Once again, the Ice Field sealed by ominous clouds emerged, towering ice mountains piercing through the clouds and reflecting starlight, radiating a hazy brilliance.

This was precisely the area where the dead Ice Jiao had once roamed.

The group had purposefully chosen a familiar route. Upon landing on the highest ice peak, Shi Chun directed the others to step away, leaving Li Hongjiu alone with him.

"We're not too far from the exit now."

This was Shi Chun's opening remark.

Li Hongjiu surveyed the surroundings, then teased with a dazzling smile, "I'm surprised you'd dare to head straight for the exit at this time."

Shi Chun replied, "Tomorrow, the day after, perhaps the third day from now—the exit should open then, right?"

Li Hongjiu said, "There's not likely to be any changes. This is the maximum safe duration inside, painstakingly summarized by countless predecessors who sacrificed their lives. Another day beyond the limit, and the passage connecting both ends could fail unpredictably. Anyone trapped inside the Divine Fire Domain tends not to survive until its next reopening."

Shi Chun nodded, "Good. Then let's mark this area as a point."

Li Hongjiu looked puzzled, "What point?"

Shi Chun explained, "The location to unearth the murderer of your sect's members. You go to the exit, wait for people from certain sects, and then bring them here."

Upon hearing of resolving the murder, Li Hongjiu's smile faded slightly, and he asked, "Which sects?"

Shi Chun responded, "Heavenly Furnace Sect, Fengluo Sect, Refining Castle, Seven Star Island. When you see members of these four sects, no need to invite all of them. Just bring whichever sect has more people present."

Honestly, Shi Chun wasn't sure how many survivors remained from these sects. Nor did he know if they were among the forces previously entangling him, though the likelihood of all being eradicated wasn't high.

Unfamiliar with these names, Li Hongjiu questioned suspiciously, "What's up with these sects? Why would they attack my Yanbao Sect disciples?"

Shi Chun replied, "Perhaps their intent wasn't solely to kill your disciples but rather to provoke you into killing me. I offended the Jieyun Mountain sect, the top faction in Sheng Province on the East and Shengshen Continent side, and these four artifact refining sects originate from Sheng Province. Before entering the Divine Fire Domain, I gathered some secret intelligence—Jieyun Mountain instigated these four sects to target me.

Earlier, someone spread rumors claiming I uncovered hundreds of Divine Fires alongside the folks from Shudao Mountain, drawing persistent attention from the sects. I recognized immediately that someone was intentionally sowing discord, probably aiming straight at me.

Of course, this is merely my speculation. They are only among my suspects. I'll need to verify further. Since the four sects are likely allied, encountering even one should clarify the situation. Brother Jiu, you only need to observe for yourself when the truth unfolds."

Li Hongjiu contemplated hesitantly.

After some pause, Shi Chun, noticing the delayed response, asked somewhat surprised, "Is there an issue?"

Li Hongjiu shook his head slightly, "I was just pondering how exactly to persuade them to come. After all, my sect isn't from the same province, nor do we have any prior interactions."

Sensing it was a trivial matter, Shi Chun said, "Brother Jiu, no need to overthink this. Approach them directly, ask for a small favor, and promise them a single Divine Fire as compensation. As for what small favor, suggest anything you find appropriate. With your status as a disciple of a major sect combined with the lure of Divine Fire, they'll surely come unless they are hiding something. If it's eventually determined the culprits aren't among them, you can honor the reward regardless. I've already prepared the Divine Fire you'll offer here."

With this reassurance, Li Hongjiu realized the logic—if the sects had no guilty conscience, they'd have no excuse not to come.

Finding the plan reasonable, he nodded swiftly, "Alright, got it." Then he gestured between the two, "Are we splitting up now?"

Shi Chun replied, "The sooner we settle this, the sooner we can feel at ease. If we wait until the moment arrives, it might complicate things. Leaving some wiggle room never hurts. By the way, my suspicions don't end with just those four sects. Brother Jiu, I'll need you to summon another group as well—Gong Shixi and his faction from Qianyan Sect. You know them, right?"

Li Hongjiu squinted slightly. He had long harbored suspicions towards that faction since they had set out alongside the late disciples from his sect. While his sect's members had suffered casualties, Gong Shixi's group returned completely intact—it was hard not to suspect them.

Shi Chun asked directly, "Brother Jiu, you suspect them too, don't you?"

Li Hongjiu nodded subtly.

Shi Chun followed up with another question, "Then, do you think he knows you suspect him?"

Li Hongjiu replied, "Surely. The factions of the fallen disciples have openly questioned him, so he must be aware."

Hearing this answer, Shi Chun immediately offered advice, "Then you can't use the same approach as bringing the four sects here. If you approach him, he could get scared and won't come. Brother Jiu, simply let him learn unintentionally about my whereabouts—he'll surely investigate out of curiosity."

Li Hongjiu understood the tactic. Someone as persistently entangled with Shi Chun would inevitably harbor ambitions. Upon discovering Shi Chun's location, he wouldn't let the opportunity slip.

Thinking deeper, he countered with a question, "But why do you suspect him? Are you saying Wu Shanshan was someone he threw your way?"

"I never said that," Shi Chun quickly denied, waving his hands. "Brother Jiu, until the murderer appears, I can't name anyone—I'd risk injustice. People act with goodwill; I can't falsely accuse them. I stick firmly to loyalty and fairness. You'll soon know the truth anyway; why rush?"

Then Shi Chun pointed in a direction, saying, "Over there lies an Iron Forest. I'll show you the location to later lead Gong Shixi's faction there. Having two groups gather in one place would be inconvenient, so splitting them is for the best."

Convinced to some degree, Li Hongjiu relented, and managed to persuade him. Shi Chun then summoned the Mingshan Sect members, instructing Chu Jingtang to place two operatives hidden in preparation at the designated location.

Having arranged it all, the larger party of people departed, leaving the three on-site.

They traveled onward to the Iron Forest to confirm its position along with Li Hongjiu, before finally preparing for their separation.

Before parting, Li Hongjiu joked wryly, "You're not planning to get rid of me and escape, are you?"

Shi Chun replied rhetorically, "Brother Jiu, is it even necessary? If I intended to run, wouldn't it have been easier to kill you instead of saving you earlier?"

Li Hongjiu understood, accepting the rationale. Still, he couldn't help but feel guarded against such a cunning figure. He wagged a finger at Shi Chun's face, adding humorously, "Brother, if you deceive me, don't blame me for reckoning the score later on."

Shi Chun patted his chest solemnly, "I'll accept being sliced into pieces if it comes to that."

To reassure Li Hongjiu further, Shi Chun decided to accompany him with a group towards the exit.

Along the way, they altered appearances, even resorting to masks.

They halted near the exit, having agreed to rendezvous with Li Hongjiu at this location. Watching him depart, they could faintly see the tall mountains surrounding the exit.

Li Hongjiu himself landed abruptly on the tallest summit by the exit.

His unexpected arrival startled the elders from the Ten Sects, prompting them to rise successively, while the few sect disciples lingering nearby also stood up in surprise—including Gong Shixi's faction.

Scanning the surroundings briefly, Li Hongjiu's eyes landed on Gong Shixi but quickly shifted away without displaying any particular focus. He then turned to salute his sect's elder, saying, "Disciple greets Elder."

The Yanbao Sect elder, surnamed Li and named Qianqiu, observed him thoroughly before asking, "How are your injuries?"

The remark implied that Li Hongjiu had returned earlier. He responded with a wry smile, "Could be worse."

Glancing around at the scene, he asked, "Where are Guang Haoyou and the others?"

Elder Li answered, "Since they were idle, I had them continuing their search for Divine Fire. What happened?"

Li Hongjiu swept a gaze over other elders, then said reservedly, "Disciple dares not break the rules of the Divine Fire Covenant. Once we leave, I'll provide a detailed account to the elder. Allow me to apply some healing now."

With these words, he signaled subtly to Elder Li.

Understanding the hint, Elder Li hummed in acknowledgment and watched as Li Hongjiu retreated to a nearby area to sit cross-legged.

"Alas." Elder Li sighed softly, his mood contemplative. He paced back and forth atop the mountain before wandering to a quieter edge where he flattened a patch of ground underfoot absentmindedly.

Sitting in solitude, Li Hongjiu also smoothed the earth before him, raising two fingers to trace silently before his chest. From his fingertips, small swirls of wind began spiraling into the vast emptiness of the night sky.

Before long, gusts of wind swirled intermittently across the mountain, stirring but failing to disturb.

Underfoot, Elder Li discreetly manipulated the soil through his technique, creating lines of written text on the ground. Simultaneously, Li Hongjiu etched inquiry after inquiry into the earth before him.

Through this covert exchange of writing, Li Hongjiu provided Elder Li with an exhaustive report of the current state of affairs, requesting the elder's final decision on whether to assist Shi Chun's group in leaving.

Of course, Elder Li intended to secure the secret technique of locating Divine Fire within the Yanbao Sect's grasp. Yet, given Shi Chun's scrutiny from various factions, extracting him from the situation seemed almost impossible—an immensely challenging feat.

"It's very tricky to monopolize this matter. Prioritize identifying the killers of our sect members before proceeding further. For now, keep Shi Chun steady and give me more time to deliberate."

After reading the elder's instructions etched by technique near his feet, Li Hongjiu erased the markings with a simple wave of his fingers.

Looking around at the sparse groups from various sects, Li Hongjiu wasn't sure whether personnel from the sects Shi Chun mentioned were among them. He resolved to investigate cautiously while avoiding attention.

After a brief contemplation, he rose and approached Gong Shixi's faction first, asking directly, "Have you seen Guang Haoyou and the others anywhere?"

Gong Shixi replied with a wry smile, "Mr. Li, I truly don't know. We were by the lake and got frightened half to death. After running back here, we haven't dared to leave and only saw them return once before disappearing again."

Uncertain, Li Hongjiu didn't push the matter further and turned to inquire politely at a different sect, greeting them briefly, "May I ask which sect you belong to? Have you happened to see any Yanbao Sect disciples recently?"

The reply mirrored Gong Shixi's response.

Li Hongjiu wasn't deterred and continued asking each group systematically.

Meanwhile, elders observing his actions grew mildly suspicious. Curious, one elder summoned a person from another sect to ask what Li Hongjiu was doing. After learning he was inquiring about Yanbao Sect members, the elder didn't pursue the matter further, assuming it was an ordinary situation of coordinating with lost comrades.

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