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Shi Chun was willing to disclose some things to the other party, which indicated that the other party's usefulness was running out, and their remaining time was limited.

After noting all this, Xu Anzhang couldn't help but ask, "Wu Jinliang and his group didn't stay in their original location?"

This question naturally arose because You Mu was sent to sabotage Wu Jinliang's group.

Shi Chun casually deflected, "They wouldn't be afraid just because of Li Hongjiu's antics and dare not stay in one place for too long."

In reality, it was merely to prevent Xu and You from encountering any unexpected incidents.

However, Xu Anzhang found the explanation quite reasonable. At the same time, he realized that You Mu might have made a fruitless trip. Secretly, he felt a subtle joy; without Shi Chun's proactive disclosure of the method to find them, locating them would indeed be difficult.

Without finding Wu Jinliang, they couldn't eliminate the group from the Mingshan Sect, and without that, they wouldn't dare to make a move on Shi Chun. Therefore, there wasn't much need to contemplate the subsequent matters.

Thus, without much hesitation, he straightforwardly took up the task. After asking Shi Chun if there were any further instructions, he turned into a streak of light and sped away into the distant sky.

After seeing Xu off, Shi Chun wandered around the island, inspecting it thoroughly but without gleaning anything significant. He went back into the tower, intent on exploring it layer by layer and paying his respects to the various "Masters" to understand the situation better.

Initially, the Masters were quite intrigued by this suitor visiting to propose marriage, and they all wanted to meet him. However, Shi Chun moved too swiftly, having already sent Xu Anzhang out to test the waters. Master Nine lamented his exhausting efforts and complained to the others.

The other Masters naturally didn't want to exert themselves and, seeing Shi Chun's hurried movements, none of them wanted to meet him.

As a result, Master Nine had to make another taxing attempt, blocking Shi Chun and claiming that the others were in seclusion and not to be disturbed.

This caused Shi Chun to mutter internally, growing more suspicious. Such behavior during a marriage proposal—where none dared to appear—was unusual. He even speculated whether some of the other Masters were still alive.

Not even considering the other Masters, seeing how exhausted Master Nine was, even the Great Master worried that Shi Chun might act offensively. Hence, all matters related to the marriage proposal were delegated entirely to Master Nine, who handled them openly, while the others conspired privately at any moment.

Regarding the marriage proposal, when Master Nine brought it up, Shi Chun naturally stalled, claiming he had already sent people to prepare gifts for the proposal and would make a formal visit when the gifts were ready. He emphasized that good treatment for Zhener was necessary.

As for the formalities concerned with the marriage proposal, one party was bold enough to fabricate stories, while the other, regardless of whether truly confused, believed wholeheartedly.

Xu Anzhang, racing along and surveying his surroundings, only caught sight of You Mu as he approached the group's former hiding spot.

The two almost missed each other due to the slight distance between them. If not for Xu suspecting that the figure might be You Mu, they might have completely missed the encounter.

He pursued and called out to the figure.

Confirming each other's identity, they landed on the ground together to meet. You Mu asked anxiously, "Why are you here?"

Xu Anzhang inquired, "Did you succeed?"

You Mu shook his head. "No. I've searched everywhere, but they've completely vanished without a trace. I didn't dare stay away for too long and was just about to return to report to you."

"As expected. They've moved. I also learned this from Shi Chun's mouth..." Xu then explained the situation to You Mu.

"No wonder." You Mu, suddenly enlightened, asked, "What now?"

Xu Anzhang smirked coldly. "Shi Chun actively handed them over to us. Such a golden opportunity naturally must be seized."

You Mu hesitated, saying, "After running the whole way here, I've managed to calm down. I've been thinking—weren't we too impulsive in our initial plans? Are you certain that once they're dealt with, we'll be able to leave smoothly?"

Xu Anzhang chuckled. "The sects guarding the exit don't even know our true nature and think our Four Cauldron Sect is easy to handle. If we obtain the magical treasure, you're afraid no one would strike a deal with us? You're afraid no one would help us escape unnoticed?

When those above see we haven't exited and observe Shi Chun's commotion as a distraction, they'll merely assume we've been trapped here. We could disappear without a trace, going dormant until we make a stunning resurgence. That is the best plan.

If all else fails, we can take advantage of an unguarded moment when the exit opens, relying on the treasure to storm through. Once out, we'll immediately flee, then lay low. However, such actions would be too conspicuous, putting our families held hostage above in danger. This is the worst plan.

Having only an upper and lower strategy isn't enough—we must also prepare a fallback. First, seriously injuring Wu Jinliang and Shi Chun; capturing them alive is even better, as then we can individually pry their secrets from their mouths. If we can discover their escape methods, even if we find no treasure in the tower after making a move, we could still find a way to leave. We could then blame everything on Shi Chun's faction. This forms our middle strategy.

Of course, all three—upper, middle, and lower strategies—require one thing: eliminating Shi Chun's entire faction. Letting even one leak the details would be a disaster."

You Mu nodded thoughtfully but still expressed concern, saying, "In this case, the people in the tower are the real problem. We don't know their numbers and can't eliminate them all. If even one escapes, they could become a source of leaked information."

Xu Anzhang waved dismissively, "Junior, you're overthinking it. Leaving aside the Fire Spirits, who wouldn't understand the situation anyway, it's impossible for them to reveal anything to the various sects. As long as Shi Chun's group is resolved, everything else becomes negligible."

"So, Senior has already planned thoroughly. Good, let's do it!" You Mu excitedly clapped his hands, now brimming with confidence and free of doubt.

Although he still felt some regret internally, his original intention had been to seize the treasure in Wu Jinliang's possession, sort through the situation thoroughly, eliminate those sharing in the spoils using the treasure, and keep everything for himself.

This had been the driving factor behind his volunteering to make the initial move—hoping to take control of the situation first.

Especially now, after hearing the upper, middle, and lower strategies and confirming there were no loose ends, his desire grew even stronger.

Yet with Xu Anzhang personally present, the dynamic between them dictated that Xu's decisions prevailed. Wu Jinliang's treasure would undoubtedly end up in Xu Anzhang's hands. At that stage, it would be impossible for him to insist on keeping it for himself without arousing suspicion.

At this point, the only option was to act opportunistically and bide his time for an opening.

"Let's go!" Xu Anzhang called out. You Mu rose to follow.

Soon, the two returned to their previous hideout. Following Shi Chun's instructions, they reached the nearest high peak. After some searching, they quickly found the trail markers left by Wu Jinliang that pointed the way. They promptly followed the trail as Shi Chun advised.

About a hundred miles away, they reached another mountaintop where they spotted an incomplete trail marker. Here, the two stopped immediately, realizing the people they were looking for were nearby. If they had left the area, they would have completed the marker with its final and most crucial directional sign.

They began searching on foot, which soon drew the attention of the hidden sentries from the Mingshan Sect.

Recognizing them as allies, Wu Hong revealed himself and directed them to the location where Wu Jinliang and the others were hiding.

The two immediately proceeded and found Wu Jinliang and his group, who weren't on duty at the time, gathered together.

Seeing it was the two of them, Wu Jinliang stood up and said, "Why are you here? Where's Chun Tian?"

The two scanned the scene with its seven or eight people. Xu Anzhang gave a polite nod to everyone before replying, "Brother Chun sent us to find you. Brother Wu, may I borrow your time for a private chat?" He gestured invitingly.

Wu Jinliang didn't have the slightest suspicion. The fact that they were able to locate his hiding spot indicated they must have been sent by Shi Chun himself. Clearly, there was some important matter to discuss.

Without hesitation, Wu Jinliang followed the two away.

The rest exchanged glances. Naturally, knowing the conversation avoided them meant it wasn't their place to follow. Regardless of their inclination, they stayed put obediently.

Under a brilliant starry sky against a dark earth.

Amid twisting mountain ranges, Wu Jinliang followed the two, leaping and landing several times. He glanced back toward the area they had left, then toward Xu and You leading ahead. His heart tightened suddenly, his lips curling faintly, and he stopped abruptly upon landing.

A subconscious sense of danger surged within him almost instantly.

"Borrowing my time requires venturing this far?" A single leap was sufficient; this felt less like ensuring the conversation's secrecy and more like preventing any noise from being overheard.

Still, he only paused briefly before swiftly resuming his pace, trailing after them, a hint of concern flickering in his expression.

In normal circumstances, he would've stopped outright and called for an explanation. Yet now, his concern lay in whether something had happened to Chun Tian, prompting him to play along and investigate further.

Naturally, he wasn't complacent either, immediately pulling out three metal cushion-like treasures and activating them directly. The three artifacts spun into the air, summoning three demon-like Dharma Aspects wielding blades, spears, and swords to guard him.

Truth be told, without these treasures at his side, he wouldn't have continued onward. His cautious nature might even have spurred him to turn back immediately without warning, returning to the center of the Mingshan Sect's group. After all, three High Martial Great Achievement Realm figures had emerged there recently.

The radiant glow of the treasures alerted the two ahead.

Xu and You turned back, spotting the large man using the artifacts for protection. They froze momentarily, naturally halting to understand his intentions. Was he planning to make a move against them?

Wu Jinliang floated toward them under the formidable energy of the three Divine Demon Dharma Forms, surveying the surroundings before asking, "What did Chun Tian say?"

Xu Anzhang couldn't help but point at the Dharma Forms. "Brother Wu, what's the meaning of this?"

Wu Jinliang chuckled. "I thought I spotted shadows darting around. Worried that Li Hongjiu was chasing us again. You know how spooked we were by Wu Shanshan. Who knows if there's another Wu Shanshan out there? Whether I saw correctly or not, better to be prepared than sorry."

He laughed softly twice more.

Xu and You exchanged stiff looks silently. How could they respond—ask him to deactivate his defenses so they could talk?

"So, what's the matter?" Wu Jinliang urged impatiently.

Xu Anzhang swallowed hard before speaking. "Brother Chun sent me to inform Brother Wu to lead everyone to the Lake Heart Island."

Wu Jinliang blinked and waited for further explanation. "That's it?"

The implied meaning was clear. Was such a minor message worth pulling him aside?

Fortunately, Xu Anzhang reacted quickly, smiling as he continued, "Is it obvious Brother Wu would ask about that situation? Some things I wasn't sure were appropriate to share in front of others. Well... you'd never guess what Brother Chun is leading us there for. Brother Chun's taking us to Lake Heart Island for a marriage proposal! He's proposing to Zhener, who apparently belongs to Lake Heart Island..."

He sighed as he recounted the story, including Shi Chun's test and the directive leading them here.

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