"..." Gong Shixi choked, realizing he had misspoken. Still, he had to smooth things over casually, and when he spoke again, it was with a sigh, "Brother Zuo, please understand, we did send a few spies out. Backing off is backing off, but some matters still require attention."

No matter whether it made sense or not, Zuo Zisheng refused to debate, directly overriding him with a forceful intervention. "Enough. Put away your plans and join us on the journey."

His tone brooked no argument, and his gaze was imposing and oppressive.

When their eyes met, Gong Shixi cursed inwardly but knew he'd have to bear the consequences of refusal. In the end, he plastered on a forced, hearty smile and said, "To travel alongside Refining Heaven Sect is an honor for us."

His gaze secretly searched for the traitor hidden within Refining Heaven Sect.

Honor? Zuo Zisheng sneered inwardly. Pretend all you want, but if danger arises, you lot will be the first to take the hit!

In places of discord, the people are often as contentious as the environment itself.

And so the group set off together...

Wu Jinliang kept busy, partly because he had just learned how to make the Magical Treasure recognize him as its master and was familiarizing himself with controlling the fused three-in-one artifact.

As he tinkered with the treasure, he lamented that he wasn't out in the outside world. If he had this treasure in the outside world, what couldn't he achieve? With something this powerful in his hands, he could truly live a carefree life. But alas, this place was no sanctuary for idleness, and he couldn't afford any comfort.

On the other hand, he had to teach Zhener how to fight. Teaching her was giving Wu Jinliang a massive headache, as he discovered that Zhener was completely clueless when it came to combat techniques.

After questioning her, he understood the reason. When Zhener was following that woman named "Su," the Divine Fire Domain had already been established. The Fire God's followers had subdued all the threats they needed to, and at the time, Zhener hadn't yet transformed into human form. "Su" merely taught her cultivation but didn't teach her combat for her human form.

After Zhener transformed into human form, "Su" and her followers were no longer around. The creatures in Earth Heart Tower neither showed kindness nor hostility towards her. She kept to herself, remained in the Land of Eternal Night in tranquil cultivation, letting the years slip by without conflict or attachment.

Before encountering humans, fights and grudges had been completely irrelevant to her.

If she never thought of venturing into the outside world, perhaps her life would have continued in that way, raising the philosophical question that always induces reflection—what is the true meaning of living?

However, there was one reassuring aspect for Wu Jinliang: Zhener lacked any concept of good and evil, meaning she also lacked compassion or mercy. Those notions of kindness or cruelty hadn't yet influenced her perspective. Therefore, teaching her how to deliver lethal blows was alarmingly effective—she learned swiftly and executed her moves with brutal precision and efficiency.

With this, things became simpler. The fundamental principle of combat was just one thing: defeat the opponent and preserve oneself.

Coming from the Land of Exile, coupled with Wu Jinliang's desire to maximize Zhener's impact, he taught her only the most ruthless and merciless techniques.

More advanced skillsets, however, were impossible to teach in such a short timeframe.

Due to Zhener's high cultivation, her strikes were often overpowered. When she was taught to grab someone, she nearly tore Wu Jinliang's arm off.

Scared of her strength and lacking the ability to spar on equal footing, Wu Jinliang turned to practice using the three-in-one Magical Treasure instead. He sparred with Zhener using the artifact, and both quickly adapted to their respective training.

Shi Chun forbade anyone else from teaching Zhener, not solely to protect her true origins but also to ensure he preserved a trump card until the group escaped entirely. With their precarious situation, anyone could fall into the enemy's hands at any time, and revealing Zhener prematurely could compromise their plan.

As for Shi Chun himself, after leading the group deep into the wind nest, he personally left to stand guard again, bringing only one companion with him—a mature-looking man with a bushy beard, Chu Jingtang.

He had no choice but to rely on his own superpower since no one else could replace the functionality of his right eye. At critical moments, those who had the ability bore the heavier burden.

Yet prior injuries and blood loss, combined with the continuous use of his right eye's power, caused him a renewed sense of fatigue. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced since absorbing large amounts of killing intent during the Sky Rain Meteor Conference.

Now, although the group had moved far from their initial location, they hadn't left the storm zone entirely.

The reasoning was simple: Shi Chun still wanted to confirm whether taking down Black Tiger meant that they had completely evaded pursuit.

If they'd succeeded, then moving near or far wouldn't really matter. In a place like this where scents and traces were obliterated, merely shifting to another hiding spot would already make detection incredibly difficult.

If killing Black Tiger hadn't broken the tracking method, however, then running far wouldn't save them—they'd be found regardless.

After retreating further into the area, Shi Chun positioned himself along the escape route, ready to observe. If the enemy still followed, they would undoubtedly converge along this path.

He secretly hoped that Wu Jinliang's last maneuver had sufficiently intimidated the persistent foes.

Not far away, Chu Jingtang absently scratched his beard amidst the wind, or rather, tried to ease the discomfort—itched by his whiskers being blown against his face constantly.

In this pitch-black environment, he didn't know what he might detect; he could only widen his eyes and scan, though the gusts made them dry and sore. The Master had sustained severe injuries yet still took charge; what complaints could he possibly have?

Eventually, the anticipated worry came to fruition. While Chu Jingtang failed to notice anything, Shi Chun's superpowered right eye saw—indistinct, hazy figures surged from the otherwise imperceptible distance. The sheer number caused their clustered colors to darken.

Gradually, one particular figure became clearer, advancing ahead of the others.

The sudden adrenaline spike made Shi Chun's heart race. What you fear often has a way of finding you—this situation showed he had killed the wrong person earlier, misjudging that Black Tiger wasn't the one wielding the tracking secret method.

Then again, given the circumstances at that time, there was no choice but to act decisively, even if mistaken.

With a mass of enemies closing in and a single figure pushing forward, Shi Chun resisted the urge to flee, instead narrowing his eyes to observe more closely. His reflexes told him the leading individual was likely the true possessor of the tracking technique.

His mind raced with rapid judgment cycles.

The current situation reinforced his confidence: among the enemy forces, only one person likely possessed the tracking power. It was conceivable that this individual, like himself, would prefer to keep their superpower hidden.

Given the opponent's sizeable group, if multiple individuals shared the tracking ability, it was unlikely they'd send just one to risk exposure—especially after how quickly Black Tiger had been dispatched earlier. His foes were bound to be cautious.

Thus, Shi Chun resolved to take a calculated risk, remaining in silence as he waited, eager to uncover the identity of this solitary figure.

Soon enough, as he wished, though their face wasn't yet visible, the figure's movement and posture revealed their identity—it was none other than Wu Shanshan, the witch!

Shi Chun was startled but also found the revelation well within expectations. He had suspected it was either Wu Shanshan or Black Tiger earlier, and this moment confirmed his initial doubts hadn't been entirely baseless.

In that instant, murderous intent surged within him. He was ready to strike if Wu Shanshan came closer, eagerly hoping for an opportunity to ambush her.

Yet just as Wu Shanshan darted to another rock formation, she stopped abruptly, ceasing her approach.

She had spotted Shi Chun's hiding place. From observing his aura beforehand, she had memorized his energy signatures. Seeing the concentrated aura pooling nearby, she realized Shi Chun was hiding close by.

Based on Shi Chun's cultivation, she felt confident she could handle him. With her target isolated and vulnerable, a surprise attack seemed promising.

However, lessons from their last encounter lingered, and knowing another figure was lurking near Shi Chun, she hesitated to act rashly. Privately, she didn't want to monopolize the Divine Fire prize; prudence dictated caution.

So, she halted there, surveyed the surroundings briefly to memorize the terrain, and then withdrew swiftly with another flickering step.

The hand gripping the blade hilt on Shi Chun's shoulder slowly relaxed. Clenching the "Immortal Strangling Silk" in his other hand, he took it back as well.

Recalling how the Extreme Fire Sect infiltrated Shudao Mountain with a hidden ambush, he realized the enemy likely already knew about him. The subsequent events would become predictable.

Shi Chun promptly relocated from his spot, maneuvering carefully to reach Chu Jingtang's side. He delivered terse orders: "We haven't evaded them. A large force has already arrived and detected us. They're preparing to encircle this area. Return immediately and inform everyone to retreat. Wu Jinliang knows where to go and what to do next. Hurry!"

Chu Jingtang appeared surprised, instinctively scanning his surroundings. He wanted to ask, "How come I didn't notice anything?"

Yet questioning this felt meaningless now. He understood Shi Chun wouldn't jest about such matters and merely asked, "Aren't you coming back with me?"

"I've got some loose ends to tie up. I'll meet you later—just go now!"

After urging him, Shi Chun vanished into the shadows.

With Shi Chun gone, Chu Jingtang had no reason to linger. He quickly departed as well.

While advancing stealthily in the dark, Shi Chun moved quickly, shedding his clothes mid-run, replacing them with another set. He untied his hair, letting it cascade, then concealed his face while binding his hair to prevent it from blowing wildly in the wind—clearly intending to remain unrecognizable.

Taking a wide circuitous route, he aimed directly for the enemy's massing ground, intent on speed.

Though Wu Shanshan had retreated into their ranks, Shi Chun planned no mercy. The threat posed by the witch was too great, and her survival meant perpetual uncertainty for him, ultimately condemning him to his own demise.

How could he tolerate such a scenario?

Observing her cautious stance—a High Martial Great Success realm cultivator hesitated to move against him, merely in the Upper Realm—it was clear that normal methods of resolution wouldn't suffice. To eliminate her, he'd need to use an exceptional approach, one that carried risks.

The opportunity lay ahead: a gathering of various sect forces. Amidst this chaotic mix, what harm could a single outsider blending among them cause?

So, Shi Chun decisively chose to take the gamble.

His aim was straightforward—to infiltrate the crowd and find a chance to eliminate Wu Shanshan.

Calling it a bold intervention amongst the sects to execute Wu Shanshan sounded noble, but in truth, it was closer to stealthy assassination.

As long as he could kill her, he didn't care about the Demon Essence within her body. Skipping a meal wouldn't kill him; safeguarding his situation took priority.

He'd considered negotiating peacefully, perhaps leveraging their shared Demon Path status to persuade Wu Shanshan to stay her hand. But after witnessing what happened with Gong Shixi, that naïve expectation became laughable. Offering his neck voluntarily would be nothing short of foolish.

If peace proved impossible, then evasion would come too late—the only course was mutual destruction.

Upon receiving the alert from Chu Jingtang, Wu Jinliang wasted no time. He immediately ceased the sparring, decisively executing Shi Chun's orders, rallying Zhener and the Mingshan Sect members to retreat.

This, of course, meant veering into unexplored areas, requiring Zhener's guidance to navigate.

Meanwhile, amidst their ranks, Wu Shanshan had also returned to Yin Tianlu's side, reporting her findings discreetly.

Yin Tianlu, now informed of the discovery, didn't act impulsively. Instead, he summoned nearby sect members to chat.

The intention remained clear: having suffered once before, he planned for other sect disciples to test the waters first.

At that moment, commotion rippled through the various groups. Yin Tianlu and his associates were still chatting when everyone's attention was drawn toward a sudden descending crowd.

Once their identities became clear, Yin Tianlu's face darkened faintly as he saw the least desired group—Zuo Zisheng and Li Hongjiu's faction—arriving.

Spotting Gu Lianni and other members of Shudao Mountain among them, Yin Tianlu's curiosity grew. What was going on here? Had Shi Chun lied and the secret method wasn't in Shudao Mountain's hands?

Scanning the assembled sect members, he also caught signs that Zuo Zisheng's group had insiders planted among their ranks—that much was clear; otherwise, this faction wouldn't have tracked them down yet again.

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