"Still have to follow?"

Hao Ji grimaced but didn't object.

Then the three of them vanished instantly.

While Shi Chun was scouting for Xu Anzhang, a figure flashed into view—not just anyone, but the returning Chu Jingtang, sneaking around suspiciously.

Shi Chun eyed him suspiciously, "What are you doing?"

Chu Jingtang appeared confused as well, "Master, I'm puzzled about something. Now that we've found the Divine Fire, why not leave it for Tong Mingshan? Having an artifact-refining expert, whether it's for winning competitions or anything, wouldn't that be better?"

Without thinking, Shi Chun retorted, "Where is Tong Mingshan?"

"Uh..." Chu Jingtang said, "Didn't he go to the exit area with Wu Jinliang?"

Shi Chun asked, "When is he coming back?"

Chu Jingtang hesitated, "Well, since it's a diversion, I'm afraid we can't be sure of his exact return."

Shi Chun stated, "You don't know, and I don't know. What if something happens and he can't make it back? Time waits for no one. If there were no other news about the Divine Fire, then waiting would be justifiable, but the issue now is, if we're late, the Divine Fire on the Ice Field might be taken away by others, it might even be gone already. Finding another Divine Fire is more worthwhile than fussing over who to give it to. If Tong Mingshan is here, it's his; if not, why not give the chance to An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin? They're all our brothers."

Is that so? Chu Jingtang was speechless, realizing it was just their straightforward, candid way, and they had been overthinking it.

"Enough with the chatter, go about your business," Shi Chun waved his hand dismissively and leapt into the air, riding the Wind Scale to find Xu Anzhang.

Sometimes, some things are indeed a matter of timing and fate.

Flying around in the air, Shi Chun hadn't found Xu Anzhang yet when he saw another Wind Scale speeding from a distance. The rider probably noticed him too and flew over quickly. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Wu Jinliang and Tong Mingshan returning.

Seeing that both were unharmed, which of course meant things went smoothly, Shi Chun shouted, "Help me find Xu Anzhang, he might have crawled inside a hole."

Wu Jinliang gave a thumbs up, signalling no problem, and quickly turned to fly in another direction to assist in the search.

After much searching by the two, Xu Anzhang was still nowhere to be found, making it very likely that he had indeed gone inside a hole.

Given that the surface area spanning ten or so miles had been thoroughly searched, it seemed more plausible that Xu Anzhang was underground, possibly looking for the Divine Fire.

Shi Chun had no time to waste; upon encountering Wu Jinliang again in the air, he gestured downwards.

The two landed on a metallic highland, and Shi Chun said, "Where is your big sword? Knock and get him out."

"Sure thing," Wu Jinliang drew a sword from his Qiankun Bag, and with its back, he slammed it against the metal slope. The powerful vibration buzzed and trembled into the distance, numbing their feet.

After knocking, Wu Jinliang thought of something and asked, "Chun Tian, our knocking, wouldn't have scared the Divine Fire into hiding, right?"

"Not likely." Shi Chun replied offhandedly and looked around since he had already spotted members from the Four Cauldron Sect popping up one after another.

Shortly after, Xu Anzhang, who had emerged from God knows where, was riding the Wind Scale, surveying overhead, trying to figure out what was happening.

Shi Chun pointed at the big sword, then at the ground.

Wu Jinliang gave the big sword a couple more taps, this time more gently. It was enough to make a sound, enough to draw people over.

Indeed, Xu Anzhang immediately flew over and landed. Seeing Wu Jinliang and the other person, he knew things had gone smoothly and smiled, saying, "You're back." He then asked, "Was that you knocking just now?"

Shi Chun replied, "I've been looking for you for a long time, couldn't find you anywhere, and got anxious, so I had no choice but to resort to that."

Xu Anzhang, puzzled, asked, "Anxious about what?"

Shi Chun said, "We've been unable to find it here for a long time. I'm worried that if we keep lingering here, the Divine Fire in the Ice Field will be taken by others. So I thought, let the people from Four Cauldron Sect continue searching here while I take the members of the Mingshan Sect to the Ice Field to see if we can still make it in time."

Upon hearing this, Wu Jinliang immediately looked skeptical, his gaze sizing up Shi Chun.

He knew Shi Chun too well. Not having secured the item here and giving up for such a reason didn't seem like something the Master would do. Worried about the Divine Fire in the Ice Field but not about the Divine Fire here?

More importantly, he knew about Shi Chun's superpower in his right eye.

After glancing quickly at Shi Chun, Wu Jinliang immediately controlled his facial expressions, showing a serious and contemplative nod.

Tong Mingshan had also thought it was better to proceed one by one but seeing Wu Jinliang's reaction, he began to doubt his own thoughts, wondering if he had been too hasty.

Xu Anzhang, on the other hand, looked bewildered and then could not help but laugh and cry, saying, "No, brother, this quest for Divine Fire, it's the first time I've heard of someone rushing like this. Isn't it always done one by one? You can't bite off more than you can chew, it must be done step by step."

"I understand your urgency, but being hasty is useless. Since ancient times, where has Divine Fire been easy to find? It has always been like us, first pinpointing the target location, then searching carefully, and after finding it, figuring out how to get it."

"Some are lucky and succeed quickly. Those less fortunate might struggle for a long time before they catch one. We're lucky to have found the target location so quickly; we should cherish that. You should know that most people leave the Divine Fire Domain empty-handed. Previously in the magma region, we were simply lucky; we can't expect to be so fortunate every time."

"Besides, over in the Ice Field is the second-ranked sect in the Artifact Refining World, Shudao Mountain, which has extraordinary strength. If you run over there and compete with them, forgive my bluntness, but it's akin to seeking death. If you go, it would be in vain. It's best to handle what's in front of us first."

Shi Chun said, "I didn't plan to compete with them. Aren't the two of them back now?"

What's the relationship with those two? Xu Anzhang, puzzled, asked, "What do you mean?"

Shi Chun replied, "If we can lure away Red Cloud Castle, we can also lure away Shudao Mountain. Just let these two run another trip."

"..." Xu Anzhang instantly understood his meaning and was left speechless.

Wu Jinliang, chuckling, said, "No worries, I'm tall with naturally long legs, built for running errands, such a minor issue is easy to handle."

Tong Mingshan looked skeptical, remembering how this same person had complained about being tired from running while recuperating in a sitting position.

Shi Chun then persuaded further, "Brother Xu, it's like this, I'm not expecting to find the Divine Fire immediately on this trip. It's mainly because we've been delayed here for too long, and I'm worried Shudao Mountain will take the Divine Fire from the Ice Field."

"The main purpose of my trip is to lure away the people of Shudao Mountain, just like Red Cloud Castle thought we had taken the Divine Fire from here and no longer needed to return."

"Following the same principle, once we lure away the people from Shudao Mountain, the Divine Fire on the Ice Field will be ours to claim at leisure. We can choose when to go and search at ease, without competition, without pressure."

"The only key point now is that we must lure them away before they find the Divine Fire; otherwise, it will all be meaningless, that's why I'm in a hurry!"

"That's right." Wu Jinliang nodded seriously, though he was very aware that had he not returned, there wouldn't have been this rationale or plan.

Tong Mingshan then realized and looked at Wu Jinliang, acknowledging that he had indeed been thinking too simplistically.

Xu Anzhang's expression also became more serious, realizing there was indeed a reason why the higher-ups had sent this person; truly far-sighted, indeed he had been short-sighted.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.