Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

They hadn't gone far when a shrill scream suddenly came from the clouds to their side, followed by the sounds of clashing weapons and exploding spells. Clearly, someone had been attacked, perhaps by an attack derived from an array, or perhaps by another force acting in secret.

"Don't get distracted! Stay close to me!" Su Xiao shouted in a low voice, remaining unmoved and continuing to move forward according to his senses.

After traveling for a while, several panicked figures appeared vaguely in the clouds ahead. They seemed to be members of a small family. They were running around like headless flies, their faces full of fear. Seeing that Su Xiao and his companions had a clear route, they actually wanted to follow.

"Get out of my way!" Shi Tie's eyes flashed, and he slammed his heavy iron rod down, releasing a fierce aura that forced the men back. In a place like this, goodwill could lead to death.

Su Xiao didn't stop him, but whispered, "Speed ​​up!"

She sensed that the flow of clouds ahead seemed to become more orderly, as if guiding a certain direction.

However, trouble always comes unexpectedly. Just as the three were moving along the "path of survival" they had sensed, the clouds on their right suddenly churned, and several sharp sword lights, accompanied by a foul wind, slashed down without warning!

The target is Su Xiao, who is providing support from the center!

"Watch out!" Shi Tie reacted extremely quickly, roaring as he swept his heavy iron staff out. The staff's shadow was like a mountain, blocking most of the sword light and producing a loud clang of metal against metal! But one cunning sword light bypassed the staff's shadow and stabbed straight at Su Xiao's ribs!

The attackers were three rogue cultivators dressed in black with sinister faces. Their cultivation levels were all around the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining. They clearly wanted to kill and rob the treasure because there were few of them!

Despite the danger, Su Xiao remained calm and used the Flowing Cloud Step to its fullest extent. His figure moved to the side like a ghost, and at the same time, he drew his Qinggang Sword, the tip of which trembled as he precisely struck the side of the sword light!

With a soft "clang," the sword light was deflected. However, the three opponents were well-coordinated, with the other two attacking from the left and right!

"You're courting death!" Wang Hu roared, drawing his sword and unleashing a sharp blade of energy that slashed at the enemy on his left, forcing him back. But the enemy on his right had already reached Su Xiao!

Seeing that Su Xiao was about to be injured by the sword light, a cold light flashed in her eyes. Instead of dodging or avoiding, she made a hand seal with her left hand, and an "ice cone talisman" that she had been holding in her hand shot out, heading straight for the opponent's face! It was actually a fight where both sides would be injured!

The rogue cultivator was taken aback by the female cultivator's ferocity and instinctively parried the ice spikes with his sword. In that instant of delay, Shi Tie had already turned around and unleashed a powerful "Mountain Shattering Strike" that slammed into his back!

"Pfft!" The rogue cultivator was struck as if by a heavy blow, spitting blood and flying backward, clearly not going to survive.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the other two rogue cultivators turned around and tried to escape into the clouds.

"Trying to run? Too late!" Shi Tie, caught up in the killing intent, was about to give chase.

"Senior Brother Shi! Don't pursue a cornered enemy! The formation is fraught with danger!" Su Xiao hurriedly stopped her. Her face was somewhat pale; what had just happened, though seemingly easy, had actually taken a heavy toll on her mental energy.

Shi Tie stopped in his tracks, spitting out, "These bastards got off easy!"

After this brief but intense exchange, the three became even more vigilant. Su Xiao adjusted his breathing, focused his mind once again on sensing the movement of the clouds and mist, and after confirming his direction, continued forward.

She noticed that after the fight, the flow of the surrounding clouds and mist seemed to have undergone some subtle changes, but the faint "path to survival" still existed.

Thus, the three of them trudged through the vast sea of ​​clouds, sometimes encountering illusions created by the formation (such as suddenly appearing ferocious ghostly figures and tempting treasures), sometimes hearing screams of battle from afar, and even once nearly crashing into the edge of a hidden spatial rift, facing constant danger.

It was only thanks to Su Xiao's keen perception of formations and calm command, as well as Shi Tie's formidable combat strength and Wang Hu's steady assistance, that they were able to turn danger into safety time and time again.

Gradually, Su Xiao discovered that the closer he got to a certain direction, the more concentrated the pure spiritual energy in the clouds became, and the more regular the flow of the clouds became, as if all rivers were flowing into the sea.

"We might be close to the core of the formation, or... the exit!" Su Xiao's spirits lifted.

After traveling for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the clouds and mist ahead suddenly thinned out! Faintly, one could see the hazy shadows of mountains and the outlines of buildings behind the clouds and mist!

"We're almost there!" Wang Hu exclaimed with delight.

However, at this very moment, another unexpected event occurs!

The dense clouds on the left suddenly churned violently, and a dazzling sword light slashed out like a bolt of lightning. Its target was not Su Xiao and his companions, but rather it was aimed directly at a certain point deep within the clouds! Where the sword light passed, the clouds were forcibly parted, creating a brief passage!

At the end of the passage, an ancient stone platform can be vaguely seen, and on the platform seems to be a phantom lightsaber that is constantly changing shape!

"It's the Heavenly Sword Sect! They're forcibly attacking the array's core!" Su Xiao instantly realized.

"boom!"

The sword light struck the illusory lightsaber, producing a deafening roar! The entire cloud sea formation trembled violently! The clouds surged wildly, their previously clear flow instantly disrupted! A violent backlash from the formation swept outwards like a storm!

"Not good! The formation is backfiring! Defend quickly!" Su Xiao's expression changed drastically!

Almost simultaneously, Shi Tie roared and slammed his heavy iron rod into the ground. His entire body erupted with energy, forming a thick protective shield that enveloped the three of them! Wang Hu also fully activated his spiritual power to reinforce his defense!

"Bang!"

The violent force slammed into the protective barrier! Shi Tie groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The barrier shook violently, almost shattering! Su Xiao and Wang Hu also felt their blood churning, suffering extreme pain.

Meanwhile, from the surrounding clouds and mist came even more and more shrill screams, clearly indicating that many people had been severely injured or even killed by the sudden backlash of the formation!

"Those scum from the Heavenly Sword Sect! They can't break the formation themselves, so they just cause trouble!" Shi Tie was furious.

Amidst the chaos, Su Xiao endured her discomfort, desperately trying to sense the chaotic flow of spiritual energy caused by the backlash from the formation. Suddenly, she detected an extremely faint yet remarkably stable stream of spiritual energy emanating from the rapidly closing passage that the Heavenly Sword Sect had forcibly cleaved open!

"Over there! The array's core has been attacked, revealing a weakness! That's the gate of life! Run!" Su Xiao made a decisive move, pointing to the shrinking passage!

Ignoring their injuries, the three pushed their speed to the limit, shooting towards the passage like three arrows released from a bow! They narrowly escaped just before the passage completely closed!

The moment they passed through the passage, the raging clouds and screams behind them vanished instantly. The three of them were suddenly enveloped in a completely new world.

Beneath my feet was a solid bluestone ground, and ahead lay the ruins of a once magnificent palace complex, now in ruins. In the distance, the mountains rose one after another, brimming with spiritual energy. Although they were still filled with an ancient and desolate atmosphere, the suffocating mist had disappeared.

They successfully passed the first challenge of the Flowing Cloud Cave - the Cloud Sea Illusionary Heart Array!

Looking back, the endless, churning sea of ​​clouds still stretched behind them, completely isolating them from the previous life-or-death crisis. Only the three of them, along with a few scattered streaks of light that had stumbled out in disarray, landed before these ruins.

However, the members of the Heavenly Sword Sect were nowhere to be seen. It was unknown whether they were trapped in the formation or had gone elsewhere.

"Damn it... I'm finally out!" Shi Tie plopped down on the ground, panting heavily, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, still shaken.

Wang Hu also collapsed to the ground, his face pale, filled with lingering fear.

Su Xiao struggled to stand up straight, looking at the ancient ruins before her, her beautiful eyes flashing with complex emotions.