Up until now, they hadn't obtained even a single Divine Fire.

Shi Chun thought for a moment, then turned his head toward An Wuzhi and said, "Actually, being a hostage is safer. You won't need to adventure everywhere. Rest assured, after we find more Divine Fire, you will be compensated. Besides, I sincerely want to cooperate with Shudao Mountain. My method, combined with the strength of Shudao Mountain, will not mistreat you."

An Wuzhi really wanted to ask him, do I even have a choice now? If I don't agree, war might break out on both sides, and I probably won't have the chance to swallow the Divine Fire in my possession.

He regretted his own folly for not knowing when to give up, which led him into such a predicament.

Of course, he also knew that the Master really could produce six Divine Fires.

Regardless of whether it was to seek forgiveness, he at least knew that safety wouldn't be a big issue, so he nodded in agreement, "Master, you needn't say more. I am willing to be the hostage."

Upon hearing this, Chu Jingtang patted his shoulder, indicating that all was understood without words. Seeing this, he forgave the other party's previous two mistakes.

Thus, Shi Chun called out to the opposite side, "Alright, I agree!"

At this, Gu Lianni solemnly raised a hand in front of everyone and vowed, "I, Gu Lianni, hereby swear, I accept the terms of cooperation proposed by Shi Chun, and I will sincerely cooperate. If I breach this oath, may I, Sect Leader of Shudao Mountain, not die a good... death!"

The last word indeed stuttered out a bit, making her own heart pound with apprehension. She could only hope that she would bring back good results, or she might face a scolding, with so many fellow sect members watching.

As soon as she finished speaking, Yuan Yao immediately pointed at An Wuzhi, "Bring the Divine Fire here!"

An Wuzhi looked at Shi Chun, who gave a slight nod, so he carried the Divine Fire over just like that.

As soon as the person arrived, Gu Lianni personally took over, controlling the sphere of Divine Fire in her hands. As she felt it, her eyes truly shone with excitement: this was real Divine Fire.

"Cough cough." Yuan Yao coughed beside her, signaling that there was serious business to attend to.

Snapping out of it, Gu Lianni handed the Divine Fire to him for safekeeping and also had her people take An Wuzhi into custody among her own troops. Only then did she turn to Shi Chun and ask, "Where are your six Divine Fires?"

Shi Chun requested Chu Jingtang's Wind Scale and, seeing this action alert the Shudao Mountain group, immediately reassured them, "Don't worry, I won't run. The place where the Divine Fires are stored is just a little way off. I will absolutely arrive shortly and will not break my word. If you're worried, you can surround me and fly together."

Gu Lianni smiled and said, "Well, I really can't relax until I see the six Divine Fires, given your reputation." She turned to her companions and instructed, "Let's do as our cooperative partner said, form a circle and fly together."

Shi Chun, sincere about cooperating, didn't mind and immediately rode the Wind Scale into the air with Chu Jingtang. Once airborne, they were surrounded by a few dozen people and flew off together just like that.

Gu Lianni and the others on the ground also took off on the Wind Scale, still occasionally glancing at the Divine Fire in Yuan Yao's hands.

Before long, flying through the air, following Shi Chun's indication, most of them landed in front of a massive ice pillar, while a few remained in the air to keep watch.

Seeing Shi Chun examining the ice pillar, Gu Lianni approached and asked, "What does this mean?"

Shi Chun pointed at the massive ice pillar, "The remaining five Divine Fires are hidden inside this ice pillar."

Gu Lianni frowned, "How is that possible?"

Previously, she had thought that the five unclaimed Divine Fires Shi Chun talked about were already captured. It didn't make sense for all of them to be in one place, which was contrary to what she knew.

Shi Chun said, "The Divine Fire Domain is vast, and nothing is impossible. I'll tell you upfront, I can only guarantee that there are indeed five Divine Fires within this pillar. As for catching them all, that's your business. If you can't catch them, you can't blame me if my word isn't kept, and it shouldn't affect our subsequent cooperation."

Gu Lianni expressed her shock and suspicion, "There really are five Divine Fires inside this?"

Shi Chun replied, "What benefit would I get from lying to you? Shatter this ice pillar and see, then you will know." Having said that, he looked at the ice pillar and raised his hands slightly, ready to unleash his full power to destroy it.

"Wait." Gu Lianni raised her hand to stop him and turned back to her fellow sect members, "Send two people to tell those over there to come here and bring our magic artifacts to set up the array."

"Yes." Two people in the air immediately complied and left.

Shi Chun was puzzled, "What magic artifact?"

Gu Lianni explained, "Element Locking Array. After the array is set up, the Divine Fires will be trapped and cannot escape. It's more reliable than your brute-force approach. If they escape underground, it would be very difficult to capture them in this vast Ice Field. It's better to be cautious."

So that's how it is, Shi Chun nodded slightly, but then she expressed her doubts, "When will your magic artifact arrive? I promised you'd see it within moments, and if time drags on, won't you accuse me of breaking my word?"

Gu Lianni replied, "As long as it's ultimately proven that there are indeed five Divine Fires here, you won't be accused of breaking your word."

Since she said that, Shi Chun had nothing more to say.

However, Gu Lianni was still a bit curious and asked, "How did you know there were five Divine Fires hidden here?"

Shi Chun responded, "I have my ways, otherwise how could I have tracked the Divine Fire to this place?"

Hearing this, Gu Lianni didn't question further. Indeed, tracking the Divine Fire to this Ice Field was no small feat. For ordinary people, it was very difficult to grasp the escape direction of the Divine Fire. At least the disciples from Shudao Mountain couldn't do it.

Also, there were the great ice pillars that stood out in the open Ice Field, which indeed seemed quite odd; they likely held some significance.

To tell the truth, she was quite looking forward to it now—the anticipation of the reveal of the five Divine Fires was one thing, but she was even more excited about cooperating with Shi Chun once it was verified.

Regardless of the methods used at the Sky Rain Meteor Conference, having real skill was undeniable. If not, the Sect wouldn't have cautioned them to be wary—mere incompetents wouldn't warrant their caution.

Such a person, if she could entice him to join forces, to work for Shudao Mountain, to contribute to the success of their mission—wouldn't that be a testament to Gu Lianni's capability? She could imagine the overwhelming praise she would receive within the Sect at that time.

On the other hand, at Pang Hou's end, after receiving communication from his fellow Sect members and clarifying the situation, he immediately ordered those who had stayed behind to quickly retrieve the previously set magic artifacts.

After gathering the magic artifacts, a group of them swiftly departed.

Wu Jinliang and his group, who were hiding nearby, now emerged, having observed no sign of Shi Chun and her group previously and not knowing where they had gone. After muttering amongst themselves for a while, they followed in the direction of Pang Hou and the others, though now they dared not fly too high.

After entering the plains, where there was not a single place to take cover, they dared not fly high at all, nearly skimming the ground, and didn't dare to get any closer under the cover of night...

As soon as Pang Hou and the others arrived with the magic artifacts, Gu Lianni immediately commanded, "Encircle and form an array around the ice column, covering a radius of about a mile. And be quick!"

A group of disciples carrying magic artifacts quickly got to work. Shi Chun went along to widen her knowledge and saw them driving iron towers about half a zhang tall deep into the Ice Field.

Once all preparations were complete, Gu Lianni, who had received confirmation, took out the metal compass and began to make calculations on it.

Amid continuous clicking sounds, suddenly there was a loud "snap," and Shi Chun distinctly felt her eardrums buzz as if some invisible force had emanated from the metal compass, then the sky seemed to brighten slightly.

Looking up, they saw a vast upside-down bowl-shaped light dome undulating with ripples, covering the plains within the array.

Far away, Wu Jinliang and the others, who lay on the ground, dared not move forward, stared motionless, wondering what was happening with the phenomenon.

After the light dome vanished, Gu Lianni put away the compass. "Shi Chun, now it's your turn. If there's no Divine Fire as you said, don't blame us."

"I am honest in my cooperation. I said it is here, so naturally, it will be."

Having said that, Shi Chun turned around and with a whoosh, drew the No Demon Blade from her back. In a swift motion, she leapt forward, gripping the sword with both hands, and struck with her full might.

Boom! A thunderous sound erupted, as powerful as an explosion, causing everyone to frown from the shock.

The tremor knocked loose the snow accumulating on the columns, blinding them with a flurry.

After the falling snow had settled, they all noticed that such a forceful strike had merely caused a sizable notch to form on the ice column.

The crowd paid little attention to that notch, quickly lifting their gaze towards the ice column to see that it looked whitish in a way that didn't quite resemble ice, and its surface was carved with swathes of large scales.

On closer inspection, what they saw was not an ice column at all but an ice sculpture coiled in rings, resembling a dragon lying in wait. It was covered in snow, which had made it appear to be a simple ice column, and now its true form was revealed.

"What is this?" asked Gu Lianni to Shi Chun.

Shi Chun also wanted to know what it was, but the next moment, her expression changed slightly—it seemed as if the massively coiled body slightly moved, although she doubted her own eyes. But then, snow began to fall in fine pieces from the ice sculpture again.

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