By the time someone was discovered approaching, it would be too late to crawl to this spot without making a sound; careful movements couldn't be too fast.

As things had progressed to this point, a sense of ambition had unconsciously formed among everyone through their collective effort upon witnessing Tong Mingshan's achievements.

Initially, when Tong Mingshan obtained one or two Divine Fire, everyone felt it was irrelevant to them, thinking that the risk wasn't worth it. Later, when he obtained one or two more, at most, they believed what the Master had said made sense.

To some extent, they were still looking at it in the light of the Master's prestige, or out of no choice due to the pressure from the Master.

Only when they saw each success with their own eyes, and witnessed Tong Mingshan absorb ten Divine Fire, did the group truly realize from the bottom of their hearts what they had been collaboratively creating, and recognized the Master's brilliance!

Joking aside, what concept would it be to have a brother who had absorbed ten Divine Fire and was an Artifact Refining powerhouse, especially one whom they had strongly supported?

In the past, it would have been unimaginable, the idea that they could fraternize with such a person.

It wasn't just him, now everyone was treating this matter as the utmost priority, not because of pressure, but out of genuine, wholehearted effort.

Therefore, no rationale compares to the allure of witnessed achievements—others' successes are just as magnetic.

Of course, upon second thought, Chu Jingtang could understand Wu Jinliang's intention to withdraw, since it was the Master who had sent him the news about Yan Ketao, after all.

He did harbor some doubts, though: suspecting trouble just because someone disappeared without verification—wasn't the Master perhaps being overly cautious?

Doubts aside, this was not the place to discuss; one couldn't even breathe heavily carelessly, so he had to follow cautiously and withdraw for now...

At the other side of the mountainside cave entrance, Yan Ketao had already found it.

It wasn't hard to find; although the entrance was well-concealed under a boulder, as long as the angle was right, one could see it once they got close enough.

Seeing the entrance and the footprints there, he realized there were people inside. He started peering inside the cave, even flicking a piece of Sandalwood Gold in, just in time to see someone dropping down from above inside the cave.

The person who landed was no other than Shen Moming; he had come down because he had noticed people from Shudao Mountain approaching.

Seeing him, Yan Ketao's eyes brightened. Mingshan Sect had only a few notable people, easy to remember, and he confidently entered to greet, "Brother Shen."

Shen Moming recognized him too, after all, having mixed with the people from Shudao Mountain for so long. However, the interactions were not deep; they usually stayed separate during rest, and even if he recognized someone before, he couldn't call out their name, given there were so many from Shudao Mountain.

But Shen Moming, looking shocked and uncertain, still made an attempt to call out the name, "Yan Ketao, Brother Yan?"

He was also present when Chu Jingtang brought the Master's cautionary message, so even in saying this, he was hiding his wariness.

Yan Ketao was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected the other party to address him by name on the spot, given that their previous interaction was only a brief encounter without a word exchanged.

However, it was understandable; after being together for so long, it was normal for people from two sects to know each other's names.

Approaching Shen Moming, Yan Ketao glanced at the cave above before bowing and saying, "A fortunate encounter, indeed. I didn't expect to meet Brother Shen here."

Shen Moming also bowed in greeting, but still raised a question, "Brother Yan, what brings you here?"

Scratching the back of his head, Yan Ketao said with an embarrassed look, "I got bewitched, lost my way. By the time I found the spot to rest, I realized everyone was gone. I couldn't contact or find the team, so I came here to wait. Thanks to Elder Jin's guidance, I knew there were still people here. Now with Brother Shen here, I should be able to find the team. Hmm, is it just Brother Shen here alone?"

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on the dark upward tunnel for a moment longer.

Then he turned around upon hearing a noise at the entrance, and saw two figures appearing there.

Wu Jinliang and Chu Jingtang had hurried back.

As Wu Jinliang entered the cave, he gave Chu Jingtang a gesture.

Having been led by Wu Jinliang for so long, Chu Jingtang understood some of the signals; he immediately stood at the entrance, vigilantly watching for anyone approaching, occasionally turning back to glance inside the cave.

Seeing that Wu Jinliang had returned with someone else, Shen Moming was also a bit surprised; this indicated that no one had been left at the main peak to eavesdrop.

After a quick headcount, Yan Ketao thought to himself that indeed, the frequently missing three were here, which meant that the Divine Fire clues must be related to this exit area.

"Huh?" Wu Jinliang first exclaimed with exaggerated curiosity at Yan Ketao, "You, you, you, you're that person from Shudao Mountain, what's your name, how did you get here?"

He didn't immediately say the name like Shen Moming, even though he had heard Yan Ketao introduce himself to Elder Jin before; he still pretended not to know.

"Ah!" Sighing, Yan Ketao repeated a similar explanation to what he had given Shen Moming.

"I see." Wu Jin, feigning sudden understanding, patted the other's arm and said, "No worries, with us here, you won't get lost. Just stay here calmly for now; we'll meet up with the main group later."

"Thank you for the trouble," said Yan Ketao, bowing. He didn't rush to ask about the meeting place, instead pointed at the tunnel leading upward, "What's with the tunnel going up there?"

"Oh, it's nothing, just for observation and passing messages," Wu Jin casually explained.

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