Star Martial Soaring Cloud

The news of the old man in red's death reached the ears of the other two experts from the Hua family as quickly as a thunderbolt.

The white-haired old man in charge of the left-wing search was leading a group of people slowly advancing through the dense forest.

Upon hearing the messenger's report, he slammed his iron staff into the ground with a dull thud, causing the surrounding leaves to tremble. His previously cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp, cold light, and his voice was so deep it could drip water: "What did you say? My brother... he's dead?"

The messenger, pale-faced, knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly: "Yes, yes! Elder Hong chased Wang Xiao to the river valley slope, where he was ambushed by that brat. By the time we arrived, Elder Hong was already dead..."

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" the white-haired old man roared, sweeping his iron staff and instantly snapping a nearby ancient tree, as thick as a bowl, in half. "My brother is at the peak of the Fish Leap Realm, how could he be defeated by a mere novice who has just entered the Fish Leap Realm?"

He knew the red-robed elder's strength well; even if the elder had some tricks up his sleeve, he shouldn't have ended up like this.

On the other side, Hua Zhijun, a middle-aged man on the right wing, was observing the terrain from a hilltop when he heard the news. He froze upon hearing it, and the composure on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an intense and cold seriousness.

Unlike the white-haired old man's fury, he remained composed, though his eyes grew increasingly sinister: "Is the news true? How did Wang Xiao succeed?"

"According to Elder Hong's attendants, Wang Xiaoqiao disguised herself as a disciple of my Hua family, pretended to be seriously injured to lure Elder Hong into making a move, and then took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack..." The messenger briefly recounted the events.

Hua Zhijun tapped the folding fan lightly with his fingertips. After a moment of silence, he said coldly, "What a cunning brat, resorting to such despicable means. Old Master Hong was too careless and too greedy for credit."

He instantly understood the key point—the old man in red must have wanted to claim all the credit for killing Wang Xiao, which was why he hadn't gathered them together, ultimately leading them into a trap.

"Elder Zhijun, what should we do now?" a Hua family cultivator asked in a trembling voice.

Hua Zhijun took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "What's the panic! We still have two Fish Leap Perfection cultivators here! Pass down the order to immediately consolidate our forces, stop acting alone, and move all of them towards the central route to rendezvous with Elder Bai!" He knew very well that if they continued to search separately, it would only give Wang Xiao the opportunity to defeat them one by one. Only by concentrating their forces could they avoid any further accidents.

"But Elder Bai has already caught up!" the cultivator hurriedly added.

"What did you say?" Hua Zhijun's expression changed drastically, and he could no longer maintain his previous composure.

The mountain wind howled through the dense forest, swirling up the withered leaves on the ground. An old man with white hair, wielding an iron staff, raced through the woods, his body radiating murderous intent, his eyes bloodshot: "Wang Xiao, I will tear you to pieces to avenge my brother!"

On the other side, after the battle ended, Wang Xiao did not go far.

He went to the riverbank, washed the blood off his face, and looked at his blood-soaked reflection in the water, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

He didn't want to cause trouble, but the Hua family was pressing him relentlessly, leaving him with no choice.

After catching his breath for a moment, Wang Xiao's eyes regained their firmness.

He knew that what followed was an unavoidable bloody battle.

As he expected, with such a huge commotion, it was impossible for the other two experts from the Hua family not to know.

"Hopefully, the Kung Pao Chicken can hold off the middle-aged man this time, so this place will become the grave of that white-haired old man." Looking at the familiar terrain around him, Wang Xiao muttered to himself, finally fixing his gaze on the flowing river, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

Just as Wang Xiao was concentrating on his plan, a strong sense of crisis suddenly surged into his heart.

He instantly entered a state of combat readiness, his vital energy rapidly circulating and converging on the Seven Star Sword, causing the sword to gleam with dazzling light.

A sharp gaze, like an eagle eyeing a rabbit, locked onto him. Wang Xiao instantly felt himself transformed from hunter into prey, being scrutinized by the other party.

He slowly turned around, remaining highly vigilant and giving his opponent no chance to launch a surprise attack.

Ten meters behind him, beside a dense tree, stood a man with his hands behind his back; it was Xiao He of the Haoqi Pavilion.

He was dressed in blue, his hair flowing in the wind, and his eyes were as bright as stars, yet they concealed two cold, sharp swords, exuding a chilling aura.

The moment their eyes met, Wang Xiao felt a sense of foreboding—the white-haired elder of the Hua family could arrive at any moment, and at this crucial juncture, Xiao He, whose true nature and intentions were unclear, suddenly appeared.

The fact that he couldn't see through the other party's cultivation level only meant that Xiao He's strength was at least as high as his; the fact that he could bypass his powerful spiritual sense and appear behind him silently further proved that the other party's cultivation was definitely above his.

Xiao He's appearance filled Wang Xiao with a sense of powerlessness. Was his painstakingly devised plan about to fail because of this?

Leaving aside whether the decapitation operation can continue, if Xiao He were to make a move now, it's uncertain whether he could escape unscathed given his battered and crippled body.

Xiao He strode over leisurely, and an invisible pressure quietly spread out. Fine sweat slid down Wang Xiao's face, and his whole body muscles were tense like a fully drawn bowstring.

He dared not relax for a moment, his spirit and energy were highly concentrated, and he was on full alert—at this moment, he absolutely did not want to make any more enemies, so naturally he would not take the initiative to attack.

After all, he couldn't even gauge the strength of his opponent, and he neither wanted to nor was willing to fight a battle he wasn't confident of winning.

To Wang Xiao's surprise, Xiao He seemed to have no intention of making a move.

He brushed past Wang Xiao as if nothing had happened, and walked unhurriedly into the woods, leaving only one sentence echoing in Wang Xiao's ears: "You are that person's disciple, aren't you? It's a pity you are not worthy to be his disciple. A swordsman should always entrust his back to the sword in his hand, but you did not."

These inexplicable words left Wang Xiao completely baffled.

He watched Xiao He's receding figure, let out a long breath, and temporarily suppressed his doubts—he had no time to think about these things now.

A thunderous roar echoed from the hillside; the Hua family's reinforcements had finally arrived. Since Xiao He had no intention of taking action, the decapitation plan would naturally continue.

Wang Xiao tucked the Seven Star Sword into his waistband, switched back to the posture of holding a long saber in his right hand and a long sword in his left, and with a flash, disappeared from the spot.

"Ah—!" A furious roar echoed from the hillside forest. The white-haired old man, like a madman, charged back and forth across the area where the battle had just taken place, his eyes filled with a murderous intent that was almost tangible. "Search! Dig three feet into the ground and find that little bastard!"

The group of Hua family disciples dared not slack off and searched every inch of the small hillside several times, but they still could not find Wang Xiao.

Overwhelmed with grief and rage, the Hua family members dug a grave on the spot and buried the old man in red. Before the grave, they swore an oath, united in their hatred, to avenge the old man and kill their enemy.

At midday in summer, the weather was unbearably hot. The scorching sun baked the earth, and the leaves on the trees drooped listlessly.

After a fruitless search, the Hua family members were all exhausted. Led by the white-haired elder, they headed towards the valley, intending to cool off by the river for a while before continuing their search.

Even though they planned to rest, they did not let their guard down. They first carefully searched the area around the valley and only dared to approach the riverbank after confirming that there were no ambushes.

Just as everyone was about to bend down and wash their sweat with the river water, a member of the Hua family suddenly straightened up, pointed to the middle of the river, and gestured to the others.

Everyone immediately gripped their weapons and looked in the direction he was pointing. They instantly noticed something unusual—tiny streaks of blood were appearing beneath the surface of the river, only to quickly disappear under the force of the current. These subtle traces were almost imperceptible without close observation.

"There's someone at the bottom of the river! And they're injured!"

At this point, everyone realized that Wang Xiao, whom they had been searching for so desperately, was hiding at the bottom of the river!

Even Wang Xiao himself probably didn't expect that his wound, which he hadn't had time to properly bandage, would slowly bleed, ultimately revealing his whereabouts.

The white-haired old man revealed a sinister smile and slowly raised his hand, signaling everyone to step back.

He raised the iron staff above his head, gripped it tightly with both hands, and leaped upwards. Then, with the force of "splitting Mount Hua," he slammed it down on Wang Xiao's hiding place.

An unparalleled force, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind, slashed towards the river surface. A surge of energy rippled through the air, and the originally turbulent river was forcibly cut in two by this overwhelming force!

"Splash—" The water surface suddenly exploded, and the spray rose up, stirring up waves all over the sky.

Just as the white-haired old man crashed into the water, several huge tree trunks, as thick as large bowls, suddenly flew from the upper reaches of the river, carrying a howling wind, and aimed straight at his forehead!

At this moment, the white-haired old man was in a critical state where his old strength had just been exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated.

But he was, after all, a seasoned veteran with extensive experience in combat. In the critical moment, he made a decisive move, switching to gripping the staff with one hand, freeing up his other hand, and simultaneously retreating rapidly while thrusting his palm forward with tremendous force, attempting to block the flying giant log.

"Farewell! Go to the underworld to serve your master again! In a few days, I will send him down to keep you company!" Just then, a cold whisper suddenly sounded behind the white-haired old man. The voice was not loud, but it carried the chill of death's summons.

The white-haired old man, already exhausted from slamming his scepter down, was then attacked by the giant tree while recovering. Left with no other choice, he unleashed his remaining vital energy to block the tree. But he never expected the real killing blow to come from behind!

After completing this series of parries, the white-haired old man was at his last gasp and had no time to react. He didn't even have time to let out a scream before a blazing blade of light pierced his back, and blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly filling the air with a pungent smell of blood.

Wang Xiao gave the white-haired old man no chance to struggle in his death throes. He swept his long sword across the body, severing it in half at the waist.

The mutilated body fell into the river, and the blood mingled with the water, staining a large area of ​​the surface red.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, leaving the Hua family with no time to react. This was Wang Xiao's decapitation plan—a surprise attack, catching them off guard.

First, he used a ruse to lure and kill the old man in red, deliberately provoking the Hua family to send reinforcements. Second, he sent Kung Pao Chicken to distract Hua Zhijun's team, creating an opportunity for him to fight alone. Third, he waited there in ambush to kill the arriving white-haired old man. He left bloodstains at the bottom of the river as a feint, luring the old man to make a move, then used a pre-arranged giant wooden trap to disrupt his rhythm, finally delivering a fatal blow when the old man was off guard.

After dealing with the white-haired old man, Wang Xiaogang breathed a sigh of relief, but a fierce palm strike swept over him like a raging wave, slamming heavily onto his back!

"Pfft—" Blood gushed from Wang Xiao's mouth and nose instantly, and a tearing pain shot through his chest. He was horrified: his internal injuries had been exacerbated, reaching an unbearable level!

He never expected that there would be other experts coming to his aid.

According to his plan, after dealing with the white-haired old man, the ordinary members of the Hua family wouldn't have time to organize a counterattack immediately. But this sudden palm strike indicated that the white-haired old man wasn't the only powerful figure to arrive as reinforcements!

In excruciating pain, Wang Xiao reacted instinctively, swinging his blade backward. The blade's light, like the silvery glow of a full moon, poured down, barely blocking the enemy's subsequent attack and forcing the attacker back several steps.

He staggered forward several meters, tumbling several times before barely managing to regain his balance. In the end, he could only rely on the support of his long sword in his right hand to avoid collapsing to the ground.

At that moment, he felt as if his internal organs were burning, and he was in excruciating pain in his waist and abdomen.

Caught completely off guard, he took the full force of a powerful opponent's attack head-on. If his physical body hadn't been tempered by the "Nine Heavens of Ice and Fire" to be strong enough, he would probably have died on the spot.

His internal injuries erupted completely, his vital energy was chaotic and disordered, and excruciating pain swept over every inch of his body like being cut by a knife. His breathing became extremely heavy and disordered, and he had to open his mouth to help him breathe.

After this attack, Wang Xiao's remaining fighting strength is less than one-tenth of what it used to be.

As he struggled to regain his footing, the Hua family members seized the opportunity to surround him, their eyes filled with venom, weapons in hand, closing in step by step.

Upon seeing the attacker's face, Wang Xiao's eyes suddenly glazed over, his face filled with disbelief. He weakly asked, "You...you're also from the Hua family?"

He spoke a short sentence, but it took him a long time to finish. As soon as he finished speaking, he spat out several mouthfuls of blood, his body swaying precariously, as if he might collapse at any moment.

Standing directly in front of him was none other than Ye Changtian of Yan Yi Palace! It turned out that Ye Changtian had been disguised as a member of the Hua family, concealing his aura and lurking in the crowd, until he found this fleeting opportunity to launch a fatal attack on Wang Xiao.

"I am not a member of the Hua family." Ye Changtian's face revealed a playful smile, which was then replaced by murderous intent. He said coldly, "It is our duty as cultivators to kill a treacherous wretch like you!"