What was originally nothing important, Situ Gu's clean and emotionless face revealed a hint of impatience. Without another word, he walked away, leaving behind just one sentence: "No time."

This might seem aloof, but his impatience was genuine. The reality was that his reputation had become a burden. Too many people were trying to see him, and many had no real requests—just wanting to meet him to turn the encounter into a conversation piece.

Currently, during the opening of the Divine Fire Domain, he still needed to oversee the exit. If any problems arose with the passage between the two realms, he would have to act swiftly. There was no time to deal with trivial matters.

Even if he had time, he wouldn't want to meet anyone. He delegated mundane affairs to the sect, knowing that he wasn't adept at handling such matters himself and was prone to offending people in the process. The sect understood his quirks and did their best to shield him from unnecessary interactions. If the matter couldn't be avoided—such as dealing with people that were impossible to offend—the sect would explain this to him, and only then would he reluctantly step out to handle it.

Not questioning the identities of people and not fearing offending friends stemmed from the simple fact that he basically had no friends. Those who could be considered his friends understood his character and wouldn't be offended anyway.

The disciple quickly caught up and continued reporting softly, "The visitor said they were entrusted to deliver a letter to you."

Situ Gu raised a hand casually, signaling to bring the letter forward.

The disciple hesitated and cautiously glanced around before continuing, "The visitor said the letter isn't to be shown to anyone else and must be handed to you personally. They also instructed me to mention the name 'Zhener' if you were unwilling to meet them."

Situ Gu listened from beginning to end without any visible reaction, as if he couldn't care less no matter how serious it sounded. But upon hearing the name mentioned in the final sentence, his fluttering sleeves and figure abruptly froze.

Standing still like a statue, his widened eyes stared blankly ahead, visibly recalling something. Suddenly, he turned to the disciple and issued an order: "Bring them to me."

With that, he turned and altered his path, no longer venturing to the mountain peak but instead striding quickly toward his own quarters.

"Yes." The disciple obeyed softly but carried an expression of confusion, wondering who this so-called 'Zhener' might be.

When the messenger had relayed the message to him earlier, he already sensed that this matter might be complicated. Thus, he acted cautiously, knowing that being tied to a figure like Elder Situ also meant intertwining his own interests.

A single name managed to provoke such a strong reaction in the elder—a rare occurrence indeed.

Soon, he headed to the main gate, called over the messenger, and greeted the sect brothers at the gate to allow the visitor through.

The sect brothers didn't object at all; Elder Situ's status in the sect was extraordinary. The behavior of someone closely associated with him was seen as representing him, and no ordinary disciple dared to offend them.

The messenger appeared to be an ordinary disciple of the Li Huo Sect. As the host sect, most miscellaneous personnel within Qi Yun Valley were from Li Huo Sect.

The visitor was escorted to the depths of the inner courtyard, stopping outside an old room. The worn-out tiles and sprawling canopy of ancient trees cast shadows over half the courtyard.

Such spacious temporary quarters were exclusive to large sects with many attendees.

The Situ disciple knocked on the door, and upon hearing an "Mhm" from within, he pushed it open, gesturing for the messenger to enter.

Situ Gu had already seated himself behind a long desk. His usually calm gaze now gleamed sharply, piercing as he stared at the visitor. He recognized the Li Huo Sect's attire.

The messenger instantly felt immense pressure, being unaccustomed to interacting with such a prominent figure. After a moment of assessment, he bowed respectfully.

Before the messenger could voice pleasantries, Situ Gu broke the silence directly: "The letter."

With no choice, the messenger retrieved a sealed wooden tube from his sleeve and, holding it with both hands, respectfully placed it on the desk.

The letter was clearly safeguarded for confidentiality, for reasons that were obvious—some could see its contents, while others could not. Young Master Nan's personnel handling the matter were evidently seasoned experts.

Situ Gu raised his sleeve, extending fingers to grip the wooden tube. Gently shaking it, he then extended his senses with a spell to ascertain its safety before confidently twisting off the seal. Glancing at the contents, he extracted the letter within, placing the empty tube aside, and unfolded the paper for examination.

The handwriting was somewhat jarring; apparently, the sender deliberately wrote untidily to obscure their identity. Situ Gu ignored this detail and focused intently on deciphering the contents.

The letter hadn't been tampered with and contained a singular message: Zhener is in my hands. I beseech you, elder, to enter the Divine Fire Domain and assist me in leaving.

Upon seeing the name 'Zhener' paired with the location 'Divine Fire Domain,' Situ Gu's initial suspicions solidified. His brows furrowed fiercely.

The room became so silent that even breaths could be heard. The accompanying disciple's gaze remained fixed on the letter, curious about the contents.

Finally, Situ Gu broke the silence, asking, "Who sent this letter? The Li Huo Sect?"

This cryptic, incomplete message gave no indication of the sender. It was impossible not to ask.

The messenger glanced hesitantly at the accompanying disciple before replying, "Elder, the name of the person who sent it can only be disclosed to you alone."

Situ Gu wasted no time. He wasn't one to linger on formalities, simply telling the disciple, "Leave the room."

The disciple paused but eventually complied, turning to leave while ensuring the door was shut behind him.

Now alone, under the intense gaze of Situ Gu, the messenger moved slightly closer and whispered, "It has nothing to do with the Li Huo Sect. The letter was entrusted by Shi Chun of the Mingshan Sect."

"Shi Chun?" Situ Gu froze. Earlier, the Refining Heaven Sect higher-ups had discussed that individual for quite some time. He had merely listened silently, thinking it irrelevant.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect it to become 'relevant' so suddenly—it had now involved him?

"Indeed." The messenger confirmed before bowing again, adding, "This junior takes their leave. I truly don't know the specifics and am not qualified to know. I only came to greet you, Elder. Beyond this, I've done nothing else."

The implication was clear: After I leave this room, I'll deny everything.

With that said, the messenger took three steps back, turned, and exited through the door.

Situ Gu merely watched him leave without saying anything to hold him back. His thoughts drifted far into the distance, into darkness where a crystal-clear, luminescent flame glimmered like polished glass—beautiful, tenderly emitting humming whispers as it guided him through the eternal night.

Back then, he was still young. He knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he clung to it tightly.

One man and one flame ventured through the eternal night together, explored together, gazed at the stars and dreamed of the future together, sharing many laughs and promises.

But life was a mixture of inevitability and uncertainties. He had to part ways, leaving behind his promises.

Later, he broke his word. Though unintentional, the circumstances left him powerless to fulfill his promise. Even now, he lacked the capability. And seeking help was not an easy option—the allure of the Divine Fire was too great for those capable of entering the realm.

The past was distant, yet its scar lingered deep within him.

His gaze returned to the letter, his brows furrowed in confusion as he murmured, "Shi Chun…"

Initially, he suspected that the man might have somehow broken the Forbidden Land's seals and captured Zhener. But then he dismissed the thought, judging Shi Chun's strength far from sufficient to breach the seals— even a few of the top experts would struggle against the monsters imprisoned there.

He knew well the terrifying power of the ancient beings within the tower. Some were taught cultivation methods, and as eternal entities honed their immense strength, their destructive capability became unimaginable.

Such terrifying beings were far from what Shi Chun could contend with.

Recalling Zuo Zisheng and others' reports from earlier, he deduced that Shi Chun had entered the Forbidden Land and likely encountered Zhener before capturing them.

This was a deeply troubling possibility. Situ Gu had long feared this outcome. If he could encounter Zhener, then others might as well. It was inevitable.

His fears had materialized.

From Zuo Zisheng's report, it was clear why Shi Chun had taken Zhener hostage.

Yet to use threats against him—it enraged Situ Gu. The old adage rang true: those emerging from the Land of Exile were depraved, deserving of hatred and death!

But right now, he was powerless against Shi Chun. And he knew that people like him wouldn't care about Zhener's life or death. He understood the nature of the threat used against him.

At the door, the disciple who had escorted the messenger returned hesitantly. Though he wasn't merely seeing them off, he felt responsible for monitoring their departure.

"Elder, do you have any directives?" he asked tentatively, his curiosity about the letter evident.

But Elder Situ was meticulous this time. He picked up the wooden tube, stuffed the letter back inside, and, with a flash of fire in his hand, burned it to ashes on the spot.

"Nothing." He tossed out the words and left, leaving the disciple to clean up the remnants of ash.

Situ Gu didn't go anywhere else; he returned to the highest peak of Qi Yun Valley.

His thin figure in flowing robes stood gracefully, overlooking the crowded beach below. His gaze then wandered to the spinning Divine Fire Spirit Gate in the night sky. The radiant vortex no longer emitted anyone, no longer holding its initial excitement and clamor.

Having been open for so long, those who could leave had already done so. The rest either hadn't yet had time to exit or didn't want to leave for now, likely including those sect members lying in wait for Shi Chun.

Standing silently beside Sect Leader Luo Yan for a while, Elder Situ finally broke the silence. "I want to enter the Divine Fire Domain."

Sect Leader Luo Yan responded with a puzzled "Hm?" as he turned to look at him, his expression betraying his astonishment, nearly uttering, "Excuse me, what did you say?"

Several surrounding elders similarly turned toward him, seemingly suspecting they had misheard. What other explanation could there be for such a startling request?

Situ Gu received no response, so he repeated himself, "I want to enter the Divine Fire Domain."

Luo Yan and the elders looked at each other, speechless. Knowing that while Situ Gu could be headstrong at times, this request was far too unreasonable. There was no way to approve it.

It wasn't the kind of place anyone could enter at will. Moreover, entry wasn't even possible—no single sect held authority over it. Even if they agreed, other sects would object, regardless of Situ Gu's reputation.

Luo Yan asked, "Why?"

Situ Gu's expression remained calm as he responded simply and directly, "I can find Shi Chun if I enter."

This was his explanation, and his words weren't false. He suspected Shi Chun was hiding in some part of the Forbidden Land. Since Shi Chun hadn't specified a meeting location, it had to be a place known to both him and Zhener.

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