Since there is reason, and it aligns with everyone's interest needs, there's nothing much to argue about.

Let's do as Shi Chun suggested, divide our forces into two groups. The Four Cauldron Sect will continue the search in the Iron Forest, whereas the Mingshan Sect will hurry to the Ice Field to draw away Shudao Mountain, which could also be seen as a move to seize territory.

Relatively speaking, it's definitely safer for the Four Cauldron Sect to act here.

Therefore, Xu Anzhang actually had quite the admiration for Shi Chun's boldness and courage to take action. When parting, he took Shi Chun's hand and said, "Please be careful on your journey. If it really becomes untenable, retreat immediately and don't take unnecessary risks!"

"Brother Xu, rest assured, I will cherish my own life."

After Shi Chun politely exchanged these words, he turned and left, swiftly riding the Wind Scale into the air to find his people.

On the way, he saw Hao Ji moving around within the Iron Forest; this was one of the people meant to stay behind. After landing and giving some instructions, he then inquired, "You still remember those two sects, right?"

Hao Ji was startled for a moment but soon caught on—it was those two sects they were tasked with investigating when they first entered the Divine Fire Domain. They were sent to trail the five sects with secret agents embedded within them and were secretly assigned an additional task: apart from scouting for clues to the Divine Fire, they were also to pay attention to the whereabouts of those two sects.

He immediately nodded and said, "Master, don't worry, I haven't forgotten. If I encounter any relevant news, I will inform you as soon as possible."

Shi Chun patted his shoulder, "It's not enough for you to watch alone; you'll only see so much. After you get in touch with Zhou Wuxian, try to find a way to have Zhou Wuxian come up with an excuse to let the people from Red Cloud Castle know about those two sects. We could use the advantage of Red Cloud Castle's numbers to help keep an eye on them."

Hao Ji replied, "Alright. Master, may I ask, why are we searching for those two sects? They don't seem to be anything special."

Shi Chun thought to himself, if even you could easily sense something amiss, then what would that imply? He cautioned, "Don't ask questions. You will naturally know when the time comes."

Indeed, some matters were not convenient to disclose, and he could not possibly tell the other party that those two sects might be powers from two other branches of the Demon Path.

As they talked, Wu Jinliang and Tong Mingshan had already arrived, bringing with them Chu Jingtang and An Wuzhi.

"Let's go," Shi Chun bid farewell with a word, then flashed into the air.

Wu Jinliang's Wind Scale opened its mouth, swallowing Shi Chun, and then with a swoosh enveloped them both as they flew over the canopy of the Iron Forest.

Whether Zhu Xiangxin and Chen Wuji were found afterwards and taken along, the people from the Four Cauldron Sect didn't see it.

Hao Ji leaped up to a slope to see them off, muttering to himself, "Really busy, huh. They're not really going to take first place again, are they..."

In the sky, after determining the direction of the Ice Field as informed by Wu Hong, and adjusting their flight path, Wu Jinliang could no longer hold back his question, "Chun Tian, what's the situation on the Iron Forest side?"

Shi Chun knew what he wanted to ask; it was just that he had phrased it in a more roundabout way. He replied, "As for the Divine Fire in the Iron Forest, we've already secured it."

"Ah?" Tong Mingshan immediately looked all around. Where was it? He hadn't seen it, but upon noticing that two people were missing, he seemed to grasp something.

Shi Chun let out a sneer, "What were you dreaming of? Surely we can't let all the benefits go to you alone, right? Zhu Xiangxin took it. You were out of the loop, and by the way, it's just you who can let the Four Cauldron Sect know about you absorbing the Divine Fire. No one else should know."

Feeling embarrassed, as if he had indeed been greedy, Tong Mingshan hurriedly affirmed with a sound, "Alright, I got it."

The vast expanse of the Divine Fire Domain was filled with a myriad of extraordinary and strange sights.

Multiple suns in the sky, both large and small, revolved around, seemingly indicating the alternation of day and night, yet they were quite biased. Some areas were forever deprived of sunshine, receiving only a very limited amount of sunlight for a brief time every day.

The Ice Field lay at the intersection of darkness and light, with winding mountains that were full of dangers.

Some places were engulfed in darkness and swirling snowstorms, blanketed in white snow.

Some areas had azure blue ice shining in the weak sunlight from afar, still sparkling brilliantly.

A few figures in official green clothes stood on the ice, gazing into the distance, shielding their eyes from the light. Among them, a fair-skinned woman led the group.

Her complexion was indeed unique; porcelain white with a hint of pink, making it hard to imagine an Artifact Refiner could have such attractive skin—a trait known to all as an inheritance from her father, who shared the same feature.

Her father was the Sect Leader of Shudao Mountain, Gu Yanduo, and her name was Gu Lianni; she was leading the group.

With a bright face and delicate features, she possessed a strong and toned physique. Even in a dress, one could sense her robust form. While she might not be the pinnacle of beauty that would make the moon hide in shame, her robust beauty was indeed rare to see.

In truth, it was uncommon to find women working as Artifact Refiners. After all, how many women in ordinary life would take up blacksmithing? The fundamental skills for an Artifact Refiner also start in front of the forge. Her entrance into this field was naturally connected to her wealthy family background; her father was a Sect Leader of a prestigious Refining Sect from the moment she was born.

While surveying the surroundings, two more Shudao Mountain disciples flew in and landed next to the group. One of them reported, "Elder, we've finished setting up our position over there."

"Good," Gu Lianni nodded, her voice crisp and clear. Placing her hands on her slender waist, accentuated by the belt, it gave off the feeling of a waist that could be encircled by hands.

The men on either side of her, one with a bronze complexion and the other with a reddish hue, displayed robust physiques—the former broad and burly, the latter strong and vigorous; the former with a square face and large ears, the latter with a spirited horse face—all exuding the build of impressive men.

The former was named Pang Hou, and the latter was named Yuan Yao—all were elite disciples among Shudao Mountain's High Martial ranks.

Both felt that Gu Lianni's beauty was the truest form of beauty, coupled with the fact that she was the Sect Leader's daughter, so many disciples were interested in her upon arrival. Alas, there was the issue of seniority—no matter how old Gu Lianni was or how advanced her cultivation, she had been destined from birth to be only a generation younger than her own father.

Hence, the group of young men could only look on, thirsty but unable to drink, as their sect would never allow them to marry their master's uncle.

Of course, seniority aside, everyone had grown up together since childhood.

After waiting for a while, two more people rushed over. One reported, "Master Uncle, our side is ready."

"Good," Gu Lianni said, brimming with confidence as she looked around. "With two more positions ready, we can activate the 'Element Locking Array' and completely seal off this area."

Pang Hou uttered, "As long as the Fire Spirit is trapped and cannot escape, we will have time to search for it."

Yuan Yao said, "The quicker, the better. By our calculations, almost a day has passed, and we have yet to find anything. Moreover, we cannot be certain that the Divine Fire is definitely here."

Gu Lianni said, "There shouldn't be any mistake. Didn't Zhuo Zi see a luminescent flow beneath the ice here? The elders allowed us to experience the aura of the Divine Fire, and we really did sense it here. Combining the two, the Divine Fire should be hiding right beneath our feet in this region."

Pang Hou sighed with emotion, "To find the location of the Divine Fire so quickly, we still have to thank the ancestors of Shudao Mountain. Without their recorded inheritance, how could we have come to inspect this area as soon as we saw it?"

During their conversation, people on the Ice Field began to look up one after another, seeing a streak of light sweep across the sky. At first, it seemed to pass by, but unexpectedly, it looped back and even lowered its flying altitude.

Seeing that there seemed to be only one person sweeping through the Wind Scales, Gu Lianni said sternly, "Stop them and see who it is."

Instantly, four people shot into the sky, each using Wind Scales, they maneuvered to intercept the newcomer in mid-air.

The visitor was none other than Shi Chun, with the others waiting for his news somewhere on the Ice Field.

The reason he was alone was that having others patrolling the skies with him was of no use. The more people the Wind Scales carried, the more mana it consumed to control, and it was more convenient for him to use his right eye's superpower to observe alone, to avoid others noticing any anomalies.

Indeed, as he passed by here, he turned back because he detected something beneath the ice in this area—a seemingly lifeless ice layer with something moving underneath.

Before he could get close for a thorough examination, he was intercepted. The four Wind Scale manipulators encircled him from different directions.

Shi Chun, having already circled the vast Ice Field, was inwardly surprised. These people's appearance here could not be a coincidence; they were able to quickly target the area amidst such a vast space, indeed these major sects were extraordinary.

Of course, the four who blocked Shi Chun also felt he looked familiar.

The leader, Pang Hou, cast a spell and shouted, "Descend!"

Shi Chun glanced at the number of people below and did not resist; he simply retracted his Wind Scales mid-air and floated down.

The four pursuers followed him down.

After they all landed, Shi Chun immediately recognized that Gu Lianni was the leader, somewhat surprised that a woman, already a rarity in the Artifact Refining profession, could actually be the team leader.

He quickly guessed her identity as well—Young Master Nan had provided information about the attendees, and while he hadn't gone through all of it, he had paid some attention to those from the major sects.

Gu Lianni, recognizing Shi Chun, landed with Pang Hou quickly approaching her, reminding, "He seems to be that Shi Chun."

Yuan Yao had already taken out a scroll from his Qiankun Bag, unfurled it, and there Shi Chun's likeness was vividly depicted—another testament to the thoroughness of a major sect.

He showed it to Gu Lianni, whispering, "That's him."

Shi Chun was taken aback; although he didn't see the portrait, he could guess what it was. What's the meaning of this, they've made a portrait of me? Is that really necessary?

Gu Lianni looked at Shi Chun as if he were a rare animal, examining him from head to toe before asking, "Are you Shi Chun?"

Shi Chun grunted an affirmative, playing dumb as he asked, "May I know which esteemed warriors from which sect you are?"

Gu Lianni replied, "We are disciples of Shudao Mountain. What are you doing here?"

Shi Chun answered, "Just walking around and taking a look. Is there any problem with that?"

Gu Lianni, hands on her hips, said, "Shudao Mountain is handling affairs here. Outsiders should avoid interference; do you understand my meaning?"

Shi Chun laughed, "Understood. So, may I leave now?"

Yuan Yao slightly turned his head to remind Gu Lianni, "Master Uncle, the sect has given orders; this person is cunning and must be guarded against. His appearance here just to walk around—do you find that normal? If we let him go, it could lead to future trouble. It's only him!"

The last four words hinted at a profound implication, and anyone with a bit of sense would understand what he meant.

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