Star Martial Soaring Cloud

Fear finally surfaced in Qin Wuming's eyes.

"stop!"

Yang Xuan, who was in the distance, cried out in alarm and tried to help, but he was tightly entangled by Su Qinhe's long sleeves and could not break free.

Nightmare was also forced back by Yuan Kong's slash and could not get close.

Just as the Seven Star Sword was about to pierce Qin Wuming's heart—

A dark figure appeared out of thin air in front of Wang Xiao.

Without any warning, without any fluctuation of his aura, it was as if he had always been standing there.

The shadowy figure stretched out a hand, two fingers gently pinching the tip of the Seven Star Sword.

Wang Xiao's pupils suddenly contracted.

With that sword strike, he concentrated all the remaining vital energy within his body, enough to pierce through metal and stone.

But it remained completely still in front of those two fingers, as if it had been welded shut.

"you--"

Wang Xiao looked up, trying to see the person's face clearly, but all she saw was a bottomless darkness.

The person was shrouded in black mist, obscuring their face, figure, and even gender.

But that aura... that faint, almost imperceptible aura...

He found it somewhat familiar.

Where? Where did you experience this?

The shadowy figure didn't give him time to think.

With a flick of his finger, a gentle yet irresistible force surged forth, sending Wang Xiao and his sword flying.

After rescuing Qin Wuming, the shadowy figure did not leave immediately.

He stood there, shrouded in thick black mist, his face and figure hidden in the fog, his aura barely perceptible.

But it was this very existence that made Wang Xiao's hair stand on end.

Strong.

very strong.

That kind of strength wasn't the kind of ferocity Qin Wuming possessed by relying on secret techniques, nor was it the kind of superficial strength Lin Shisan gained by absorbing the power of others. Instead, it was a kind of oppressive feeling that was ingrained in his bones and innate.

Wang Xiao could sense that this person's strength was definitely no weaker than his own, and might even be stronger.

He gripped the Seven Star Sword tightly, his muscles tense, ready to fight to the death.

Yang Xuan and Yan also noticed the appearance of the shadowy figure, and they both stopped their attacks and retreated, gathering around the shadowy figure's side.

A hint of joy appeared on Yang Xuan's face, but Yan remained expressionless. Only in his eyes, hidden behind the ghost mask, did a barely perceptible apprehension flash.

Yuan Kong and Su Qinhe quickly moved closer, the three of them back to back, ready for battle.

For a moment, the ruins fell into a brief silence.

Wang Xiao's side, which had been on the verge of victory, suddenly became lambs to the slaughter.

The presence of that shadowy figure was enough to completely tip the scales of victory.

Wang Xiao's mind raced with calculations.

His battle with Qin Wuming had depleted most of his energy, and his body had also suffered considerable injuries.

Although Yuan Kong and Su Qinhe were in slightly better condition, they had still expended a lot of energy.

On the other hand, Yang Xuan and Yan, whose combat strength was relatively intact, along with this unfathomable shadowy figure...

If a fight were to break out, their chances of winning would be extremely low.

Strangely, the shadowy figure showed no intention of making a move.

He simply stood there quietly, his gaze, shrouded in black mist, seemed to be scrutinizing Wang Xiao, and also Yuan Kong and Su Qinhe.

The gaze held no hostility or murderous intent, but rather carried an indescribable scrutiny—a scrutiny that seemed to extend beyond Wang Xiao and his companions, reaching into the distance.

"Walk."

The shadowy figure spoke again, his voice still hoarse and low, devoid of any emotion.

Yang Xuan was taken aback, and subconsciously said, "We—"

I said, let's go.

The shadowy figure's tone remained unchanged, but Yang Xuan felt as if something had choked him, his face turned pale, and he dared not say another word.

He glared at Wang Xiao hatefully, then, supporting the barely alive Qin Wuming, turned and left.

Nightmare sheathed his short blade, flashed forward, and followed.

The shadowy figure glanced at Wang Xiao one last time, his gaze flickering in and out of the black mist, as if he wanted to say something, or as if he was confirming something.

A moment later, he turned around and walked away.

His steps were slow and unhurried, as if he were not retreating from a battlefield, but rather strolling leisurely in his own garden.

But it was precisely this composure that set off alarm bells in Wang Xiao's mind.

He could have made a move; he clearly had the ability to turn the tide of the battle and wipe out all three of them. So why didn't he? Why did he just leave like that?

A thought struck Wang Xiao, and he unleashed his full spiritual awareness.

Then, he also noticed that two auras were rapidly approaching, one of which was particularly familiar.

The aura that is vast and powerful, like a surging river, belongs to Xiao He; but who is the other aura that is ethereal and otherworldly, like clouds rolling and unrolling?

It turned out to be the case.

The shadowy figure may not fear Wang Xiao, Yuan Kong, or Su Qinhe, but with the addition of Xiao He from the Haoqi Pavilion and another expert, even someone as strong as him cannot be certain of victory.

So he chose to leave, cleanly and decisively, without any hesitation.

"No worries for now, let's rest and recuperate first," Wang Xiao said with a sigh of relief.

"Brother Lu Yang!" Yuan Kong plopped down next to him, handing him a wine jug. "Have a sip to catch your breath."

Wang Xiao took the wine jug, took a big gulp, and the spicy wine finally helped him catch his breath.

Yuan Kong, unusually serious for once, shook his head: "That man in black just now, in all my years of life, this is the first time I've seen such an eerie person. His aura was so faint, it seemed to exist, yet it seemed not to exist at all; I couldn't sense its depth at all."

Su Qinhe also came over, her clothes had several cuts from the hooks, but fortunately she was not injured.

"What was he waiting for just now?" She keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Wang Xiao nodded: "He's not waiting, he's confirming."

"Confirm what?"

"Check if anyone is approaching."

Yuan Kong was taken aback, then suddenly realized: "No wonder he left so suddenly! He sensed our reinforcements had arrived!"

Wang Xiao was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "His intuition is far superior to ours—he sensed someone approaching before we even noticed."

These words caused everyone to fall silent.

A being whose strength is no less than Wang Xiao's, and whose spiritual perception far surpasses that of others...

"His spiritual sense might not be much stronger than ours, after all, we were focused on the great battle just now and were already quite exhausted." Yuan Kong suddenly spoke up, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

"Brother Lu Yang! Are you alright?"

Just then, two figures finally arrived.

The first man was dressed in a black and white scholar's robe, with a handsome face and a jade pendant engraved with the words "Haoqi" hanging at his waist—it was Xiao He of the Haoqi Pavilion.

The person behind him was dressed in a Taoist robe, with a handsome face and an otherworldly temperament, and a faint purple aura lingered around him.

He moved with a light step, his movements devoid of any worldly air, holding an ancient longsword in his hand, the scabbard engraved with intricate cloud patterns.

Xiao He rushed forward, his gaze sweeping over the three men. Seeing that they were in a sorry state but unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"We heard the commotion from afar and rushed over, but we were still too late."

His gaze fell upon the devastated ruins, then swept over the corpses lying in pools of blood. His expression gradually turned grave. "The teleportation array here... is it destroyed too?"

Wang Xiao nodded.

Xiao He took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and stepped aside to let the man in the green robe behind him pass: "By the way, let me introduce you, this is Senior Brother Wuchen from the Purple Qi Palace."

Wuchen stepped forward and nodded slightly as a greeting.

His gaze was calm and unreadable, revealing little emotion. He simply asked, "I sensed a fighting atmosphere from afar just now. Was it the work of the Tianyi Sect?"

Wang Xiao briefly recounted what had just happened. When he mentioned the shadowy figure, Xiao He and Wu Chen exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

"His strength is no less than yours, and his spiritual perception far surpasses ours..." Wuchen murmured repeatedly, his brows furrowing slightly. "Such a person is by no means an unknown figure in the Tianyi Sect."

"But he never actually did anything," Wang Xiao added. "His purpose seemed to be merely to save people."

Xiao He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Perhaps he has a reason not to act, or perhaps... the price he would pay for acting would be greater than saving Qin Wuming."

This speculation caused everyone present to fall into deep thought.

Wang Xiao shook his head, temporarily suppressing his doubts, and turned to Wuchen to ask, "Daoist Wuchen, where did you come from?"

"The east," Wuchen replied. "Several disciples from the Purple Qi Palace intended to leave through the eastern teleportation array, only to find that it had also been destroyed. I traveled north to check if the northern teleportation array was intact, but..."

He didn't continue, but the meaning was self-evident.

Wang Xiao's heart sank: "The teleportation array in the east has also been destroyed?"

"Not just the east." Wuchen's tone was calm, as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself. "As far as I know, the teleportation array in the south no longer exists either."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell into a deathly silence.

Of the four teleportation arrays, the north, south, and east arrays have been destroyed, leaving only the west array.

If the teleportation array in the west is also destroyed...

"We must get to the west as soon as possible!" Yuan Kong shouted urgently.

"The teleportation array in the west is probably in grave danger as well." Su Qinhe's tone was calm, but it revealed the hidden worries in everyone's hearts.

Everyone present understood this principle, but no one was willing to give up that faint hope.

If one teleportation array is left intact, what's the point of destroying the others?

The consequences of destroying the teleportation array were too severe. Even those present, all of whom were the pride of their respective regions, could not accept such an outcome, let alone the others who were trapped.

Trapped on the Demon Island forever, their fate unknown.

From this moment on, the Demon Island no longer offered any opportunities to anyone; instead, it became a doomsday hell.

After a brief moment of distraction, Wang Xiao quickly regained his composure, his tone revealing a hint of optimism: "There's no need to despair too much. The people of the Tianyi Sect won't trap themselves here. If nothing unexpected happens, Demon Island will soon be in chaos. Let's find a safe place and plan our next move."