi's domain immediately flew into Xiao Shi's Martial Emperors Royal Robe.

At the same time, Xiao Shi's domain also integrated into Xiao Shi's body at this moment.

It became a part of his body.

Everyone within the domain, regardless of their cultivation, all fell into a deep sleep at this moment.

And when this domain completely integrated into Xiao Shi's body, the vast area originally occupied by this domain instantly became empty.

However, the outer perimeter was still concealed by Xiao Shi's hidden starlight.

He believed that in a short time, no one should notice it.

An unprecedented sense of power filled Xiao Shi's entire body.

Even though he had not yet used the power of the people within his domain, he clearly felt the immense boost brought by the domain.

At the same time, along with this boost, there was also an enormous burden.

This feeling... was like carrying a majestic mountain on his back.

However, with Xiao Shi's physical strength, he was still able to bear it.

“I hope this time in the Altar won't be too long.”

Xiao Shi thought to himself,

while condensing the silhouette on the ground onto his body.

In an instant,

his body was covered in numerous black viscous substances.

Even all the auras on his body were completely hidden, and during this period, they could not be perceived.

At the same time, after his entire body was completely covered by these black viscous substances,

his body suddenly melted like a wax figure, rapidly dissolving and sinking into the ground, disappearing... within a mysterious area on Tianwu Continent.

Gurgle!

Numerous black viscous substances suddenly gushed out from the ground.

In an instant,

these black viscous substances condensed together, forming a pitch-black humanoid figure.

These black viscous substances successively merged into the body of this pitch-black humanoid figure, thereby revealing Xiao Shi's figure and appearance.

The first thing Xiao Shi did upon arriving here was to look around.

He was currently located on a huge, circular plaza.

Above the plaza was a dark, gloomy sky.

Although Xiao Shi could feel that the sky above the plaza was very different from the sky he usually saw,

he could be sure.

This was still within Tianwu Continent.

The entire plaza was filled with pressure.

Not far in front of him, there was a giant statue.

This statue gave Xiao Shi a strong sense of familiarity.

This was clearly an evil ghost statue!

The entire statue exuded ferocity, and at the same time, a brutal intent assailed him.

Xiao Shi carefully gazed at the statue before him.

From the statue, he sensed a familiar evil ghost aura.

However, there was a considerable difference between this statue and the Evil Ghost Branch of their Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect.

The feeling it gave Xiao Shi... was that this statue seemed purer than the Evil Ghost Branch of their Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect.

Just as Xiao Shi was deep in thought,

Crack! Crack!

A sudden sound emanated from the statue.

All the stone skin on the statue cracked and continuously fell off, revealing the enormous evil ghost within the statue.

The entire evil ghost was pitch black, its skin covered with wrinkles and short, sharp thorns.

It also had a pair of black wings on its back, but the entire wings were currently in a retracted state.

The entire evil ghost squatted on the stone pillar.

As the stone skin on its body fell off, its tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.

Revealing crimson eyes filled with malice.

It abruptly looked at Xiao Shi, and with a flicker of its body, it transformed into a black ray of light, rushing straight towards Xiao Shi.

Xiao Shi's eyes narrowed slightly.

When he observed this evil ghost, he found that this place not only isolated Soul Consciousness detection but also isolated the perception of cultivation.

Coupled with the fact that this evil ghost's power system was different from that of martial artists,

therefore, Xiao Shi found it difficult to judge the true strength of this evil ghost.

Out of caution,

Xiao Shi decisively chose to use the Thousand Weapon Dao Slash under the Dao of Slaughter to test the strength of this evil ghost.

But when he raised his hand,

no weapon flew out.

At the same time, his Dao of Slaughter did not activate.

“What's going on!?”

Xiao Shi was stunned.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

However, at this moment, he no longer had time to think.

The charging evil ghost had already reached him.

Xiao Shi hurriedly dodged.

Puff!

Even though he had dodged at the first possible moment,

he still couldn't completely avoid it.

The evil ghost's whistling claws cut a bloody mark across his chest.

Hiss!

Black smoke rose from the bloody mark, emitting a corrosive burning sound, clearly indicating it was highly poisonous.

Xiao Shi looked down at the bloody mark on his chest, which was emitting black smoke, and frowned deeply.

Under normal circumstances,

such an injury would basically heal instantly for him.

But now he found that he had lost his self-healing ability.

“Not only have I lost my self-healing ability, but my other abilities also seem to have been completely lost here.”

“Whether it's my Dao of Slaughter or my other methods, here... it seems they are all forbidden!!”

Xiao Shi made a series of attempts.

He found that his other abilities

could not be used at all right now.

All of them were ineffective.

Only one ability could be used here.

That was... the ability of the Evil Ghost Branch!