Star Martial Soaring Cloud

The next day, it was nearly 9 a.m., the sun had climbed to the middle of the sky, the morning mist had long since dissipated, and sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the green bamboo, dancing freely on the ground, creating a pleasant picture with light and shadow.

Wang Xiao picked a few edible wild fruits, and also used green bamboo to make two bamboo canes over three feet long. He packed his bag, put away all the miscellaneous items outside the house, and filled his bag with a lot of pre-roasted dried meat.

Before long, a slight noise came from inside the bamboo house. Lin Yueyao rubbed her eyes and sat up. The hangover-like fatigue had long since disappeared, replaced by a long-lost feeling of refreshment.

She looked down at her neat coarse cloth dress, then at the figure standing quietly outside. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she stuck out her tongue shyly—she had slept too soundly last night and hadn't expected that when she woke up, the sun would already be high in the sky.

"Brother Lu Yang, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Lin Yueyao walked out of the bamboo house quickly, her eyes bright, and as she circulated her energy, she had regained her usual agility.

She tightened the cloth bag at her waist and said apologetically, "Xuanyu Lake is located in the southern part of the outer region of Demon Island. Let's set off now."

Wang Xiao smiled and nodded, his fingertips twitching slightly as he subtly suppressed his cultivation to the Lesser Completion of the Fish Leap stage, making him equal to Lin Yueyao. He then handed her some wild fruit and a bamboo staff: "Let's go, have some wild fruit to refresh ourselves."

Lin Yueyao accepted the wild fruit and bamboo staff without hesitation, thanked them, and then headed towards the valley entrance.

Her footsteps were very light, barely making a sound as she stepped on the bamboo leaves on the ground, a skill clearly honed from years of walking in the jungle.

Wang Xiao followed closely behind, spreading out his spiritual senses to cover the entire area within a hundred feet around the two of them, constantly alerting to any movement around them.

As the two traversed the mountains and forests, Lin Yueyao proved to be adept at wilderness survival, always managing to accurately avoid hidden monster lairs and naturally formed traps.

No wonder she was able to bypass the traps I set so easily yesterday; appearances can be deceiving.

Her steps were light and steady, and she walked on the rugged mountain path as if it were flat ground. Occasionally, when she encountered an obstacle that she could not bypass, she would take out her short knife and use her precise and sharp technique to open up a path.

Wang Xiao followed beside her, silently observing her movements, and became increasingly aware that her ability to enter this demonic island alone was no fluke.

When encountering steep mountain paths, she would even reach out to help Wang Xiao; if she found any edible wild fruits, she would pick them and share them.

Her actions were natural and sincere, without the slightest affectation, which made Wang Xiao's admiration for her grow even stronger.

During the journey, Lin Yueyao would occasionally mention the customs and culture of southern Xinjiang, talk about the mischievousness of the children in the tribe, and discuss the methods of identifying spiritual herbs in the mountains. Her words were full of longing and yearning for her homeland.

As they ventured deeper, the path became increasingly rugged and difficult to traverse. The ground was covered with sharp pebbles, and the surrounding trees were no longer the orderly green bamboos, but instead were twisted, menacing trees covered with thorns.

"Let me clear the way. You've used up a lot of energy, take a break first." Before Lin Yueyao could refuse, Wang Xiao swung his bamboo cane and chopped away all the tangled vines and thorns in front of him.

The bamboo staff, crafted from Qingyun bamboo, was incredibly sturdy. In his hands, it was like a divine weapon, easily severing the tough vines with a crisp snapping sound.

Lin Yueyao didn't stand on ceremony and handed the map to Wang Xiao: "This is a route map I drew based on ancient records and my exploration along the way. We'll arrive after passing a rocky beach and a swamp. Both are dangerous places, so we need to be extra careful!"

As they passed through the rocky beach, a black-scaled leopard with the perfected Fish Leap cultivation level suddenly leaped out from behind a boulder, blocking their path.

This monstrous beast was entirely black, with scales as hard as iron, and moved with lightning speed, bringing with it a strong, foul stench as it pounced on the two of them.

Lin Yueyao reacted extremely quickly, dodging to the side in an instant. The short knife in her hand flashed with a cold light, precisely stabbing at the black-scaled leopard's weak point—its eyes.

Wang Xiao also made a move at the same time. He did not use his Yuan Qi, but relied solely on his incomparably powerful physical strength to smash a punch into the back of the black-scaled leopard.

With a muffled thud, the black-scaled leopard let out a mournful roar, its back caved in by the punch, instantly slowing it down by more than half.

Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Lin Yueyao swiftly plunged her dagger into the black-scaled leopard's eye. The beast struggled violently for a few moments before collapsing heavily to the ground, lifeless.

Both are experts in wilderness survival, yet their first collaboration was remarkably seamless.

She stood up, wiped the blood off her knife, and looked at Wang Xiao with surprise in her eyes: "Brother Lu Yang, your physical body is so strong! I'm afraid even a cultivator at the peak of the Fish Leap Realm doesn't have such terrifying strength."

Wang Xiao smiled and casually explained, "The cultivation method I practice is rather special, focusing on physical training, so I am stronger than ordinary cultivators."

He didn't say much, and Lin Yueyao wisely didn't press him further. She simply nodded and said, "The fur of this black-scaled leopard is exceptionally tough and can be used to make defensive clothing. Its scales and internal organs are also rare medicinal materials. I'll keep them for now; they might come in handy later."

As she spoke, she skillfully drew her short knife and methodically peeled off the black-scaled leopard's fur, carefully sorting out the scales and useful internal organs, and putting them one by one into her cloth bag.

After leaving the rocky beach, the road ahead became increasingly difficult to traverse, with many dark green vines entwined around the branches, and small, swollen poison sacs could be vaguely seen on the vines.

"Watch out for these vines!" Lin Yueyao hurriedly reached out to stop Wang Xiao, who was about to step forward, and pointed to a clump of vines not far away. "These are Poison Heart Vines. Once the poison sacs rupture, the venom will splatter onto the skin and cause it to fester. Even cultivators will find it difficult to resist. In our Southern Frontier, the people in the tribes often use these vines to set traps to deal with the monsters in the mountains."

Wang Xiao's heart stirred slightly, and his gaze toward Lin Yueyao held a hint of approval.

Although he could sense the hidden danger in these vines, he did not know their specific characteristics, while Lin Yueyao could see through them at a glance and knew how to break them, which was obviously a skill honed from years of dealing with danger.

Lin Yueyao took out a small pair of bronze scissors from her bag, walked quickly to the vine, and with a slight twist of her wrist, the scissors precisely landed on the node of the vine. With a gentle snip, the entire cluster of poisonous vines broke off, the cut was clean and there was no venom splattering out.

"To deal with this poisonous vine, you need to find its nodes and attack them. These are where the poison sacs gather their toxins, and they are also the most vulnerable parts of the vine." She explained patiently as she demonstrated, her tone natural and gentle, as if she were instructing a younger member of her clan. "Not far ahead is a swamp, which is treacherous and unpredictable. We cannot fly, so we can only take a detour."

As they rounded the swamp, the two were suddenly encountered by a swarm of pitch-black poisonous mosquitoes.

These poisonous mosquitoes were each the size of a thumb, with mouthparts as sharp as needles, and emitted a faint, highly toxic aura. They swarmed towards the two of them in dense numbers.

Lin Yueyao's expression changed slightly. Not daring to delay for a moment, she quickly took out a packet of pale yellow powder from her cloth bag and sprinkled it around the two of them: "This is a unique insect repellent powder from the Southern Frontier. It can temporarily repel these poisonous mosquitoes."

After the powder was sprinkled, it immediately emitted a pungent odor. The swarming mosquitoes were indeed deterred by the smell and dared not approach. They hovered around the two of them, hissing and lingering, unwilling to leave.

Seeing this, Wang Xiao swung his bamboo cane and swatted several mosquitoes that were trying to break through the scent barrier, saying in a deep voice, "Hurry up! These mosquitoes will gather in more and more, and then this insect repellent powder won't be very effective. It will be troublesome once the scent dissipates."

The two quickened their pace, moving swiftly through the swarm of poisonous mosquitoes, not daring to linger for even a moment.

Fortunately, the insect repellent powder was effective for a relatively long time, and they eventually crossed the edge of the swamp and got rid of the venomous mosquitoes.

"We should be able to see Xuan Yu Lake in about half an hour." Lin Yueyao wiped the sweat from her forehead, her tone filled with undisguised anticipation.

Wang Xiao took out a water pouch and handed it to her: "Drink some water and rest for a while, no need to rush." ​​He could clearly see Lin Yueyao's urgency, but the closer they got to their destination, the more likely they were to encounter unexpected events, so they had to stay calm—the greatest danger often lurked at the moment they were closest to success.

Lin Yueyao took the water pouch, drank a few sips, and carefully handed it back to Wang Xiao. She took a deep breath, suppressed her excitement, and said, "Let's keep going and get to Xuanyu Lake as soon as possible so we can investigate the situation and make preparations."

The two set off again, and perhaps due to good fortune, they did not encounter any major dangers along the way.

After two days of arduous travel, the view suddenly opened up ahead, and a lake shrouded in mist and cold air appeared before us. A rich mist mixed with a faint, refreshing fragrance wafted towards us.

Lin Yueyao's eyes lit up instantly. She strode forward, pointed excitedly, and exclaimed, "Lu Yang, look! That's Xuan Yu Lake!"

Wang Xiao looked in the direction she pointed and saw a green lake nestled quietly among the mountains not far ahead. The lake water was crystal clear and had a faint jade-like luster. The name "Xuanyu Lake" must have come from this.

The lake was surrounded by a dense network of poisonous vines, the thorns of which gleamed with an eerie dark purple luster, clearly indicating that they were coated with deadly poison. These vines intertwined to form a tight, giant net, completely protecting the stone platform in the center of the lake.

On that stone platform grew a peculiar lotus flower—its petals were pure white, like solidified cream, and its stamens were pale blue, radiating a soft spiritual light. It was the Xuan Shuang Qing Lian that they were looking for on this journey.

"Found it! Finally found it!" Lin Yueyao's eyes flashed with wild joy, and her voice trembled slightly.

She strode forward, but stopped abruptly a dozen feet away from the lake, her expression instantly turning serious.

On a huge rock by the lake, three figures were looking down at them. Judging from their attire, it was not hard to recognize that they were all from the Fairy Palace of Rainbow Robes.

The woman at the head of the group wore a pink dress and had a mean look in her eyes. She was already a Lesser Mastery cultivator at the Fish Leap stage. Two men stood beside her. One wore a brocade robe and had a lewd smile on his lips. He was also a Lesser Mastery cultivator at the Fish Leap stage. The other was tall and had a sinister face. His aura was calm and heavy. He was actually a Perfect Mastery cultivator at the Fish Leap stage.

The three men's gazes were like poisoned knives, fixed intently on Lin Yueyao, clearly indicating that they had been waiting there specifically for her.

"Oh, isn't this our wild girl from Southern Xinjiang? You've got some luck, actually managing to find Xuan Yu Lake. It wasn't for nothing that we waited so long." The woman in the pink dress spoke first, her voice shrill and grating. She looked Lin Yueyao up and down as if scrutinizing an insignificant ant. "What? You stole our Senior Sister Liu Yun's spot, and knowing you can't survive on Demon Island, you're rushing to hook up with some wild man for protection? With your lowly birth, what skills do you have besides such despicable methods?"

Upon hearing this, the man in the brocade robe let out a lewd sneer, his gaze roaming freely over Lin Yueyao, filled with undisguised malice: "Junior Sister Li is right, this country bumpkin's skills are nothing special. But her judgment is questionable; she picked a piece of trash after all that, with only a minor breakthrough in cultivation, and she actually dares to show off at Xuan Yu Lake?"

The tall man maintained a cold expression throughout, his eyes sweeping over Wang Xiao with a sinister gaze. The oppressive aura emanating from him slowly spread out, carrying an undeniable sense of pressure.

Lin Yueyao gripped the short knife tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white. Her face was pale, but she still stood tall, her eyes fixed firmly on the three men: "You waited here specifically to cause me trouble? I earned this spot through my own merit, so don't spout nonsense!"

She knew that the other side not only had a numerical advantage, but also had cultivators at the peak of the Fish Leap stage. There was no chance of winning in a direct confrontation, so she could only try to restrain herself and not want the situation to deteriorate further.

While dealing with the three of them, she secretly waved to Wang Xiao, signaling her to leave quickly. However, Wang Xiao remained unmoved, which made her anxious.

"Nonsense?" The woman in the pink dress laughed as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, her voice growing increasingly shrill and sarcastic. "Based on strength? Someone as lowly as you dares to talk about strength? If it weren't for Senior Sister Liu Yun showing mercy, you would have been eliminated long ago and died in the miasma of the Southern Frontier! You still dare to dream of becoming a disciple of the Rainbow Robe Immortal Palace? You're just daydreaming!"

She took a step forward, her eyes filled with venom: "Today we're here to avenge Senior Sister Liu Yun. We'll cripple your cultivation, leave you to fend for yourself on Demon Island, and take back everything that rightfully belongs to Senior Sister Liu Yun!"

"You slut! Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? You're so poor and pathetic! Don't think that just because Master Hua Rui appreciates you, you can push your luck and get too big for your britches. You even want to climb up to the Rainbow Palace?" The woman in the pink dress spat, her insults growing increasingly vile. "You've only been on Demon Island a few days, and you can't wait to hook up with some wild man! You're a born slut!"

The word "bitch" pierced Lin Yueyao's heart like a needle. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes instantly reddened, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself not to let the tears fall.

She knew she couldn't act impulsively. If she did, not only would she not get the Frost Lotus, but she would also implicate Lu Yang.

But Lu Yang beside her was either terrified or had other plans. Despite her repeated subtle signals for him to leave, he remained motionless.

"I shouldn't have agreed to let Lu Yang come along. Now I can only try my best to give him a chance to escape!" Lin Yueyao made up her mind and tightened her grip on the short knife.