Star Martial Soaring Cloud

Upon landing, Wang Xiao smelled a pungent stench of blood. He looked around and saw several corpses lying on the ground, their limbs and bodies scattered everywhere, with blood flowing freely.

Under the moonlight, blood mist rose and swirled, indicating that these people had clearly died recently.

"Damn it, we've fallen for their trap!" That was Wang Xiao's first thought when he came to his senses.

He finally understood why Young Master Lianhua had sneered earlier, and also understood why the muffled sound had come so suddenly—it was all a trap.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Just as he realized something was wrong, dozens of people rushed into the courtyard. The scene before them made them all gasp in horror: Wang Xiao stood holding his sword, the blade covered in blood. Drops of blood flowed down the edge of the Seven Star Sword, forming thin lines that dripped to the ground with a sound like the death knell of the King of Hell, sending chills down their spines.

His body was covered with gruesome corpses; with such irrefutable evidence before him, there was no need for further explanation.

A great battle is about to break out, and the "assassin" that everyone has been searching for has revealed his true identity in this way.

"Good! I've finally caught you, you bloodthirsty demon!"

"Kill him! Tear this murderer to pieces!"

Anger surged through the crowd like a torrent, and everyone brandished their weapons, slashing at Wang Xiao.

Wang Xiao understood that the first group to arrive must be connected to Young Master Lianhua—their goal was to ignite the anger of the crowd and push him into an abyss of no return.

However, before everyone else could act, one person was faster than them.

Faced with a dead end, Wang Xiao would never miss the opportunity to gain the upper hand, for once surrounded, it would be difficult to escape.

Given the current overwhelming evidence, any explanation would be futile.

Without hesitation, he unleashed his trump card: his vital energy surged forth, transforming him into a blazing sun suspended in the sky, its dazzling light blinding everyone.

After doing all this, Wang Xiao leaped over the wall, intending to use the dazzling light screen as cover to escape.

"It's him! Wang Xiao! The cultivator from Zhongyun City who challenged Song Qing!"

"The assassin is Wang Xiao!"

Many people in Zhongyun City had already witnessed the awe-inspiring power of that blazing sun hanging in the sky.

Amid the exclamations, a furious shout came from outside the wall: "You audacious traitor, where do you think you're going?" Clearly, the other party had been waiting there for some time.

This was originally a carefully planned trap by the Flower-Loving Young Master to lure Wang Xiao into a trap; how could he leave Wang Xiao a way out?

The walls were already filled with ambushes, and a giant hand, like a thunderbolt, struck Wang Xiao's unsuspecting back unexpectedly.

"Pfft!" Blood gushed from Wang Xiao's mouth, and with a muffled thud, he crashed heavily to the ground.

As the light barrier dissipated, the red-clad elder who had launched the sneak attack, his sinister smile instantly freezing into an expression of unbelievable shock, exclaimed, "Peanut, it's you?!"

While everyone was still confused, Wang Xiao had already made his escape.

From the moment Wang Xiao realized he had fallen into a trap, he knew that the other party would not let him leave easily.

In the instant he was trapped in a hopeless situation, he devised a plan to escape: a frontal breakout.

Anyone caught in such a deadly predicament would think of finding a secluded place to escape, but Wang Xiao deliberately did the opposite.

Under the cover of the light barrier, he swiftly struck the pressure points of the first person to approach, throwing them into the air as a decoy. He then used the Seven Star Rain Steps to move like a gentle breeze across the surging crowd, successfully breaking out of the encirclement.

Wang Xiao knew that he was not truly out of danger.

The real battle for survival has just begun, and a large-scale hunt for him has already begun.

Fortunately, he was prepared – Kung Pao Chicken had scouted out a secret passage leading to Lishan half a month in advance.

Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. Understanding your surroundings in advance allows you to better seize opportunities and leverage favorable circumstances.

Wang Xiao was already outnumbered and outmatched, so he had to plan carefully before participating in the Lishan Trial. Only in this way could he secure a better chance of survival.

Hiding in Lishan City now is like being a sitting duck; it's only a matter of time before they find us. Right now, our only chance of survival is to head to Lishan.

"It looks like a dog hole no matter how you look at it? Could it be that Kung Pao Chicken deliberately made it like this?" Wang Xiao thought to himself, looking at the narrow entrance to the secret passage.

After Wang Xiao fled, the entire city of Lishan was in an uproar. The news that "the assassin hiding in the shadows has finally been found" greatly boosted the morale of the trial participants.

The unknown is the most terrifying. Now that the "killer's true face" has been exposed, people no longer need to live in fear. Instead, there is overwhelming anger.

"The assassin is Wang Xiao?" This news exploded like a thunderclap in the crowd. Many people still had a look of astonishment on their faces, and subconsciously opened their mouths wide, repeatedly confirming the authenticity of the news.

Someone rubbed their eyes hard, as if that could overturn the "facts" before them, muttering to themselves, "Impossible, right? I saw him in Zhongyun City. He was so righteous when he challenged Song Qing, how could he be a demon who indiscriminately kills innocent people?"

But many more people were overwhelmed by the horrific scene in the courtyard and the "ironclad evidence," and after the initial shock, a surge of rage swept over them.

"No wonder we couldn't find any trace of him before, it was him! He was a master of disguise!" A cultivator clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white, his voice filled with resentment. "I thought he was a real man, but I never imagined he was such a cowardly traitor!"

"He was able to defeat Song Qing, who was of the same level, so he must have the ability to kill someone with a single sword strike. He must be the murderer!" someone chimed in, further stirring up emotions.

Among the crowd were also those who were gloating, especially those who had been jealous of Wang Xiao's victory in the high-stakes gambling in Zhongyun City; they all wore amused smiles on their faces.

"I knew he was of dubious origin; he really is no good! He must have practiced some kind of evil art!"

Some meticulous people, though they had doubts and wanted to say something, were completely drowned out by the surrounding shouts of "Kill him!" and "Don't let him get away!" before they could utter a word, and could only give up in the end.

The atmosphere, which had been tense and uneasy due to the assassination attempt, was now completely replaced by anger towards Wang Xiao.

The trial participants spontaneously organized themselves, armed themselves, and searched the city. Soldiers from the Xuanyuan family also joined the pursuit, and a net was cast across the entire city to find the "murderer" Wang Xiao.

However, most of this anger remains just talk.

Apart from a few enthusiastic individuals who actively participated in the manhunt, most of the others merely cursed a few times, deliberately displaying righteous indignation in front of others while remaining indifferent behind the scenes.

After all, everyone is a competitor, and to some extent, some people might even secretly rejoice that Wang Xiao "helped" them reduce the competitive pressure.

This is the cold reality—no one is willing to risk doing something that doesn't benefit them as long as it doesn't directly jeopardize their own interests.

They care more about the tangible benefits they can gain than about the so-called "hero" title.

In response, the Xuanyuan family quickly took action.

Xuanyuan Hong personally announced: Anyone who provides information on Wang Xiao's hiding place will receive ten Fang Ba Su Stones; anyone who can offer Wang Xiao's head will be directly rewarded with a Dragon Gate Divine Realm cultivation technique.

With such a generous reward, almost everyone was tempted.

Upon hearing the news, a greedy glint appeared in everyone's eyes as they began to fantasize about claiming the bounty.

The Xuanyuan family's reward was truly generous—the group had come to Lishan to obtain the Eight Elements Stones in preparation for their breakthrough to the Dragon Gate Divine Realm. The Dragon Gate Divine Realm's cultivation techniques were a treasure that many cultivators could never even glimpse in their entire lives.

In an instant, the slogan "Killing Wang Xiao is our duty!" resounded throughout the city, and everyone began frantically searching for Wang Xiao's whereabouts.

Overnight, every corner of Lishan City was searched, but Wang Xiao was nowhere to be found. All eyes gradually turned to Lishan.

The trial participants rushed to Lishan—partly to hunt down Wang Xiao, and partly because the Lishan trial had reopened.

But today, Lishan is destined to be anything but peaceful, and a bloody storm is inevitable.

Having successfully escaped Lishan City, Wang Xiao has figured out the cause and effect, but more questions linger in his mind: Why did the Hua family go to such lengths to frame him?

"Those men in black, could they really have been sent by the Hua family?" Wang Xiao wondered to himself. "I took down several groups of men in black earlier, ruining their plans, so they want to get rid of me, this thorn in their side?"

"Su Qinhe warned me before to be wary of the Hua family. They've participated in this trial with their entire family, and only they have the ability to orchestrate all of this. But what are they after? This behavior is undoubtedly a blatant provocation against the Xuanyuan family. Aren't they afraid of getting burned?"

After meeting up with the Kung Pao Chicken, Wang Xiao briefly explained the situation.

After hearing this, Kung Pao Chicken immediately looked up to the sky and cried out in despair, "What bad luck! I've never had a good time with you! That Hua family brat is too vicious, actually resorting to such a treacherous scheme!"

"Kid, wake up! You're in a precarious situation right now. The important thing is to figure out how to get out of here. What's the point of thinking about all that nonsense?" Kung Pao Chicken said urgently.

After a brief exchange, Kung Pao Chicken handed over the intelligence he had gathered to Wang Xiao, and the two decided to split up again.

Despite the current predicament, Wang Xiao is not particularly worried.

He knew that each cultivator had their own plans and would weigh the pros and cons of life and death. The most pressing issue was dealing with the Hua family, the instigators.

According to the information provided by Kung Pao Chicken, the Hua family does not have any Dragon Gate Divine Realm experts, only three Fish Leap Great Perfection cultivators, eight Fish Leap Minor Completion cultivators, and an unknown number of other cultivators.

Within Lishan, by taking advantage of the favorable terrain, there might be a chance to defeat the Hua family.

As for the Xuanyuan family, their high-profile bounty announcement clearly indicates that they never intended to fully intervene from the beginning, and most likely wanted to watch from the sidelines and reap the benefits.

"These powerful families are indeed all cunning and scheming," Wang Xiao thought to himself.

As long as the Hua family can be defeated and their threat is deterred, the pressure on oneself will be greatly reduced.

Then we'll have the time to find a way to clear our names.

After some thought, Wang Xiao had already made a plan.

As for Kung Pao Chicken, Wang Xiao wasn't worried.

It has two wings, and cultivators at the Fish Leap Realm cannot fly, so they are completely helpless against it.

Kung Pao Chicken also understood the current situation: hundreds of cultivators were joining forces to hunt down one person, and splitting up with Wang Xiao at this time would actually help him better.

As soon as the sun rose, Lishan was in an uproar once again.

The first person the cultivators encountered was not Wang Xiao, whom they had been searching for, but Kung Pao Chicken, who swaggered out of Lishan.