Although Qianyan Sect and Forget Love Valley had temporarily suspended their search for Divine Fire, some of their actions before the suspension had caught the attention of the Refining Heaven Sect.

The monitoring personnel at the exit discovered that these two sects were playing a "lure the tiger away from the mountain" trick.

The reason they were able to identify the trick was all thanks to Yan Ketao, who had previously discussed this strategy with the Refining Heaven Sect.

Zuo Zisheng mistakenly thought it had something to do with Shi Chun and his group, so he increased the personnel on this side, ready to capture someone or follow the vine to find the melon but encountered Qianyan Sect and Forget Love Valley withdrawing their hands, resulting in guarding an empty fort.

Many things in this world are such that man's calculations are no match for heaven's; stumbling upon accidental changes leads to such outcomes.

However, Zuo Zisheng and his group did deduce the approximate path Shi Chun and his team took to obtaining information on Divine Fire, which turned out to be how Jin Guiqi got his information on Divine Fire.

Perfecting the chain of evidence was also a significant gain, equivalent to seizing control of that leverage. Zuo Zisheng was quite pleased, as long as he found Shi Chun and his group, he doubted they would dare not comply!

Thus, the eagerness to find Shi Chun and his group grew even more urgent.

"It's said that Mingshan Sect and Shudao Mountain have joined forces to share the Divine Fire they found."

"Ah, how could Shudao Mountain join forces with Mingshan Sect? With Shudao Mountain's strength, how could they possibly share Divine Fire equally with Mingshan Sect?"

"Being able to lower one's status to collaborate indicates there's profit to be made. In the Divine Fire Domain, what is the benefit? Being the first in the Sky Rain Meteor Conference is not a small matter. It's said that Shi Chun and his group have a quick way to find Divine Fire and have already found nearly a hundred blossoms of Divine Fire."

"Nearly a hundred blossoms? How is that possible, are you dreaming?"

"Hey, it's not nonsense. Because of this, it's said that the Refining Heaven Sect has already stopped searching for Divine Fire and turned to look for Shi Chun and his group, intending to get the method to quickly find Divine Fire. It's said that they even fought with Shudao Mountain because of this, and now Shudao Mountain is severely wounded and has lost more than half of its forces, greatly weakened."

An Artifact Refining Sect ranked second was willing to join forces with Shi Chun, while the number one ranked Artifact Refining Sect was willing to give up searching for Divine Fire just to find them; do you think those great sects are fools? It's said that nearly everyone in Shudao Mountain has a chance to absorb Divine Fire. If it were in our sect of twenty people, it wouldn't just be 'nearly' but certainly that everyone would be able to absorb Divine Fire."

"The number of Divine Fire cannot possibly be infinite. If they do this, doesn't it mean that others' chances of finding Divine Fire become even smaller?"

"Exactly, maybe the places we're searching have already had their Divine Fire picked by Shi Chun and his group, so no matter how we search, it's impossible to find."

Two men searching the area sat in front of a gulch chattering for a while before leaving.

As they left, a group of people emerged from a hidden spot under the bare gulch, all showing expressions of astonishment.

One person asked the leader, "Over a hundred blossoms of Divine Fire, can this be true?"

The leader responded with a flicker in his eyes, "You ask me, but who shall I ask?"

Another person said, "If there really are over a hundred blossoms of Divine Fire, that means there truly is a method to quickly find Divine Fire. If we could get this method, wouldn't all our brothers be able to absorb Divine Fire?"

This statement ignited a fervent passion in the group.

Many knew that even if they found Divine Fire, it wouldn't likely be theirs to claim. Suddenly knowing there was still a chance, one could imagine their mood.

Seeing the foolish actions taken by An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin for the sake of Divine Fire, one could understand the fervor of these people at this moment.

In a distant mountain valley, Gong Shixi was observing these emerging people, as the two men who had just been searching and spreading the news returned to report to him.

Shi Chun had previously leaked to him the "lure the tiger away from the mountain" trick, and he didn't mind using the same trick in return.

The exaggeration of Divine Fire numbers to over a hundred and emphasizing the weakened state of Shudao Mountain were points he wanted to stress.

The method of Four Cauldron Sect sending undercover sect members to track Divine Fire clues had also been revamped by Gong Shixi, not to find Divine Fire clues but to spread rumors; if those undercover in other sects found any other sects while passing by, just like finding Divine Fire clues, they quickly informed the followers behind them.

Those followers then immediately sent messages to Gong Shixi, who would then quickly arrive at the scene to arrange the play that had just spread rumors.

This was much more efficient than finding Divine Fire clues; there was no need to confirm whether there were Divine Fire clues.

In a short period, he had already spread similar rumors to dozens of sects.

All the rumors emphasized one point: the reason everyone couldn't find Divine Fire might very well be because the places were already swept clean by Shi Chun and his group.

Although this was an unfounded assertion, Divine Fire was always hard to find.

But as someone who had searched for Divine Fire himself, he had personally experienced the despair and agitation of repeatedly not finding it in a boring and monotonous place.

Because he knew everyone's pain points, he knew how to graft and channel conflicts, how to provide an outlet for everyone.

Howlin was well aware that even if these people didn't dare to attack Shi Chun and his group directly, they wouldn't want Shi Chun and his group to fare well and would naturally help to spread the rumors.

It might be jealousy, or it might be covetousness. When a tiger is weakened, perhaps even a three-year-old child could stab it to death.

Everyone wanted to be that "three-year-old child," so they did their best to spread word.

Yet the same phrase remained true, Gong Shixi wouldn't let Shi Chun and his fellows obtain what he himself couldn't have. He would do everything possible to wipe them out!

Facing such calculated plots from behind, the consequences were predictable. The targeted group didn't even have a chance to explain their grievances. With so many people's desires and interests involved, it was impossible to clarify.

What was even more terrifying was that the Refining Heaven Sect had dispatched people all over to search for Shi Chun and his group, inquiring about their whereabouts with members of various sects.

This undoubtedly confirmed the rumors that they had indeed given up searching for Divine Fire and were specifically targeting Shi Chun and his associates.

Regretfully, no sect would relay such rumors to them. Exiting under the strange gazes of other sects, behind them a colossal wave was stirring, yet they were as oblivious as blind and deaf people.

However, when the members of Forget Love Valley heard these rumors, they took them for the truth because they had seen with their own eyes that Shi Chun's group had so much Divine Fire that they could not handle it and needed to exchange some.

Initial confusion turned into a sudden realization upon hearing the rumors; they finally understood.

Some other "three-year-old children" wished that the major sects knew as much as possible.

The Extreme Fire Sect, which ranked fourth in the Artifact Refining World and had successfully contributed treasures, allowing them to send in hundreds of disciples, gathered together. Nearby, another sect with only twenty members relayed the rumors to them.

Encountering each other by chance, the two sects were originally acquainted. After spreading the rumors, the latter took their leave with their group.

Only leaving members of the Extreme Fire Sect looking at each other in dismay, questioning whether the rumors about hundreds of Divine Fires were perhaps too exaggerated?

The tall, robust leader of the Extreme Fire Sect, Yin Tianlu, with bold and heroic features suggestive of a naturally strong man, furrowed his brows.

After pondering for a moment, he beckoned towards a secluded valley.

A small figure and a large figure emerged from the shadows.

The smaller one was a human.

The larger figure was a black tiger, whose stature when walking on flat ground was slightly taller than a human's, with sinister green light flickering in its eyes, fierce fangs bared, and a blood-red tongue occasionally licking out, its body surrounded by a flaring aura.

This Black Tiger was key to the Extreme Fire Sect's willingness to offer the "Desolate Blade" as a presented treasure.

In previous competitions, fearing failure to obtain and even losing important treasures, this time they were very confident because this fire-addicted Black Tiger had awakened an extraordinary talent, capable of sensing the aura of Divine Fire within a certain range.

Thus, the Extreme Fire Sect had been low-key, patient, and waiting, finally reaching this session of the Divine Fire Covenant.

With such a trump card in hand, the Extreme Fire Sect naturally provided full support, and their support in terms of personnel was indispensable. Once they encountered danger, they had to be able to withstand it, hence they brought out the "Desolate Blade."

The support provided this time was not only in terms of personnel but also involved offering many precious treasures to reinforce their support. The entire Extreme Fire Sect placed great expectations on this session of the Divine Fire Covenant, aiming to propel the sect to become the top Refining Sect in the world.

The imposing Black Tiger walked up to Yin Tianlu and looked him in the eye, then amid the watchful eyes of the onlookers, it transformed. Clothes swirling and flying around, it instantly turned into a robust disciple of the Extreme Fire Sect.

He was a demon cultivator named Black Tiger.

The Extreme Fire Sect was one of the rare demon cultivator Artifact Refining Sects in the Cultivation World.

This meant that nearly all the Extreme Fire Sect disciples present were demon cultivators.

They had not disappointed their sect; they had already found fifteen Divine Fires.

Black Tiger alone had absorbed eight, and Yin Tianlu had absorbed four.

Yin Tianlu asked the newly transformed Black Tiger, "Junior brother, did you hear everything? Not sure if it's true or false."

Black Tiger replied, "They can search for theirs, and we'll search for ours. There are still some days left, we should be able to find quite a few more."

Yin Tianlu thought it over and said, "Logically speaking, that's true, but you also know what the sect has sacrificed for us this time around, even bringing out the treasured 'Desolate Blade'. The sect believes we can win and bring it back; if we fail, wouldn't we disappoint the sect's high hopes?"

Black Tiger asked, "Senior brother, what do you suggest?"

Yin Tianlu considered for a moment and eventually shook his head, "I don't know right now. You can sense how many Divine Fires they've absorbed. If there's a chance to meet them, you might try to sniff them out to verify the truth."

Black Tiger said, "Alright, if all else fails, we can check out the 'Wuming Forbidden Land.' I've heard there are many Divine Fires there."

At the mention of the "Wuming Forbidden Land," everyone's faces changed dramatically. It was also known as the burial ground of Divine Fire, and some say it was the heart of the Divine Fire Domain, the centermost and core area.

Yin Tianlu's face also grew grave, "Don't be reckless. There's a terrifying creature resting there, and intruding is courting death. Our sect has already lost many predecessors there; it's a blood-soaked lesson. The sect has repeatedly instructed us that even if we can't find Divine Fire, we must not venture there."

Black Tiger protested, "My talent is unique here. Others might not manage, but perhaps I can try!"

Yin Tianlu sternly said, "You are forbidden from taking such risks. You are of great importance; the sect's victory and future hopes are pinned on you. Even if we don't win, we can't afford to risk you."

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