Star Martial Soaring Cloud

Wang Xiao and his group's primary objective was to find Tetsuya Hatoda and Kenjiro Koyama, and at the same time familiarize themselves with the environment of the inner and outer regions of the Demon Island, especially everything in the central mountain range.

Secondly, we need to find the members of the Tianyi Sect.

Qin Wuming is definitely still alive; he disappeared after summoning the White Bone Ten Thousand Souls Array.

The moment Wang Xiao passed through the wall of miasma, the first thing he noticed was that it was dawn.

The lingering gloom that had previously hung over the miasma wall vanished without a trace in an instant.

The sky was no longer a hazy, chaotic gray, but instead revealed a faint, soft blue, like celadon that had been washed with clear water, warm and clear.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the clouds, carrying the warmth of reunion, and touched the skin, bringing a sense of comfort to both body and mind.

Wang Xiao couldn't help but take a deep breath; even the air felt refreshing.

"Finally, this looks a bit normal." Yan Zixi stretched, and the four spirit flowers had already returned to her body.

At this moment, she has shed her sharp edge and looks like a lazy beauty who has just woken up.

Su Qinhe slowly looked around and said softly, "The environment here is too similar to that of Kyushu."

Wang Xiao nodded upon hearing this.

Since entering the Demon Island, a question has been lingering in his mind: Are there any native inhabitants on the Demon Island?

After all, in terms of climate, water resources, and soil conditions, Magic Island can be considered a livable place.

Although the outer realms are dangerous, their dangers mostly stem from the rampant presence of strange beasts and the obstruction of miasma, rather than from the harshness of the natural environment itself.

But seeing the scene before him now, this question not only did not dissipate, but became even stronger.

In the distance, a towering mountain stands majestically, its body covered by layers of lush vegetation. The rich greenery stretches from the foot of the mountain all the way to the mountainside, verdant and full of vitality.

The mountaintop is shrouded in thick clouds and mist, making it difficult to see its entirety. Only a few steep cliffs are faintly visible through the clouds and mist, resembling a labyrinth suspended in the sky, exuding a sense of mystery.

As you zoom in, you see large, well-maintained farmlands.

The meticulously crafted field ridges crisscross, dividing the land into neat squares. The crops in the fields are not visible, but the straight and orderly outlines of the ridges are clearly visible.

A large river meanders through the farmland, its waters crystal clear and shimmering, stretching to a spot not far from where everyone stands.

Along the riverbank, dilapidated stone embankments, collapsed waterwheels, and several crooked wooden bridges are scattered about, their surfaces covered with moss, revealing the desolation of time.

Further in, countless houses stood side by side, and a magnificent city appeared at their feet.

The city is built along the river. From a high vantage point, the crisscrossing streets, orderly markets, and tall buildings are clearly visible. You can even see a few buildings that look like government offices or temples, with glazed tiles on the roofs gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

Yet this city has an inexplicable strangeness about it.

There wasn't a single person in the entire city.

There were no pedestrians, no vendors hawking their wares, no carriages or horses passing by, and not even the slightest sign of life.

There was no crowing of roosters or barking of dogs, no clamor of voices, and even the sound of the wind blowing through the streets seemed exceptionally faint. The whole city was as silent as a long-abandoned tomb.

Upon closer inspection, the city's ruins far exceeded expectations.

The city walls were riddled with large gaps, filled with rubble and debris; the houses inside the city were even more severely damaged, some with roofs completely collapsed, some with wide cracks in the walls, and others with only a few lonely wooden pillars remaining, swaying slightly in the wind.

Broken flagstones and dried mud were everywhere on the streets, and weeds grew wildly from the cracks in the stones, some even taller than a person, making the desolation of the city even more pronounced.

Strangely, in the corners of this city, there are many "new" traces that are out of place with the overall dilapidation.

Although the waterwheel by the river had collapsed, the broken wood showed no signs of decay, and the wood grain at the break was clearly visible, as if it had only recently broken. On the ground at the city gate, there were several deep and shallow footprints with regular patterns, which were not formed naturally by wind and rain, but rather looked as if someone had just walked through here.

Wang Xiao's doubts grew stronger, and he could no longer suppress the urge to find out the truth.

He moved swiftly, about to fly directly into the city.

"Watch out!" Su Qinhe and Yan Zixi's voices rang out at the same time, tinged with urgency.

Wang Xiao suddenly stopped moving. He carefully sensed the surrounding atmosphere but found no danger.

In terms of spiritual strength, he was no weaker than Su and Yan. There was no reason why they sensed the danger while he was unaware.

But the next second, a strange force swept over.

A tremendous suction force came from the ground, like an invisible giant hand, gripping his feet tightly and desperately dragging him toward the ground.

The suction force was astonishing. Wang Xiao desperately circulated his internal energy and even activated his physical strength, but he still couldn't break free even a fraction of the way.

His body, like an iron stone attracted by a magnet, fell uncontrollably to the ground.

"boom--!"

Wang Xiao landed heavily on the stone pavement outside the city, making a dull thud.

Strangely, the enormous suction force vanished without a trace in an instant, and all the discomfort disappeared as well, as if everything just now was an illusion.

He turned to look at Su Qinhe and Yan Zixi, only to see the two of them land steadily on the ground, smiling at him.

Yan Zixi, in particular, laughed so hard she bent over, her ample bosom rising and falling with her laughter, drawing attention.

"What's going on?" Wang Xiao asked, looking bewildered and full of confusion.

After laughing enough, Yan Zixi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and teased, in a tone that seemed to say, "How come you don't even know this?", "Young Master Lu, did you acquire your cultivation level by trading your brains?"

Wang Xiao's lips twitched; he was too lazy to argue with her.

Su Qinhe coughed lightly to help him out of the predicament and slowly revealed the truth: "This is a city-protecting formation. Any city of any size will set up this kind of formation, and its functions are varied—some are mainly for defense, which can resist the invasion of alien beasts and foreign enemies; some are good at suppression, which can weaken the power of cultivators' supernatural abilities. But no matter what kind of city-protecting formation it is, it has one core function, which is also an absolutely indispensable function: no flying."

"No-fly zone?" Wang Xiao was taken aback, clearly not expecting this.

"Yes, it's a no-fly zone," Yan Zixi continued, her teasing tone unchanged. "It's not just big cities like this; even sects of any significant size set up no-fly zones. Think about it, if there were no no-fly restrictions, everyone could fly around freely. How could the people in the city live peacefully?"

As she spoke, hands on her hips, she jokingly imitated the tone of a commoner: "Look, there are gods in the sky! Merchants look up, then look down, and all their goods are gone! Or someone looks up, then looks down, and finds themselves stabbed eight times, dead. How can order be maintained in this way?"

Wang Xiao opened her mouth, but couldn't refute it for a moment.

Yan Zixi continued, "And what about those high-ranking officials, even emperors and monarchs? Can they sleep peacefully? People fly over their heads every day. If they're in a good mood, they throw a stone; if they're in a bad mood, they throw something else... I'm afraid even if they had a hundred lives, it wouldn't be enough to keep them from being tormented."

Su Qinhe blushed slightly and softly advised, "Sister Yan, there's no need to use such vulgar language."

Yan Zixi chuckled, then composed herself and continued to explain, "The same principle applies to sects. When elders hold important meetings or cultivators are in seclusion, it's both disturbing and undignified for someone to fly over their head from time to time. Therefore, a no-flying formation is essential. No matter how high your cultivation level is, once you enter the city, you have to walk properly."

Wang Xiao nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly realized, "I see."

"These kinds of city-protecting formations are usually built by the dynasty in a unified manner," Su Qinhe added, her tone serious. "Cities are connected to each other, and passes echo each other. Countless city-protecting formations are linked together to form a national defense formation. One link after another, one city protects another, and finally, a complete defense system covering the entire dynasty is formed, which can not only resist foreign enemies but also maintain order within the country."

"It's like the forbidden area of ​​the imperial palace," Yan Zixi continued. "With our current cultivation levels, we'd probably be no different from ordinary people if we went in. The formations there are stronger, and the suppression is much more intense. Otherwise, how could the emperor rule if assassins were flying around every day?"

Wang Xiao suddenly thought of a question and asked, "Why isn't there a no-fly zone in Yuhang?"

"Because Yuhang was originally a city built for cultivators," Su Qinhe explained patiently. "It's the place where the Demon Island descended, a gathering place for cultivators. People coming and going are all practitioners, so setting up a no-fly formation would be inconvenient, hence there are no no-fly restrictions. Besides, if you can get permission from the dynasty's officials or the city lord, you can fly freely without being affected by the city's protective formation."

"In other words," Wang Xiao concluded, "this no-fly zone doesn't mean you can't fly at all, but rather that you can't fly freely."

"This young man is teachable." Yan Zixi clapped her hands and said with a smile, "Young Master Lu has finally come to his senses."

Wang Xiao ignored her teasing and turned to walk towards the city gate, with Su Qinhe and Yan Zixi following closely behind.

As you approach the city gate, the devastation of the city becomes increasingly shocking.

Although the city gate still stands tall, the two huge wooden doors are already dilapidated, leaning against each other half-open, with deep cracks and insect damage all over the door panels.

The copper door nails were rusty, and some had fallen off, leaving only dark holes.

The stone plaque above the city gate is still intact, but the inscription has long been weathered away by time, leaving only a few blurry marks. It is impossible to discern what was originally written, and the name of the city remains unknown.

"The city is in such a state of disrepair, yet the city's protective formation is still functioning?" Wang Xiao asked, somewhat surprised, his tone full of doubt.

"What's so strange about that?" Yan Zixi waved her hand dismissively. "Ling Cheng and his family in Tianfu have a water conservancy array that has been passed down for thousands of years and is still in use today. It is said that it is because of the blessing of that array that Sichuan was able to become the Land of Abundance, with guaranteed harvests regardless of drought or flood, and fertile fields stretching for thousands of miles."

Su Qinhe nodded and added, "These kinds of grand formations often consume countless rare and precious materials when they are set up, and even require the hard work of many cultivators. The formation base, formation stones, and formation core used for setting up the formation are all specially refined and enhanced with spiritual power, so their lifespan is much longer than that of ordinary buildings. Moreover, during the existence of the dynasty, the government would also regularly send cultivators to maintain and upgrade the grand formations, so even though many ancient cities have long been abandoned and uninhabited, the formation bases are still intact, and the formations can still operate normally."

Wang Xiao nodded thoughtfully, asked no more questions, and stepped into the city gate.

The scene inside the city was even more eerie and desolate than that outside.

The streets are wide and straight, with houses lined up one after another in a well-organized manner. There are taverns, inns, cloth shops, pharmacies, and even a courtyard with a plaque that reads "School". One can vaguely glimpse the bustling and prosperous city of the past.

"Don't you guys think...?" Wang Xiao stopped and slowly looked around, his tone somewhat grave, "The architectural style here is very similar to that of Kyushu!"

Su Qinhe was also carefully examining the surrounding houses. Upon hearing this, she softly replied, "It's not just similar, it's completely identical. The brackets, eaves, carved window frames, and even the way the walls are built are all the most common styles in Kyushu."

"Moreover," Yan Zixi walked to the door of a shop and pointed to the blurred plaque above the door, "the characters carved on it are the common script used throughout Kyushu. Although the characters are blurred, the strokes are still recognizable."

Wang Xiao remained silent for a moment, then slowly asked, "What exactly is the relationship between Demon Island... and Kyushu?"

No one can answer this question.

Beasts from outer lands, ancient cities in the central lands, and buildings identical to those in the Nine Provinces...

Everything on Demon Island is like a shadow of Kyushu. It is like a fragment that split off from Kyushu, or the remnant of a long-lost civilization.

The three continued on their way, their footsteps echoing through the empty, silent streets, utterly out of place with the city's deathly stillness.

The entire city was eerily quiet, without a single human voice, an animal's roar, or even the sound of the wind. The only sounds were the footsteps of the three people and the occasional rustling of falling dead leaves.

A few withered leaves drifted down from the roof and landed on the weed-covered ground, only to be swept away by a gentle breeze in an instant.

Strangely, although the whole city was dilapidated, some things looked very new.

Wang Xiao passed by a fabric shop and couldn't help but peek inside—the abacus on the counter was still intact, the beads shiny and glossy; the fabrics on the shelves, though covered with a thin layer of dust, were still vibrant in color, without any fading or signs of decay.

It doesn't make sense; the stone carvings are all weathered, yet they are still so well preserved.

He walked to a pharmacy, gently pushed open the half-closed wooden door, and saw that the medicine cabinets inside were neatly arranged, the labels on the drawers were clearly written, and there was even a faint smell of medicine in the air.

"These things..." Wang Xiao frowned, his tone full of confusion, "They don't look like they've been there for a long time at all; it's more like someone just left."

Su Qinhe also noticed the abnormality. She walked to a well platform and looked down. The well water was crystal clear, and she could clearly see the pebbles at the bottom of the well. The surface of the water was calm and undisturbed, without a single duckweed or fallen leaf. It was so clean that it seemed unreal.

She reached out and touched the stone wall along the edge of the well. It was smooth and delicate to the touch, without any moss or cracks, indicating that someone had been wiping and using it frequently.

Yan Zixi walked to the front of a house, gently pushed the door, and the door slowly opened with a "creak", revealing a small courtyard inside.

In the center of the courtyard stands an old jujube tree, with a few shriveled jujubes still hanging on its branches. The stone table and benches in the courtyard are spotless, and a teapot sits on the table with its spout facing outwards, as if the owner had only left temporarily and would return at any moment.

Yan Zixi's usual joking expression vanished, and her tone became serious: "The people in this city seem to have... disappeared into thin air."