After thinking it through, there's new insight into Shi Chun and the others' approach with such an open and candid attitude. No wonder it felt unreasonable before; now the reasoning seems clear.

But in hindsight, under the circumstances back then, there was no other choice. Once Shi Chun and the others disappeared, it was only natural to immediately split forces to chase them down as soon as possible.

Especially with Wu Shanshan—she must locate Shi Chun's group before their aura dissipates. If she delays, they'll be impossible to find.

Faced with the current situation, the effort might have been in vain. Wu Shanshan turned her head and asked Black Tiger, "What should we do?"

No magical spells were used for conversation due to the strong wind—it wasn't necessary to worry about Shi Chun and the others overhearing them from this distance.

Black Tiger likewise felt the pursuit might have been futile, yet his gaze fixated on Zhener behind Shi Chun's group. His tongue moved in his mouth while his Adam's apple bobbed in a swallowing motion—not out of lust for Zhener's beauty, but because he recognized her as a Spiritual Body of Divine Fire. The mere thought of consuming her brought an exquisite anticipation.

Devouring a different type of Divine Fire meant an additional foundational boost to his cultivation of fire-based Mana. It also granted mastery over another kind of Divine Fire, which could elevate his artifact refining skills to unprecedented levels.

Especially since this was a rare Divine Fire whose attributes he couldn't guess.

For non-Artifact Refiners, it would be hard to comprehend how tempting this felt.

If Shi Chun's group showed great strength, Black Tiger might have suppressed his desires. However, Shi Chun's group openly confessed they dared not provoke major sects like them, even voluntarily handing over Divine Fire Secret Techniques to avoid trouble—this only fanned the flames of his uncontrollable desire.

After taking another, more detailed look at Zhener's elegant figure, Black Tiger turned to Wu Shanshan and asked, "Are you sure you can deal with his fifth-grade Spirit Venerate Magical Treasure?"

Wu Shanshan had grown tired of this type of questioning. How many times did he need her to repeat herself? She understood his meaning regardless and retorted, "You still want to make a move?"

Black Tiger replied, "We can't just believe everything he says, right? It has to be verified and confirmed first."

Wu Shanshan raised an eyebrow slightly—verification could be carried out in many ways. For instance, they could contact Yin Tianlu for confirmation or wait until Yin Tianlu's group arrived. It didn't necessarily require them to take action.

She pulled back the scarf covering her face and asked, "How do you intend to verify?"

Black Tiger said, "Once we capture them, we can verify however we want. With them in our grasp, they won't be able to pull any tricks."

If there were a way to avoid risk, Wu Shanshan certainly preferred not to take any. Her dedicated appearance and efforts were purely for show—to report back and appease her superiors. As long as Shi Chun's group cooperated during verification, she saw no need to escalate into combat.

However, after sizing up Shi Chun, she thought that resolving things through force might not be a bad option.

Not for anything else but Shi Chun's possession of the Spirit Venerate Magical Treasure. Beyond that, the Immortal Strangling Silk was also in his possession, making it two treasured items in total.

They had signed a contract stipulating that in exchange for obtaining Shi Chun's Divine Fire, she could use it to retrieve both treasures.

Yet given her current predicament—who could say when she'd manage to obtain a Divine Fire?

If she could reclaim the treasures without cost, it would certainly be wonderful. It would also mean gaining an additional piece of Shi Chun's Divine Fire as an unearned advantage.

Later, if she found another Divine Fire, she wouldn't need to hand it to Shi Chun—it could be absorbed by her side for her own benefit.

In some ways, this effort was also for her sect's triumph.

Profiting for free—if the chance was there, why not take it?

Once such a wicked thought took root, her desires surged unchecked, as if an open floodgate.

Ultimately, Shi Chun's side was in the weaker position—simply put, they were easy to bully.

On top of that, she was worried about whether she'd still manage to reclaim her treasures once the larger forces of the Extreme Fire Sect arrived.

Black Tiger was also watching her reactions closely. His earlier words had been somewhat of a test—if she believed they could act, then her supposed ability to deal with the fifth-grade Spirit Venerate Magical Treasure was likely authentic. If she hesitated, whether true or false, he himself wouldn't dare take reckless action and might have to wait for larger reinforcements to arrive.

Shi Chun was anxious to act because he feared the larger forces from the opposing side would soon arrive. He was racing against time—seeing the two whispering with shifting glances but no substantial response, he grew impatient.

Furthermore, channeling Mana to sustain an invisible barrier in such strong wind was quite draining.

Since they gave no reply, Shi Chun took the initiative and spoke loudly, "Everyone, stop following us. The road splits ahead—each of us should go our own way. If you're looking for Divine Fire Secret Techniques, go find the people from Shudao Mountain. We will no longer keep you company. Farewell!"

He firmly believed they wouldn't just let him leave without action.

Even if they trusted his words, there was no way they would act solely based on his statements. Regarding such a critical matter, verifying the truth was a minimum requirement.

True to his prediction, the moment he showed signs of leaving, Black Tiger urgently pressed the woman next to him, "He's about to go—what's the plan?"

Wu Shanshan, her expression flickering, also couldn't keep calm. She cast her spell, shouting loudly, "Stop!"

Shi Chun, having just moved a step away, immediately halted and responded in a cooperating tone, "I've explained everything clearly already. What more do you want?"

Wu Shanshan deflected his words, saying, "Shi Chun, it seems you've forgotten something."

Shi Chun replied curiously, "What's that?"

Wu Shanshan turned her hand to reveal a contract, shaking it open and displaying it to everyone. "Those two treasures of mine are still in your possession."

While speaking, she deliberately showed the contract to Black Tiger beside her, indicating her primary motive—making it clear to Black Tiger that the treasures belong to her and must be returned to their rightful owner once obtained, leaving no room for misunderstanding on his part.

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