Regardless of how Shi Chun was viewed before—be it as a nobody from the Land of Exile or the top contender of the Sky Rain Meteor Conference—a fleeing enemy is not fearsome, but an enemy that actively approaches is the opposite. It's hard not to feel tense.

However, the hostility doesn't seem too intense. He hasn't suddenly charged forward, having said his greetings first, and even now he's approaching at a steady pace, giving the other side ample time to prepare.

What is he planning? Everyone secretly felt curious, trying to guess Shi Chun's intentions.

Though the other side hasn't displayed hostility, everyone here quickly made their preparations—grabbing weapons and magical treasures where needed.

Black Tiger pulled out a stack of objects that looked like pancakes in his hand. Upon further inspection, they seemed more like three stacked woven mats, each emitting a matte metallic sheen under the starlight.

Wu Shanshan couldn't help but glance at it a few times. She couldn't tell what it was at this moment, but obviously, it wasn't for inviting guests to sit on. It was undoubtedly a magical treasure.

After tucking the three mat-like objects under his arm, Black Tiger tilted his head to confirm, "Are you sure you can counter his fifth-grade Spirit Venerate magical treasure?"

His own magical treasure was also fifth-grade but was not an ordinary one. To ensure his safety, Refining Heaven Sect spared no expense this time, providing a treasure even superior to the one given to Yin Tianlu.

Still, at the end of the day, it's an Artifact Venerate magical treasure. Compared to Spirit Venerate magical treasures, the difference is quite significant.

Let's put it this way: a fifth-grade Spirit Venerate magical treasure is equivalent to a living Earth Immortal-level expert taking action themselves—with their cultivation, techniques, and fighting methods preserved, only manifesting through a different form.

Of course, its reflexes wouldn't match those it had when alive, but compared to the lifeless Artifact Venerate magical treasures of the same grade, which require the controller to operate every move, the gaps between the two are rather substantial.

Not to mention, a High Martial Realm controller simply cannot comprehend the power or reaction speed of the Earth Immortal Realm. This alone makes it difficult to wield the full strength of a fifth-grade magical treasure, especially a combat-oriented one, which demands nimble, instinctive maneuvering.

Hence, Black Tiger had no choice but to worry and double-check.

"Relax. I'm not looking to die," Wu Shanshan reassured him, flipping her hand to summon a Green Jade Flute out of thin air.

Black Tiger glanced at it, then swiftly turned his vigilant gaze toward the approaching figures on the opposing side. At a rough count, all thirteen members of Mingshan Sect were present, not one missing, with an additional woman added.

The moment he saw Zhener, a hint of greed flashed in his eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly as if savoring something.

Although he had earlier concluded that this woman's cultivation wouldn't be particularly high, the current situation made him doubt whether she could be one of Shi Chun's sources of confidence, especially since stories of a Spiritual Body transforming into human form were exceedingly rare.

But then again, if she were some terrifying old monster, the circumstances wouldn't look like this.

The real source of confidence must still be that fifth-grade Spirit Venerate magical treasure. Before, they didn't feel assured due to their numbers, but now, with fewer people on their side, their courage surged.

Similarly, Wu Shanshan pondered that Shi Chun must have realized the truth about that magical treasure to muster this boldness. After all, Shi Chun might have someone from the Artifact Refining Sect in his corner, and while the so-called Sect Master of Mingshan Sect might not know how to craft treasures, he must have some degree of knowledge.

She speculated that Shi Chun would never dream that the magical treasure she gave him had a backdoor left behind.

She and Black Tiger seemed to share a tacit understanding, exchanging a glance instinctively. Their eyes carried traces of amusement, sensing Shi Chun might be walking straight into his own trap this time.

At this moment, Shi Chun raised his hand slightly, signaling those behind him to stop and not follow further. If the situation turned unfavorable, they'd need a cushion time for retreat.

Tong Mingshan and the others halted as their gaze turned to Wu Jinliang's movements. Those observant enough noticed a subtle change, and their eyelids fluttered slightly.

Wu Jinliang made a motion of stowing away the gourd, putting the large gourd into his Qiankun Bag—but seemed to reconsider and pulled it back out, slinging it over his shoulder.

It didn't appear to be much at first glance, but the keen-eyed recognized the detail: the gourd he initially stowed away hadn't been sealed at its mouth, with a stopper hanging from a string near the opening. The gourd he subsequently retrieved, however, had its stopper firmly plugged in.

The observant realized that Wu Jinliang's Qiankun Bag likely contained more than one large gourd, possibly several identical ones.

Why carry multiple identical large gourds with you? Suggest it's for easy access to drinking water, and the keen-eyed wouldn't believe it—especially since the Mingshan Sect group had long doubted this excuse.

The Divine Fire Domain might lack suitable water sources, but there's no need to lug such a massive gourd around all the time.

Especially during action, when he invariably keeps the gourd on his back without letting go. But during periods of rest, he occasionally stows it away for convenience.

If faced with danger or conflict, carrying such a cumbersome gourd would only hinder movement—how could that be normal?

Outsiders might not notice anything, but for those who'd spend time with him daily, they'd long picked up on such peculiarities, though they couldn't get a straight answer out of him.

Watching the Master and his self-proclaimed second-in-command continue forward, some observed Wu Jinliang scratching the back of his head and reflexively pulling the stopper off the gourd again.

Several people subconsciously exchanged glances, and Chu Jingtang tugged at his beard, shook his head, and cracked a toothy grin that resembled the expression of someone suffering from a toothache.

In a way, the tense Mingshan Sect group, upon seeing Shi Chun visibly make some suspicious moves, actually felt some relief.

Under such circumstances, they feared the group would fail to orchestrate anything—they needed them to pull some tricks. If not, it would be troublesome.

As they watched Shi Chun and his companion get closer—about forty to fifty feet away—Black Tiger suddenly raised his palm in alarm and shouted, "Stop!"

Despite Wu Shanshan's assertion of confidence, he still exercised caution, maintaining a safe distance.

Shi Chun's orders to his companions to stop-following drew his vigilance further. Two individuals daringly approached alone. Whether it reflected ultimate confidence or not, it provoked his wariness regardless.

Shi Chun and his companion cooperatively halted. When instructed to stop, they complied without hesitation.

Shi Chun's right-eye superpower locked onto Black Tiger, scrutinizing the eight Divine Fire Flame Energies within his body. Upon first noticing this anomaly, he briefly assumed Black Tiger was the true leader of Extreme Fire Sect. However, realizing Yin Tianlu and the main force were absent, busy dealing with Shudao Mountain, he reconsidered.

Nonetheless, it confirmed one thing: Black Tiger undoubtedly held something unique. How else could someone outperform a sect leader in absorbing Divine Fire?

At that instant, Shi Chun secretly resolved to eliminate Black Tiger first upon engaging. The hidden killing intent firmly targeted the Tiger Demon.

To this end, he uttered a sound to catch Wu Jinliang's attention before subtly tilting his head in a meaningful gesture.

Wu Jinliang immediately grasped the implication: Chun Tian had identified the primary suspect. In case of action, priorities must be clear.

Thus, his focus also turned to scrutinize Black Tiger, though anxiety stirred in his heart. He was acutely aware of his own low cultivation—the lowest in the entire Mingshan Sect. Going into battle under these circumstances naturally had him nervous.

However, after sensing the mana fluctuations from Chun Tian's shield-casting spell, he felt slightly more at ease.

Wu Jinliang understood Chun Tian's setup, knowing that the gourd change was due to one gourd's immobilization substance having been emptied by Chun Tian using magic. Judging by the scene, Chun Tian likely arranged an unseen barrier ahead of them.

Without requiring further explanation, he roughly figured out Chun Tian's intent. The opposition's heightened vigilance made it impossible to approach and cast immobilization without alarming them. Successfully projecting over such a distance without notice was also out of reach.

In such a situation, this method wouldn't work unless it succeeded on the first try. Should it fail and alert them, subsequent attempts would become increasingly difficult.

The plan was to bait the enemy into advancing voluntarily.

After setting up his arrangement in secret, Chun Tian chuckled aloud and said, "Have I not displayed enough sincerity? We came here with only two people. Do you really fear us?"

Wu Shanshan shouted back, "What are you trying to do?"

Chun Tian replied, "That's a question you should be asking yourselves. You've been tailing us endlessly. We bear no grudge against you—what's the point of this animosity?"

Wu Shanshan snapped, "You know perfectly well what we want!"

Chun Tian answered, "You just want the secret technique to locate Divine Fire, don't you? We already gave the Magic Artifact for locating Divine Fire to Gu Lianni to stay out of trouble. Why don't you pursue Shudao Mountain instead of chasing us? Without that Magic Artifact, killing us won't help you in the slightest."

Black Tiger couldn't help but jump in, "The secret technique for locating Divine Fire is just a Magic Artifact?"

"The Magic Artifact is called the Divine Fire Treasure. You…" Chun Tian suddenly chuckled, "No way, did Shudao Mountain have a traitor? Logically, everything should've been disclosed. Could it be that after all this time stalking us, you don't even know what the secret technique for locating Divine Fire is?

Oh, my heavens! You folks should think logically: if we didn't hand over the treasure for locating Divine Fire to Gu Lianni, do you suppose Shudao Mountain would have let us leave peacefully? If it were you, would you have allowed us to walk away?

We can't afford to provoke a united offensive from major forces. And since the escape route was guarded by you, we backed off to let you play your game among yourselves. Would that not suffice?"

Chun Tian dared speak so freely, having judged the timeline of their pursuit. Even if Shudao Mountain fell, it wouldn't have divulged information this quickly. Seeing only this group appear, with the main force absent, confirmed that it hadn't learned anything yet.

Against uninformed adversaries, deception knew no bounds.

Divine Fire Treasure? Wu Jinliang blinked his large eyes, his habitual tendency to chuckle surfacing again. He began a series of faint mocking laughs that seemed to ridicule the opposing party as fools.

The swirling winds were noisy, yet Chun Tian's spell-amplified voice remained clear to the Mingshan Sect members. They exchanged glances; had they not personally experienced negotiating with Shudao Mountain, they might have believed him. It sounded so damn plausible.

Chu Jingtang sighed to himself, "Looks like being glib is an essential skill for survival in this world!"

During the standoff, Wu Shanshan and Black Tiger exchanged stupefied glances, their faces betraying a realization. Indeed, Shudao Mountain would never allow anyone to flee along with the secret technique for locating Divine Fire.

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