Once rationality prevailed, a question surfaced: could someone like Shi Chun, who would flee so urgently, truly be overreacting?

The result was exactly what one feared—a sudden confrontation had become unavoidable.

The covert gathering by Shudao Mountain naturally caught the attention of the encircling forces from the Extreme Fire Sect.

A single summon might have been tolerable to the Extreme Fire Sect, as they wanted to avoid alerting their target. But as news of multiple gatherings spread, Yin Tianlu and his companions immediately realized that their quarry was about to flee. In such an environment, gathering sentries was unlikely unless someone intended to make a run for it. Naturally, they couldn't stand idly by.

"Moo—"

A deep, reverberating roar pierced the night sky—an unmistakable call from a beast. After all, the Extreme Fire Sect was composed of demon cultivators.

This was their signal to strike.

The members of Shudao Mountain had just regrouped, and as Gu Lianni issued the command to depart, her fellow disciples began retrieving their Wind Scales. But the roar startled them, and they turned their heads in unison.

An ominous unease swept through Gu Lianni and the others, whose gazes were full of alarm and doubt.

Shadows darted in from all directions. Some skimmed low across the ground, while others soared on Wind Scales, working together in a coordinated attack—those below trapping, those above blocking. In no time, they surrounded the Shudao Mountain group, who had been standing in a wary, back-to-back formation.

When they saw that it was the Extreme Fire Sect laying the trap, Gu Lianni and her group were both shocked and incensed.

To them, this scene felt eerily familiar, and it had happened not so long ago.

Back at the Sky Pit, Shi Chun had warned that the Extreme Fire Sect was going to attack them, urging everyone to flee. But Gu Lianni had stopped them herself. The result? It turned out that the supposedly minor Extreme Fire Sect indeed dared to confront the second-ranked Shudao Mountain.

Now, once again, Shi Chun had signaled them to run, yet Gu Lianni had opposed her. And now, they were once again encircled by the Extreme Fire Sect.

Whether the Extreme Fire Sect was audacious to the point of madness, Gu Lianni no longer cared. The more pressing realization was that the situation seemed to repeatedly prove one thing: she was wrong, and Shi Chun was right. Every single time.

Not just right—but so precisely accurate that Gu Lianni could only describe it as "precision." Looking at their current predicament, had the Mingshan Sect group delayed even slightly, there would have been no chance of escape.

Now, at last, she understood why Shi Chun was so desperate to flee—why she insisted against any unnecessary actions, saying it was already too late. Every word she'd said had been utterly correct.

This revelation struck Gu Lianni hard. Did this imply, from another perspective, that she was foolish?

The problem was, she didn't even know where her foolishness lay. Why was it that Shi Chun, upon encountering the slightest stir, could immediately discern the situation—that someone was preparing to act against them? What was her reasoning? Where did this insight come from?

Gu Lianni couldn't make sense of it. If she couldn't see it, could Yuan Yao and the others not see it either? Was there truly no one in Shudao Mountain capable of pointing it out to her?

Could the gap between people really be this vast?

Of course, she still didn't believe her decision to be wrong. Abandoning her comrades to flee alone wasn't something she could bring herself to do. Shi Chun might disregard the lives of Shudao Mountain disciples, but she couldn't. She was, after all, not only a disciple of Shudao Mountain but also the daughter of its Sect Leader.

Resentment and anger ignited her emotions, which she directed toward the Extreme Fire Sect. Moreover, seeing that the opposing forces didn't hold an overwhelming advantage, she immediately pointed at Yin Tianlu and shouted fiercely, "Yin Tianlu, what do you think you're doing?"

Yin Tianlu didn't respond immediately. He, Wu Shanshan, and the others were all glancing at the group from Shudao Mountain in confusion. Where was Shi Chun? Where were the members of Mingshan Sect? Not a single one of them was present.

Disregarding Gu Lianni's indignant yells for the time being, Yin Tianlu turned to Black Tiger. He didn't entirely trust Wu Shanshan's account and had previously sought confirmation from Black Tiger. After Black Tiger nodded, indicating Shi Chun's group was indeed in the area, they had worked with Wu Shanshan to execute the encirclement.

Now, Black Tiger also seemed puzzled. Earlier, his sensory abilities had clearly detected the mixed Divine Fire auras belonging to Shi Chun's group. He sniffed deeply again, utilizing his innate divine ability. The various Divine Fire auras were still lingering—but then he froze, detecting something unusual. Some of the Divine Fire auras had disappeared, leaving only the traces absorbed by the Shudao Mountain disciples.

What was going on? Black Tiger was dumbfounded. Just moments ago, those auras were clear—how could they vanish in such a short span of time when he wasn't paying attention?

He looked back at Yin Tianlu, barely concealing his frustration, and shook his head slightly, signaling that Shi Chun's group was no longer there.

Yin Tianlu then turned his gaze to Wu Shanshan and quietly demanded, "Where are they?"

He didn't need to ask. Wu Shanshan was no fool—she was equally baffled. Her Demon Eye had earlier detected the energy signatures of Shi Chun's group gathered in this area. Tilting her head slightly, she murmured, "Let me check."

She swiftly flew to a nearby mountaintop, avoiding the crowd's gaze. Once there, her eyes darkened to a deep crimson hue as she activated her Demon Eye anew.

While others sensed energy signatures as a vague feeling, Wu Shanshan's Demon Eye could visually perceive them. Different people emitted distinct energy signatures in varying concentrations. Even among monks, a person's cultivation method could tint their energy signature with unique colors.

Though she had never used her Demon Eye directly in Shi Chun's presence and didn't know exactly which signature belonged to her, she had locked onto the collective presence of Shi Chun's group when they exited the Fire Bat tunnel. At this moment, she barely discerned faint traces: like ribbons, fine mist, or fading wisps of red clouds, stretching distantly—so faint they were nearly invisible to her Demon Eye.

Energy signatures, while similar to physical auras, weren't the same. The former couldn't be dispersed by the wind and would only gradually dissipate into the heavens and earth over time.

Through her observations, she quickly identified the direction in which Shi Chun's group had fled and sped off to confirm her findings.

Meanwhile, facing Gu Lianni's repeated, relentless reproaches, Yin Tianlu chose not to escalate matters despite Shi Chun's inexplicable disappearance. Lacking a complete understanding of the situation, he refrained from outright aggression. After all, Shudao Mountain's strength was evident. Who knew how prepared they were in the Divine Fire Domain, considering the Sect Leader's daughter herself had ventured here?

Making excuses, he explained, "Gu Lianni, we mean no harm. We're here to settle a score with Mingshan Sect."

Gu Lianni sneered coldly. "Really? I've never heard of any connections between Extreme Fire Sect and Mingshan Sect. What score could you possibly have?"

Yin Tianlu replied, "Naturally, there's a debt to settle, though outsiders wouldn't be privy to it. Do you think Shi Chun ran at the sight of us for no reason? It's because they killed one of our disciples!"

Anyway, several disciples of the Extreme Fire Sect had died while chasing Shi Chun in the strange bat-infested tunnels. There was no harm in fabricating an accusation.

The Shudao Mountain group wasn't naive—they knew why everyone was here. False accusations were all too common in such situations.

As Gu Lianni seemed ready to argue further, Yuan Yao interjected, cutting her off. "Is this something we need to argue about? If you're after Mingshan Sect, why are you surrounding us?"

Yin Tianlu responded calmly, "We heard you were in league with them."

Yuan Yao retorted, "Whether or not we're in league with them is something we won't bother to explain. As you can see, we've already parted ways. If you insist on this, Shudao Mountain will interpret it as a provocation."

Yin Tianlu intended to stall for time, hoping reinforcements from other sects would arrive. Maintaining a neutral stance, he adopted an expression of deliberation, dragging things out as long as he could.

It was then that a few fellow disciples brought over two more arrivals.

One was Xu Anzhang, and the other, Youu Mu. Out of the twenty members from the Four Cauldron Sect who had entered, internal conflicts and other dangers had left only the two of them alive.

Having aligned themselves with Shi Chun's plans, they had long since discarded their Four Cauldron Sect attire.

The two weren't forcibly captured but rather escorted over, as they displayed resistance by brandishing their weapons.

Xu Anzhang wielded a black flagstaff—clearly a Magical Treasure from its imposing presence. Youu Mu's Magical Treasure was even more striking: six crescent-shaped golden blades orbited his body like a protective shield, their sharp edges gleaming menacingly.

Their stance was clear. They weren't looking to surrender or start a fight but sought to resolve matters peacefully. Their approach was a deliberate display of neutral intentions, free of animosity.

Seeing that Shi Chun's group wasn't among the Shudao Mountain members, the two were speechless. If they had known Shi Chun's group had parted ways with Shudao Mountain, they wouldn't have wasted their time tailing them like lackeys. Their efforts had been in vain, yielding no benefits.

They had no interest in Shudao Mountain's fate.

Gu Lianni's group recognized the duo and was equally surprised to see them here. They knew these two were associates of Shi Chun and were baffled by their appearance.

While the Extreme Fire Sect didn't recognize the two as Shi Chun's companions, they were keenly aware of their high-grade Magical Treasures. Yin Tianlu, especially, was taken aback. Just two individuals, both equipped with such exceptional treasures—it was unexpected.

He was about to question them when Wu Shanshan returned, momentarily startled by the sight of Xu Anzhang and Youu Mu. "Who are these two?" she asked Yin Tianlu.

Yin Tianlu explained, "They're the ones you mentioned were trailing behind."

Wu Shanshan gave a soft "Oh," scrutinizing Xu Anzhang with a flicker of recognition, though she couldn't immediately place where she had seen him before.

As it turned out, Xu Anzhang had been the one Shi Chun had tasked to leak enticing information to the two Demon Path factions. While she had seen him, Wu Shanshan hadn't interacted with him directly.

She had no idea these two were linked to Shi Chun. After briefly noting their extraordinary treasures, she refocused on her priority—locating Shi Chun. Glancing at Yin Tianlu, she urged, "You handle this situation. Bring a team and follow me."

Her tone carried an edge of urgency. Time was slipping by, and once Shi Chun's energy signature faded completely, she'd lose the trail.

Realizing her intent, Yin Tianlu immediately gestured to Black Tiger.

Without hesitation, Black Tiger led a contingent to follow Wu Shanshan.

With Wu Shanshan gone, Yin Tianlu turned his attention back to Xu Anzhang and Youu Mu, asking, "May I ask which sect you belong to?"

Xu Anzhang remained nonchalant. "Does it matter?"

His dismissive tone irked some disciples of the Extreme Fire Sect. Unable to assert dominance over Shudao Mountain, they saw no reason to tolerate such insolence from mere members of an Artifact Refining Sect. Someone barked angrily, "Watch your mouth!"

Yin Tianlu raised a hand to quell his men. Respect was warranted—not for their background but for their evident strength. Anyone who could pass through the bizarre Fire Bat tunnels unscathed was no simple opponent, and those treasures in their possessions were not to be underestimated. Moreover, with Shudao Mountain still brimming with hostility nearby, it was no time for rashness.

Adopting a more diplomatic tone, Yin Tianlu tried a different approach. "Then let's talk about something that does matter—why were you following Forget Love Valley's people?"

Xu Anzhang replied calmly, "The same reason you're following Shudao Mountain's people. Isn't it obvious? We share the same objective."

This explanation allayed Yin Tianlu's doubts. Indeed, weren't they all here for the Divine Fire Secret Technique?

In that sense, they could even be considered allies in chasing the same target—perhaps valuable reinforcements against Shudao Mountain. With a sly smile, he turned towards Gu Lianni's group, his expression implying, "You understand what this means, don't you?"

Gu Lianni's lips curled into a sneer. She wasn't sure what business the Four Cauldron Sect had with Shi Chun, but she had witnessed firsthand how these two deferred completely to Shi Chun. They obeyed her every word.

If she wanted to mock Yin Tianlu, she would have said, "Fool, these two are Shi Chun's people."

At that moment, another group surged onto the scene, their sheer numbers causing Gu Lianni's expression to darken. It was the reinforcements from the Refining Heaven Sect.

Xu Anzhang and Youu Mu, who had turned to look, also paled. Gong Shixi led the incoming group from the Qianyan Sect. Worst of all, Gong Shixi knew they belonged to Shi Chun's side. During the earlier confrontation with Qianyan Sect, the Four Cauldron Sect had actively joined the standoff.

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