Seeing Li Hongjiu actually standing here, speaking righteously to Master Nine, Shi Chun suddenly felt something was amiss and realized that Li Hongjiu, this smiling tiger, was truly not a good person.

Only now did he understand—the nonsense about his connection with Wu Shanshan was not about verifying the truth or falsity. What Li Hongjiu was truly doing was probing Master Nine's position. If Master Nine genuinely went on to verify Wu Shanshan's relationship with him, it would, to some degree, already be a concession.

Evidently, not only Shi Chun found it strange that the terrifying presence here didn't act, the opposition clearly had sensed it too.

Li Hongjiu was still negotiating and haggling, merely because of his uncertainties; he dared not act recklessly and was probing further.

For some reason, Shi Chun suddenly felt like he understood Li Hongjiu, as though he was someone who had crawled out of the same den.

Logically speaking, if they truly wanted to make this serious, Shi Chun could completely ask Master Nine to take Wu Shanshan aside privately to confirm the matter; he simply didn't believe Wu Shanshan would have pre-arranged an engagement with Li Hongjiu.

In theory, he should very much want to see Master Nine uncover the truth and subsequently deal with Li Hongjiu.

But in just this fleeting moment, his heightened awareness made him realized something felt wrong, leading him to hesitate to proceed, afraid to tear apart the facade. He couldn't quite explain what he feared—it was purely a reaction stemming from instinctual caution.

His gaze quickly shifted off Li Hongjiu's face, instead staring at Master Nine—this so-called terrifying existence—with deep suspicion, wondering how he would respond to Li Hongjiu's words.

Shi Chun knew one thing very well: as long as the response indicated further negotiation, escaping from the clutches of Li Hongjiu's scheming nature would not be easy. After all, this man had dared to chase them all the way here and still had the audacity to bargain with a supposed terrifying entity.

The more concessions Master Nine made, the less likely Li Hongjiu would back down.

The unpredictable twists of fate are truly something. Had Shi Chun not emerged from hardship, he might have already lost his composure entirely because of this sudden turn of events.

Behind him, Wu Jinliang discreetly tugged his sleeve. Turning his head, Shi Chun caught sight of the thick concern gleaming in Wu Jinliang's eyes. Clearly, Wu Jinliang had also sensed that something was awry.

Shi Chun darted him a quick look.

Wu Jinliang immediately retreated among the members of the Mingshan Sect. Using the crowd as cover, his hands stealthily retrieved three magical treasures shaped like meditation cushions.

With his signal, the people around him understood instantly—this was preparation for a quick getaway.

The Mingshan Sect team secretly wondered what exactly was going on. While they vaguely felt uneasy, they couldn't articulate why. However, they clearly sensed they were like small boats swaying in storm-tossed seas, threatened by imminent capsizing, with their Master desperately trying to steer them through.

Meanwhile, Master Nine was still deliberating, pondering deeply on what to do next. He couldn't decide alone; he needed input from the Sound Transmission Tower.

Li Hongjiu kept staring at him, unhurriedly letting him ponder. The longer Master Nine thought, the more apparent the enigmatic depth in Li Hongjiu's gaze became.

The representatives of the major sects were also watching closely, all silently sensing that something was unusual. This so-called most dangerous area of the Forbidden Land seemed to differ somewhat from its legendary reputation.

It was unlikely that the legends were wrong, as they came at the cost of many senior masters' lives. The likeliest explanation was that something here had shifted.

What kind of change could it be? Everyone began guessing haphazardly, feeling that the Wuming Forbidden Land was on the verge of upheaval, yet no one dared to act recklessly to test the theories.

After a long pause, Master Nine, having received clear instructions, turned toward Shi Chun and asked, "Why did you capture this woman?"

Shi Chun felt speechless, almost wanting to retort, "Haven't I already explained it to you?" But he held back and gritted his teeth, repeating again, "Master Nine, this woman has been chasing me down all along the way and ended up falling into my hands."

Master Nine asked further, "Wouldn't it be better to let each other go? You release this woman and they'll leave you and yours alone."

Fine, Shi Chun already didn't want to argue anymore. He promptly shifted his tone, "Master Nine, I can prove that this woman is not his fiancée."

Master Nine hesitated and asked, "How will you prove it?"

Shi Chun cupped his hands and replied, "Please wait momentarily, Master Nine. I'll prove it to you right now."

With that, he spun around and drew out the Wind Scale, addressing his own people, "Let's go; we'll prove it to Master Nine."

Without another word, he shot Wu Jinliang a glance, and the two of them darted forward simultaneously, both riding the Wind Scale to flee without hesitation.

The others followed readily. Wu Jinliang had already hinted to them earlier, and no one dared to linger unnecessarily—all swiftly fled one after another.

Xu and You also continued dragging along Li Hongjiu's "fiancée." In truth, the two were terrified, having witnessed Li Hongjiu's power earlier. Yet, they had no choice; the paths they had chosen in life aligned them to this stance, leaving no room for retreat unless they were utterly cornered.

"..."

Watching Shi Chun and his companions flee in the name of proving their claims, even Li Hongjiu, as shrewd as he was, found himself momentarily dumbfounded. Weren't these people your supposed bastion of support?

It hadn't crossed his mind that Shi Chun would decisively abandon their reliance this swiftly. The act of giving up so cleanly amused him—it was a simplicity bordering on absurdity even to him.

Realizing quickly that Shi Chun's group had fled, Li Hongjiu sprang into action without hesitation. He didn't concern himself with Master Nine anymore and instantly rode the Wind Scale to give chase.

Of course, as he dashed away, he still turned back to glance at Master Nine on the island, only to see Master Nine clutching Zhener, who clearly wanted to follow.

The representatives of various sects dared not challenge Master Nine, instead rushing after the fleeing group en masse.

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