"How could I not help?" Yan Ketao was overjoyed and hastened to say, "There's not a question of helping or not helping, just give your orders."

Wu Jinliang immediately informed him, "You've been to the Ice Field. Near the eastern side of the Ice Field, there's a mountain range that looks like lumps of black coal. Do you know of it?"

He believed the other party would know it, as it wasn't far from the first time Shudao Mountain set up the Locking Array on the Ice Field.

Indeed, upon hearing this, Yan Ketao quickly nodded and said, "I know."

Wu Jinliang: "At the most prominent peak of those black coal mountains, if you go there, you'll meet our group. Please trouble yourself to tell our Master and your younger master uncle that the next location may be approached, they will naturally understand what that means."

Yan Ketao mentally noted it, hesitated as he seemed to want to ask what the next location was, but ultimately restrained himself and nodded, "Alright, I've got it. Brother Wu, is there anything else you need to instruct?"

Wu Jinliang cautioned, "When leaving, circumvent via one side of the mountain's base to avoid the elders' view from the summit as much as possible."

"Alright."

"The matter is urgent, do not delay, hurry up."

Thus, Yan Ketao left, and Wu Jinliang and two others stood at the cave entrance watching him go.

After he disappeared from sight, Chu Jingtang finally said, "This guy really has a problem."

Shen Moming also nodded gravely upon hearing this.

That said, if it weren't for Shi Chun's earlier warning, they might not have suspected anything wrong with Yan Ketao.

For Wu Jinliang, who was frowning, since he had already received Shi Chun's warning, if Yan Ketao hadn't shown up it would have been fine, but now that he had, confirming whether Yan Ketao had any issues was his responsibility.

The previous delay and dragging on with Yan Ketao were all part of the confirmation process.

He was well aware that once an issue was confirmed, the matter would become rather serious. Shi Chun's warning for him to be cautious wasn't only to facilitate his escape but also required him to figure out how to manage the aftermath.

"Those who tamper within Shudao Mountain and dare to show up must not be from any ordinary minor sect; this place is compromised," Wu Jinliang sighed, unsure of what else to say about Shudao Mountain.

However, they couldn't control the affairs within the gates of Shudao Mountain; fortunately, they had been more cautious beforehand and built a dam as a slight defense.

"Compromised?" Shen Moming hesitated, "Should we leave?"

Wu Jinliang: "Let's wait a bit longer. He probably didn't come alone. He is scouting for the whereabouts of our Master and the others. I've told him their location, hoping he might draw his accomplices away too."

Having left the area, Yan Ketao suddenly stopped at a mountain peak to wait, and soon, a figure approached, none other than Zuo Zisheng.

Upon landing, Zuo Zisheng asked, "What's the situation?"

Yan Ketao: "My guess was right; the people are indeed hidden near the exit. I've met with them and confirmed that their Divine Fire clues indeed come from the exit."

Zuo Zisheng was skeptical, "How could there be so many clues of Divine Fire coming from the exit?"

Yan Ketao: "I'm not sure about the specifics; it's confidential, and they refused to tell me. What's certain is that Elder Jin Guiqi of Shudao Mountain participated in this, and the Mingshan Sect hollowed out a nearby mountain into a bunker shape. After Jin Guiqi got hold of the Divine Fire clues, he'd pretend to stroll and stroll over there, faking a restroom break or something similar, and stuff the clues into a hole in the bunker, and then they'd immediately send someone back to report."

Zuo Zisheng was shocked by the news, "Jin Guiqi dared to get involved in this against the rules?"

In his understanding, those elders would at most help by being biased in small ways, but to personally get involved and break the Artifact Refining World's longstanding rules was unbelievable, especially in front of so many elders; it was far too reckless.

Yan Ketao: "I am also surprised, but then again, without extraordinary measures, where would so many Divine Fires come from? Speaking of being reckless, with Shi Chun around, it probably shouldn't be too surprised. I guess that Shi Chun has somehow bewitched Jin Guiqi."

He then said with a sly expression, "But for us, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Brother Zuo wanted to cooperate with them, right? It should be up to you to decide how to divide the Divine Fire once found, right? With control in hand, do they have any room to refuse?"

This made sense, and Zuo Zisheng, upon hearing it, couldn't help but clasp his hands in approval, "Exactly, as long as they are sensible, as long as we can get the benefits, there's indeed no need to expose them. Now, the most crucial thing is how to find them."

Yan Ketao: "Their location has been scouted. I'm going now to meet them, near the earlier Ice Field."

"Good, I'll go now to get the troops together, and we'll knock on their door for a good talk. But..." Zuo Zisheng, fired up with excitement, suddenly hesitated, "if we do that, you're likely to be revealed."

Yan Ketao gave a wry smile, merely said, "Whether or not to expose me, you decide."

He was well aware, no matter how the other party hesitated, there was only one outcome.

And sure enough, Zuo Zisheng, preferring to expose him to obtain more Divine Fire, went back immediately to gather his troops.

Wu Jinliang, who had been waiting at the cave entrance for a long time, felt that the time was about right and called out, "Let's do it!"

Then, with a booming sound, the cave where they had been hiding collapsed.

The noise made the ten elders on the main peak all open their eyes and look toward the smoking mountaintop, unsure of what had happened.

Soon, a figure flew swiftly toward them and landed in front of them; it was Wu Jinliang, with the other two still waiting at the scene of the incident.

After bowing to the elders, Wu Jinliang said, "Since we took refuge at the feet of the elders, we have always been under your care. Today, we officially take our leave and have come to bid farewell to the elders."

He also tried to make his speech sound more refined.

One of the elders rebuked, "If you want to leave, just leave; no one is holding you here. What was with all the booming? Is this a place for you to mess around?"

Wu Jinliang hurriedly bowed and replied, "Elder, we had no choice but to do this. We just received news that there's a traitor among our allies, led here by an old fool, setting us all up. We had to erase our traces and escape to avoid trouble. Elders, please take care; I take my leave now!"

He was signaling to Jin Guiqi, telling him to quickly wrap things up and handle the aftermath; the collapsed cave was a model for what Elder Jin should do.

With things said and done to this extent, if Elder Jin still couldn't understand, then it would truly be Shudao Mountain's own misfortune. Not to mention anything else, at the very least, the next Divine Fire Covenant wouldn't include them anymore.

There was also the consumed Divine Fire that, once it caused jealousy among other sects who caught hold of something concrete, who knows what could happen? The likelihood of someone being overwhelmed was quite high.

He was openly chiding Jin Guiqi, directly scolding him for being foolish, believing that Jin Guiqi could understand. Yet, what if he understood? Was it wrong to scold him?

Jin Guiqi's mouth twitched and, after reflecting briefly, he understood the implication. Those present didn't know who the so-called 'allies' were, but he, being somewhat an ally himself, was quick to connect the dots. In the group, only he was old enough to be referred to as such.

Adding in Wu Jinliang's meaningful glance, he didn't need to think deeply to understand that he was being scolded for bringing Yan Ketao there.

Yan Ketao was the traitor? He was shocked.

With a clear target in mind and thinking back, it wasn't hard to understand. In a place like the Divine Fire Domain, to prevent getting lost, every aspect was usually meticulously managed. Wasn't Yan Ketao's claim of getting lost suspicious?

With this thought, combined with Wu Jinliang's remarks about being set up, he deeply regretted that he might indeed have led the disciples into a trap.

He also regretted having played such tricks, but at the time, he had no choice as he was inexplicably drawn into it by the disciples.

The Refining Heaven Sect elder present also had a flickering gaze. Speaking of the traitor, he had more insights than Zuo Zisheng, as he knew before entering that Yan Ketao was a spy planted by Refining Heaven Sect in Shudao Mountain.

He subconsciously linked the traitor and Yan Ketao but was unaware that Shudao Mountain had already colluded with Mingshan Sect, thus he couldn't delve too deeply. He was just puzzled as to why they saw Wu Jinliang but not Yan Ketao, wondering if they hadn't stuck together before.

Meanwhile, Wu Jinliang had already escaped with Shen Moming and Chu Jingtang, deciding to abandon their current location. The great situation that Shi Chun had previously established with much effort was unilaterally severed by him.

This change in plans might have brought significant Divine Fire revenue, and although it was a pity to destroy it, in his view, preserving the existing gains was more important.

If Jin Guiqi's involvement were to be exposed, it could lead to a series of unpredictable consequences, and there was even a chance that Shudao Mountain would sacrifice pawns to save the king. In the aftermath, Shudao Mountain might only suffer a bit, but the people of Mingshan Sect could lose their lives and might never be able to leave. Thus, it was crucial not to let anyone get a hold of any leverage; when it was time to sever ties, they had to be cut.

After such clarity was provided by the tall man, Jin Guiqi also fully grasped the severity of the situation.

Some time later, while casually chatting with the other elders, he became spirited and, while demonstrating a technique, caused the tunnel beneath everyone's seats to collapse...

Unsure of what effect using Yan Ketao to lure away potential ambushers might have had, the fleeing trio of Wu, Shen, and Chu proceeded with utmost caution. Along the way, they executed various evasive actions before finally reaching the Iron Forest.

Upon his arrival, Xu Anzhang was ready to curse his luck, feeling as if he had encountered a beast that never learned, once again causing a loud commotion.

Always like this, would they ever be able to locate the Divine Fire here in their lifetime?

Meeting with a frown, once they communicated, he realized he had misunderstood; he learned that their rush was actually well-intentioned, a notification for him to prepare for evacuation.

There was no ulterior motive; previously Shudao Mountain had found this place due to their undercover spy. If the spy didn't find Shi Chun and their group, any potential location, including this one, could be searched.

Better safe than sorry, the members of the Four Cauldron Sect must also evacuate.

There were also five members of the Four Cauldron Sect who were tracking the undercover agents from other sects; they would likely run towards the exit soon, and members from Four Cauldron Sect must intercept them.

To this, Wu Jinliang had efficiently made arrangements and gave instructions.

Seeing the seriousness of the situation, Xu Anzhang wanted to know what exactly had happened, but Wu Jinliang was not inclined to disclose it. He merely mentioned it seemed like there was a traitor internally, and he himself wasn't sure about the details; he was just acting on Shi Chun's orders, telling him to hide for now and let Shi Chun explain personally later.

Without further ado, having said his piece, Wu Jinliang ran off with Chu and Shen.

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