"What kind of logic is this?" The group from the Mingshan Sect was speechless. Did the Master really think that flattering others would make them let him go?

If it weren't for Master Shi's previous achievements and leadership skills, someone among them might have already stepped forward to intervene.

The reasoning was simple—flattery was completely useless. Doing so was even less effective than directly threatening them.

Li Hongjiu remained somewhat silent. Personally, he had his own path he wanted to take, and he really didn't care much for the Divine Fire or not. What mattered to him more were the lives of his fellow disciples, the ones he had led into this mess and had died as a result of his decision to venture into the Forbidden Land. He wanted to give some closure to the dead.

Closure for himself, and closure for the sect. He cultivated through enlightenment, which demanded a high level of inner peace.

Outwardly, he appeared entirely indifferent, claiming not to care about the deaths of those disciples. However, the truth was that circumstances forced his hand; his apparent indifference was a facade for survival. He had never truly planned to let Shi Chun's group go scot-free.

As long as he escaped, he would seize any opportunity to avenge those lost disciples.

Now that Shi Chun said they weren't the killers, Li Hongjiu couldn't help but ponder further. Letting the real culprits go due to a mistake in judgment wasn't something he wanted.

Still, he immediately feigned indifference once more: "Forget it. I was just enraged at the time. With so many casualties among the various sects, if everyone were to seek revenge for each loss, the fighting would spill from inside to outside, and the vicious cycle of vendettas would never end. There'd be no point in continuing the Divine Fire Covenant. Everyone's fighting for something; it's always the same—after every event, people turn a blind eye and move on. Regardless of who the killer is, I couldn't be bothered to pursue it."

He feared they might be probing him, so he resolutely expressed that he had moved on.

Shi Chun firmly declared, "Brother, whether or not you pursue this is your business. But I cannot let this go. If I don't bring the murderer to justice, I won't have the face to form an alliance with you. This is the only way to completely resolve any discord between us and show my sincerity. As I said before, if I can't find the real culprit, I won't be leaving!"

Li Hongjiu sighed and replied, "Brother, why put yourself through such trouble? But now that you mention it, I'm curious too—who is the killer? If you know, just tell me their name straight away."

Shi Chun waved his hand dismissively, "I only have a rough idea, but I can't be fully certain. What if I'm wrong? That would make it look like I'm fooling you, which would only deepen the misunderstanding. Once I find them, I'll have my own method to verify the truth. Brother Jiu, you can just watch from the sidelines."

Li Hongjiu couldn't press further, so he continued to act relaxed: "I don't mind either way. If you insist on doing this, suit yourself."

He then returned to the main point, implicitly reminding Shi Chun to release him, motioning toward the Mingshan Sect group with a nod of his head: "Are they seriously not asking for any terms and just letting me go like this?"

Even if Li Hongjiu hadn't brought it up, Shi Chun intended to steer the conversation this way. Upon hearing it, he waved his hand repeatedly, "There will be no terms. Setting terms would turn it into a transaction, and how could that be worthy of the sincerity I have for Brother Jiu? But..."

At this point, Shi Chun paused, waiting for Li Hongjiu to pick up the cue himself.

Sure enough, Li Hongjiu flicked his bangs with amusement and remarked with feigned irritation: "We're brothers—why the hesitation? If you have something to say, spit it out."

Shi Chun looked at the sky, then at the ground, stomped his foot, and tapped the iron chains before sighing emotionally: "We are all human, not unfeeling like grass and trees. They've followed me for so long; I want them to be well, to be able to make it out in one piece.

Brother Jiu, how about this—watch our performance before the exit opens. We'll try to help catch the real culprit for you. If we succeed, giving you a satisfactory explanation, you could figure out a way to get us out of here. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, the group from the Mingshan Sect froze once more. Weren't they just saying there'd be no transaction and only genuine goodwill? And now, after circling around the topic, it amounted to nothing but the same transactional talk.

Wu Jinliang was briefly stunned as well, but soon broke into a grin, nearly bursting into laughter. His teeth seemed remarkably white even in the dark of night.

The subtle schemes behind these words quickly dawned on the Mingshan Sect group as well, and their expressions toward Shi Chun grew increasingly complicated.

Truth be told, had Master Shi not explained the situation to them beforehand, they might not have grasped the current implications.

Only now did they understand Master Shi's intentions—this was no mere transaction. Although it appeared like the same exchange, there was no real deal here. Master Shi had already made it clear that he never truly relied on Li Hongjiu for an escape.

The true purpose of this elaborate maneuver was singular—to make Li Hongjiu believe they needed him to leave, that they had no other options, no other paths, and that they saw him as their lifeline.

In essence, it was about giving Li Hongjiu a sense of security, making him think he could control this group.

That promise to help catch the culprit, seemingly a gesture of flattery, was a brilliant move. Not only did it reassure Li Hongjiu, but it subtly kept him invested in their cause, preventing him from turning on them and acting recklessly once he regained his freedom.

As for the talk of surrendering the Divine Fire Secret Technique, it sealed the narrative as a transaction. Emotional appeals? Only fools believed that. It was all about disguising the pursuit of benefits under the guise of bonding.

This effectively placed the group entirely in Li Hongjiu's hands.

Catching the killer and acquiring the Divine Fire Secret Technique—these were undoubtedly things Li Hongjiu wanted. As Master Shi had previously stated: when the situation becomes one where Li Hongjiu needs us, your worries won't matter anymore.

This was far superior to coercion. Given Li Hongjiu's weakened condition, it seemed inevitable he'd fall into the trap.

The intricacy of this setup was remarkable, causing them to involuntarily recall the pitfall incident from the Sky Rain Meteor Conference—an exemplary display of grand deception.

Meanwhile, Wu Jinliang's sly grin grew wider as he caught onto subtleties they had missed. Even without knowing where Gong Shixi was now, they realized Shi Chun hadn't planned to let that person escape. No matter where they ran, they'd have to come out eventually, wouldn't they?

The group couldn't easily approach the exit to deal with matters, but Li Hongjiu could. Shi Chun evidently intended to leverage Li Hongjiu to bring the person back.

The more Wu Jinliang mulled it over, the broader his smile became. True to form, their Master Shi was still the same old Master Shi.

What he didn't know was that his master had even longer-term plans for Li Hongjiu.

As such, the group looked at Li Hongjiu with an odd kind of anticipation—not eagerly awaiting him to lead them out, but rather curious to see him fall into the trap. A character as cunning as him falling into a pit would certainly be amusing.

In the future, they might even take solace in saying that Li Hongjiu himself had been outwitted by their master.

Li Hongjiu blinked repeatedly, observing Shi Chun's seemingly selfless concern for his brothers, almost laughing aloud.

Of course. He'd have to be utterly foolish to believe in Shi Chun's so-called desire for brotherly bonds without strings attached. Clearly, no matter how he spun it, the primary goal remained escaping the Divine Fire Domain.

He was genuinely impressed by Shi Chun, this hypocritical schemer, whose actions spoke louder than words.

As for whether Shi Chun would obediently hand over the Divine Fire Secret Technique after getting out, since the Yanbao Sect had orchestrated their escape plan, the leverage would already be in Yanbao Sect's hands. Once outside, it'd likely be beyond their control.

Breaking the agreement and forcing Shi Chun to hand over the technique before leaving remained an option, though that approach might backfire. Knowing he faced death, Shi Chun might refuse outright.

Thus, the key issue lay in how to engineer their escape—a decision he couldn't make alone. He'd need to discuss it with the elders at the exit to devise a practicable solution.

The exit's situation was likely complicated, so there might be difficulty. If no safe method arose, he'd have to resort to forcing the information out before leaving.

For now, he aimed to determine the killer's identity before recuperating fully. Judging by their reactions, it seemed plausible his disciples weren't slain by Shi Chun's group.

Even so, the image of Wu Shanshan falling into their hands still flashed through his mind.

As thoughts churned within him, he quickly responded, bobbing his head like a pecking chick: "I completely agree. If you, brother, were indifferent to your brothers' lives, I wouldn't dare form an alliance with you. I'd rather die than back you in such matters. Rest assured; it's entirely on me. If I utter even one false word, may lightning strike me dead!"

The words came so naturally that the "lightning strike" oath caused both men to pause momentarily as their eyes met.

But Shi Chun recovered quickly, effortlessly dispelling any awkwardness. He turned and immediately issued orders: "Why are you all standing there? My life is worthless, and it doesn't matter whether I make it out. All your hopes rest on Brother Jiu, so hurry up and let him go!"

Wu Jinliang was the first to respond enthusiastically, while the others knew how to follow suit, promptly assisting in unfastening the chains with feigned excitement.

Indeed, the company you keep shapes your behavior—how else could they become so adept at pretending? Back in their respective sects, they'd never have been so proactively insincere. Yet surviving in desperation taught them well.

This adaptability stemmed from their master's recurring habit of leading them into dire situations. Walking the path of dead ends repeatedly had taught them how to survive.

The colder they were earlier, the warmer their demeanor now. The sheer contrast left Li Hongjiu in a surreal dream-like state.

When he'd first been chained, he truly hadn't imagined ever getting out alive.

He understood it well—the only reason he was still breathing was because this group had become society's collective target, unable to escape without leveraging his position for their exit.

In the clatter of falling chains, he regained his freedom.

Wu Jinliang served him attentively, even pulling out a blanket out of nowhere to drape over Li Hongjiu's shoulders, asking with exaggerated concern, "Cold? Don't let yourself freeze!"

Smack! Shi Chun promptly delivered a kick to Wu Jinliang's backside and barked, "Get lost!"

Shoving aside the obstructive crowd, Shi Chun personally stepped forward to remove Li Hongjiu's restraints and applied medicinal salves.

It was the first time Li Hongjiu had been pampered by so many people. Always known for his radiant smile, his grin now felt physically strained, while Shi Chun inwardly cursed him as a smiling tiger.

Before long, the group calmed down. Wrapped in the blanket, Li Hongjiu sat cross-legged, focusing on recuperating.

But Shi Chun wouldn't let him heal completely—not with matters at the Earth Heart Tower still unresolved. Feeling that Li Hongjiu's condition had stabilized somewhat, he immediately roused him, "Brother Jiu, Brother Jiu, who injured you?"

Li Hongjiu opened his eyes slowly, exhaling while finding Shi Chun's incessant questioning increasingly tiresome. Glancing at Wu Jinliang, he thought—hadn't he already spilled everything that needed spilling?

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