Star Martial Soaring Cloud

For cultivators, the higher their cultivation level, the less likely they are to die.

Otherwise, how could there be the saying "both body and spirit perish"?

The spirit refers to the primordial spirit.

Only by reaching the Dragon Gate Primordial Spirit Realm can a cultivator condense a primordial spirit.

As long as the primordial spirit remains, the body will not perish and the Dao will not dissipate.

Even if the physical body is destroyed, it can be rebuilt.

This requires no external force; one only needs to reach the required level of cultivation.

However, even if you haven't reached that level, there are still ways to save your life.

Upon entering the Dragon Gate Divine Realm, cultivators will develop divine consciousness.

Having divine consciousness allows one to preserve their life with the help of objects and supernatural powers; the puppet jade is one such example.

However, treasures like the Puppet Jade are always rare and hard to come by.

Once they appear, they will be fiercely contested by various forces, and most ordinary cultivators can only hear their names and find it difficult to even see them.

If one goes a step further and reaches the realm of divine consciousness taking form, there will be even more ways to save one's life.

One can separate a wisp of one's divine consciousness and entrust it to rare and precious materials. As long as not all of one's divine consciousness is erased at the same time, there is still a chance to start over.

Difficult to kill does not mean impossible to kill.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Xiao swiftly cleaved the two dragon gates with his sword, deciding the outcome of the duel with his life or death.

The arena fell into dead silence, all eyes fixed on the figure standing there with his sword.

Wang Xiao's robes were burned and riddled with holes, her skin was covered with red burn marks, and her long hair was scattered and fluttering in the wind.

His chest heaved violently, each breath accompanied by a burning pain—the mark left by the power of water and fire in the Kanli Returning to Truth Furnace.

Ling Cheng was the first to react, collapsing to the ground and panting heavily.

His robes were in no better condition than Wang Xiao's, and there was still blood on the corner of his mouth. His hands were behind his back, and he looked as if all his strength had been drained away.

"You just killed my opponent like that?" He looked up at Wang Xiao, his tone tinged with a playful reproach. "A sneak attack from behind, isn't that a bit unprofessional?"

But his right hand gave Wang Xiao a thumbs up.

Wang Xiao looked down at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, and gave him a thumbs up in return: "As for enemies, I only care whether they live or die, not how they die."

As soon as he finished speaking, his body swayed violently.

The exhaustion from the high-speed flight, the desperate struggle in the Kanli Returning to Truth Furnace, and the instantaneous killing of two people had already depleted his last bit of strength.

His vision blurred, his legs felt like lead, and he could no longer support himself; he was about to collapse.

"Lu Yang!"

Two figures rushed over.

Lin Yueyao arrived first, gripping Wang Xiao's right arm tightly with both hands. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word.

She held on tightly, as if he would vanish into thin air if she let go.

Su Qinhe was a moment too late. She reached out to support Wang Xiao's left arm, but Lin Yueyao had already taken the initiative.

Her hand froze in mid-air, hesitating for a moment, a complex look flashing in her eyes, as she silently tried to retract it.

But Lin Yueyao reached out with her other hand, firmly grasped her wrist, and pulled her to Wang Xiao's side.

Su Qinhe looked at Lin Yueyao's red but smiling eyes, her nose tingled, and she didn't say anything, but just nodded vigorously.

The two men, one on each side, steadily supported Wang Xiao.

Yan Zixi stood not far away, watching this scene, the corners of her mouth slowly turned up, but a glint of light flickered in her eyes.

She crossed her arms and said in a slightly languid teasing tone, "Young Master Lu, what a blessing you have! Look how worried my two younger sisters are."

On the field, only Yun Qingyao, Li Xin, and Zhao Shuheng remained standing.

The ribbons fluttered and fell beside Yun Qingyao. She gazed ahead, the coldness in her eyes long gone, replaced by deep gratitude.

She did not step forward—given the nature of their relationship, it would have been inappropriate for her to do so at this moment.

"Senior Sister Yun." Li Xin had quietly moved behind her at some point, her voice soft and trembling slightly.

In terms of age, she was actually older than Yun Qingyao and had entered the sect earlier, but Yun Qingyao was already the number one among the younger generation of the Rainbow Palace.

In the cultivation world, strength has always been paramount, so she always referred to herself as her junior sister.

Yun Qingyao turned around and looked at Li Xin.

Li Xin's face was pale, her eyes were slightly red, and her lips were pressed together until they were white.

In this situation, acquaintances become even closer than family.

She reached out and gently took Li Xin's hand. The warmth from her fingertips gradually calmed Li Xin's panicked heart.

"It's alright now." Yun Qingyao's voice was soft, yet it carried a reassuring power.

Li Xin nodded vigorously, her gaze passing over Yun Qingyao and landing on Wang Xiao, who was being supported in front of her.

Her eyes held a complex mix of emotions—gratitude, guilt, and a hint of something else that was hard to define.

After all, her acquaintance with Wang Xiao was somewhat unconventional.

"Is there no justice in this world?!" Ling Cheng's voice came from the ground, tinged with indignation. "Everyone did a lot of work! Lu Yang had someone to help him, but what about me?"

"We're here! Senior brother! We're here!"

Li Yu and Zhang Lian rushed up from the left and right, grabbed Ling Cheng's arms, and dragged him up from the ground.

Both of them had red eyes, but they kept talking back and forth.

"Senior brother, you were so cool just now! From today onwards, you will always be my senior brother!" Li Yu's voice was still trembling, but the smile on his face was as bright as a flower.

"What do you mean 'from today onwards'? He's always been the senior brother!" Zhang Lian rolled his eyes.

"That's different! Before, there was nothing I could do, but now I'm completely convinced!"

"Alright, alright, stop filming, or I'll get cocky." Ling Cheng was being held by the two men, complaining but with a smirk on his face.

He suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Wang Xiao: "Brother Lu Yang, that Kanli Returning to Truth Furnace is a treasure of the Boyan level. You made the greatest contribution in this battle, so don't forget to accept this spoil of war."

Following his gaze, Wang Xiao saw the Kanli Guizhen Furnace lying quietly on the ground several feet away, its lid overturned to the side. The flame and wave patterns on the furnace body had faded, but its ancient and heavy texture still inspired awe.

"Brother Ling Cheng," Wang Xiao shook his head, "I know absolutely nothing about weapon crafting, and I probably won't study it in the future. If you hadn't broken through to the next level in time, the outcome of this battle would have been uncertain. You should keep this treasure."

Ling Cheng's eyes lit up, his voice brimming with undisguised excitement: "Really? Then I won't be polite! Consider it a favor I owe you!"

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "We've been through thick and thin together, it's too formal to say such things."

Ling Cheng was taken aback, then burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost fell over, which aggravated his wound, causing him to grimace in pain. But he couldn't stop smiling: "Good! You're a true friend! From now on, we're sworn brothers! I'll be your elder brother. Having such a capable younger brother like you is exhilarating!"

Wang Xiao looked at his outstretched hand and his smug expression, and laughed, "Get lost! You're really pushing your luck, aren't you?"

As everyone on the field watched this scene, smiles gradually appeared on their faces.

That smile held the relief of surviving a disaster, the camaraderie of fighting side by side, and a faint but genuine hope for the future.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, a faint golden light appeared on Mabe Kuramoto's corpse, slowly floating out from the body that had been split in two, hovering in mid-air like a candle flame that could be blown out by the wind at any moment.

Within the ball of light, countless tiny images flickered rapidly, but the people could not see them clearly.

"Divine Consciousness Flame?" Ling Cheng exclaimed in shock, his tone suddenly becoming urgent, "Li Yu, Zhang Lian! Quickly use the 'Running Horse Lantern Technique' to help me!"

He never expected that Mabekura Gen was already on the verge of the Dragon Gate Transformation Realm.

Even after death, one's consciousness remains.

His memories must be hidden within this ball of divine light—this is of utmost importance to everyone.

It is said that people have a moment of lucidity before they die, during which they briefly review their life.

However, not everyone can remain lucid before death and say everything they want to say.

Some people die too quickly, without having time to say goodbye; some people die too unjustly, without even having time to reminisce.

Although Taoism emphasizes non-action, it is deeply involved in funerals; in a sense, they are the ones who accompany the deceased on their final journey.

The "Lantern-Watching Technique" was a magic they created for those who were unable to speak or wake up and were dying. It allowed them to glimpse the images that flashed before their death, enabling them to leave without regrets.

Ling Cheng took a step to the corpse of Mabekura Gen, sat down cross-legged, and quickly formed hand seals.

Without hesitation, Li Yu and Zhang Lian sat behind him, one on each side, as required by the spell, and simultaneously formed hand seals to assist him.

Ling Cheng closed his eyes, and a wisp of pale golden light appeared between his brows, slowly reaching out and touching the divine flame of Mabe Kuramoto.

The flame trembled violently, as if something had been quietly awakened, and countless images flooded into Ling Cheng's mind like a tide.

Everyone held their breath, staring intently at Ling Cheng's ever-changing expression—sometimes shocked, sometimes solemn, sometimes angry, sometimes thoughtful.

His brows were furrowed tightly, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his fingers tapped unconsciously on his knees.

Li Yu and Zhang Lian's faces grew paler and paler, their vital energy almost completely depleted, but they gritted their teeth, remained silent, and stubbornly persevered.

About half an incense stick later, Ling Cheng slowly opened his eyes, and the golden light between his brows gradually receded.

He exhaled a long breath, his face as pale as paper, but his eyes were churning with turbulent emotions.

Mabe Kuramoto's divine flame flickered a few times before going out completely. The memories that had carried him for a hundred years and the secrets buried deep in his heart were also completely annihilated in the world as the flame dissipated.

"Senior brother, what did you see?" Li Yu asked impatiently.

Ling Cheng did not answer immediately. He stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Wang Xiao.

His expression was rather unpleasant, as if he had witnessed some unbearable truth.

"Good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?"

Wang Xiao looked at him, her tone firm: "Let's talk about the bad things first. That way, even if the sky falls, we'll know how we died."

Ling Cheng took a deep breath and slowly said, "Of the two remaining members of the Five Ninjas of Fusang, one is a powerful expert at the Transformation Realm of the Dragon Gate."

The Transformation Realm of Dragon Gate.

These four words, like a boulder, crashed heavily into everyone's heart.

The Dragon Gate Divine Realm is divided into three stages: Sea of ​​Consciousness, Transformation, and Primordial Spirit.

The Sea of ​​Consciousness Realm allows one to condense supernatural powers and fly through the air; the Transformation Realm allows one to materialize divine consciousness, which can then be projected through the body to launch a divine consciousness attack; and the Primordial Spirit Realm allows one to condense a primordial spirit, so that even if the physical body is destroyed, as long as the primordial spirit remains, one will not die.

Wang Xiao had just entered the Sea of ​​Consciousness Realm, and so had Ling Cheng.

Their next opponent, however, is a Transformation Realm expert.

"However," Ling Cheng changed the subject, "the good news is that they won't be coming for us for the time being, so we're safe for the time being."

Everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the gloom in their hearts did not dissipate.

"Anything else?" Wang Xiao pressed. "What else did you see?"

Ling Cheng remained silent for a moment, organizing the information in his mind, and slowly spoke: "One hundred and fifty years ago, Fusang was defeated and retreated to Kyushu. Their leader was named Jun Guo."

Jun Guo.

No one present had ever heard of this name before.

But Ling Cheng's next words caused everyone's expression to change drastically.

"During that great battle, the First Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty used unparalleled secret techniques to hunt down Jun Guo, but he did not kill him." Ling Cheng said slowly and deliberately, "In the end, Jun Guo was sealed away somewhere beyond the realm."

The seal—this means that the demon who once brought devastation to the land is still alive.

"Fusang has been searching for their leader," Ling Cheng continued. "After fifty years, they finally discovered that Jun Guo might be sealed on the Demon Island."

Demon Island.

These two words, like a thunderclap, exploded in everyone's ears.

"So a hundred years ago, when the Demon Island descended upon Kyushu, each of the five major families of Fusang sent a capable disciple at the Fish Leap Realm to the Demon Island to search for Jun Guo's whereabouts and try to rescue her." Ling Cheng's tone grew increasingly heavy. "When the year was up, they had not found any clues. The five of them, who were already prepared to die, remained on the island."

"Who would have thought that they would survive after the Demon Island went to the outer realms? Once there, the Demon Island's restrictions disappeared, and it drifted in the void, not affecting the cultivators' survival, but preventing them from leaving. They could only leave this world when the Demon Island descended upon the Nine Provinces again. However, with the Demon Island's arrival, the restrictions of heaven and earth would also appear, suppressing the cultivation of everyone and even the strange beasts. This time, the Heavenly Yi Sect broke the restrictions using an array!"

"Furthermore, after entering the void, the spiritual energy of the Demon Island gradually thinned, making it extremely unfavorable for cultivation. Therefore, even though the Five Ninjas were the pride of their clans, it took them decades to break through the Fish Leap Realm and enter the Dragon Gate. In the past hundred years, only one person has broken through to the Dragon Gate Transformation Realm!"

"Afterwards, they explored the central and inner regions and finally found the place where Jun Guo was sealed—the summit of the central mountain range."

Wang Xiao's brows furrowed tightly.

"Mabekuramoto doesn't know the specific method to revive Junguo," Ling Cheng added, "but he does know that reviving Junguo requires three conditions—a special timing, a massive amount of vital energy, and bloodline."

"A special timing?" Su Qinhe asked softly.

"November 15th, that was Jun Guo's original birthday!" Ling Cheng said solemnly. "As for the massive amount of Yuan Qi, it was gathered during the Demon Island's descent into Kyushu. As for the bloodline... Mabe Kuramoto doesn't know exactly what it refers to. I guess that among the remaining two ninjas, there might be a descendant of Jun Guo—but I don't know if it's Hatoda Tetsuya or Koyama Ken'yo."

Ling Cheng briefly introduced the situation of the remaining two ninjas: Hatoda Tetsuya mainly cultivates wood-type divine abilities, while Koyama Kenshin is the Dragon Gate Transformation Realm cultivator who mainly cultivates metal-type divine abilities, which are most adept at killing.

Everyone fell silent.

It is September 20th, and there are less than two months left until Jung-kwok's resurrection.

"The entire inner region, along with most of the central region, is covered by formations, making flight impossible," Ling Cheng continued. "Therefore, the remaining two ninjas are currently heading towards the central mountain range of the inner region. They still have a lot of preparations to make, and they certainly won't be coming to find us anytime soon, because their time is running out!"

They originally planned to leave three people to eliminate the hidden dangers, while the other two would focus on the resurrection of Lady Junguo. However, the person who was supposed to eliminate the hidden dangers was eliminated!

"Anything else?" Wang Xiao pressed. "What's the relationship between the Tianyi Sect and Fusang?"

Ling Cheng shook his head: "Mabekuramoto doesn't know the details. But he knows that Japan has been secretly supporting hostile forces in Kyushu, and has even turned many Kyushu sects against their own. The Tianyi Sect only established ties with Japan in the last hundred years; by then they were already on Demon Island, so naturally they wouldn't have known!"

The amount of information was so vast that it was difficult for everyone to digest it all at once.

The war 150 years ago, the sealed leader of Fusang, the Five Ninja's century-long quest, the upcoming resurrection ceremony, and the formidable foe of the Dragon Gate Transformation Realm...

Every message felt like a mountain weighing on everyone's hearts.

Especially the oppression brought by Jun Guo.

That was a powerful figure who stood shoulder to shoulder with the First Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, at least a being at the Divine Sense Void Realm.

Who was the First Emperor of the Qianlong Emperor?

He is an unparalleled being who single-handedly overthrew Daqing, suppressed Fusang, and reshaped the order of Kyushu.

If Jun Guo, who is his equal, were truly resurrected...

No one dared to think any further.

A powerhouse of that level could probably kill them with a mere wave of their hand...

"Could the disappearance of the First Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty also be related to this matter?" This thought involuntarily popped into Wang Xiao's mind.

"In other words," Su Qinhe's voice was soft, yet brimming with intelligence, "even if we can't leave Demon Island within a year, we can still survive. A hundred years later, when Demon Island descends upon Kyushu again, we can return. As long as we can prevent Jun Guo's resurrection, the initiative is in our hands!"

a hundred years.

This number silenced everyone once again.

For mortals, a hundred years is a lifetime; for cultivators, a hundred years is a journey in the long years. But if they were to stay on this isolated island for a hundred years, cut off from the world, would it still be the Kyushu they knew when they returned?

"At least there's hope," Lin Yueyao said softly. "Hope is better than nothing."

"Miss Su is right." Wang Xiao's voice rang out, still weak, but carrying an undeniable strength. "We are safe now. Now that we know their scheme, we have a way to deal with it. They want to resurrect Jun Guo; now it depends on whether we agree."

He paused, took a deep breath, and said, "The crisis is temporarily over. After everyone has recovered from their injuries, they can all focus on breaking through to the Dragon Gate Divine Realm. At that time, facing them will not be without a chance of victory. As for leaving the Demon Island, there must be other ways, otherwise the Tianyi Sect would not have sent its young master here."

These words were like a shot of adrenaline, injected into everyone's hearts.

Yes, they still have time, opportunities to become stronger, and hope.

"My benefactor."

Zhao Shuheng's voice suddenly rang out, trembling slightly.

Upon hearing Wang Xiao mention breaking through to a higher realm, he could no longer contain himself and asked softly, "Senior Brother Xiao... why hasn't he come out yet?"