426: The Devil's Lineage

It was obvious.

Xiao Shi could only deal with evil ghosts using the power of evil ghosts here.

Suddenly.

His skin instantly turned pitch black, his entire face seemed to wear an evil ghost mask, his facial features underwent drastic changes, filled with malevolence, and a powerful evil thought emerged from his mind.

At the same time, black evil souls continuously surged out from his body.

They swirled around him, moving freely and emitting hoarse, unpleasant screeches.

Xiao Shi knew well.

The uniqueness of the Evil Ghost Branch.

Lay in arousing one's own evil thoughts.

Thereby transforming these evil thoughts into powerful means.

Like the evil souls currently surging out from Xiao Shi's body, they were all formed from the souls of those Xiao Shi had killed, combined with his own evil thoughts.

However, when these evil souls rushed out.

The evil ghost in the distance directly opened its mouth and inhaled.

Instantly swallowing all the surging evil souls.

And after swallowing these evil souls, the entire body of the evil ghost suddenly trembled, and its shoulders, back, and even its folded wings all began to writhe.

Pfft!

Pfft!

One by one, hideous evil ghost faces tore through the evil ghost's flesh as they writhed, emerging from within.

This caused the aura of the evil ghost to become even stronger.

Xiao Shi couldn't help but frown at this.

He hadn't expected that the evil souls he summoned would instead empower this evil ghost... "No..."

He sensed carefully.

Suddenly realizing that although these evil souls had been absorbed into the evil ghost's body.

He himself had not lost control over them.

He could still manipulate these evil souls.

It was just that he couldn't make them leave the evil ghost's body now.

They were as if locked within the evil ghost's body.

Xiao Shi's eyes flickered.

A thought suddenly came to him.

He might as well detonate these evil souls directly.

Since these evil souls were still under his control, he could detonate all of them!

Instantly.

A series of booming sounds suddenly erupted from the evil ghost's body.

Causing the evil ghost to let out a shrill scream.

Its body was blasted with shocking blood holes, with much flesh exposed and blood flowing, looking very hideous and terrifying.

Seizing this opportunity.

Xiao Shi's figure flickered.

He immediately rushed to the evil ghost's front at the fastest speed.

At this moment, his skin was pitch black, and his face seemed to wear an evil ghost mask, bearing a great resemblance to the evil ghost before him.

He extended his right hand.

And gripped the evil ghost's neck, while his other hand formed a claw.

With a 'pfft' sound.

He stabbed into the evil ghost's chest.

The evil ghost's black blood immediately splattered all over Xiao Shi's hand; this blood was clearly icy cold, yet it caused extremely severe corrosive damage to Xiao Shi's right hand.

Evidently, its blood also contained potent toxins.

However, Xiao Shi endured the corrosion and damage brought by the evil ghost's blood.

Piercing through the evil ghost's entire body.

"Hoo!! Hoo!!"

The evil ghost let out a series of unconscious low growls.

Its body stiffened after a series of twitches.

The next second.

Its entire body exploded with a 'bang', turning into a cloud of black smoke.

These black smokes collectively swept towards Xiao Shi.

All merging into the heart within Xiao Shi's body.

At the same time, when these smokes merged into Xiao Shi's body.

Both the chest that Xiao Shi's claws had torn open earlier and his entire left hand, which had suffered corrosive damage, completely healed and recovered at this moment.

Xiao Shi's eyes gleamed with a strange light.

He carefully felt the changes in himself after these smokes merged into his heart.

With a thought.

Buzz!

An evil ghost phantom immediately condensed behind him.

It was precisely the evil ghost that had just died by his hand.

After he absorbed the smoke formed by this evil ghost, this evil ghost seemed to have replaced the previous evil souls.

From now on, when he used the abilities of the Evil Ghost Branch, he would no longer form the previous evil souls, but would directly manifest this evil ghost phantom.

Not only that.

Xiao Shi himself also underwent some changes.

As he continued to maintain his current evil ghost form, two large lumps protruded from his shoulder blades on his back.

Xiao Shi could clearly feel that within these two large lumps, there was a pair of evil ghost wings!

However, this pair of evil ghost wings was still growing and had not yet fully formed.

It was far from reaching the point where it could tear out from his body.

Furthermore.

Toxins capable of corrosion and destruction also began to form in his blood.

The entire ability of the Evil Ghost Branch was greatly enhanced in one fell swoop.

This made Xiao Shi realize... this place might be able to push his Four Symbols power to a higher level.

From the very beginning when he successfully wielded the Four Symbols power of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect, he had already discovered that the Four Symbols power, in terms of might, only barely reached the Dao Master level.

And among the many Dao Master level attacks, it was still considered a relatively weak attack.

Especially when compared to attacks like Thousand Weapon Dao Slash.

The gap was even greater.

It was just that he no longer had subsequent methods for improvement.

It seemed that the Four Symbols power of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect had completely reached its end after reaching this level.

There was no more room for greater improvement.

It wasn't until Xiao Shi arrived here that he felt this place could allow his Four Symbols power to gain a greater degree of enhancement.

"It's just that I don't know how much this enhancement..."

"Can it be enhanced?"

Xiao Shi's heart was full of anticipation for this.

Since the Four Symbols power was a whole.

Currently, the enhancement of the Evil Ghost Branch alone was not enough to determine the strength of the entire Four Symbols power.

At the same time, the other three branches also needed to be improved.

Xiao Shi had a premonition.

Since this Altar of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect could enhance the Evil Ghost Branch, it would certainly also be able to enhance the other three branches.

He continued to advance along the plaza.

Soon.

Five enormous statues appeared again in front.

These five statues were all evil ghost statues, just like the previous one.

Xiao Shi frowned slightly at this.

Since he could currently only use the power of the Evil Ghost Branch, and all other powers were disabled, facing five evil ghosts would undoubtedly be very difficult.

If he chose to confront them head-on... he felt he might not be their match.

This made him fall into contemplation.

"I feel like my method might have some issues..."

Xiao Shi felt that since this Altar of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect could only be activated by its wielder.

Then there shouldn't be any trials here.

Trials are usually aimed at ordinary disciples.

For the wielder of a large power, there wouldn't be such trials.

Xiao Shi believed.

The original intention of this Altar should be to further enhance the wielder's strength.

Rather than requiring a difficult battle to gain something.

After understanding this point.

Xiao Shi increasingly felt that his previous approach was problematic.

"Since the key to my wielding the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect is the heart in my body, and at the same time, after I dealt with that evil ghost, the black smoke it transformed into was also absorbed by the heart in my body..."

"Then the best way to deal with these evil ghosts should be the heart in my body!"

With this thought.

Xiao Shi immediately began to carefully sense the heart within his body, trying to find the best way to deal with these evil ghosts.

However, just as he was sensing.

Crack! Crack!

The stone skin on the statues had already begun to crack and continuously peel off.

Five evil ghosts successively awakened from the statues.

Their crimson pupils locked directly onto Xiao Shi.

They let out piercing hissing roars.

It seemed that as soon as Xiao Shi entered a certain range of the statues, these evil ghosts would awaken.

Xiao Shi frowned tightly.

After sensing carefully for a while.

He did not sense any method from his heart that could deal with these evil ghosts.

And now, after these evil ghosts awakened, they immediately rushed towards him at an astonishing speed.

Thus.

Xiao Shi was running out of time.

"No choice."

"I can only take a gamble!"

Xiao Shi's eyes suddenly sharpened.

He extended his right hand.

Pfft!

He directly plunged his right hand into his chest.

Mimicking how Chen Yuan had given him his heart back then.

He tore open his chest and grabbed the constantly beating dark red heart in his hand.

As soon as the dark red heart appeared.

Black light immediately burst forth from the heart.

When these black lights shone upon the five roaring evil ghosts rushing towards him.

The bodies of these five evil ghosts instantly trembled.

They were like snow under the sun.

Beginning to melt at an extremely fast speed.

Transforming into wisps of black smoke.

Which were all absorbed by the heart in Xiao Shi's hand.

Xiao Shi's eyes lit up.

His guess was indeed correct!

The meaning of this place was not to test his abilities in the Evil Ghost Branch, but to directly enhance them!

As these black smokes formed by the evil ghosts were absorbed by him.

The two large lumps protruding from Xiao Shi's shoulder blades immediately began to writhe rapidly.

Hiss!!

With a tearing sound.

The flesh on his back suddenly split open, and a pair of black wings stretched out from within!

The entire wing grew at a visible speed, becoming larger and larger.

At the same time, the toxins in Xiao Shi's body also continuously surged, and the corrosive and destructive abilities within the toxins became even stronger.

If Xiao Shi's toxins could at most threaten Saints before.

Then with the current surge of toxins.

Xiao Shi felt that he could already vaguely threaten Dao Masters!

And his appearance in the evil ghost form also became more and more similar to these evil ghosts.

Now that he had successfully figured out how to use the heart.

Xiao Shi no longer chose to retract the heart and put it back into his body.

Holding the heart.

He continued forward.

Successively encountering more and more evil ghost statues.

However, in front of his heart.

Even if more evil ghosts appeared, they would all melt away like snow under the black light emitted from his heart.

Xiao Shi thus absorbed more and more black smoke, continuously gaining improvements.

Just like this.

After he continuously absorbed the black smoke from more than twenty evil ghosts.

The entire black wings on his back had grown to nearly three meters.

At the same time, the toxins in his body had also reached a level where they could severely threaten Dao Masters.

This greatly shocked Xiao Shi.

He originally thought that the Evil Ghost Branch could at most grow to a level where it could barely threaten Dao Masters, but he never expected... after continuously absorbing these evil ghosts.

His Evil Ghost Branch had already reached a point where even ordinary Dao Masters would have to retreat three paces.

It was even more powerful than his previous Four Symbols power!

It had already vaguely reached a level comparable to Thousand Weapon Dao Slash!

And this was merely the evil ghost among the Four Symbols!

Xiao Shi mused that if the other three branches could also reach this level... then his Four Symbols power in the future might reach a level comparable to a demigod!

This instantly ignited a fervent desire in Xiao Shi's heart.

He urgently wanted to explore deeper areas.

At this moment, as he advanced.

He had already reached the end of this circular plaza.

What was now revealed before him was an incredibly colossal and astonishing statue!

The entire statue was much larger than the previous evil ghost statues.

The previous statues were only five or six meters tall.

But the current statue had reached a height that was completely immeasurable!

The entire statue stood there, as if it could support the sky.

At the same time, although the statue's appearance was still that of an evil ghost, it was very different from the previous evil ghosts.

In addition to having six pairs of huge black wings, there was also a black horn on its forehead, covered with numerous terrifying intricate patterns.

It gave Xiao Shi the feeling... as if it were the Emperor among evil ghosts!

"This statue..."

"I'm afraid it already possesses at least the strength of a demigod!!"

Xiao Shi gazed at the statue, his mind greatly shaken.

He had originally been somewhat worried that if this statue were to "come alive" like the previous evil ghosts, the heart in his hand might not be able to dissolve it.

But as he approached.

This statue showed no signs of revival.

At the same time, through the heart in his hand, Xiao Shi also vaguely felt that this statue seemed unlikely to come alive.

He sensed a powerful seal on the statue's head.

And this seal had a great connection with the heart in his hand.

Just then.

The heart in Xiao Shi's hand suddenly emitted a burst of black light.

However, these black lights no longer acted upon the statue in front, but quickly engulfed Xiao Shi.

Thereby causing a scene to appear in Xiao Shi's mind.

Under a pitch-black, dark sky.

A figure stood proudly suspended in the firmament.

Looking down at the numerous evil ghosts below.

"From this moment on... the Evil Ghost Era shall be used by me!"

As the words from this figure echoed.

He raised his hand.

And pointed a finger at the head of the leading evil ghost, directly sealing the entire world into the body of this evil ghost.

At the same time, the body of this evil ghost also rapidly petrified under the opponent's seal, thus transforming into a gigantic statue.

It was precisely the colossal statue now before Xiao Shi!

Whoosh!

Xiao Shi suddenly awoke from the vision.

His mind was greatly shaken.

"In other words..."

"Within the body of this statue, an era is sealed!!"

"The Evil Ghost Branch of the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect was actually formed by an era!!"