They said they would leave quietly, but now, there were simply too many people gathered from the various sects. Most of those who could return had already done so and were waiting for the exit to open and depart. The people from the various sects had almost surrounded the mountain near the exit, making it inevitable that Li Hongjiu and his group's departure would draw attention.

Li Hongjiu, especially with his current reputation, had become a prominent figure, naturally catching the eyes of many as he left.

Mingling among the disciples of different sects, Fengluo Sect disciples Xie Wanti and Chi Anlan also watched Li Hongjiu with guilty consciences, occasionally glancing his way. Naturally, they noticed him leaving.

Leaving at this moment raised doubts for some, but with the exit about to open, no one was inclined to pursue these suspicions.

Gu Lianni and the others from Shudao Mountain had also returned. They were among the earlier ones to come back, now frequently scanning the surrounding mountain for signs of something — they were searching and waiting.

Of course, their target was Shi Chun's group. The disciples from their sect had combed the area and confirmed that the Mingshan Sect group had yet to return.

Ever since they parted ways with Shi Chun's group, they hadn't encountered the Divine Fire again, especially with interference from the Extreme Fire Sect, Golden Appearance Hall, East Cloud Island, and Fall Flame Mountain. They couldn't search for it in peace, and so they returned earlier than planned.

Little did they know, the Extreme Fire Sect truly had no intentions of letting them slip away, especially with the cooperation of three factions from Golden Appearance Hall. Yin Tianlu was still fixated on Shi Chun's so-called "Divine Fire Treasure," which they supposedly handed over to Shudao Mountain, wanting to verify its authenticity.

How would they verify it? Naturally, by capturing the suspects and using every means to force the truth out. With these "means," whether or not they obtained what they sought, it was almost impossible for the captives to leave alive.

Fortunately for Shudao Mountain, the magical treasures these sects held were obliterated by the endless Heavenly Thunder. Despite chasing them relentlessly, the pursuing sects couldn't ensure that no remnants of Shudao Mountain would slip through the cracks.

If the daughter of Shudao Mountain's Sect Leader were to suffer ill fate after their return, could anyone truly believe the sect's high-ranking status was merely for show?

Unless absolutely necessary, none of them — not even Refining Heaven Sect, ranked first among the sects — would dare to act recklessly against Gu Lianni. Otherwise, when they held Shudao Mountain's group captive before, they wouldn't have been so lenient. Were it any other sect, they'd have been captured immediately without hesitation.

As things stood, the Extreme Fire Sect could only quietly drop their pursuit. News regarding the "Divine Fire Treasure" would have to be brought back to their sect, leaving the matter to the sect leaders to decide on in the outside world.

Of course, other sects with sufficient strength and involvement capacity were also scanning the area like Shudao Mountain, waiting for Shi Chun's group to return.

They simply didn't believe it — didn't believe Shi Chun could hide away indefinitely. It was impossible. Unless they were already dead!

Li Hongjiu, leading Yanbao Sect's group, didn't stay and wait passively. Instead, they were busily running around.

The spot near the exit where Shi Chun had agreed to meet was empty; no one was there, even when the search radius was broadened.

Simply put, Shi Chun wasn't there at all.

What the hell? Li Hongjiu was baffled. How could that guy possibly not be eagerly waiting? Surely he wouldn't disregard something as important as leaving, right?

And yet, they searched everywhere, but he was truly gone. There was no way to assume the disciples of Yanbao Sect were lying.

Helpless, the group raced to the Ice Field, landing atop the highest icy peak shrouded in cloudy layers. Li Hongjiu knew Shi Chun's group was supposed to meet up with Fengluo Sect's members here. Yet once again, there was no sign of anyone — neither Shi Chun's group nor Fengluo Sect's members. Broadening the search didn't help; they were simply nowhere to be found.

Unwilling to relent, Li Hongjiu led his group desperately toward Iron Forest. Yet again, they searched thoroughly, only to find no trace of them.

He felt things were growing increasingly off. However, he didn't entirely lean toward the idea that Shi Chun had set up some grand deception. Still, the fact remained — everyone had to pass by the exit to leave, and whether Shi Chun sought help from Yanbao Sect or elsewhere made little difference. Li Hongjiu started to fret over whether Shi Chun had encountered some sort of trouble.

Of course, he still didn't rule out the possibility that Shi Chun was being crafty — worried that he might've been tricked. But he couldn't fathom the purpose behind deceiving him like this.

After carefully reviewing the situation a few times, Li Hongjiu concluded that Fengluo Sect was the most likely source of suspicion. Without hesitation, he immediately led his group back toward the area near the exit.

Meanwhile, Shi Chun was utterly captivated by the "Blood Soul Blade" presented by Wu Jinliang, repeatedly admiring and pondering over it.

This blade was indeed somewhat peculiar — even sinister. Its artifact spirit remained dormant and unresponsive. Tong Mingshan and Xiao Sheng had warned that using this blade would bring misfortune. But Shi Chun was a pragmatist through and through. He didn't buy into superstitions, firmly believing, "Fate is controlled by me, not the heavens."

Even stripped of its full power, the blade was far superior to his previous one. Not only was it sharper and more resilient, it also had additional effects. With one swift slash, it could impact an opponent's mental and physical state. For someone like Shi Chun, who frequently fought for his life, its advantages were abundantly clear. How could he possibly turn it down?

Swish! Shi Chun casually stabbed his old blade into a nearby rock and, holding the treasure blade reverently, declared, "From now on, I'm using this blade."

Wu Jinliang glanced at the abandoned blade stuck in the stone and immediately felt disgruntled, complaining, "Chun Tian, that was a treasure blade I personally forged for you! Compared to this thing with a useless artifact spirit, it shouldn't be any worse, right?"

Shi Chun cast a glance at the old blade and gestured toward the one in his hands. "Yours is too crude. This one looks far better."

Questioning my craftsmanship? Didn't you say it was fine back then? Now you're calling it crude? Wu Jinliang scoffed softly, turned his head to gaze at the stars, and his pressed lips curled to one side, revealing an exceptionally rare expression of dissatisfaction on his face.

While grumbling, he added, "'Blood Soul Blade' has such a bright and striking color — far too conspicuous. It'd be easy for Gong Shixi's sect to recognize."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.