Any clear-headed person could discern the implication of those words. Shi Chun's group quickly glanced toward Su Qiao, their eyes unconsciously betraying a hint of wariness.

Nor could they be blamed for such a reaction; after all, Su Qiao's behavior in inspecting for contraband had indeed been unusual.

At the same time, Shi Chun also cast several extra looks at Qu Wuming. Not related by blood or friendship, why was this person being so benevolently helpful?

The scene suddenly fell silent, and the upper echelons of the Artifact Refining Sects in attendance all wore peculiar expressions.

Su Qiao, caught off guard for a moment, suddenly laughed coldly and, pointing at Qu Wuming, counterattacked, "Shi Chun, this is Qu Wuming, Sect Master of the Yanbao Sect. You've seen for yourself the divisive skills this sect possesses, haven't you? They're inherited. When you're inside, you better be cautious around the disciples of the Yanbao Sect."

Shi Chun's group looked left and right, perplexed. No matter how they looked, everyone seemed like a bunch of bastards. They couldn't fathom what those old bastards really wanted to do.

Qu Wuming was about to speak again when the Refining Heaven Sect's Sect Master Luo Yan interjected, "Alright, there's still a crowd waiting."

So both parties shut up, and Su Qiao also returned to the group of overseers.

After ensuring everything was in order, Shi Chun and the rest continued. A lotus lamp spike pierced the wrist band hole, drawing blood to activate the iron ring and open the lotus lamp to take out the ice yang, then releasing the lotus lamp and jumping into the air through the orange ring, swallowed by the tangerine clouds.

This process was nerve-wracking for many.

Those watching from outside the mountain found it strange. Why had the orderly entrance into the sky ring stopped?

"Didn't they say there were over thirty thousand people? Surely it's not over yet?"

People began to discuss among themselves.

Suddenly, another lotus lamp flew out of the clouds.

Miao Yilan excitedly pointed out, "Mother, look! It's Shi Chun's Lifebound Lantern."

Gong Shaoci glanced at her reaction first, noting her slight thrill and loss of composure. Then, she followed her gaze.

The blue light emanating from the lotus lamp spelled out: "Shi Chun of Mingshan Sect, Shengshen Continent."

Then she saw Wu Jinliang's lamp among the successive lights. Counting the ones that flew out just now, there were precisely thirteen.

Xiang Laner, Feng Chi, and Duan Xiangmei stared intently, only to witness a group of thirteen people, in a flash, flying into the sky ring.

Duan Xiangmei voiced her concern, "I've heard it's very dangerous inside."

Xiang Laner and Feng Chi looked at her, knowing this woman's concern for Wu Jinliang. Both of them were at a loss for what to say about this woman.

Because they knew all too well; Wu Jinliang slept with this woman but fooled around with all sorts of other women outside. And yet, this woman seemed blissfully ignorant, taking care of all the chores, completely submissive to Wu Jinliang, making his life undeniably comfortable.

The key point was that she had no idea how flirtatious Wu Jinliang was outside.

Both being women, they truly wanted to say more but also felt it inappropriate to caution her.

Compared with her, they found Shi Chun to be far better, at least a thousand times better than Wu Jinliang.

The appearance of Shi Chun and his group also sparked a flurry of discussions among the onlookers.

As Shi Chun and the others were engulfed by the tangerine clouds, they felt an immense force pulling them in. Surveying their surroundings, they discovered that what had seemed like tangerine clouds from a distance were actually indescribable chaotic light streams.

Suddenly, the surrounding chaotic light streams disappeared, and their bodies, which had been pulled and controlled, suddenly regained freedom. Before them was a patch of light and dark intermingling.

They found themselves falling from the sky, above a mottled terrain where crimson lava bubbled and spewed.

The glowing areas were lava, the dark should be land, and in the distance, they could make out a starry sky—a peculiar one—where normal starlight was interspersed with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple twinkles, clearly flickering and emitting an oppressive, mysterious aura.

While rapidly falling, they instinctively used their magic to create resistance and began to slow their descent. Then, they looked back to where they came from, only to see a large swirl of dim yellow light.

It didn't take long before the rising heat waves hit their faces head-on, and they felt the reputation of the Divine Fire Domain for the first time.

Shi Chun pointed to a larger piece of land and yelled, "Over there."

Quickly, they used their magic to change course, gliding diagonally toward that piece of land.

Upon landing, they noticed that those who had arrived earlier had similar ideas. The area was already full of people; it was an excellent opportunity for observation. Shi Chun quickly activated his superpower in his right eye to size up those people.

Soon, his gaze sharpened as he noticed that among the group there were three individuals with demon flames within them; these must be his comrades.

He immediately led his group towards an empty spot near those individuals, to close the gap and avoid the trouble of searching for them later.

Once on the ground, the heat beneath their feet was likely hot enough to ignite something. Shi Chun and his group lifted their feet to adapt for a moment, practiced their protective magics, and then pulled out the ice yang and held it to their noses and mouths to breathe and refresh the air.

It could be confirmed that if it weren't for the monks, a normal person might not survive here for even a moment.

The surrounding people, after seeing them, might not recognize other sects, but they all recognized their Mingshan Sect group, and scrutinized them with watchful eyes. Shi Chun noticed that those from the Demon Path were also staring at them closely.

Having briefly scanned the surrounding environment, Shi Chun quietly issued the first order to his companions, "Be wary of those four sects' members approaching."

They all knew which four sects were referred to, Shi Chun had already made it clear beforehand, informing them that Jieyun Mountain had enlisted people from four sects to deal with them and had also asked his companions to identify members of those four sects in advance.

Chu Jingtang and the others immediately became vigilant of their surroundings.

At the same time, Shi Chun nudged Wu Jinliang with his elbow and gave a meaningful glance.

Wu Jinliang got the hint, took out a bead of Sandalwood Gold and tossed it in his hand, three tosses and then a pause; after pausing for a while, he continued the same sequence of three tosses without a pause, as long as Shi Chun didn't say stop. If anyone else saw this, they would have thought he was just bored and playing.

Shi Chun tried not to look directly at those from the Demon Path, instead using his peripheral vision, waiting for the other side to respond. Then, once they did, everyone involved would understand and they would find an opportunity to meet later.

Unexpectedly, regardless of how Wu Jinliang sent out the signals, those from the Demon Path, despite clearly seeing them, did not respond with any signals of their own, as if they couldn't understand them at all.

People continued to descend from above, and just as Shi Chun was puzzled about why the Demon Path provided no response, he sensed the sound of something breaking through the air above and immediately looked up, only to see about twenty people drifting downward toward them.

Shi Chun's mouth twitched slightly because among the twenty people descending, surprisingly, there were two who exuded demonic flames.

Instantly, he had a hunch: maybe there was more than one group sent from Feng Chi, and the earlier group perhaps was not responsible for meeting with them. He was unsure about how many groups had been dispatched or whether this group was supposed to meet them.

Soon, he had his answer. He saw that the two with demonic flames, who had just descended, were staring at the rising and falling Sandalwood Gold in Wu Jinliang's hand. One of them even met Shi Chun's gaze and curled his lips with a knowing smile.

From this scene alone, Shi Chun understood: the group that was meant to meet with them must be this one. The reason they landed nearby was probably because they had seen the undulating Sandalwood Gold Flame Energy from above.

Indeed, one of them rolled up their sleeve high, as if they were overheated.

Seeing this, Wu Jinliang and Shi Chun exchanged a look, then stopped the tossing of the Sandalwood Gold, and the person who had rolled up their sleeve also responded by lowering their sleeve.

Well then, the meeting was completed silently and without a trace.

However, the two sides seemed even more like strangers, previously they had sized each other up with their gazes, but now they no longer even spared each other an extra look. Even Chu Jingtang and the others could not tell that Shi Chun had any connection with these people.

Having completed the meeting, what remained was to wait, wait for all the participants to gather.

In the accumulating crowd, the movement of pulling out ice yang and placing it in front of their mouths to breathe was intermittent. Some even seemed impatient, perhaps feeling that it was a waste of time that could delay the search for the Divine Fire.

But they had no choice but to wait. They had to wait for the closing members to come in to announce the return location.

Shi Chun became vigilant when, among those descending from the sky, he spotted another group with demonic flames, and this time there were five of them.

He couldn't help but be astounded; three groups meant sixty people. Which of the three treasures was so valuable that the Demon Path would make such a grand gesture?

Having dealt with the Demon Path for so long, he roughly understood some things, knowing that those who possessed demonic flames were the true core members of the Demon Path.

A force that skulks in the shadows, afraid of being discovered, deploying so many core members at once indicated it was no ordinary matter.

After some thought, Shi Chun beckoned with his hand, signaling Wu Jinliang to come closer. He whispered a few detailed instructions into his ear.

Wu Jinliang nodded slightly then called over five people to follow him.

One of the Demon Path members who had just met Shi Chun noticed this scene, unsure of its meaning, and took a second glance at Shi Chun.

At the summit of Qi Yun Valley, when all the disciples of the participating sects had entered, an elder from each of the Ten Great Sects stepped forward, facing the crowd in a row.

The upper echelons of the Ten Great Sects stood solemnly, then bowed respectfully in farewell.

The selected elders of the Ten Great Sects returned the bow, then soared into the air, entering the metallic rings above successively.

Upon appearing in another world, they landed above Shi Chun and the others, surveyed the surrounding terrain for a while, and one of them used magic to shout, "Follow me!"

The ten elders flew in one direction, and the masses on the ground quickly followed in pursuit.

Only after they had left the scorched land and reached a mountain peak under the night sky did the ten elders descend, looking up at the starry sky, with stars of various colors.

When the swarm of participants arrived, resembling a horde of locusts, the elder from the Refining Heaven Sect conjured a huge golden thud three zhang tall and pounded it into the mountaintop, officially announcing, "You have only forty-nine days. On the last day, return here; latecomers will not be accommodated!"

"Yes," came the scattered responses, with the disciples of the Refining Heaven Sect in the crowd being the most enthusiastic.

The elder then waved his large sleeve and said, "Go now, seek your opportunities!"

Some quickly gathered their fellow disciples to leave, others bowed to the ten elders in farewell before departing. Shi Chun was among the latter, knowing he might be unpopular here, but one can never be too courteous.

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