Chapter 913: Water Jade Body

Three figures, one man and two women, were seated cross-legged on a flying shuttle. They occasionally glanced behind them, their faces filled with panic, as if something terrifying was pursuing them.

The man was a scholar, his face as pale as gold leaf. He clutched his chest and coughed incessantly, appearing to be severely injured.

Of the two women, one was a middle-aged beauty, and the other was a girl who looked only fifteen. They bore a striking resemblance, likely mother and daughter.

It seemed they were a family.

The flying shuttle was jointly propelled by the middle-aged beauty and the scholar, both cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage. However, for some unknown reason, they appeared panicked and disoriented.

The middle-aged beauty's condition was also not good; her spiritual energy was almost depleted, and she was barely holding on.

The girl, only at the Qi Refinement stage, had a beautiful face full of anxiety but could do nothing to help. She could only gently support the scholar, quietly sobbing.

The scholar suddenly coughed violently several times, then spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face growing even paler.

The flying shuttle suddenly trembled, almost plunging into the sea.

The middle-aged beauty cried out in alarm, biting her lip. She over-drafted her spiritual energy without hesitation and barely managed to stabilize the flying shuttle.

"Father..."

The girl was terrified. She tearfully supported the scholar, frantically channeling spiritual energy into his body to help suppress his injuries. However, her cultivation was too low, and her efforts were merely a drop in the ocean.

"Senior brother, your injuries..."

The middle-aged beauty stabilized the flying shuttle and asked anxiously.

"It's nothing," the scholar said, waving his hand repeatedly. "I was accidentally struck in the chest earlier. Now the congealed blood has finally dispersed, and I feel much better after spitting it out. As for you, junior sister, quickly take a spirit pill to recover your spiritual energy and give me the flying shuttle. We'll need your help later to escape that demon..."

The scholar swallowed the blood in his mouth and gazed into the distance. He saw a small island appearing at the edge of their sight. Unlike other desolate islands, strange, colorful mist floated above it, and indistinct dark figures flickered.

"That should be the Poisonous Island ahead," he murmured. "As expected, there's miasma and Corroding-Winged Eagles!"

The scholar's face brightened with joy, and he hastily took out a jade bottle.

The jade bottle contained three dark, unappealing pills.

As soon as the lid was opened, a pungent stench filled the air.

The scholar, as if oblivious to the smell, poured out one pill each for his wife and daughter, urging them repeatedly, "Quickly take these Yin Toad Pills. They will allow you to blend into the poisonous miasma and resist the venom of the Corroding-Winged Eagles for a short period."

The beautiful woman and the girl took the pills as instructed.

The scholar looked at them, his eyes flashing with boundless affection, but he quickly suppressed it and said resolutely, "Junior sister, once we land on the Poisonous Island, we will split into two paths. Your Crimson Tassel Tent can conceal your aura, and the Poisonous Island is dense with miasma, so even that demon will find it difficult to detect you. Seize the opportunity and immediately flee with Ying'er."

"Senior brother, you intend to... no..."

The middle-aged beauty's face turned ashen with shock, but before she could speak, the scholar stopped her with a wave of his hand.

"Junior sister!"

The scholar looked into the beautiful woman's eyes and said solemnly, "When we first escaped into the Rifting Wind Archipelago, we already anticipated this day. Your senior brother has lived a lifetime longer than ordinary mortals, and I am content. The Yin Toad Pills can only help us resist the poisonous miasma and the venom of low-level Corroding-Winged Eagles. But we have already alarmed the Core Formation stage demon behind them, and this demon undoubtedly possesses similar means. Only by luring out the Corroding-Winged Eagle King can we entangle them. Without doing so, it will be impossible to shake off our pursuers. You have always been strong-willed, even more so than men; at this critical moment, you must not be swayed by emotion..."

Before the scholar could finish speaking, the girl was already sobbing uncontrollably. "Father! Mother! It's all my fault; I'm dragging you down. Please send me back. That demon might want to take me as a disciple..."

"Don't talk nonsense."

The scholar pulled the girl into his embrace, gently stroking her back, his face filled with reluctance. Finally, with a slight pressure of his palm, he rendered the girl unconscious and handed her to the middle-aged beauty.

"Junior sister, take good care of yourself and Ying'er."

The middle-aged beauty's face was already streaked with tears. She silently held the girl tightly in her arms and, under the scholar's stern gaze, finally nodded.

The scholar's expression softened, and he said with a smile, "Don't worry, junior sister. I will do my best to preserve my life and reunite with you..."

Despite his words, the scholar did not mention a meeting place, and the middle-aged beauty seemed to have forgotten about it too.

A deathly silence fell over the flying shuttle.

Soon after, the flying shuttle reached the vicinity of the Poisonous Island. Its light dimmed, and the beautiful woman retrieved it into her palm. Then the scholar and the beautiful woman exchanged a look and directly plunged into the Poisonous Island.

Just then, a deafening roar came from the distance. A grayish-black malevolent wind swept up massive waves, pursuing them relentlessly to this location.

"Oh no," someone exclaimed. "They truly were headed for the Poisonous Island! They've already entered it!"

Upon seeing the trio's actions, an elder within the black wind changed his expression drastically.

Four other people stood beside him, all Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

Seeing this situation, their faces all sank, and fear appeared in their eyes. One of them spoke, "Inside the Poisonous Island, not only are there swarms of Corroding-Winged Eagles, but there might also be a Demon King. Those three fools are rushing to their deaths; we can't go along and get buried with them. Fortunately, we noticed their unusual movements early and have already informed the Cave Master. The Cave Master should be here by now..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a cold snort suddenly echoed in their ears. "A bunch of trash! You couldn't even stop two injured individuals. I had to come personally, almost ruining my important plan. Follow me onto the island immediately to capture them. That girl is my predetermined cultivation vessel. If anything happens to her, I'll skin you alive first!"

Upon hearing these words, everyone's faces filled with terror. They glanced around and only then noticed a faint phantom figure easily passing them and flashing towards the Poisonous Island.

"The Cave Master wants us to go onto the island too," someone said anxiously. "If we get poisoned, our lives might be forfeit..."

Someone looked utterly panicked.

The expressions on the others' faces were also grim.

One of them sighed, "The Cave Master has already given the order. Who among you dares to disobey? Compared to facing the Cave Master's wrath, I, Wu, would rather be poisoned to death on the island."

At his words, everyone seemed to recall something and couldn't help but shiver.

The elder said gravely, "Daoist Wu is right. This girl possesses a Water Jade Body. It's said that cultivating water-attribute techniques with it yields twice the results with half the effort. While not a peak spiritual physique, it is quite rare. Among the cultivation vessels recorded in the demonic art the Cave Master practices, there happens to be one that is a Water Jade Body. Since he discovered this girl, he certainly wouldn't miss her. We can only blame ourselves; we didn't expect that couple to be cultivating a dual-cultivation technique. Their power surged when they combined their attacks, catching us off guard and allowing them to escape. I have a few antidote pills here; their efficacy is only so-so. After taking them, fellow Daoists should be able to resist the poison clouds of low-level Corroding-Winged Eagles. As for the Eagle King, I presume the Cave Master won't send us to our deaths..."

The others exchanged glances, having no better ideas. They could only obey the command. They thanked the elder one after another, took the spirit pills, and swallowed them.