Initially, they even doubted whether the other parts of the Magic Artifact had fallen into the hands of Shi Chun and others, but then he thought that when the formation collapsed, those Magical Treasures had already exploded in all directions and had been buried by large and small blocks of ice, making them impossible to easily recover.

He also suspected whether Shi Chun really had a fast way to find the Divine Fire, but then he saw two clusters of Divine Fire, how could it be such a coincidence to encounter so many Divine Fires?

All his suspicions were denied by himself, only clinging to this one suspicious point, then he interrupted to ask.

Shi Chun said, "Once you break your promise, I can at least destroy your Magic Artifacts, causing you some losses. Of course, exchanging something else as a pledge works too, I think your value is not less than that Magical Treasure, whether to use you as a pledge or a Magical Treasure, it's up to you."

Yuan Yao responded, "If so, do you also need to give up someone for a pledge among yourselves?"

Shi Chun readily agreed, "Sure, as long as you are willing to be a hostage, I will also provide two people to be hostages for you."

He glanced at the personnel on Xu An's side, counted briefly, and there were still six left, losing two wouldn't be a big issue.

Yuan Yao's lips tightened, as he was pondering, but Gu Lianni abruptly threw something to Shi Chun, directly ending the bargaining.

It was none other than the Compass that activated the Element Locking Array.

For Gu Lianni, this choice required no consideration at all, the only remaining Compass had no use, far less important than Yuan Yao's safety, it was not worth risking Yuan Yao's safety.

Then, she directly swore, "I swear, as long as you can provide the quick method to find the Divine Fire as agreed, I guarantee to give you the complete set of Element Locking Array and assure that we will not trouble you afterward for this matter, should I break this oath, the Sect Leader of Shudao Mountain shall not die a good death!"

Immediately after, her hands on her hips, she sharply changed the tone, "Shi Chun, I've laid out my sincerity here, you better not play any tricks, or I guarantee you will die a miserable death!"

The group from Shudao Mountain showed varying expressions; it was always a bit odd how the daughter repeatedly used the safety of her father to make such dire oaths.

Wu Jinliang couldn't help but twitch his lips too, realizing one simple truth in making deals; it's hardly likely to fail if you make the other party see the profit.

Shi Chun examined the Compass in his hand, unaware of its authenticity, though he had seen it before on the Ice Field and believed it couldn't be easily falsified for the time being.

Gu Lianni responded, "What, you think there's something wrong with the item?"

Shi Chun skeptically said, "Why do I feel like you agreed too easily, could there be some trap waiting for me?"

Gu Lianni coldly said, "If it feels too easy, we can change to a not so easy method, as long as you can break out!"

Shi Chun immediately dropped the subject and turned to Wu Jinliang giving him a look, "Jinliang, they've taken some Magic Artifacts, you know the location, lead the way."

Wu Jinliang got the hint and acknowledged with a sound, pulling out the Wind Scale.

Yuan Yao's gaze fell on Wu Jinliang, with a glint of wariness flashing in his eyes, as a sect brother reported having seen Wu Jinliang kill two Shudao Mountain disciples in an instant, seen by more than one person, it definitely couldn't be faked.

Those were two disciples of the High Martial Great Success Realm, to kill them easily without utilizing Magical Treasures was something not even his own junior sect uncle could achieve.

It was also after receiving the report that he realized Wu Jinliang was a deeply concealed expert, probably even stronger than Shi Chun, who had kept a low profile during the Sky Rain Meteor Conference, far too hidden.

Such individuals were the most terrifying!

A thought flashed in his mind, he suddenly intervened and said, "All of you thirteen, ride on one Wind Scale!"

So, Shi Chun who had just put away the Compass gestured to his people to follow Yuan Yao's instructions.

Alright, whether it was from Xu An's side or Mingshan Sect's side, everyone quietly cooperated with Shi Chun's decision, seemingly affirming Shi Chun's paramount influence among these people.

None were fools, all knew Shi Chun was up to something, they didn't really have any Magic Artifact to quickly find Divine Fire, nor did any other group of people have the Magic Artifacts in use, clearly a setup against the people of Shudao Mountain.

Not even knowing how else to set them up, all that was left was to quietly cooperate.

However, those from Mingshan Sect who had seen the Element Locking Array on the Ice Field knew, by this time, the whole set of Element Locking Array Magic Artifacts brought by Shudao Mountain had already fallen into the hands of the Master.

The Wind Scale carried the thirteen people, moving upwards in the sky.

Around them, the people of Shudao Mountain divided into ten groups, surrounding Shi Chun and the others from all sides, vigilantly monitoring their every move.

Despite being watched, Shi Chun remained silent.

Before leaving the Iron Forest, Gu Lianni looked back at the terrain, memorizing the route, preparing to come here first after acquiring the Magic Artifact for finding Divine Fire, to extract the Divine Fire here.

On the way, Xu An wanted to ask several times who the other part with the Magic Artifact was, looking for an explanation from Shi Chun on how to end this.

However, seeing the people of Shudao Mountain watching closely, he restrained himself from speaking.

The group initially flew toward the exit, but as they neared the exit, Wu Jinliang changed the flight route, following the directions pointed out by Qi Yuanong, the leader of the Arrogant Flame Sect, flying higher for a better view.

Moments later they indeed saw a large handprint-like terrain on the ground below, feeling a bit off course, they adjusted accordingly.

They continued flying, passing through several terrains marked by Qi Yuanong, and finally, the vast expanse of the yellow desolate wasteland appeared in their high-altitude view, entering the realm and searching around, they flew towards the central area mentioned by Qi Yuanong.

After circling in the air, Wu Jinliang lowered his flying height and turned his head to Shi Chun, "This is it; I can't remember anymore. You figure it out."

Shi Chun understood what he meant and had already activated his superpower in his right eye, carefully assessing the environment below.

He was genuinely worried that the Qianyan Sect people had already found the Divine Fire and fled.

After careful discernment, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that his judgment was correct; the Divine Fire was indeed not so easy to find.

He raised his hand to point to an area with more people, signaling the landing spot.

Consequently, Shi Chun immediately navigated the Wind Scale down, eventually landing at the edge of a dirt pit.

Yuan Yao waved his hand, and the personnel swiftly descended, surrounding Shi Chun and his group once again.

Gu Lianni, who had been observing from the air, saw no one below and questioned Shi Chun upon landing, "Where are the people you mentioned?"

Shi Chun pondered, "Miss Gu, you have troops, and I have a plan. Working together benefits us both. Please reconsider our cooperation. I truly have two Divine Fires and am willing to offer them to you as a token of sincerity."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lianni instantly became extremely vigilant, pointing at Shi Chun, warning, "Don't play tricks on me; stop trying to deceive me. Where are the people you mentioned?"

Not only him, but the people from Shudao Mountain also became highly alert.

Shi Chun was speechless, puzzled by their thinking; they believed convoluted matters but were skeptical about the Divine Fire.

He wanted to make one last attempt, but since communication was impossible, he gave up and loudly cast a spell, "Gong Shixi, Brother Gong, stop hiding, we are allies. Come out and meet us."

He knew the name of the Qianyan Sect leader because he had just entered the Divine Fire Domain and had sent Wu Jinliang to gather information.

His loud voice echoed all around, but no one responded.

Gong Shixi, hiding in an underground tunnel, leaned his ear against a head-sized translucent hole, bewildered by the call, glancing at the people beside him with a questioning look.

Why hide? Naturally, because they had noticed strangers descending from the sky.

Expecting mere passersby, who would have thought someone would call him out by name, completely baffling him, what does 'allies' mean, do you know us?

His companions all shook their heads slightly, indicating they didn't recognize them.

One of them whispered softly, "I glanced at the color of their clothes and the number of people; they look like people from Shudao Mountain."

"Shudao Mountain..." Gong Shixi mumbled, becoming even more confused. What did it mean for people from Shudao Mountain to call us allies? Do they think I'm a fool?

Shi Chun, seeing with his superpowered right eye that a group was hiding underground as timidly as a grandson, immediately said to Gu Lianni, "They probably got scared after seeing so many people and couldn't understand the situation."

He pointed toward where the group was hiding and suggested, "They should be hiding underground there; just collapse the surface and see."

Immediately, Gu Lianni tilted her head to signal.

Yuan Yao threw a black light that struck where Shi Chun had pointed; bang—dirt exploded, and the ground collapsed.

A metallic sphere the size of a fist, spinning around, flew back through the billowing dust, which Yuan Yao waved into his sleeve.

Shi Chun and the others watched, their eyelids twitching, spotting another glowing Magical Treasure.

Following the collapse, the ground cracked further, and five figures sprinted out, precisely Gong Shixi and his group.

Shi Chun's choice of spot proved accurate; among twenty scattered individuals, a concentrated group had a higher likelihood of including a leader, especially with noticeable Demon Essence on them.

Indeed, there were people, Gu Lianni quickly waved her sleeve, casting a spell to clear the approaching dust.

Landing not far away, Gong Shixi and his group looked gloomily at the group in front of them, scrutinizing them properly and realizing they were indeed from Shudao Mountain.

With no past grudges recently or in the distant past, he wondered why they were blocking his path.

Of course, he also noticed Shi Chun's group, which was surrounded by Shudao Mountain's forces, and swiftly recognized them—Wu Jinliang's huge stature carrying a gourd was too conspicuous.

This scene completely baffled Qianyan Sect.

Shi Chun spoke up before anyone else, "Brother Gong, hiding your identity well won't help. Since you've come looking, there's no point in hiding anymore. Let your people come out. If we can't clear things up today, I'm afraid none of us will make it out of the Divine Fire Domain alive, with the exit guarded by an elder from Shudao Mountain.

In the end, we are all in this together; already caught in their trap, it's either we go with them, or we join forces to resolve this issue. It's your call."

Hearing this, Gong Shixi's expression changed, his heart in turmoil. The phrase 'hiding your identity well won't help' pinpointed it; he instantly realized that their identity had been exposed.

Thus, the phrase 'we are all in this together' made him aware that the concerns above were not without reason; Shi Chun was indeed from the Demon Path, though it was unclear which branch.

With this realization, the implications of Shi Chun's progressively persuasive words became clear; it was either reveal details they shouldn't while in their captors' hands or help each other escape. The choice was theirs.

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