Star Martial Soaring Cloud

When they parted, Wang Xiao secretly approached Xiao He.

They avoided the crowd and went to a secluded cliff edge.

The night wind howled, causing their robes to flutter loudly.

"Brother Xiao, there's someone you absolutely must pay special attention to. I haven't had a chance to tell you yet," Wang Xiao said solemnly.

Seeing his expression, Xiao He also stopped smiling: "Brother Lu Yang, please speak."

"Lin Shisan," Wang Xiao uttered the name, his tone heavy, "He killed Feng Rujing."

Xiao He's pupils constricted sharply, his face filled with disbelief: "What? How is this possible? Feng Rujing is the top of the Arctic Twins, her strength is firmly among the top of the cultivators who entered the island..."

"He launched a sneak attack." Wang Xiao briefly recounted what happened that day.

After listening, Xiao He remained silent for a long time, his face turning ashen: "You want me to help you..."

"No!" Wang Xiao shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Quite the opposite!"

Xiao He was taken aback: "Why?"

"What time is it now?" Wang Xiao asked in return.

Xiao He opened his mouth, and then immediately understood what he meant.

Chaos reigned on the Demon Island, and the people were filled with fear. The alliances between the various regions had just been established and were as fragile as a piece of paper.

At this point, the slightest disturbance could cause this piece of paper to fall apart.

If Wang Xiao joins forces with others to deal with Lin Shisan, what will everyone think?

People may not have seen the violence perpetrated by the Tianyi Sect, but they did see the arrogance of the Dongbin Alliance—their attempt to exterminate the disciples of the Arctic Immortal Palace.

Then, this fragile alliance, which has just been established, will fall apart, and even greater chaos will follow.

"I understand what you mean." Xiao He took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "At this moment, stability is more important than anything else."

"Not bad." Wang Xiao gazed into the distance, his eyes deep. "Our biggest enemy right now is the Tianyi Sect. Only by uniting everyone can we have any chance of survival. As for Lin Shisan..."

He paused, a hint of coldness in his voice, "If he causes trouble at this time, he will be making enemies of everyone. At that point, without us even lifting a finger, the entire Northern Plains Alliance will not tolerate him."

Xiao He nodded thoughtfully.

Lin Shisan wants to become the only prodigy of the Arctic Immortal Palace, or even the prodigy of the Northern Plains, and he will not let this opportunity slip by.

A crisis is both a danger and an opportunity.

With Feng Rujing dead, Ye Wuhen of Yan Yi Palace is elusive and has a withdrawn personality, making him unsuitable as a leader.

The heavy responsibility of the Northern Plains Alliance can only fall on Lin Shisan's shoulders.

If he were wise, he would know what is permissible and what is not.

"As for this grudge," Wang Xiao said calmly, "once the matter on Demon Island is settled, I will settle things with him myself. But you must keep a close eye on him!"

Looking at Wang Xiao, Xiao He suddenly realized that this young man was far more mature than he had imagined.

Anyone else would have drawn their sword and stormed the door long ago, but he was able to suppress his deep-seated hatred and prioritize the greater good.

"Brother Lu Yang, rest assured, I will keep an eye on Lin Shisan's every move," Xiao He said solemnly. "If he dares to make any unusual moves, I will be the first to not let him get away with it."

Thank you.

The two made a vow with a high five and then went their separate ways.

After parting ways with Xiao He, Wang Xiao went to the hot spring valley again.

The mist still lingers, and the spring water still gurgles and steams, but Lu Shu is gone.

Wang Xiao waited at the valley entrance for a full hour, then went into the valley to search carefully again, but found no trace of him.

He stood by the hot spring, gazing at the empty valley, a sense of loss inexplicably creeping into his heart.

"It's gone?" Su Qinhe asked softly.

"Perhaps." Wang Xiao sighed. "With the Demon Island in chaos, it probably sought a safer place."

He squatted down and placed the medicinal herbs and wild fruits he had brought on a flat rock by the hot spring, arranging them neatly.

"What if it comes back?" he muttered to himself.

Seeing his expression, Su Qinhe couldn't help but smile slightly, but she didn't say anything more.

The two rested in the valley for a night, during which time Wang Xiao finally revealed the whole story about the bet he made with Yan Zixi.

He spoke with great anxiety, while Su Qinhe remained calm and composed, as if she had anticipated Yan Zixi's actions.

The next morning, the two continued their journey south, and what they saw and heard became increasingly shocking.

Those once vibrant forests are now scarred by battles.

Broken ancient trees, shattered rocks, dried bloodstains... and some unburied corpses lay scattered by the roadside, unattended.

Wang Xiao and Su Qinhe remained silent the whole way.

"The more chaotic the Demon Island becomes, the more we need to remain calm," Wang Xiao suddenly said.

Su Qinhe turned to look at him.

"Besides uniting all forces to deal with the Tianyi Sect, the most important thing right now is to improve ourselves." Wang Xiao's gaze was firm and steady. "Only when we are strong enough can we adapt to any situation."

Su Qinhe nodded gently.

She noticed that after many days of training, Wang Xiao's youthful vigor was gradually fading, replaced by a composure that was incongruous with his age.

This composure gives people a sense of peace.

But Wang Xiao harbored an inexplicable unease.

He never told anyone about this unease.

The Demon Island was already chaotic enough, and everyone had too many things to do—searching for people, forming alliances, and finding ways to enter the Central Region… Everyone was so busy that they didn’t have time to rest, and he didn’t want to add to their troubles.

But that unease, like a fine thorn, remained deeply embedded in the deepest part of my heart.

Tianyi Teaching.

Without a doubt, when all the cultivators unite, the Tianyi Sect will be at an absolute disadvantage. The Dongbin Alliance alone is enough to defeat them without any chance of fighting back.

But why do they insist on doing this?

If the goal was simply to trap everyone, they could have destroyed the teleportation array and left immediately. Why insist on staying on the Demon Island?

What exactly are they plotting?

What will their next move be?

Wang Xiao thought about it over and over again, but still couldn't come up with a clue.

Could it be... a beast control technique?

He recalled the strange beasts on the Demon Island, which were of low intelligence but far stronger than those in the Fish Leap Realm.

If the Tianyi Sect really had a way to control them… Wang Xiao shuddered and dared not think any further.

After a two-week journey, the two finally arrived at the western teleportation array.

As expected, this place was also a ruin.

The massive array stone shattered into countless small pieces, scattered within a radius of a hundred feet. The ground was covered with deep trenches, and charred marks were visible everywhere, clearly indicating that a fierce battle had taken place.

Unlike the northern teleportation array, there were no corpses here.

Wang Xiao stood at the edge of the ruins, looking around.

The western teleportation array is the smallest of the four teleportation arrays.

Now that the Purple Qi Palace and the Sumeru Sect have moved east, coupled with the upheaval on Demon Island, the western teleportation array is destined to be deserted.

"As expected, this place has been destroyed as well." Su Qinhe sighed softly. Although she had expected it, she still couldn't help but feel disappointed when she saw it with her own eyes.

Wang Xiao was about to speak when his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Deep within the ruins, a wisp of smoke rose from a chimney.

The smoke was so faint that he would have almost missed it if he hadn't had exceptional eyesight.

"Someone's there?" Su Qinhe noticed it too and subconsciously tightened her grip on the jade flute in her hand.

Wang Xiao shook his head, signaling her to calm down.

The smoke from the chimney drifted leisurely, hardly resembling the appearance of someone hiding their tracks; rather, it seemed as if... someone was living peacefully here.

"Let's go take a look."

The two concealed their presence and approached silently.