The large troop had departed, and outside the sealed cave where Tong Mingshan was in seclusion, only four remained.

Wu Jinliang sat on the ground, stretching one leg, bending the other and propping his arm on his knee, idly flipping a Wind Scale in his hand out of boredom.

With Hao Ji's Wind Scale at his disposal, Shi Chun had tossed his own to Wu Jinliang, asking him to keep it as a spare, to facilitate a quicker rendezvous.

The two disciples from Four Cauldron Sect who were healing their fire injuries were genuinely focused on their recovery, leaving the duty of watchfulness solely to Lao Changtai.

"With several suns big and small in the sky, why does it feel like there's no activity?" Wu Jinliang, who was occasionally bored and observing the sky, suddenly asked the air around him.

He had heard that some continental regions also had more than one sun.

A nearby Four Cauldron Sect disciple, meditating in the lotus position, slightly opened his eyes and replied, "A day here is quite long, equivalent to three standard days."

Wu Jinliang asked, "So for the forty-nine days, are we using the time here or outside time?"

Feeling that this fellow might just be making idle conversation, the Four Cauldron Sect disciple replied, "Naturally, we go by the standard time outside."

Wu Jinliang murmured to himself, "One day equals three days, over sixteen days just a bit."

Holding an ice-sheep horn and occasionally taking a drag, the boring wait didn't last too long - maybe two hours after Shi Chun and the others had left - when faint noises could be heard emanating from within the sealed cave.

Everyone turned their heads to look.

With a crash, the cave's stone door was pushed open, and amid the sweeping dust, a figure emerged. Besides Tong Mingshan, there was no other, and his visage brimming with spirited vitality bore witness to a significant gain.

"Brother Wu," Tong Mingshan greeted proactively.

Leaping up in response, Wu Jinliang immediately asked, "How'd it go, how'd it go?"

Tong Mingshan couldn't help but laugh, "Made it!"

Slap! Wu Jinliang gave a clap of approval and then urged, "Come on, show it, quick show it."

Amused, Tong Mingshan didn't refuse. As desired, he flipped his palm, and soon a swirl of crimson flame burst forth, swiftly transforming into a dragon coiling in the palm of his hand, effortlessly maneuvered as if it were an extension of his body.

After showing off for a bit, he then withdrew the flame back into his body.

Wu Jinliang clicked his tongue in appreciation and punched Tong Mingshan lightly in the chest.

Lao Changtai was no exception as he patted Tong Mingshan on the back, "Lucky guy, you really ought to thank the Master properly when you get back."

At this, Tong Mingshan was profoundly moved and seemed at a loss for words before finally mustering, "Great kindness doesn't require thanks."

Even now, it still felt to him like a dream that someone expelled from his sect could have such an opportunity.

He clearly knew whom he should thank, and he was aware that the Master had found an excuse to bestow the Divine Fire upon him so that An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin would have no cause for complaint.

The two eagerly-looking Four Cauldron Sect disciples were filled with envy, and one asked, "I heard that after absorbing the Divine Fire, one's cultivation could be elevated by the power contained within the Divine Fire, is that true?"

Tong Mingshan replied, "What notably improved was my realm; the Fire Element realm within me has broken through to High Martial Great Success. Cultivation increase was not as significant."

Another with immense envy said, "Once the realm is elevated, boosting cultivation becomes simple. Just find some time for seclusion, and your cultivation will skyrocket."

Tong Mingshan was happy, "I hope so. Huh, where's the Master?"

Wu Jinliang chuckled, "The Master is a hard worker. Having caught wind of another Divine Fire, he's out searching for a second one for you, leaving us behind to act as your protectors."

"Ah, there's news of another Divine Fire?" Tong Mingshan was quite surprised.

He had calculated time before his seclusion and knew that the absorption of the Divine Fire took only about half a day. He hadn't expected another lead so soon; wasn't finding Divine Fire supposed to be difficult?

Wu Jinliang said, "That's enough chatter. Let's go find the Master."

Then turning to the other three, he said, "Brother Lao, you stay with the other two to continue healing. The main thing is to wait for news from the other three teams. If someone comes with a message, clearly inform them where we've gone. Once everything is communicated, you can come find us."

"Got it, leave it to us, go on with peace of mind," Lao Changtai readily promised, as did the others.

No one wanted to take risks lightly with no benefit in sight. It was much safer to hide here, especially near the exit. Should any trouble arise, they could make a timely departure.

With that, Wu Jinliang took Tong Mingshan on the Wind Scale and sped straight to their destination...

An immense metal world lay before them. Despite being covered in much dust, the exposed surfaces revealed the true essence hidden beneath.

On this metallic world, a vast metal forest had sprouted, with trees of all sizes bearing none of the customary leaves. Their contorted shapes were as if demons danced among them.

Some trees lay fallen, some branches resembled shed antlers, and the ground was peppered with smooth, round holes - riddled was an understatement.

Shi Chun and others, spying from the highest peak on the edge of this realm, felt a mysterious, tremendous shock from the flickering dim light of the darkened metal.

Due to background interference, Shi Chun's right eye superpower couldn't see very far, and he was unaware of Red Cloud Castle's position.

The rendezvous signal had already been set up on the highest peak, but the undercover agent had not yet revealed themselves, and their status remained unknown.

They waited and waited, not for the undercover agent to appear, but instead, Wu Jinliang and Tong Mingshan arrived.

When the pair reached the mountain's summit, everyone pretty much ignored Wu Jinliang as Xu Anzhang was the first to eagerly ask Tong Mingshan, "Did you succeed?"

Tong Mingshan nodded, "It's a success."

Xu Anzhang breathed a sigh of relief, the task set by the ranks above was off to a good start.

Wu Jinliang leaned in close to Shi Chun and asked, "Why are you just lying there, what's going on now?"

Shi Chun replied, "Waiting for someone to rendezvous, so we can get a clear picture of the situation at Red Cloud Castle."

Wu Jinliang said, "We've been waiting so long and they still haven't arrived? Should we blend in and scout around first?"

Shi Chun gestured to Xu Anzhang with a tilt of his chin, "Brother Xu prefers to play it safe, better to have a clear understanding of the situation before making any decisions."

That made sense, so Wu Jinliang didn't say anything more, and also started surveying that metal world.

It was hard to say whether their arrival had brought good fortune, or it was just a coincidence, but soon enough, there was movement at the foot of the mountain, and someone emerged from the iron forest, quickly making their way to the group.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man dressed in dark red, with an honest and straightforward appearance, not seeming like someone from the Demon Path.

Shi Chun activated his superpower in his right eye to observe the newcomer, feeling slightly disappointed; there was no trace of demon flame, a waste of his vital energy.

The man was surprised to see so many people, especially shocked by the sight of Wu Jinliang with his gourd and the others, as if his sense of surprise had just jumped several levels.

Upon meeting, Xu Anzhang asked at once, "Why have you only arrived now?"

The middle-aged man replied, "I was drilling through tunnels, sent to search underground without seeing any signal for the meet-up."

Xu Anzhang asked, "Did you find it?"

The middle-aged man shook his head, "No discovery yet."

Shi Chun joined in, "I am Shi Chun, may I ask for your esteemed name, brother?"

The middle-aged man immediately looked at Xu Anzhang, seeking approval in an obvious way.

Xu Anzhang inwardly smiled wryly; they already knew which sect he was from, had met him before, so even if there was ill intent, hiding his name at this point was meaningless.

He nodded slightly to indicate it was okay.

The middle-aged man then responded, "I am Zhou Wuxian, Brother Shi Chun, your name is well-known to me, famous for a long time."

Shi Chun snorted, "Just some notorious reputation, not worth mentioning. So you are Brother Zhou, a pleasure to meet you. Dare I ask, were you certain that you saw the Divine Fire?"

Zhou Wuxian shook his head, "I didn't see it myself. One of my fellow disciples saw it, but it wasn't clear, just glimpsed some light flickering within a hole. When we rushed there upon hearing it, we found nothing and have been searching until now."

Shi Chun questioned, "Not clear? Could it have been mistaken?"

Zhou Wuxian replied, "That's unlikely. Brother Shi Chun might not be aware, but those tunnels are pitch black, so the presence of light is quite apparent. Another thing, the tunnels within this metal world, once inspected, clearly seem scorched by high temperatures. And those iron trees, most likely have been molded by intense heat, with metal drippings visible on the ground. Taking all this evidence into account, the presence of Divine Fire here seems certain!"

Hearing the confirmation about the Divine Fire, Xu Anzhang perked up and asked, "Will we be discovered if we sneak in to search?"

Zhou Wuxian hesitated, seemingly uncertain about how to answer. After pondering for a moment, he explained, "This metallic terrain spans, I would estimate, roughly ten miles in radius. When we surveyed from above earlier, we noticed signs of massive impacts on the ground, probably formed by a huge meteoric iron that fell from the sky.

We have been searching for the Divine Fire for quite some time without success. After meeting and discussing, twenty of us are dispersed within these ten miles to keep watch, planning to wait until nightfall to see better, as the firelight would be easier to spot at that time. Whether you will be discovered if you sneak in, I can't be certain."

This was meant to lay out the situation for them to weigh their options.

Shi Chun added another comment, "Is the strength of Red Cloud Castle much greater than your Four Cauldron Sect? Didn't you bring any powerful Magical Treasures when you came?"

He didn't believe the Demon Path wouldn't provide any martial support here. While it was understandable not to find a suitable person to enter under constraints, it was hard to believe that the Demon Path lacked access to Magical Treasures.

He had been cautious about the thorough ambush plan against Feng Yaoyang precisely for this reason; had the assassin not been targeting him, Shi Chun, at the time, he really wanted to snatch Feng Yaoyang's Qiankun Bag as well.

Xu Anzhang said, "We have Magical Treasures, but so do they. The biggest problem is our overall lack of strength compared to them. If we must take action, we have to fight for real, without letting anyone escape. That's what complicates things. It would be best at night, harder to see."

Tong Mingshan and the others were somewhat puzzled by the conversation, but Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang immediately understood; to use Demon Skills would be to reveal their identity from the Demon Path.

Shi Chun thought for a moment and said, "Fine, we'll wait for nighttime. Since it's still early for darkness, and time here moves three times as fast, let's not waste it and head over to the Ice Field to have a look."

Nighttime suited him fine, as he could use his superpower in his right eye from high above for surveillance.

Xu Anzhang was caught between laughter and tears, "Little brother, do we really need to rush like this?"

He had not expected the individuals sent by the higher-ups to be so dedicated, seemingly even more earnest than himself. It appeared there was a good reason for choosing this particular person to come.

Before Shi Chun could respond, Wu Jinliang suddenly said, "Are you saying that the people from Red Cloud Castle have never actually seen the Divine Fire, is that it?"

Everyone turned to look at him, and Shi Chun asked, "Jinliang, what do you mean?"

Wu Jinliang gestured towards Zhou Wuxian with his chin, "Answer me first, is it so?"

Zhou Wuxian again sought confirmation from Xu Anzhang with his eyes, and after receiving a nod, he replied, "Indeed, we have not seen it, just noticed some light."

Once he had confirmation, Wu Jinliang said, "Chun Tian, if they haven't seen it, then that makes things easier. We can create a fake Divine Fire, just to distract them, and then this place will be ours to do as we please, right?"

Shi Chun rolled his eyes, "Fake the Divine Fire? With your skills, do you think they are all blind?"

Wu Jinliang chuckled, "True, my skills are indeed lacking, but someone else's are not. I'm talking to you, Sect Master, stop daydreaming. I might not be able to, but you can. Show them a trick or two of the Divine Fire."

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