Star Martial Soaring Cloud

Four days.

Four whole days.

They traversed countless wheat fields, crossed several rivers, and climbed over numerous hills.

The three thought they were moving forward and getting closer to the central mountain range.

But the reality is, they didn't even take a single step.

"I'll try flying!" Yan Zixi lightly touched the ground with her toes and was about to take off.

The suction force of the no-fly formation surged instantly, pulling her tightly.

She desperately tried to circulate her vital energy, but could only rise three feet off the ground before she could go no further.

"It's no use," Su Qinhe shook her head and said, "The no-fly formation is still in place."

"What do we do then?" Yan Zixi landed back on the ground, her chest heaving. "Are we just going to keep going around in circles like this?"

Wang Xiao did not answer.

He crouched down, picked up a stone from the roadside, and forcefully carved a deep mark on the ridge of the field beside him.

The mark was very noticeable, like a scar etched into the damp soil.

"Let's go," he said. "This time we'll go slowly, and I'll make a mark every hundred steps."

The three of them set off again.

Wang Xiao walked at the front, her steps steady, each step perfectly in sync with the rhythm.

Su Qinhe followed behind him, her eyes occasionally scanning the scenery along the roadside, trying to find any unusual details.

Yan Zixi walked at the back. The earth flower among the four spiritual flowers bloomed slightly. Her divine sense sank into the ground, sensing the flow of spiritual energy beneath her feet.

One hundred steps.

Wang Xiao stopped and carved a second mark on the ridge beside the road.

Two hundred steps.

The third way.

Three hundred steps.

The fourth one.

……

After a thousand steps, Wang Xiao suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Su Qinhe asked.

Wang Xiao didn't speak, but squatted down and pointed to the marks on the ridge.

The mark was fresh; the soil hadn't dried completely, and the edges still had fresh soil from when it was carved.

"We've made it back." Wang Xiao's voice was a little hoarse.

The three of them stood by the roadside in silence for a long time.

"Could it be that the underground formation is interfering with our sense of direction?" Su Qinhe spoke first. "Like the protective formations in ancient cities, is there some kind of restriction here?"

Wang Xiao shook his head: "It's different. The no-fly zone in the ancient city is for flying, it doesn't affect walking on the ground. Besides, I can feel that the road under my feet is real, the soil, stones, and weeds are all real."

"What is that?" Yan Zixi frowned. "It can't be some kind of ghost wall, can it?"

"Being lost in a maze is getting lost, not going in circles." Wang Xiao's gaze swept around and landed on the golden wheat field. "We're not lost, but we're being guided in circles by something."

He closed his eyes, spreading his divine sense outwards, searching his surroundings inch by inch.

Wheat fields, rivers, hills, wildflowers... everything is so real, everything is so normal, so normal that you can't find any flaws.

"Could it be these wheat plants?" Su Qinhe suddenly asked. "They're growing too uniformly. We've been walking for four days, and the wheat fields we've seen are almost identical—the same height, color, and density of ears. Even if they're the same variety, not every single plant should look exactly the same."

Wang Xiao opened his eyes, walked to the edge of the wheat field, squatted down, and examined it carefully.

The height and thickness of the wheat, the size of the ears, and the number of grains were remarkably uniform. Indeed, each stalk looked as if it had been carved from a single mold.

"But this wheat is real." He plucked an ear of wheat, rubbed the grains apart, and put it in his mouth.

The wheat grains are plump and have a subtle sweetness; it's true.

"Then it's not an illusion." Yan Zixi also came over, picked an ear of wheat and looked at it. "Someone is deliberately maintaining the appearance of this wheat field to create an illusion for us."

The three continued forward. This time, Wang Xiao no longer focused solely on the marks on the ground, but instead paid attention to those seemingly insignificant details.

He paid attention to the shape of every wildflower, the veins of every leaf, and the call of every bird that flew by.

Then, he noticed the butterfly.

"Have you noticed?" Wang Xiao stopped and pointed to a pale blue butterfly in the flower bushes ahead, "We seem to have seen that butterfly many times before."

Su Qinhe and Yan Zixi looked in the direction he was pointing.

The butterfly was fluttering among the flowers, the golden edges of its wings shimmering in the sunlight.

"Did this butterfly land on my fingertip?" Yan Zixi said, feeling that the butterfly was very familiar.

"Yes." Wang Xiao nodded, then added, "There's a small notch on its right wing; you can't even see it unless you look closely."

Su Qinhe looked closely and indeed, there was a tiny notch on the edge of the butterfly's right wing, as if it had been bitten by something.

"Can't a butterfly live that long?" Yan Zixi asked tentatively.

"It's not a question of whether we live or die." Wang Xiao's gaze sharpened. "It's that it's been following us all along. Or rather, we've been following it all along."

The three exchanged a glance, a chill running through them.

"You'll know once you try." Wang Xiao picked up a small pebble from the ground, flicked it with his finger, and the pebble accurately hit the flower stem next to the butterfly. The flower stem swayed, the butterfly was startled, and it flapped its wings and flew away.

"Let's follow them," Wang Xiao said.

The three followed the butterfly, passing through a wheat field, crossing a stream, and climbing over a low hill.

The butterflies flew at a moderate pace, always staying a few feet ahead of them, neither too far nor too close.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Wang Xiao suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Su Qinhe asked.

Wang Xiao didn't speak, but simply pointed to the ridges between the fields by the roadside.

On the ridge of the field, there is a clear mark—the first mark he made earlier.

They were back to square one.

"It's a butterfly." Wang Xiao's voice turned cold. "It's guiding us in circles."

"But how could a butterfly possibly..." Yan Zixi stopped mid-sentence, "Unless, it's not an ordinary butterfly."

"It's not just one, it's a whole group." Wang Xiao raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding flowerbeds.

His divine sense spread out and captured more and more butterflies—blue, yellow, white, and purple—which scattered around the three of them, forming a huge ring that firmly trapped them in the center.

"Someone is controlling them." Su Qinhe's expression turned serious. "Is it someone from the Tianyi Sect, or someone from Japan?"

"No matter who it is, let's break this deadlock first." A cold glint flashed in Wang Xiao's eyes.

He stared at the pale blue butterfly for a long time, his mind racing.

"Miss Su, try playing a high-frequency sound wave on your flute," he suddenly said. "The sound wave should resonate with it. If these butterflies are indeed releasing some kind of interfering substance, the sound wave should reveal them."

Su Qinhe nodded, held the jade flute to her lips, took a deep breath, and then played a high-pitched and sharp note.

The musical note didn't sound like a melody; it was more like an invisible sound wave that spread out in all directions.

Where the sound waves passed, visible ripples began to appear in the air.

It wasn't the trace of wind, nor the fluctuation of vital energy, but a thin, indistinct mist, like the heat wave on a summer asphalt road.

The mist shimmered with a faint iridescent glow under the sunlight, beautiful yet eerie.

"Scale powder!" Yan Zixi exclaimed.

The scales drifted slowly in the air, outlining curved, rotating trajectories.

The three then realized that these tracks formed a huge vortex, and they were standing at the center of it.

No matter which direction they go, they will always return to the starting point by following these paths.

"It really was these butterflies that were behind it." Wang Xiao's voice carried a hint of coldness.

"I'll break them." Yan Zixi stepped forward, and the Thunder Flower among the four spiritual flowers suddenly bloomed, with a thick bolt of lightning shooting out from the flower's stamen and exploding above the three of them!

"boom--!"

Lightning exploded, purple arcs of electricity scattered and flew everywhere, and intense light instantly enveloped the entire world.

The light was so dazzling that even Wang Xiao instinctively closed his eyes.

The lightning dissipated.

The shimmering scales in the air seemed to have been scorched by something, their color changing from rainbow to grayish-white before slowly dissipating.

The illusionary mist vanished, revealing the true terrain—before the three of them lay a straight path, at the end of which stood the hazy central mountain range.

"Look!" Su Qinhe pointed ahead, "The distance between the mountains has changed!"

Things have definitely changed.

The mountains, which were always indistinct and seemingly close yet distant, now stand clearly against the sky, their outlines distinct, and even the rocks and trees on their slopes are clearly visible.

"throat!"

"Who?"

Wang Xiao shot out like an arrow, unleashing the Seven Star Rain Steps to their fullest extent, rushing towards the direction from which the sound came.

His speed was extremely fast; he had already covered dozens of feet almost as soon as the sound rang out.

But he had to stop.

Because a swarm of butterflies was rushing toward him.

Not just a few, not just a few dozen, but tens of thousands.

They emerged simultaneously from the flowers, the wheat fields, the woods, and from all directions, the sound of their flapping wings converging into a dense, chilling rustling sound.

The sound was like countless leaves rubbing against each other in the wind, or like countless venomous snakes crawling in the grass, giving one goosebumps all over.

The butterflies are no longer beautiful.

The iridescent scales on their wings were frantically falling off, condensing in the air into a thick, impenetrable mist that enveloped Wang Xiao.

"Retreat!" Su Qinhe's voice came from behind.

Wang Xiao did not back down.

He took a deep breath, unleashed his physical power, and threw a punch!

The force of the punch was like a raging torrent, blasting a huge hole in the swarm of butterflies in front of it. Countless butterflies were shattered by the force of the punch, turning into dust and scattering.

But more butterflies swarmed up, filling the gap and surrounding him completely.

Yan Zixi waved her hands, and sparks from the four spiritual flowers suddenly bloomed, forming a blazing wall of fire that surrounded the three of them.

The flames were incredibly hot, distorting and warping the air itself.

The butterflies, fearing the high temperature, hovered and chirped outside the wall of fire, but dared not approach.

Su Qinhe's flute music also began to play.

This time, she wasn't playing offensive notes, but a melodious tune with the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Wood-based magical abilities blossomed with her flute music, and a rich aroma of grass and wood spread from her body, like the fragrance of blooming flowers in spring, or the fresh air in a forest after the rain.

The butterfly swarm hesitated noticeably.

Some butterflies even turned around and flew towards the scent of grass and trees, as if chasing some kind of instinctive call.

"Hurry!" Su Qinhe shouted, "I can't hold on much longer!"

Wang Xiao seized the opportunity and sprang up again.

He used the Seven Star Rain Steps to weave through the gaps in the swarm of butterflies, the air currents generated by his body scattering all the butterflies that blocked his way.

His divine sense locked onto the direction from which the muffled groan came, not far ahead, behind a boulder deep in the flower bushes.

Behind the boulder, a man in black slowly stood up.

The group had just broken through the formation with lightning speed, catching him off guard. Due to the backlash from the formation, he couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

A hideous ghost face appeared in front of Wang Xiao.

nightmare.

The number one assassin of the outer sect of Tianyi Sect.

"It's you." Wang Xiao's voice was as cold as ice.

Nightmare remained silent.

He simply stared at Wang Xiao, his eyes slightly narrowed beneath the mask.

Then, he moved.

There was no hand seal, no gathering of power, and not even any warning.

His hands slid out from his sleeves, two short blades flipping in his palms, their blades gleaming with a cold golden light—the sharpness enhanced by metal-based divine power, sharp enough to cut through anything.

But what was even more deadly was the lightning surrounding him.

It wasn't the purple, blazing, destructive lightning like Yan Zixi's.

Nightmare's lightning magic is dark red, like congealed blood, or like karmic fire drawn from the depths of hell.

The arcs of electricity danced around him, emitting a low hum that sounded less like thunder and more like some kind of evil incantation.

Gold and Thunder.

The two supernatural powers are one focused on killing and the other on destruction.

Nightmare's figure transformed into a dark red afterimage, lunging towards Wang Xiao.

His speed was astonishing, comparable to Wang Xiao's Seven Star Rain Steps.

Two short blades drew two golden arcs in the air, one to the left and one to the right, blocking all of Wang Xiao's escape routes.

Wang Xiao did not back down.

He threw a punch, the wind from which whistled, shattering the golden arc on the left.

At the same time, he slightly turned his body, his right arm blocking in front of him, and took the blow from the right side.

"clang--!"

The sound of metal clashing was deafening.

The short blade struck Wang Xiao's forearm, producing a metallic clanging sound.

A hint of surprise flashed in Nightmare's eyes.

He hadn't expected Wang Xiao's physical body to be so strong that even a short blade enhanced with metal-type divine power couldn't break through his skin.

But the nightmare didn't stop.

His lightning magic followed closely, dark red arcs of electricity spreading from the short blade and climbing up Wang Xiao's arm.

The lightning wasn't like Yan Zixi's domineering, one-hit-kill lightning magic; instead, it was a cold, corrosive force.

Wherever the electric arc passed, Wang Xiao could clearly feel his vital energy draining away and his meridians shrinking, as if something was sucking away his life force.

Wang Xiao grunted, his internal energy surging wildly, shattering the dark red arcs of electricity.

He took a step back, creating distance between himself and the Nightmare, and glanced down at his forearm.

A faint white mark and several fine, dark red lines were left on the skin, as if it had been corroded by something.

In the distance, Yan Zixi and Su Qinhe were battling a swarm of butterflies.

Yan Zixi's wall of fire had shrunk by a size, and the color of the flames had changed from bright white to orange-red, indicating that it had consumed a lot of energy.

Of her four spirit flowers, the fire flower and the earth flower are the most vibrant, while the water flower and the thunder flower are much dimmer.

She waved her hands, and the wall of fire sometimes contracted and sometimes expanded, repelling the swarming butterflies time and time again.

Su Qinhe's flute playing never stopped.

The wood-based magical power she used released a plant-like aura, which acted like a beacon, attracting most of the butterflies to fly in the opposite direction.

But there were too many butterflies, and some always managed to slip through the fire and rush towards her.

Whenever this happened, she would dodge with her ethereal movements, her figure flashing and drifting within a small space, and the butterflies always missed by just a little bit.

"Qinhe, can you attract a little more attention?" Yan Zixi's voice was slightly breathless.

"No!" Su Qinhe's voice was also tense. "My wood-based magical abilities can only temporarily interfere, not completely control it!"

"Then we have to deal with the manipulator first!" Yan Zixi's gaze swept past the swarm of butterflies and landed behind the boulder. "Wang Xiao has been found; we have to help him!"

She took a deep breath and pushed the wall of fire outwards with all her might. The flames surged and burned all the butterflies within a radius of several feet to ashes.

Taking advantage of the opening, she flashed and rushed towards Wang Xiao.

Su Qinhe followed closely behind, her flute playing becoming more urgent, the notes transforming into streaks of green light that blocked the pursuing butterflies behind her.

Behind the boulder, the battle between Wang Xiao and Yan continued.

Nightmare's swordsmanship was bizarre and ruthless, each strike aimed directly at Wang Xiao's vital points.

His metal-based supernatural power made the short blade incredibly sharp, so much so that even Wang Xiao's physical body dared not take too much of it head-on.

His lightning technique was even more troublesome; those dark red arcs of electricity were like a bone-deep infection, constantly eroding one's vital energy once it touched them, making it impossible to defend against.

But even the Nightmare has its weaknesses.

Although his supernatural powers were strange, his physical body was far inferior to Wang Xiao's.

After several exchanges, Nightmare's breathing began to become rapid, while Wang Xiao's breathing remained steady.

Wang Xiao pressed forward relentlessly, engaging in close combat, which intensified the depletion of Yan's vital energy, yet Yan could not replenish it.

His movements slowed down noticeably.

Wang Xiao seized upon a subtle flaw in his attack—Yan's left ribs showed a very brief pause when he struck.

A punch was thrown!

Nightmare reacted extremely quickly, crossing his arms in front of him, and golden spiritual light condensed on his arms into a thin shield.

But Wang Xiao's punch was no ordinary punch; it was a punch that combined the power of his physical body and his vital energy, a punch he threw with all his might.

"Snap—!"

The golden shield shattered, and Nightmare's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the boulder behind him.

The boulder shattered, and dust billowed everywhere.

Nightmare struggled to his feet, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth beneath his demonic mask.

He glanced at Wang Xiao, and for the first time, emotion appeared in his deep, cold eyes.

Then, he made a hand seal, and countless butterflies flew back, blocking his way.

Taking advantage of that momentary obstruction, he disappeared into the smoke and dust.

The butterflies that had been fluttering in the sky seemed to have lost all their power as their controller moved away; their wings drooped limply, and they fell to the ground one after another.

Some turned into powder, some into black smoke, and some simply dissipated into the air, as if they had never existed.

Everything returned to calm.

Wang Xiao stood still, gazing in the direction where the nightmare had disappeared, without moving.

"I thought Young Master Lu would keep chasing after him," Yan Zixi's voice came from behind, tinged with a hint of teasing.

Wang Xiao shook his head: "He's clearly trying to interfere with our journey to the Central Mountains. Chasing after them might lead to an ambush, which would be counterproductive. Once we reach the Central Mountains, they'll show themselves anyway. They're the ones in a hurry, not us. Why waste time and effort?"

Su Qinhe walked to his side and looked him up and down: "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing." Wang Xiao moved his arm, and the dark red line had faded a lot. "I just didn't expect the Nightmare's lightning magic to be so strange."

"Not a single one of the people in the Tianyi Sect is normal." Yan Zixi put away the four spirit flowers and let out a long sigh of relief. "But speaking of which—"

She suddenly changed the subject, her gaze becoming playful: "Lu Yang, your combat skills and understanding of the situation are top-notch, so how come you're so idiotic about some common sense questions? Are you doing this on purpose?"

Wang Xiao was taken aback: "What common sense question?"

"A city defense formation! No-fly zone!" Yan Zixi stood with her hands on her hips, looking at him with a disappointed expression. "You, you're fiercer than anyone in a fight, and your mind works faster than anyone else's, so how come you're completely clueless when it comes to these basic things? Are you really that ignorant, or are you just pretending?"

Wang Xiao opened his mouth, but was speechless.

You should ask your master and fellow disciples about this.

Su Qinhe covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"Alright, alright, let's go." Wang Xiao turned around and strode towards the Central Mountain Range. "If we delay any longer, it'll be dark."

As the sun set, it cast long, long shadows of the three people.

In the distance, the outline of the Central Mountain Range became increasingly clear.

That hazy mountain peak was finally no longer out of reach.