On the side of Lake Heart Island, the fighting ceased, and Li Hongjiu, who had been under attack, quieted down as well. However, the tremors across the earth continued, the mountain collapse showed no signs of stopping. Tumbling rocks and billowing dust clouds obscured the starry sky, while the rumbling sound persisted.

Turning back to look at the aftermath, Zuo Zisheng and the others had pale faces, their scalps tingling with fear.

They all saw that rift in the void—it was someone striking across space.

To stretch out their hand and ignore the boundaries of void like a god—such a powerful being must have cultivation at the level of Heavenly Immortal Great Achievement Realm to accomplish this!

Even those searching in the lake emerged hurriedly to observe the situation, as did those scouring the mountains. But those searching in the direction of the attack likely couldn't come out anymore; under such destructive force, even their remains might not be found.

Li Hongjiu, who had been smashed to the foot of the mountain, staggered as he stood up. Struggling, he picked up the Ice Sheep and covered his nose and mouth with it, gasping heavily.

His hair was disheveled, and his clothing bore numerous tears. Judging by his labored breathing, he was clearly gravely injured and in an extremely sorry state.

Even so, Zuo Zisheng and his cohort were deeply shocked. Despite such a powerful attack, Li Hongjiu had actually endured it—he hadn't died?

"Disciples of Refining Heaven Sect, retreat!"

Zuo Zisheng suddenly shouted. He hurriedly beckoned his fellow sect members and ran without looking back.

It wasn't exactly leading the way, just alerting everyone. Each sect quickly gathered their disciples and fled the scene.

Whether it was Gu Lianni's group from Shudao Mountain or Yin Tianlu's group from Extreme Fire Sect, all ran away in terror.

The terrifying entity here had made a move—staying behind was courting death!

Many of those who had emerged from the lake didn't even know exactly what had happened but still followed the crowd, asking questions while running.

Others who had lost track of their comrades in the thunderous zone didn't dare search further; they simply fled with whoever remained.

All the recklessness, youthful arrogance, daring, and herd mentality vanished in this moment, transforming into a panicked escape. Remarkably, the direction of their flight was unified; no one scattered like birds and beasts, nor dared to escape alone and risk weakness.

In the future, they would undoubtedly teach their juniors, just as their predecessors had taught them: 'Don't come here.'

When all the commotion and collapsing ceased, only Li Hongjiu's lonely figure remained at the scene. No one cared for him; none of his sect came to tend to him.

He took a pill and continued covering his nose and mouth with the Ice Sheep, slowly regulating his breathing while remaining vigilant of his surroundings.

The disparity in strength was overwhelming; he didn't even know where his opponent was, while the opponent could attack him from any direction at any time.

He understood clearly that someone capable of such methods hadn't even gone all out against him. Otherwise, there'd be no chance for him to stand again.

Before long, rolling waves of dust swept over him from behind, engulfing him.

Seeing that the opponent did not attack further, he dared not linger any longer to provoke them. He immediately turned and fled into the dust, using Wind Scale to escape quickly. In mid-air, he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood consecutively.

On Lake Heart Island, Master Nine let out a cold snort, muttering disdainfully about how this group thought they had the audacity to overturn heaven, only to prove themselves utterly worthless with just a slight show of force. He admonished them lightly, and they fled like rats—what were they even thinking before? Ridiculous!

"Master!"

Disciples of the Yanbao Sect, who had been waiting nearby, suddenly saw someone land on the ground and stumble forward. Upon realizing who it was, they let out cries of shock and hurriedly rushed over to support him.

Anyone with eyes could see this master had suffered grievous injuries. He had lost a sleeve in the previous battle, and this time, it was clearly more severe.

"Master, let's give up. We won't pursue Shi Chun anymore," Guang Haoyou said in a consoling tone as he helped Li Hongjiu.

Not just Guang Haoyou—most disciples of Yanbao Sect believed the same. They assumed their master had again suffered at Shi Chun's hands, recalling the past instance where he had been defeated by Shi Chun. Given that precedent, his defeat this time was understandable.

Besides Shi Chun, who else in any sect could injure their master this seriously? If it were truly the terrifying existence of this forbidden land attacking, their master likely wouldn't have returned alive.

Li Hongjiu pushed Guang Haoyou away and demanded from the crowd, "Wine."

His wine gourd tied to his waist had already been smashed and lost during the battle. Although there was still some in his Qiankun Bag, having someone fetch it was much easier.

Immediately, someone presented him with a large jar of wine respectfully.

Li Hongjiu opened the jar, took a sip, gargled, and spat out bloodied phlegm with a loud 'pfft.' Then he tilted the jar again to take a few more gulps of wine, occasionally turning to breathe through the Ice Sheep.

After steadying his breath, he gestured to shake off the disciples supporting him on either side. Glancing at everyone, he instructed, "Head back immediately to the entrance, report the situation to Elder, and wait there for the opening. Leave the matter of the Divine Fire to me—you all are not to interfere any further. Of course, if Elder has other instructions, treat my words as if I never said them. But my advice is: even if you insist on searching further, don't enter the forbidden land again."

This implicitly excluded himself from the group. Guang Haoyou asked seriously, "We may not have much ability, but we can still assist Master behind the scenes."

Li Hongjiu replied, "Do as I say—each sect has already sent plenty of people back. I didn't have the chance to inform you earlier, but now that Elder sees members of other sects returning, he may already be waiting for you. Go and meet Elder to report the situation. Whether to make any decision, Elder holds the authority—not me."

Hearing this, and sensing the implication of competition with other sects, the disciples exchanged confused glances, uncertain on how to proceed. Ultimately, they complied.

"And you, Master…"

Someone asked with concern but was immediately interrupted by Li Hongjiu: "I'll find a place to heal myself—you don't need to worry about me here."

Guang Haoyou suggested, "Then at least let us leave some protectors for you, Master."

"I'll stay behind."

"I'll stay too."

Everyone vied to stay.

Li Hongjiu dismissed them with a wave: "Not a single one stays—having you here would just be a burden. Go, all of you, head back immediately to meet Elder, and don't make him wait too long. If Elder remains uninformed, there could be serious complications."

Invoking Elder's authority was effective to sway them.

In the end, a reluctant group of disciples left.

Standing atop a mountain, Li Hongjiu watched them depart. From beginning to end, he did not deny being injured by Shi Chun, nor did he reveal who had actually harmed him.

The true events were hardly a secret—so many saw what happened. Members of other sects who managed to return alive would naturally recount the truth.

After everyone had left, Li Hongjiu chugged a few more gulps of wine, then turned to gaze in the direction of Ice Sealed Lake. Whoever that terrifying entity was who had injured him, he had his doubts about whether it was connected to Lake Heart Island specifically. The incidents on Lake Heart Island left a deep impression on him—something was definitely fishy.

That place in the forbidden zone was the central hub, the true legendary focal point of the Divine Fire Domain—a site where countless prominent figures had fallen mysteriously. What secrets lay hidden there?

Far from rendering him less curious, his previous venture only fueled his intrigue further.

Determined to investigate alone, he knew full well he might not return alive. That was precisely why he hadn't told the disciples the truth. Claiming it was the work of a terrifying existence would ensure they wouldn't try to stop him; otherwise, it would be exceedingly frustrating.

The path he walked wasn't about obeying conventional norms.

But first, he truly needed to find a place to heal. Surveying his surroundings, he took out Wind Scale and chose a direction to fly off…

On Li Huo Island, more floating lotus-shaped Lifebound Lanterns began to fall, drawing many people's attention…

"Are there really hundreds of Divine Fires?"

Gold Elder of Shudao Mountain stared at Pang Hou and asked in shock.

At the entrance, the messengers from the Ten Great Sects had all returned with their reports.

Only disciples from the Ten Great Sects had come back; followers of other sects had no reason to return—without their own elder stationed at the entrance, they had no say in the matter. Why bother joining the commotion?

The elders of the Ten Great Sects, stationed here with established protocols, refrained from secret discussions with their disciples, leaving nothing off the record. Naturally, open matters spilled forth—foremost being the rumor that Shudao Mountain and Shi Chun had collectively amassed over a hundred Divine Fires.

Every sect's elder was stunned, their gazes toward Shudao Mountain carrying a strange intensity.

Gold Elder, who had covertly assisted the collaboration, hadn't anticipated such a massive haul. He couldn't resist confirming.

Pang Hou immediately reported, "Elder, it's all baseless rumors. We joined Shi Chun and gathered no more than around twenty Divine Fires in total. Someone behind the scenes deliberately spread lies about over a hundred Divine Fires, inciting widespread pursuit. Refining Heaven Sect planted spies in our camp—they know the truth…" Pang Hou gestured toward Refining Heaven Sect's messenger and began a heated explanation.

The other side instantly retorted, claiming there had been no espionage—alleging Shudao Mountain's mistreatment drove disciples to defect.

Such disputes rarely resolved easily, but the fact that a single faction had managed to secure twenty Divine Fires was enough to pique the elders' interest.

They cared little about spies or betrayals—only about the Secret Technique to uncover Divine Fires. Naturally, they inquired, but Pang Hou firmly denied knowing, asserting that Shi Chun had kept Shudao Mountain uninformed.

For a time, waves of tension rippled across the mountaintops surrounding the entrance.

Elder from Extreme Fire Sect, having heard of Black Tiger's demise—a result of Shi Chun's group—could no longer sit still, pacing angrily with a heavy snort.

Upon learning that Li Hongjiu had showcased extraordinary power, taking on multiple fifth-grade Magical Treasures with his twin swords, every sect's elder stood up in disbelief. Yanbao Sect, sending out such a monstrous prodigy, was able to counteract an entire cluster of fifth-grade Magical Treasures—how could others even compete?

Under the collective gaze, though, Yanbao Sect's elder sat frozen in astonishment.

Clearly, even this elder hadn't anticipated that their sect master's prized disciple had reached such unparalleled levels. If true, this figure wasn't just invincible in the Artifact Refining World but would also stand as a top-tier existence in combat-focused cultivation sects.

Meanwhile, news of Li Hongjiu's severe injuries within the forbidden zone had yet to arrive…

In a dimly lit gorge, members of Mingshan Sect frequently glanced toward a sealed cave entrance where Wu Jinliang guarded it personally.

Inside, of course, were people: Shi Chun and one other, Wu Shanshan.

Nobody knew why Shi Chun had brought Wu Shanshan inside—just the two of them—and couldn't help but speculate.

Evidently, some particular 'flawed beauty' was drawing someone else's interest, hence the bizarre insistence on keeping her alive. Disturbing imaginations abounded.

Whether accurate or not, their silence spoke volumes, as shared glances conveyed everything. Their looks at Wu Jinliang grew increasingly odd.

Suddenly, a rustle—a rock blocking the entrance shifted, and a refreshed Shi Chun emerged.

Wu Jinliang stood nearby grinning, waving his robe to clear the dust.

As for Wu Shanshan, who had been drained of her Demon Essence, she would never exit—Shi Chun no longer had any use for such deadweight. With his goal achieved, keeping her alive held no value.

Peeking into the cave, Xu Anzhang glanced inside reflexively but spoke earnestly, "Brother Chun, what's next?"

Shi Chun's gaze grew distant as he slowly replied, "I am not someone who abandons friends. I have a friend who ended up on Lake Heart Island—I must retrieve her."

The peculiar circumstances of Lake Heart Island nagged at him. The fact that Master Nine chose not to act—yes, he believed, chose not to!—was a glaring indicator of something amiss.

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