Talking to a smart person really does save trouble. Shi Chun saved us some trouble.

The three exchanged glances, with none displaying signs of doubt, thus the matter was settled.

They returned to their respective groups, summoning their people to gather everyone and agree on a meeting spot where they would reconvene, ostensibly to search for the Divine Fire.

Then, the ten elders could only watch helplessly as a group of people departed.

This time, the ten elders noted who was the most polite. Logically, people from the Land of Exile were the least versed in manners, and yet that one who bowed respectfully from afar was rather exceptional...

By the seaside, Lifebound Lanterns in the sky began dropping.

Spectators among the crowd also began to murmur at the sight, as one by one, the lanterns went out and fell onto the sandy ground.

The commotion caused Mulan Qingqing's silhouette to swiftly appear at the window of the inn, peering outside to see Shi Chun's Lifebound Lantern still intact in the sky, breathed a sigh of relief, and as she turned to go back, her gaze lingered on the amulet on the table.

Strangely enough, just a glimpse of that amulet brought to mind those forthright and flattering words that praised her beauty.

On the mountain, people from the various Artifact Refining Sects were abuzz upon seeing the falling lanterns.

The Sect Master of the Four Cauldron Sect, Yu Xingdou, stroked his beard and said, "We've only been in there for such a short while, and so many lanterns have fallen. In a way, it's a good sign. It means many have already found the Divine Fire."

An elder nearby nodded in agreement, "That's right, conflicts over the Divine Fire must have arisen, with some laughing and others crying."

No sooner had he spoken, than a disciple suddenly pointed to the sky, exclaiming, "Senior Brother Feng's Lifebound Lantern! And Elder Huang's..."

Those who knew the location of their sect disciples' Lifebound Lanterns from Four Cauldron Sect quickly looked up to see two lanterns falling, with Feng Yaoyang's name extinguished and gone, and two lifebound lanterns of Four Cauldron Sect disciples crashed to the ground.

The expressions of the Four Cauldron Sect changed drastically, and they fell silent for a long while.

There was nothing they could do; unable to enter, they were helpless to provide assistance...

Under a tree, Xiang Laner and Feng Chi suddenly turned their heads to one side, spotting a gaunt, green-robed figure nearby. His face was expressionless, and instinctively, their eyes were drawn to the chicken claw-like hand under his sleeves—they knew immediately who it was.

Their gazes met, and Xiang Laner turned to Duan Xiangmei at her side, "Xiaomei, please fetch us something to drink."

"Alright," Duan Xiangmei agreed, and departed.

Without making an excuse to send her away, this woman simply wouldn't leave, insisting on guarding those Lifebound Lanterns.

Once they were alone, Feng Chi spoke softly, "Mr. Qing, what brings you here?"

The man in green who had disguised himself barely moved his lips when he spoke, his voice very quiet, "Our key contender is gone, we can abandon the plan now."

Both Feng Chi and Xiang Laner were shocked, their eyes simultaneously darting to the gaps among the neatly arranged Lifebound Lanterns in the sky, realizing one of their key figures had been among the lanterns that fell.

But Shi Chun's Lifebound Lantern was still there. Feng Chi said, "It's not yet time to give up. As long as Shi Chun is inside, we still have a chance."

While they were speaking, the green-robed man's eyes twitched slightly, as more lanterns flickered and then sequentially extinguished, one after another falling to the ground. They belonged to disciples of the Four Cauldron Sect, and seven lanterns fell in quick succession, prompting officials to rush to retrieve them.

The green-robed man exhaled slowly, "We don't know what's happened inside, or whether Shi Chun has met with the target team, but without the support to showcase his abilities, Shi Chun is of no use inside. The higher-ups have decided to abandon the original plan, you need to evacuate quickly."

Xiang Laner asked, puzzled, "Why evacuate? We have nothing to worry about if we return, we can wait here for Shi Chun's exit."

The green-robed man replied, "Having abandoned the primary plan, we must move on to the secondary one. Once we pinpoint the location of what we seek, we may have to seize it by force. Those top Artifact Refining Sects are no trifle. If we take action, the entire Li Huo Island might be razed to the ground or vanish into the sea. If you don't evacuate in time, you'll be in danger."

Had it not been for the temporary failure of the mother and child amulets in this region, he wouldn't have come in person to notify them.

Feng Chi suddenly said, "Please inform the higher-ups, Mr. Qing, to delay the secondary plan and not to abandon the primary one just yet. As long as Shi Chun is still inside, there's still hope."

"You didn't understand me?" the green-robed man objected. "Without the point man to leverage his abilities, it's useless no matter how talented he is. This isn't about just finding a bit more Divine Fire; we lack a skilled Artifact Refining master capable of competing with those top sect disciples."

Feng Chi persisted, "I believe he will find a way. Since he accepted the mission, I trust he will make a significant impact and do everything possible to provide a satisfactory result for the higher-ups. Mr. Qing, please convey my conviction that Shi Chun will succeed."

"Your belief?" the green-robed man scoffed. "You think the higher-ups will change plans just because you say you believe?"

Feng Chi suddenly declared, "I stake my life on it!"

At that, both the green-robed man and Xiang Laner were taken aback.

Xiang Laner turned to look at Feng Chi, her face full of surprise.

The green-robed man wanted to turn and look at Feng Chi too but restrained himself, his Adam's apple moving.

Perhaps realizing she had been too hasty with her words, Feng Chi added, "If we start a fight for it, could the other two divisions resist joining the fray? Can we ensure definite success in securing it? If others snatch it away, we truly lose our chance.

Shi Chun is still inside, we let him go in because we believe in his ability. We should not doubt our judgment so quickly. Missing a few supports is inconsequential; I think he himself is the most significant support. If we lack even this much faith, why did we send him in the first place?"

"I believe in him, so I'm staking my life on it. Please, Mr. Qing, report to our superiors on my behalf."

The man in green didn't speak this time. After a moment of silence, he turned around and left.

When he had gone far, Xiang Laner said in a deep voice, "Sister Feng, have you gone mad? Even if we put aside everything else, whether this succeeds or fails has nothing to do with you. If the snatch fails, it won't implicate you, so why would you stake your life on such a thing?"

Feng Chi's hands were clenched into fists, "It's true, I have gone mad, driven mad by them!

They always told me of various hopes.

They punished me, crippled my cultivation, forced me to start over from scratch, and I accepted it.

In the prime of my life, they made me a brothel madam, and I accepted it too.

But where is the hope? They never gave me any hope!

Miss, they only play thieves, I don't believe they will succeed.

Now I see hope, I believe that only if he goes further will we have any hope.

If my hope is shattered, living a life in hiding is not worth it for me, nor does it hold any meaning. I would rather die!

I'm betting my life on his certain success!

Miss, this is my last shred of faith."

Her words were filled with an inexplicable despair.

Xiang Laner had never seen her like this and didn't quite grasp her feelings but said nothing more. Since Sister Feng had already made her choice to stake her life on this bet, she had to be prepared to pay the price.

She knew very well that disobeying orders in this way would not be taken lightly by those above.

Even without considering Sister Feng's opinion and proceeding with the secondary plan, those above wouldn't let Sister Feng go.

The only chance was for those above to listen to Sister Feng, and if the end result proved Sister Feng right, naturally, nothing would happen to her.

If the result was wrong, causing such a big delay, Sister Feng would undoubtedly die!

At this thought, a streak of melancholy surfaced in Xiang Laner's heart. Anyone left with a trace of sanity knew that Shi Chun had little hope, and so did Sister Feng. This was a surge of hysterical madness that erupted all at once...

At the edge of the magma land, the fully gathered Mingshan Sect members had waited quite a while until the Four Cauldron Sect members finally arrived.

Seeing that Shi Chun and others were indeed there, Xu Anzhang felt much relieved. This at least confirmed that Shi Chun hadn't lied, and what he said about the Divine Fire was true.

He also believed Shi Chun wouldn't talk nonsense; if Shi Chun dared to mess around, those above wouldn't let him off later.

Additionally, there were fewer members from the Four Cauldron Sect; seven less this time, seven plus two equaled nine, and now only eleven remained.

Wu Jinliang asked, feigning ignorance, "Brother Xu, your group isn't all here, right?"

Xu Anzhang sighed and said, "The murderer was indeed powerful, and our brothers paid a great price in the pursuit."

God damn it, chasing murderers, Chu Jingtang and the others couldn't help but glance at their own complete numbers, knowing full well the murderer was among them.

They also wondered how the seven had disappeared?

Shi Chun didn't care how the other side had dealt with those seven fellow disciples. Following with a sigh of regret, he said, "What a pity. If we catch the murderer, we won't let them off!"

Chu Jingtang and the others dared not let their eyes wander anymore. They also strengthened their control over their expressions, a feeling all too familiar, reminiscent of their experience during the Sky Rain Meteor Conference.

Xu Anzhang said, "Brother Chun, the best way to comfort the deceased is to fulfill their unfinished business. There's no time for sorrow now, let's focus on the task at hand. Where did you find the trace of the Divine Fire?"

Shi Chun took out the Wind Scale without hesitation, "Let's not waste any more time; let's fly over directly."

This suited Xu Anzhang's thinking, and he praised, "Good."

Thus, both groups were enveloped by the Wind Scale and lifted into the air, with Shi Chun leading the way by controlling the Wind Scale.

Having already circled around the magma ground before, he remembered some landmark features, so it didn't take long to find the turtle back where magma surged intermittently.

After the group landed, facing the rolling heatwave, Shi Chun pointed at a large magma spring and said, "Here. When we passed overhead before, I saw unusual red lights pulsing inside this spring. Brother Xu, if the Divine Fire is hiding beneath this, how should we proceed?"

Xu Anzhang's eyes sparkled as he waved his hand, signaling it was no issue, then turned to You Mu, "You, take three men and explore first."

You Mu nodded, his gaze sweeping over his fellow sect members, then he pointed to three individuals.

The four of them stood at four different points around the mouth of the magma spring, displaying their Fire Attribute Skills. A swirl of fiery aura wrapped around them and then they stepped into the magma one by one, pushing aside the molten rock as they sank, quickly disappearing from view.

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