Since they're all in the same group, it's only fair that An Wuzhi should be the first to enter seclusion this time.

All four Divine Fires were now under Tong Mingshan's control, which was his current duty.

Seeing Chen Wuji sealing another entrance to the seclusion cave, Shi Chun pointed at the Divine Fire in Tong Mingshan's hands and asked, "You previously absorbed the Chi Yan, and now you're going to absorb the Ice Flames. Won't the hot and cold reject each other when you're refining artifacts?"

This was a layman's question. Tong Mingshan laughed, "Master, there's no such thing as rejection. This is a blessing that people seek but cannot find. For instance, some small holes inside the magical treasures during their refining process are the hardest to control because they easily melt and deform; the smaller the holes, the harder it is to control the temperature.

If I can also control the Ice Flames, the effect will be completely different, enormously so. I can use the Ice Flames to fill the tiny holes without worrying about them being spoiled by high temperatures, and for the other parts of the magical treasure, I can let loose and work freely. So there's no rejection; the more diverse Divine Fires one absorbs, the better."

After such a simple yet profound explanation, Shi Chun immediately understood and made new arrangements, instructing that after Zhu Xiangxin finished his seclusion, he would temporarily take over the duty of guarding the Ice Flames, while Tong Mingshan would continue his seclusion to absorb the Ice Flames. After all, they were taking turns.

Chen Wuji also continued with his own duty, keeping watch for everyone.

However, upon seeing the five Ice Flames, Chen Wuji was dumbfounded and really doubted whether these were actually Divine Fires. Since when could one pick up a pile of the legendary Divine Fires?

He asked, but Shi Chun was too lazy to explain and told him to go ask Tong Mingshan, who was holding a pile of Ice Flames, if he had any questions.

So once Shi Chun and others left, Tong Mingshan, upon being asked, told Chen Wuji a thrilling story.

After listening, Chen Wuji felt a mix of emotions: relieved that he managed to avoid danger by hiding there, but also envious of his companions who had struck it rich, not only obtaining Wind Scales but also someone who had even acquired a Qiankun Bag...

Shi Chun did not directly return to Iron Forest but instead took a detour between the Ice Field and Iron Forest to get back.

As soon as they arrived over Iron Forest, Hao Ji, who had been waiting eagerly, immediately took flight to welcome them, and descended with them at the highest point of Iron Forest.

After landing and noticing that quite a few people were missing, Hao Ji was slightly shocked and asked, "Where are the others?"

Shi Chun replied, "They're fine. Where are Xu Anzhang and the others?"

Hao Ji let out a snort of cold laughter, "We really did have good partners. As expected, they ran back here. They're all burrowing in the caves right now, adopting a method of searching by taking area by area sequentially, trying to cover every possible path in the cave. They're using a method similar to ours before, scattering soil on the paths."

Shi Chun turned his head to glance at Wu Jinliang.

Wu Jinliang understood and swung his great sword, furiously smashing it onto the metallic mountain top.

Boom! The intense roar echoed and spread far and wide.

Soon, several figures sprang out, riding Wind Scales into the sky and looking around before flying towards them and landing. It was indeed Xu Anzhang and his group from Four Cauldron Sect.

Having seen Hao Ji, they knew Shi Chun and the others were still alive, but now seeing them in person, Xu Anzhang felt somewhat embarrassed. Running away and leaving his companions behind in the face of danger was not a glorious act.

He truly did not expect to survive after failing to escape such a terrifying bombardment.

Now, he could only feign ignorance and said, "It's good that you're alright, good that you're alright. Huh, where are the others?"

Since he was still alive, he naturally had to continue his previous plans; otherwise, there would be no explanation upon his return. He wasn't concerned about the others but about Tong Mingshan, after all, he had already bet a strand of Divine Fire on him.

Shi Chun didn't mention the other party abandoning their comrade to escape. The incident was in the past, and there was no need to dredge up unpleasant things that could affect their cooperation, especially since he had acquired Divine Fire and had not shared it with the other party, which meant there was no issue of who owed whom.

Besides, he was quite pleased to see that the other party's group was still alive.

However, he was no pushover; when it was appropriate to retaliate, he would not hold back, "Oh, I just so happened to acquire three Divine Fire Ice Flames. Tong Mingshan, An Wuzhi, and Zhu Xiangxin can each have one. They didn't return; they're in seclusion at the perimeter of the Ice Field, absorbing the Divine Fire, with a few people left to keep watch for them."

The group from the Four Cauldron Sect thought they had heard wrong.

Xu Anzhang said with astonishment, "How many? Brother Chun, did you just say three Divine Fire Ice Flames?"

Shi Chun nodded, "Yes, three. I was thinking of leaving one for Tong Mingshan, and the remaining two for you all, but I searched and couldn't find you anywhere. An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin were very eager, and I had no choice but to give it to the two of them."

Wu Jinliang chuckled twice on the side, knowing that the Master was deftly dealing with some trouble. When Zhu and An would need to demonstrate their Divine Fire later on, making use of the Ice Flames would enable them to reveal it without any secrets.

However, the group from the Four Cauldron Sect was still skeptical, Xu Anzhang asked doubtfully, "Finding three Divine Fire Ice Flames at once, Brother Chun, are you joking?"

Not only them, Hao Ji was also stunned, even though he had seen with his own eyes earlier that Shi Chun said there were five Divine Fire within the ice pillar.

Shi Chun shook his head, "Honestly, it's like a dream to me. What I've heard on the outside wasn't like this, but Shudao Mountain and the Ice Jiao fought and fought, and somehow many Divine Fire appeared; we were just hiding on the side and happened to rake some in. If you don't believe it, I can have the three of them show you later."

Seeing him say this, the group from the Four Cauldron Sect was initially astonished, then someone started scratching their heads anxiously.

Xu Anzhang too seemed to have something to say but stopped, not knowing how to express it in front of Chu Jingtang and the others.

He wanted to ask Shi Chun, giving it to Tong Mingshan was one thing, but giving it to the other two fellows seemed like a waste; could it be you intend to spare their lives later? Surely, you should have given it to our Demon Path comrades!

However, they had abandoned Shi Chun and the others in the face of danger and run away, they had no face to blame him, and how could they criticize, especially considering they didn't know if Shi Chun's actions were intentional to annoy them.

All they could feel was discomfort.

Shi Chun then made a gesture to the others, "I have something else to discuss with Brother Xu."

This was a sign for unrelated people to leave, and in the end, only four people were left; You Mu and Wu Jinliang conscientiously didn't leave.

With no one in the way, Shi Chun asked, "Brother Xu, are you sure that our superiors haven't sent other people over?"

Annoyed by the Divine Fire matter, Xu Anzhang frowned, "Haven't I already explained this clearly to you?"

Shi Chun suddenly made a noise of surprise, "Then that's strange. If Brother Xu didn't intentionally keep it from me, then it seems it really involves people from the other two factions."

Xu Anzhang and You Mu quickly exchanged a glance, both showing a look of astonishment. Xu Anzhang hurriedly asked, "What do you mean? Have you discovered something?"

"Yes," Shi Chun nodded, "Shen Moming from the Mingshan Sect, wasn't he tracking that Lianhu Palace? On the way, he stumbled upon a sect called 'Qianyan Sect', and inadvertently discovered someone in that sect releasing Demonic Qi to kill people."

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