Accidental discovery would be considered normal, but coming straight here—taking those winding detours along the way—certainly raises suspicions. Was it a mere coincidence that there was no danger encountered along the route? And this bizarre environment, not avoiding it but charging straight in—is that normal?

Then there's this woman with one less ear standing before them—clearly abnormal as well. Despite never seeing any sign of Shi Chun and his group along the way, she somehow managed to trace their route all the way here. How exactly did she manage that?

If not for the prior experience as proof, knowing this woman had indeed found Shi Chun and his group's resting spot earlier, he would undoubtedly suspect her of being problematic during the journey.

Of course, in the Cultivation World, all kinds of strange and inexplicable things tend to happen—serpents have their trails, rats have their paths, each with its unique method. Though odd, it's not necessarily shocking—just like his ability to detect Divine Fire aura.

Up until now, Shi Chun and his group's whereabouts remain unseen, yet this woman claims they're here. Again, based on prior occurrences, the likelihood of her finding them is fairly high.

Wu Shanshan sighed with a hint of worry in her eyes, "Indeed, that scoundrel dares to run rampant in the Forbidden Land without any fear of danger. Are we truly mad ourselves to be blindly following him everywhere?"

A disciple of the Extreme Fire Sect, standing next to Black Tiger, shouted out, "Brother! Can people truly hide in here?"

The voice was slightly raised, for in this place, the howling winds were deafening, making it impossible to hear unless spoken louder.

Black Tiger understood his intentions—wanting him to sniff out confirmation to ensure they weren't being fooled by this woman. Clearly, he too harbored doubts about her unsubstantiated tracking methods along their journey.

However, he had already sniffed around earlier. Yet this eerie place is different from others—from here, even if Shi Chun and his group were present, the Divine Fire aura would likely have been scattered by the wild winds and might not reach his nose.

Even if they were just a few meters away, he might still fail to catch their scent.

Nonetheless, Black Tiger's nose twitched repeatedly, scanning the area with a searching gaze. Though unable to catch Shi Chun's group's Divine Fire aura, he sensed another kind of Divine Fire aura instead. What does this imply?

It implies that this area houses a certain Divine Fire's nest, saturating the surroundings with its presence. Its concentrated aura indicates it hasn't been absorbed yet—just like the unfamiliar woman beside Shi Chun.

As for what kind of Divine Fire could be hidden here, Black Tiger couldn't say for certain. The Extreme Fire Sect didn't expose its disciples to many varieties of Divine Fire aura for familiarity.

Still, there are only thirty-six types of Divine Fire. Though he hadn't seen them firsthand, records in ancient texts provided clues. Considering this terrain, he speculated on the possible nature of the fire.

The current issue is the peculiar environment surrounding the Divine Fire—the aura gets blown every which way by the wind, making it difficult to pinpoint the fire's exact location. It's unlike his prior encounters, where once the general spot was located, fellow disciples could set up arrays to trap the fire.

This would require slower, more methodical approaches. Right now, the pressing matter is to locate Shi Chun's group and unearth their secret technique for finding the Divine Fire.

For smaller sects, obtaining a single Divine Fire may fulfill their wish, but for larger factions like theirs, merely finding Divine Fires isn't enough—the true key lies in mastering the techniques to uncover them.

To an Artifact Refining Sect, after this session of Divine Fire Covenant concludes, they'll send new disciples for the next one. Mastering the Divine Fire-finding technique is of monumental importance to such a sect.

Why has Black Tiger's ability to sniff out Divine Fire aura been kept secret within the Extreme Fire Sect?

In a gathering of powerful elites, small sects often navigate amidst the cracks to seek opportunities. They might not aim for grand aspirations, but disciples from the larger factions surely hope for such chances.

Those smaller sects persistently tagging along likely harbor ambitions of their own.

Black Tiger's eyes flickered. Without responding to his junior's question, he turned to Wu Shanshan instead, asking, "What now?"

Wu Shanshan hesitated and replied, "I dare not act rashly."

Black Tiger frowned. "You claimed to have a way to counter Shi Chun's fifth-grade Spirit Venerate Treasure, didn't you?"

The wind disheveled Wu Shanshan's hanging hair, exposing her unsightly ear. She tilted her head toward Black Tiger and said, "It's not about the treasure. Shudao Mountain separating from Shi Chun's group is highly unusual. If Brother Yin can handle Gu Lianni and the others over there, we might uncover what's going on, saving us from reckless moves due to uncertainty.

Secondly, we don't understand why Shi Chun split ways with Shudao Mountain, nor why he's come here. If there's truly something significant going on, strength in numbers would provide better assurance.

As long as Shi Chun's group stays here without running off, we'll hold this ground waiting for Brother Yin and the others to arrive—or send someone back to check whether they can make it in time. If they can't come, then it leaves us no choice but to take action ourselves."

Black Tiger nodded slightly. This approach seemed prudent. The greater concern remained whether Shi Chun paused here while passing through—or deliberately headed here. If it was the latter, then this is all too suspicious. Such familiarity with the Forbidden Land's environment might indicate a trap; memories of the mishap in the cave with the strange bats still linger vividly.

He immediately turned back to the speaker and instructed, "Junior Brother Huang, take someone back along the original route and check on Brother Yin's situation."

"Understood." The man accepted his orders and left.

The rest temporarily sought hidden spots to conceal themselves, as standing out on high ground too long risked exposure.

Before retreating into concealment, Wu Shanshan glanced back at a particular spot.

In that very area, a shadow crouched in a hollow, watching them.

It was none other than Shi Chun, his expression deeply solemn.

Finding his way into such a godforsaken place was, without doubt, guided by Zhener.

Shi Chun's choice for such a location stemmed from his inquiry to Zhener—asking if she knew a place with similar characteristics, a windier area.

Zhener affirmed, then led them to this very site.

Shi Chun's intent was straightforward. While narrowly escaping encirclement earlier, certain anomalies he detected had alarmed him. Having grown up in perilous environments, he instinctively observed that being tracked involved something exceedingly peculiar.

Logically, after using the Fire Bat tunnels to evade pursuit successfully, and taking detours constantly along the way, they shouldn't have been so easily followed.

Yet, the chase persisted, rendering their prior efforts futile.

This was blatantly abnormal—such outcomes boil down to two possibilities: either there's an insider betraying them, or the enemy possesses some secret means of tracking individuals. In the Cultivation World, such techniques aren't beyond comprehension.

As for the insider theory, the Mingshan Sect's members were handpicked from rejected disciples across factions, generally considered reliable. The probability of internal betrayal seemed low, whereas Shudao Mountain, already compromised by the traitor Yan Ketao, could feasibly have another spy from other sects.

Nonetheless, observing how the Extreme Fire Sect bypassed Shudao Mountain's perimeter defenses and slipped through their encirclement suggested even an insider couldn't accomplish this level of ease. The likelihood of betrayal felt slim.

Still, insider involvement couldn't be completely ruled out.

After decisively severing ties with Shudao Mountain, despite the low odds of internal betrayal, Shi Chun's survival instincts—honed in the Land of Exile—heightened his vigilance against potential dangers. His caution erupted decisively.

He couldn't guarantee there was no traitor amidst his group.

Mingshan Sect may have sourced its members as rejects from other sects, but no one could rule out the possibility of someone being swayed before or during entry into the Divine Fire Domain—his companions had been out of his sight, conducting solo actions numerous times.

In such perilous environments, if there were indeed an insider, the threat would be catastrophic.

Therefore, his first action was nothing else but internal screening and confirmation.

No need for elaborate explanations—a glance or simple signal sufficed for Wu Jinliang to comprehend.

On the journey, Wu Jinliang closely tailed everyone, locking all movements within his watchful gaze to prevent anyone from dropping or marking items to guide the pursuit.

Given they were flying high throughout the journey, Shi Chun prevented the group from setting foot on the ground, denying any chance to tamper or plant leads. Guiding the enemy could only involve dropping items.

Bringing the crew to this windy locale represented an additional layer of precaution. If the issue wasn't internal betrayal, it might involve an enemy tracking scent trails. The wind would naturally scatter any detectable odors, facilitating their escape.

Upon arriving, Wu Jinliang assured Shi Chun that after careful observation, no one appeared to tamper with anything. Attempting to drop objects amidst the rapidly spinning Wind Scale currents couldn't be done without deliberate control—the items would likely crash against the violently rotating scales.

Next, it remained to see whether the Extreme Fire Sect's group could still locate this place.

In the Wind Nest's center, Zhener uncovered a ground hole for the group to rest. Shi Chun then ventured out to observe from the direction they had come. If someone were tracking them, they'd follow the path of their movements.

Shi Chun took this observation post himself due to the advantage of his right eye's superpower.

He naturally hoped his pursuers had been shaken off, but outcomes rarely align with desires. Situations unresolved through effort often end in disappointment. He discovered their pursuers had indeed arrived, sinking his mood heavily.

Shortly after sighting Black Tiger's group retreat to conceal themselves, someone quietly approached Shi Chun's side.

Wu Jinliang crawled stealthily to his position, leaning in to whisper, "Everything's set on my end. What's the situation from yours?"

Shi Chun replied coldly, "The outcome I dreaded the most has come to pass."

"They arrived this fast?" Wu Jinliang exclaimed, scanning the scene but seeing nothing. He knew Shi Chun wouldn't deceive him—for that matter, he trusted the reliability of Shi Chun's right-eye ability. Turning back baffled, he muttered, "That's impossible! This couldn't have been caused by an insider, could it?"

Shi Chun: "The likelihood of an insider was slim from the onset. Witnessing their group penetrate Shudao Mountain's defenses and bypass encirclement earlier, I recognized that among our people, internal betrayal was highly improbable. None of ours had involvement in those perimeter deployments, making it almost impossible to guide external groups around Shudao Mountain's defenses. However, caution requires being thorough—we had to screen for security's sake, eliminating doubt."

Wu Jinliang understood this perfectly—the more dangerous the circumstances, the greater the necessity for safeguarding against betrayal from within. His suspicion deepened, demanding resolute inquiry, "So, how did they track us? Sniffing our trail through scent, perhaps?"

Shi Chun: "Throughout the journey, I insisted we fly high above the ground—where the wind was strong enough to scatter any scents. Somehow, they still managed to follow us. Evidently, they hold superior methods for tracking. It seems coming to this Wind Nest served no real purpose—we can't escape them nor dodge detection."

Speaking these words, his right-eye superpower faded, forcing him to turn his gaze toward the frowning Wu Jinliang. Shi Chun continued, "The number chasing us isn't large. Judging by their discreet movements, they intend to avoid alarming us. The bulk of their forces likely remain behind dealing with Shudao Mountain.

The ones here now include Wu Shanshan and the Extreme Fire Sect's leader, Black Tiger. Before resolving matters with Shudao Mountain, dispatching these two to track us down means one thing—their ability to doggedly pursue lies with these two somehow.

These individuals are not just nuisances—they're genuine threats. Having them around means escape efforts will always prove futile. If we wish to get out of this, these two cannot be allowed to leave.

They've come alone, isolated and vulnerable—a rare opportunity for us. Once their main forces arrive, taking action will become far riskier.

I've avoided clashing with these major sects intentionally. Winning or losing always comes with endless trouble. Yet now, they've gone too far. Jinliang, some situations can't be resolved without drawing blood. There's no avoiding it anymore!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.