Regarding the nonsensical banter of these big shots, the person in charge of the scene seemed to neither hear nor see it, steadfastly fixating on the image in the mirror without a move.

Wei Mo knew full well that these Domain Masters were eager for excitement and were instigating trouble; how could he fall for such childish gambits, or publicly admit defeat and invite mockery? Thus, he implicated them all on the fly, "Gentlemen, you can't just talk without taking responsibility. How about this: if I lose the bet, you all help him clean up, but if he loses, he helps all of us clean up, how does that sound?"

The Domain Masters were momentarily stunned.

Chi Rang burst out laughing on the spot, "Fine, I have no problems with this. It just depends on whether you dare to take the bet."

In his eyes, Xuan State was most likely to take first place, and even if that didn't happen, with the overall strength of Sheng Province, it wouldn't be possible to win the prize.

Since he would not lose either way and may even make a bunch of people embarrass themselves, naturally he had nothing to fear about taking the bet.

Seeing that the crowd was about to back down, Wei Mo quickly twisted the knife, "Come on, what are you afraid of? Don't boost his morale and dampen our own prestige; let's fight him. I can't bear his petty face, if not for reason, we must fight for our pride. To endure or not to endure, that is the question. Bite him; take the bet with him."

He threw their taunting words back at them, lest they ridicule him for not daring to bet afterwards.

This response came too swiftly, thoroughly exposing the shameless faces of the bunch.

There were those who could suffer in silence and those who cared about their reputations. A certain Domain Master suddenly stood up, turned to the others and said: "Gentlemen, let's bet; there's nothing to be afraid of, let's take him on."

While speaking, he gestured behind Chi Rang's back, winking and signaling frantically at everyone.

The crowd got the message; losing didn't matter. If everyone collectively reneged on the bet, Chi Rang couldn't do anything to them. It was more important to save face in the moment.

"Alright, we'll take him on."

"Wei Mo, just as you said, we'll take the bet with him."

"Bet."

"Taken the bet."

This time it was Wei Mo's turn to be stunned, and Chi Rang was also surprised. Both were sitting in the front and hadn't seen the shenanigans behind their backs.

With the taunting having reached this point, there was no turning back — whoever backed down was a loser. What could Wei Mo do but agree?

Just as the bet was being finalized, Chi Rang, who was still looking at the mirror image, suddenly exclaimed, "What are they doing?"

Not just him, everyone was surprised to see Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang not only releasing their hostages in the mirror image but also the Xuan State sects retreating from their encirclement. Then, both sides, seemingly without any guard, mixed together and collectively left the scene.

No signs of coercion were present, and Wu Jinliang, armed with his knife, was even walking arm-in-arm and chatting with a man from the Blue Spruce clan as if they were close relatives.

"What does this mean? I can't understand. Xuan State's unlikely to join forces with other provinces."

"Even if they form an alliance, those two have no right to represent Sheng Province's participating sects in making this decision."

"Could these two be impersonating members of Xuan State's sects, infiltrating Xuan State to create havoc from within?"

"Think a little, with just the two of them, what could they possibly disrupt? They didn't even change their clothes; wearing clothes from Wukang Mountain to impersonate members of Xuan State's sects, what are you thinking? Is everyone from Xuan State a pig? Didn't you see just now that they've already verified their nameplates?"

"Joined the Xuan State side? Even less likely. If members from Sheng Province participating in the gathering joined Xuan State, Wei Mo would definitely kill them afterwards."

"Think about it from another angle. They were surrounded and wanted to save their lives; they'd surely have to pay a price. Why should Xuan State let them go, and what could move the Xuan State group? The points of interest couldn't possibly lie with those two; the greatest likelihood is that it's related to Sheng Province behind them."

"Send those two back to Sheng Province to act as undercover agents?"

"Exactly. Looking at the situation, this is the most likely possibility. By planting a spy on Sheng Province's side, they could not only monitor the harvesting of the Insect Extreme Crystal but also coordinate precise attacks."

The collective speculations of the Domain Masters darkened Wei Mo's face considerably, as he stared intently at Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang within the mirror image.

Chi Rang, on the other hand, listened with glee and laughter.

On the viewing platform on another hillside, Young Master Nan, having seen that Shi Chun and his companion were safe and had even formed an alliance with Xuan State, exclaimed in wonder, "These two guys are impressive."

Miao Yilan, who had been watching closely, also breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly realized something and said to her mother, "Mother, this scene seems quite long."

Lan Qiaoyan turned her gaze back to Young Master Nan.

Caught off guard, Young Master Nan quickly waved his hands, "Not me, not me, sister-in-law, I swear it wasn't me this time."

Not only here, similar discussions and noises also arose within the training ground. Many sects that had spent money to queue up, and had been waiting for a long time without their turn, began expressing various dissatisfactions after being unable to see the situation of their own disciples.

Elder Ke ignored all that noise, staring blankly at the mirror image that showed the two miscreants mingling together with the Su Yuan Sect group, dazed and a bit confused, not understanding what was going on. He only knew that the antics of the two lads were attracting more and more attention—couldn't they just keep a low profile?

Even Feng Chi, shrouded in her cloak, was taken aback, not expecting such an outcome. But then, thinking about it, this seemed to be the best result after all—Shi Chun and his group would definitely be at a disadvantage if a real fight broke out.

The dissatisfaction from within the training ground was quickly relayed to the best viewing platform atop the hill, with someone whispering a few words into the ears of the organizers.

After the organizer nodded slightly, he approached a group of Domain Masters and asked, "Honored Domain Masters, many sects have spent money and still have not had their turn. They are complaining about the excessive occupation of the Heavenly Mirror time and have brought it up to Yang Wu. Yang Wu sent someone to ask if we can now allow the mirror to switch according to the rules. Can we?"

Chi Rang criticized directly, "That's Yang Wu's problem. One look at his sly face and you can tell he's no good. How could he use such a thing to make money?" Then he turned to ask everyone else, "The other images aren't that interesting anyway. Why not just watch this one? What do you all think?"

No one objected to the first sentence, but as soon as the latter was spoken out loud, someone immediately advised, "Let it go, let it go. The fighting has already started, and all the sects are anxious to know about the status of their disciples. Let's give it to them."

"Yes, indeed. Since they've been summoned here and it's already turned so bloody, there's no need to cause further discontent at such a critical time."

The ones who had opinions were all under them, so most of the Domain Masters were quite reasonable. They had been watching the Xuan State's images for a long time, and Chi Rang, of course, had no objections. But they couldn't agree with his stance.

So the image in the Heavenly Mirror was quickly returned to the various sects.

The blue fir bearded man called Chu Jingtang—a leader of the Bilan Sect—Shi Chun watched wide-eyed as Wu Jinliang got on very well with him.

After returning to their camp with the Xuan State group, the two followed Guan Wen to the central area of the camp, and on a hillside in the center, they met Mulan Qingqing.

Indeed, she was a very beautiful woman; with looks, figure, and temperament, as well as a great background, both were immediately attracted by Mulan Qingqing's beauty and grace.

Shi Chun was still okay. He had ideals in his heart and was not easily tempted by beauty, but even he had to admit that his previous scope had been too narrow.

In the Land of Exile, he thought Miao Yilan's beauty was unparalleled, but now, it seemed like a frog in the well. In terms of beauty, whether it was Xiang Laner or the present Mulan Qingqing, in fact, they were both far more beautiful than Miao Yilan.

Wu Jinliang, however, was a bit over the top, staring at Mulan Qingqing with unblinking eyes, ignoring the other members of the Su Yuan Sect.

Mulan Qingqing seemed to have grown accustomed to this kind of attention. After a flicker of barely noticeable disgust in her eyes, she adopted a chilly demeanor. After listening to Guan Wen's report, she calmly said, "Welcome to Youxia Mountain joining us; from now on, we are friends. You will be assigned to Guan Wen's team."

It seemed amiable, yet also straightforward and clear.

What it meant to be assigned to Guan Wen's team, Shi Chun and the other did not know, but for the time being, they just went along with it.

They then followed Guan Wen, watching him mobilize a group of over a thousand people to set off, with the two of them tagging along.

Initially thinking it was a routine dispatch to search for Insect Extreme Crystals, they followed the troop for half a day and noticed Guan Wen frequently checking the map, gradually realizing something was amiss.

Shi Chun quickly took the opportunity to ask Guan Wen, "Brother Guan, where are we headed?"

Guan Wen said, "West Pole, Moon Sea."

"Ah?" Both Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exclaimed in unison. The situation in that place was described in the atlas—it was very dangerous even the Heavenly Court's forces dared not venture there recklessly.

Could they have discovered our true identities as soon as they let us inside, sending us to such a perilous place?

Wu Jinliang became a bit anxious, "That's a Forbidden Land, very dangerous."

Guan Wen stopped the flying movements, turned toward the group raising a hand to signal everyone to take a rest, and then explained to the two, "That area is where the Insect Extreme Crystals are most active. We won't enter the Moon Sea, just lie in ambush outside. As soon as we detect any sect emerging from the Moon Sea, we'll organize an assault immediately."

He spoke with a calm tone while discussing the bloodthirsty plan.

So that was it. The two let go of their worried hearts a bit.

Shi Chun asked again, "It seems we've broken off from the main forces of Xuan State. Aren't they coming?"

Guan Wen replied, "We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. They will continue unaffected, following the original plan to collect Insect Extreme Crystals. Our mission to the Moon Sea is a precaution, to scout, and if a decisive situation truly arises there, the main forces will come to assist."

The reason and situation were clearly explained. Wu Jinliang looked at Shi Chun, and seeing no objections from him, meaning it wouldn't affect their plan, he also had no objections.

After resting for about half an hour, the group set off again, calmly and at a steady pace, advancing while sending out scouts ahead and on both flanks...

The Moon Sea was not a real sea, but a crescent-shaped depression in the land of the West Pole, over five hundred miles long, situated in the central region of the West Pole. It was said to have a complex terrain filled with various unpredictable dangers.

As evening approached, the group of over a thousand finally arrived at the edge of the Moon Sea. Looking out, there was a basin with very low terrain that stretched as far as the eye could see, shrouded in a layer of mist that never dispersed all year round. Occasionally, the mist parted with the wind only to soon gather again, with the setting sun's rays bestowing an endless sense of mystery, and the occasional chilling shriek echoing from within.

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