Gong Shixi told the various sects that Wu Shanshan and her companions had been dealt with by a terrifying presence in this place, and now Wu Shanshan was in Shi Chun's hands. What was he supposed to do about it? Could slapping himself solve the problem?

Now, even he felt like there was something wrong with his own head. Of all places to lead the sects' forces, why did he have to bring them to Shi Chun's base? Wasn't he just making things harder for himself?

Also, he wondered whether Shi Chun's group had lost their minds. He had clearly told them in advance that he'd be coming with people, even giving them notice to run away. Could they actually treat that as a joke?

It wasn't just him; all the disciples of the Qianyan Sect had headaches as if their brains were about to explode. Everyone was stunned—these people were still here?

Their first reaction was: Shi Chun's group tricked them.

But upon seeing Shi Chun's setup and their calm demeanor, they vaguely sensed that things might not be so simple.

A sudden flash of insight lit up Gong Shixi's mind. No, these guys wouldn't deliberately stay here just to play tricks on the Qianyan Sect.

He vaguely realized that Shi Chun and his group must have an ace up their sleeve. Was it just a few magical treasures? Or was it something more?

Thinking of the reputation of the "first-ranked participant in the Sky Rain Meteor Conference," and recalling how this person had once fooled so many sects at the conference, he instinctively looked around and suddenly detected a trace of danger. Without thinking, he wanted to call out to his peers to retreat.

But could he run now? He didn't dare. If he ran, he wouldn't be able to explain himself clearly. Just the idea of the sects handling him first scared him—would the disciples of the Four Great Sects die in vain?

Master Shi wasn't interested in Gong Shixi at the moment. His eyes zeroed in on Li Hongjiu at the front of the crowd.

Li Hongjiu's appearance left everyone a bit stunned. It made them uneasy—this wretched man wasn't dead? He looked perfectly fine and had come back to face him again?

He suddenly wanted to knock himself on the head. Why hadn't he asked Gong Shixi about Li Hongjiu earlier? How could he forget something so important?

Seeing Li Hongjiu, his previously confident self suddenly felt like the magical treasures he had laid out were losing their appeal.

The Black Lotus treasure had been crippled by this man before. Although it had inexplicably regenerated unlike other destroyed treasures, if he could destroy it once, he could destroy it twice.

Previously, he was pretty certain in his assessment—he believed Li Hongjiu had been injured by him, although more resilient than others, to the point of scaring him off. In hindsight, it seemed like Li Hongjiu had been bluffing all along.

He prided himself on having at least some judgment skills.

He was well aware of the power of his Demon Dispel Hand, which had led him to conclude that even if Li Hongjiu didn't die, he would be incapacitated.

Yet here he was, alive and kicking, appearing out of nowhere like he'd descended from the heavens. Who wouldn't feel uneasy?

Not afraid of the Demon Dispel Hand? Could this wretched man truly know the Bath Demon Skill?

He instinctively glanced at the sky. There were no lightning storms he could utilize here, nor any whirlwinds to control. His magical treasures should be usable this time, right?

Not just him—Xu Anzhang and Youu Mu, upon seeing Li Hongjiu's appearance, also felt uneasy. Suddenly, they had no confidence in the magical treasures laid out here. They kept stealing glances at Shi Chun: Didn't you say he was gravely injured?

The two wanted to ask Shi Chun—how did this guy look like he was injured at all?

Because of these two, Wu Jinliang also began to feel uneasy. As did the group from the Mingshan Sect—none of them seemed confident in their magical treasures anymore.

Earlier, they had all heard Xu Anzhang and Youu Mu mention how Li Hongjiu had used Heavenly Thunder to suppress various magical treasures, like a god incarnate.

Still, when they thought about the looming presence of the terrifying beings in this place ready to act, Shi Chun's group regained their confidence. As long as the fight broke out, hmm—they only needed to hold out for a bit.

Having fought Li Hongjiu before, Shi Chun felt assured. Even if he couldn't win, he believed he could hold on for a while.

Or maybe those terrifying presences were already watching from the shadows and wouldn't require them to fight at all.

Shi Chun trusted that Zhener wouldn't deceive him.

This time, Li Hongjiu looked at Shi Chun with a different gaze—no longer smiling, his eyes now cold. He glanced at Wu Shanshan in the opponent's possession before speaking sharply, "Shi Chun, did you kill my Yanbao Sect disciple?"

Zuo Zisheng and his group faced Shi Chun directly for the first time and couldn't help but size him up thoroughly.

From the moment they saw the Black Lotus Dharma Aspect, they were certain—the masked assassin who had previously targeted Wu Shanshan was indeed Shi Chun. Recalling that assassin's formidable stealth and killing prowess, they had to reconsider their perspective of the first participant in the Sky Rain Meteor Conference. They were elevating him significantly in their minds.

Before, they had dismissed that event as a competition for lower-level cultivations.

But now Zuo Zisheng and the others fully acknowledged—Shi Chun was a match for someone of their level!

Don't underestimate such recognition. Zuo Zisheng, an elite disciple from a top-tier Artifact Refining Sect, had the pride to back it up.

After this ordeal, if Shi Chun emerged alive from the Divine Fire Domain, he wouldn't just be… Let's not say a top-tier figure in the High Martial Realm, but he'd definitely be an influential, first-class individual—a name to be celebrated across the cultivation world.

Of course, this recognition was something Shi Chun had fought for at the risk of his life.

At the same time, Li Hongjiu cast another glance at the Black Lotus Dharma Aspect. He had personally seen it destroyed with lightning before. Unexpectedly, it had recovered so quickly.

To that, he wasn't overly surprised. The fact that Shi Chun possessed a fifth-grade Spirit Venerate-level treasure was no secret among the higher-level disciples of these sects; Wu Shanshan had informed them long ago.

A fifth-grade Spirit Venerate treasure possessed the ability to self-operate its cultivation method, enabling functions like healing itself—a result of the Artifact Spirit's cultivation ability during its lifetime.

Now, with Wu Shanshan in Shi Chun's hands, the person capable of exploiting the flaws in this Spirit Venerate treasure was gone. So Zuo Zisheng and others, seeing the Black Lotus Dharma Aspect again, couldn't help but feel uneasy. They began wondering exactly what kind of cultivation method the Artifact Spirit had used during its lifetime. What kind of power would this treasure unleash at full strength? Would the few remaining tricks they had be enough?

They cursed that cursed Heavenly Thunder.

As outsiders, they knew the might of the Black Lotus treasure clearly. Ironically, Shi Chun, its owner, remained completely ignorant, treating it as an ordinary fifth-grade treasure.

Faced with Li Hongjiu's accusation, Shi Chun maintained a calm exterior and replied, "Don't throw baseless accusations at me. I've only crossed paths with you from Yanbao Sect; don't pin your mess on me. Of course, if someone was scared to death by me, I'll admit to that."

Even if he had killed, given his character, he wouldn't admit it unless he was confident he could defeat Li Hongjiu. And he wasn't.

Wu Jinliang upheld his usual demeanor, chuckling along, playing it cool even if he couldn't win.

While he acted relaxed, Gong Shixi's group felt their hearts pounding in suspense, fearing Shi Chun might somehow set them up.

In reality, there was no need for them to worry. If Shi Chun did set them up, he'd inevitably drag himself down with them.

But guilt can play tricks on the mind. Shi Chun had earlier pointed fingers, accusing them of causing this chaos. They were genuinely scared Shi Chun knew something and might lash out recklessly.

"Not you?" Li Hongjiu sounded slightly skeptical but wasn't quick to trust. With a slight tilt of his chin, he gestured towards Wu Shanshan, "Then why is she in your hands?"

Shi Chun spread his hands to display two magical treasures and chuckled, "What if I said someone gifted her to me? Would you believe it?"

At this, Li Hongjiu instinctively glanced over at Gong Shixi's group, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

Not only him—Zuo Zisheng and others showed similar reactions.

At this moment, the Qianyan Sect group found themselves cornered—escape was becoming difficult. These major sects were now secretly watching and guarding against them, ensuring they wouldn't have the chance to flee.

Meanwhile, Gong Shixi's group, pretending to stay calm and play indifferent, internally cursed Shi Chun's ancestors once again.

Zuo Zisheng spoke up, "Gifted? By whom?"

Shi Chun grinned, "Why should I tell you?"

He refused to answer directly, deliberately keeping Gong Shixi's group on edge, letting them be constrained by the other sects so they couldn't escape, and making sure the sects wouldn't trust them enough to let them secretly stir up trouble.

Had Li Hongjiu not appeared again, Shi Chun wouldn't have acted this way. But with Li Hongjiu's arrival, Shi Chun instinctively started mitigating risks and immediately began working on contingencies, starting with putting a proverbial leash on Gong Shixi's group.

Moreover, even telling the truth wouldn't resolve the current situation. Revealing the culprit wouldn't make these sects let him off the hook. Would they suddenly give up after chasing him through such risks? No—they were all lunatics who wouldn't back down until forced.

He couldn't reveal the truth either; if Gong Shixi's group lost their way, they'd drag him down too.

Recalling past events, Xu Anzhang and Youu Mu started having doubts again. Back then, Shi Chun, in his obliviousness, revealed Gong Shixi's connection to the Demon Path and thus exacerbated the unfolding chaos—he had even scolded them viciously at the time. If Shi Chun were truly an operative sent by higher-ups, how could he know less than they did?

Right now, such thoughts held no relevance—not with their current predicament. At least Shi Chun was technically on their side. Helping him secure victory would serve their interests too.

Zuo Zisheng gestured to the people around him, "Are you planning to make an enemy of all of us?"

Shi Chun suddenly chuckled, tilting his head slightly to speak, "Jinliang, they claim they're all on the same side. Do you believe that?"

He hadn't survived in the East Nine Plain for so long relying purely on brute strength. When the odds were stacked against him, he knew how to pivot—breaking them down bit by bit to increase his chances of victory.

Of course, Xu Anzhang and Youu Mu, as well as the Mingshan Sect group, were completely perplexed and didn't understand the subtext of his words.

But Wu Jinliang wasn't the same—this was an old partner of his. They'd done similar things together countless times. Hearing Shi Chun's comment, he understood immediately, breaking into a huge grin that stretched to his ears, flashing his teeth: "I heard that quite a few sects had their magical treasures struck and ruined by lightning. Could it be you still don't know where that freakish Heavenly Thunder came from?"

When they heard this, Li Hongjiu's composed, superior demeanor collapsed instantly. His expression froze, and he silently cursed aloud, "F*ck," because he had already guessed what the big guy was about to say.

He had come to settle this matter, ready to fight if necessary. But he didn't expect the other party to suddenly bring up such unrelated topics.

The worst part was, he couldn't stop them now. If he tried, everyone would immediately realize he had something to hide—they weren't fools.

The crowd exchanged puzzled glances as they tried to interpret Wu Jinliang's cryptic comments.

But clearly, most of them were bewildered.

Pausing briefly for effect, Wu Jinliang continued in a deliberately meaningful tone: "That's because someone among you is stabbing you in the back. That person is…"

"Hey!" Shi Chun quickly raised his hand to interrupt. "Enough already—it's their treasures that got ruined; it's none of our business. Why bother stirring up more trouble? Besides, isn't it better to have someone stabbing them from behind?"

In the past, he certainly would've let Wu Jinliang reveal the culprit's identity outright.

But this time was different. Remaining ambiguous carried more weight and intimidation.

He wasn't sure if Li Hongjiu could generate lightning here in this lightning-free, windless place. If his hesitation meant that the other side feared utilizing such tactics, it'd make their lineup of magical treasures more effective.

However, if Li Hongjiu dared to use that technique again, Wu Jinliang's words had already done enough damage. Everyone would instantly understand—"Ah, so our treasures were deliberately destroyed by you, Li Hongjiu"—no explicit confirmation necessary.

So, keeping it brief was the best strategy.

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