The Yanbao Sect group naturally knew their elder was blatantly lying, and the reasoning wasn't hard to guess—it was all about sticking together in hardship or survival of one's own over others. Regardless, the more people there were, the stronger they were, and they couldn't afford to scare people away.

Besides, the lightning strikes earlier had destroyed many magical treasures across the sects—could they even talk about it? There was no making up for that loss.

The elder's well-intentioned lies were for the benefit of everyone. Naturally, they had to keep it under wraps, silently exchanging glances as they watched the participants from other sects.

But Li Hongjiu's utterly disheveled state was impossible to ignore. Nobody here was blind. Zuo Zisheng pointed at him and asked, "Mr. Li, what happened to you?"

"Sigh." Li Hongjiu, rarely heard sighing, responded and lied casually, "Ran into a ferocious beast, no idea what it was. Fought it off in a battle, luckily managed to drive it away."

The Yanbao Sect group grew noticeably quieter.

Gu Lianni interjected, "Where's the masked figure? What happened to him?"

"Well, you'll have to figure that out yourselves." Li Hongjiu shook his head with a knowing look. "I have no idea where he ran off to."

If he'd been able to find the individual easily, he wouldn't have had to team up with these people earlier; he would've operated independently long ago.

Yin Tianlu, with a mocking tone, said, "Mr. Li, weren't you claiming earlier that no one would escape? Seems like not a single one is left now."

That title lowered Guang Haoyou and the others in standing immediately, causing the Yanbao Sect crew to look visibly displeased.

Yin Tianlu was clearly disgruntled too—the key figure they'd been targeting, Black Tiger, had died, and his magical treasure had been ruined by lightning. He didn't know how he'd explain it upon returning, certain it would turn the Extreme Fire Sect into a laughingstock within the Artifact Refining World.

Li Hongjiu, however, retained his composure and chuckled softly. "My apologies for the embarrassment I've caused." Then, he cupped his hands toward the group. "This time, I must rely on all of you."

Zuo Zisheng said, "Shi Chun's strength has far exceeded our expectations. Let's figure out how to find him first."

Li Hongjiu looked surprised upon hearing that. Detecting certainty in their tone regarding the masked figure being Shi Chun, he promptly asked, "Are you sure it's Shi Chun?"

Nearby, Wu Shanshan, with a venomous tone, replied, "It can't be wrong—I swear on my life—it's definitely Shi Chun. If you encounter him, be careful. His previous sect was the one specializing in refining immobilization charms, likely where he learned to use immobilization techniques like those."

Gu Lianni pondered aloud, "Wukang Mountain. A charm capable of immobilizing fifth-grade magical treasures is extraordinary. There aren't many sects that can refine such charms. If little Wukang Mountain had this skill, it wouldn't remain so obscure."

Yin Tianlu sneered, "After today, won't it become famous across the land?"

"Alright, since nothing else is happening here, let's get back to business." Zuo Zisheng interrupted, unwilling to listen to idle chatter, as his focus was now on retrieving the treasure taken by the Boundless Banner. The magical treasures they'd brought along had mostly been destroyed by lightning strikes, leaving his team utterly insecure.

The logic was simple—with no reliance, the higher their numbers, the greater the potential casualties.

For larger sects, their difficulties were proportionally larger. Retreat wasn't an easy option unless absolutely necessary.

Turning toward Wu Shanshan, Zuo Zisheng asked, "Can your tracking technique still locate Shi Chun?"

Hiding in the crowd, Gong Shixi craned his neck to look at Wu Shanshan.

Wu Shanshan gritted her teeth and said, "It should be possible. Let me give it a try!"

With that, she slipped out of the group to test her skills. Though Shi Chun's sneak attack had terrified her, there was no choice—the Demon Eye couldn't be displayed publicly, so she had to step away.

The group's protection around her was heightened; even Li Hongjiu personally followed closely behind to guard her…

In the skies, You Mu rode on Wind Scale, carrying Shi Chun and Xu Anzhang as they fled swiftly.

Their cultivation advantages proved effective amidst powerful winds. You and Xu had caught up with Shi Chun when escaping the wind nest, and since Shi Chun had taken an interest in the two, he naturally brought them along as they fled.

"Stop!" Shi Chun suddenly shouted, inexplicably, slapping his forehead with force.

You Mu obeyed immediately, landing Wind Scale. They descended to a mountain peak.

Shi Chun had long torn off his disguise. Facing the direction of escape, his expression shifted between dark and light moods—a clear sign his emotions were far from settled.

The two beside him noticed this. Xu Anzhang asked curiously, "Brother Chun, what's wrong?"

Shi Chun gritted his teeth. "We actually escaped."

The duo exchanged puzzled looks. You Mu asked, "That's right—we escaped. Isn't escaping a good thing?"

Shi Chun's expression turned crestfallen and irritable as he said, "That Smiling Tiger is exceedingly bizarre—capable of commanding wind and wielding thunder. We couldn't run before, and there's no way he'd let us get away afterward. But somehow, we fled so smoothly."

Sometimes ignorance is better. Realizing the situation afterward, it's enough to make one regret deeply.

The two beside him couldn't understand what he was hinting at. Besides, wasn't he the one who decided to run? They'd clearly seemed to have the upper hand earlier, yet he bolted all of a sudden, dragging them into confusion. They'd been meaning to ask him what happened.

Xu Anzhang tentatively asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Shi Chun's expression twitched. "Damn, I might've been fooled by that Smiling Tiger. He might already be injured. If I struck again, I might've even sent him on to reincarnation. Couldn't he have been feigning weakness?"

So that's the case. The two exchanged glances once again.

You Mu followed up cautiously, "Brother Chun, what did he say to make you retreat so quickly?"

Framing the escape as a "retreat" was already as tactful as it could be.

Shi Chun hesitated, his shame evident—he was too embarrassed to reveal it.

But he was deeply puzzled, too. His certainty about the opposing strike couldn't be wrong—that palm strike was undoubtedly the Demon Dispel Hand, no mistake. He himself had used cultivation techniques for maneuvering the Demon Dispel Hand to dissolve the attack with perfect synergy.

Without such certainty, why else would he flee based on a mere offhanded statement?

Given the scenario, even if he didn't win, knowing he couldn't defeat the opponent meant immediate retreat. Should he have lingered, waiting—a sitting target—for rival sects to arrive?

In some ways, his decision had been decisive: clean, efficient—fight when needed, flee when necessary.

At the time, he'd worried he might out him for cultivating demonic techniques and attempt to silence him.

But reflecting on the encounter now, things didn't seem as they once did. There was no point to their silence. It felt intentional—their letting him escape.

Could it be shared lineage? Or perhaps shared affiliation with the Demon Path? Was he letting him off the hook deliberately?

Yet, in the Land of Exile, there was no concept of shared lineage. If it was truly a Demon Path favor, they wouldn't have needed to openly and secretly sabotage him beforehand.

Could those actions have been aimed at making him recognize them as allies, a signal of some kind? But based on the various details during the clash, that didn't seem likely either.

Ultimately, the entire ordeal seemed off to him. The crux lay in Li Hongjiu's ability to use the Demon Dispel Hand.

What truly was going on? The question loomed large in his mind.

When Shi Chun remained silent, the other two didn't press him. Xu Anzhang tentatively suggested, "Should we…head back to check things out again?"

Shi Chun rolled his eyes immediately. "What's the point of going back now? Do you think they'll just stay in the same spot waiting for us? Those sects are probably desperate to track us down. You've been with them long enough—you must know Wu Shanshan's tracking can find us."

The moment Wu Shanshan was brought up, Shi Chun's regret surged anew. He cursed himself for holding back earlier—had he executed her quickly, he'd be far freer now. Instead, she remained the critical threat behind his current predicament.

He knew all too well—such assassination opportunities wouldn't come again. The opposite party would strengthen their defenses.

Xu Anzhang laughed awkwardly and asked for Shi Chun's opinion, "So what should we do now?"

Indeed, the shift in tone was palpable. Earlier dealings had revolved around his strength; dominance does change the dynamic.

"Wu Shanshan might already be leading them toward us. Let's go and regroup with Sect Leader Tong first."

Shi Chun's words dictated the group's action. Without hesitation, the pair complied.

Riding Wind Scale, the trio sped off, effectively retracing their steps parallel to their earlier route, maintaining slight distance from the original path.

The next landing point was at the Sky Pit attacked by Fire Bats earlier.

Once they landed, the trio discovered the pit had already been filled in.

"Clap, clap, clap..." Shi Chun rhythmically clapped his hands as he surveyed their surroundings.

Not far off, from the folds of a mountain, a figure sprang out and flew over toward them. It was none other than Wu Jinliang.

"Oh, what wind blew you guys over here?" Wu Jinliang greeted Xu and You cheerily before turning to Shi Chun. "So, how did things go?"

Shi Chun glanced at the shadows of figures appearing one after another. "Not great, it was a failure. Guess we'll still need to keep running."

Wu Jinliang shrugged, entirely unfazed as he'd never been optimistic about the success of a solo assassination approach.

Soon, Tong Mingshan's group gathered, exchanging pleasantries. Zhener clung to Shi Chun's arm affectionately.

Shi Chun, unperturbed by others' presence, embraced Zhener's companionship, strolling away to the side together.

Wu Jinliang widened his eyes and shouted after them, "Hey, hey, hey! At a time like this, you're seriously going to flirt?"

Seeing Shi Chun ignore him, Wu turned to question Xu and You about the recent incident.

But the pair kept tight-lipped, slyly deflecting with mysterious smiles. Observing that Tong Mingshan's group was safe and sound reassured them significantly.

Leading Zhener to a secluded mountain slope, Shi Chun met her curious gaze of inquiry and bluntly asked, "If we approach the Earth Heart Tower but don't enter, will there be issues?"

Zhener asked, "What sort of issues?"

Shi Chun, doubting her comprehension skills, explained more explicitly, "The people inside—will they attack us?"

Zhener answered, "Not if they don't detect us."

Shi Chun felt her reply was as good as no reply. He pressed again, "Can we ensure they won't detect us?"

Zhener shook her head, "Not sure."

"…" Shi Chun was speechless and exasperated.

Zhener, with a tinge of hopeful excitement, asked, "Are we going there for marriage proposals?"

Shi Chun thought for a moment, then suddenly broke into a radiant smile. Wrapping his arms around her waist and, not missing his chance, squeezed her butt, claiming that unclaimed prize. "Yes, to propose marriage."

Zhener instantly beamed an expression brighter than the stars, locked her arms around his neck, and initiated a kiss.

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