The group from the Yanbao Sect had just descended the mountain and returned to their resting place when a disciple hurriedly ran to Sect Master Qu Wuming and whispered a few words.

Qu Wuming, who was walking quickly, suddenly stopped in his tracks. Turning his head to confirm, he asked, "Among those who forfeited the competition and left the valley, are there people from the Fengluo Sect?"

When he previously encountered Qian She at the valley entrance, and Qian She mentioned hearing about Shi Chun's situation in the Divine Fire Domain, Qu Wuming already found it peculiar. How had he learned the news so quickly?

He wanted to find out which Artifact Refining sect had leaked the information. To curry favor with Qian She, they didn't even bother watching this year's Artifact Refining Grand Competition. He planned to keep an eye out so he would know better next time.

But the news now brought to him left him somewhat shocked—among the list of sects that had left, the Fengluo Sect's name appeared.

Previously, he didn't even know what the Fengluo Sect was. It was only due to the information passed along by Guang Haoyou via Li Hongjiu that he became aware of its existence.

Li Hongjiu had even given a blunt warning beforehand, saying he might have made another mistake, and that the Fengluo Sect might seek accountability from the Sect.

This implied two things: he was informing the Sect so they could prepare mentally, and he was subtly signaling to his master, "It wasn't intentional this time; please calm down first."

They were planning to reach out to the Fengluo Sect to communicate. As much as he was irritated by his unreliable disciple, Qu Wuming still had to clean up after his precious student. He estimated that the issue wouldn't escalate too much. As long as enough respect was shown, the Fengluo Sect likely wouldn't make a big deal of it.

Nevertheless, there was no rush to establish contact, as the exit was still open, and it was possible for the missing disciples of the Fengluo Sect to reappear. If they emerged unscathed, there'd be no need to pursue the matter further.

Who would've thought it would be uncovered that members of the Fengluo Sect had actually exited early!

The disciple confirmed, "That's right. It's been verified—the Fengluo Sect Leader personally led people out. Moreover, they were the first to exit after the Divine Fire Domain opened, and it's been nearly two hours since they left."

"Two hours?" Qu Wuming's brows furrowed. "In other words, it was before Qian She came looking for us."

Stroking his beard, he paced back and forth, head lowered in thought. Someone exiting to inform Qian She about happenings in the Divine Fire Domain was not surprising at all. Given Qian She's influence, accomplishing such a thing would be easy. Therefore, it wasn't strange that Qian She knew.

Yet, thinking about the entanglements within the Divine Fire Domain surrounding Shi Chun, Li Hongjiu, and the Fengluo Sect, the timing of the Fengluo Sect's exit followed by Qian She's arrival didn't seem coincidental.

Pondering the connections for just a moment, Qu Wuming suddenly inhaled sharply. His cold eyes swept over the elders, who appeared equally thoughtful. He abruptly spun on his heel and strode toward the main hall. The elders exchanged glances, their expressions turning grim as they followed quickly.

Once again, the doors closed behind them as they gathered indoors.

Facing the elders, Qu Wuming turned toward the main seat, his face darkened with fury. He began angrily, "Qian She's arrival is most likely not a simple matter of him hearing idle rumors. Shi Chun may very well have contacted him and orchestrated some sort of escape plan.

"In short, Li Hongjiu was probably duped. Shi Chun never intended to use us to escape, which is why Li Hongjiu couldn't reach him."

One elder hesitated and said, "Sect Master, that seems irrational. If all Shi Chun needed was someone to pass a message to Qian She, wasn't there an easier way? Why go through such a convoluted route involving Li Hongjiu? Who could even guarantee that Qian She would be able to reverse the position of the Divine Fire Spirit Gate within the Artifact Refining World? Let's not even mention Shi Chun or Qian She— even if the Qian Family's head intervened, there wouldn't be absolute certainty, would there?"

Qu Wuming replied in a somber tone, "Don't you understand? The purpose of involving Li Hongjiu wasn't about him specifically but about undermining our Yanbao Sect's voice within the Artifact Refining World. That crafty thief used the tug-of-war with Li Hongjiu to mislead us, making us believe we stood to gain something. Only then did we agree to Qian She's request. Otherwise, how could we have agreed so easily?

"In other words, Shi Chun might never have trusted our Yanbao Sect from the outset. He deliberately feigned weakness to mislead and manipulate us. I was puzzled earlier, wondering why Qian She would risk acting so brazenly—was he so certain we'd cooperate?"

On hearing this, those who hadn't yet grasped the situation let out audible gasps as understanding dawned on them, and many inhaled sharply.

Someone exclaimed, "Could this scoundrel really be so cunning?"

Another person remarked with a sneer, "No wonder he managed to take first place at that so-called Sky Rain Meteor Conference…"

Yet another remained puzzled, "If we were merely fooled, then fine. But what about Refining Heaven Sect and Shudao Mountain? Were they also tricked?"

Qu Wuming calmly replied, "At this point, that's irrelevant. The important aspect is the outcome. Outcomes suggest possibilities, no matter how it was accomplished."

One elder proposed, "Should we notify the others and rescind the decisions made earlier on the mountaintop? After all, we haven't formally agreed to Qian She's proposal yet—we'd still have time to withdraw without it being a breach of trust."

Qu Wuming waved his hand decisively, "There's no need. Qian She has already openly committed to the matter, putting even the Qian Family's reputation at stake. The other sects have agreed, and if we, the Yanbao Sect, were to derail the plan, the truth would come to light quickly. It wouldn't reflect well upon us.

"Of course, that's secondary. More importantly, backing out now wouldn't benefit us either. The results of such an action would merely result in Shi Chun either perishing inside the domain or being forced to surrender before the exit closes, in which case the benefits would be shared among the other sects or no one at all. If we don't backtrack, there remains the possibility of us finding Shi Chun ourselves."

Another elder added in a deep tone, "But there's also the possibility of someone else recovering Shi Chun independently."

Qu Wuming asserted, "Since I'm personally supervising this, I won't let that happen. As long as Shi Chun doesn't emerge, Qian She can make his claims, and I'll play along. To ensure fairness, I'll suggest we thoroughly search everyone who could potentially smuggle Shi Chun out without exception.

The Ten Great Sects at most have one sect capable of aiding Shi Chun in secret. That leaves the other eight to join me in supporting the examination. The lone sect would be outmatched and would have no choice but to comply."

Realization dawned on the gathering, many becoming energized, eager to take action.

After scanning the room, Qu Wuming continued, "We might be overthinking, but it doesn't impede our plans. Our strategy is flexible—offensively proactive or conservatively defensive. Assemble a team, inform Elder Li and Li Hongjiu inside, and proceed based on our prior strategy to search for Shi Chun. If we find and retrieve him, perfect. If not, adhere to my outlined measures. If Shi Chun has indeed crafted an escape plan with Qian She, the Qian family's operatives inside could serve as our targets, aiding our pursuit. Do whatever it takes to exploit this opportunity!"

He emphatically gestured toward a particular elder as he delivered his concluding remarks.

The elder immediately acknowledged with a bow, "Rest assured, Sect Master. I've understood."

Still, one cautious voice asked, "What if Qian She's side successfully extracts Shi Chun?"

Qu Wuming declared, "Then the Qian Family will bear the consequences of their meddling. Every domain operates on its rules. Stick your hand where it doesn't belong, and don't be surprised when you're slapped. Gu Yanduo's approach is commendable—Shi Chun's victory prospects have already been sabotaged anyway. Leveraging Qian She's so-called rules to hold him accountable while punishing violations uniformly ensures impartiality. Even if the Qian Family Princess intervenes, she'd have no grounds to argue.

"As for the secret method of locating Divine Fire, even if Shi Chun emerges safely, he'll have no choice but to surrender it to leave Li Huo Island. He has no leverage against us. It's only fair that, given the severe losses suffered by the Ten Great Sects during this Divine Fire Domain expedition, some compensation is demanded, don't you think?

"When the Ten Great Sects jointly petition Shanbu Continent's Royal Court, I don't believe the Qian Family could withstand pressure from both the Royal Court and the entirety of the Artifact Refining World. Not even that Qian Family Princess would consent to such a risk."

Once again, Qu Wuming cast a commanding gaze over everyone. "No need to second‑guess. Just follow the plan."

"Understood." With renewed confidence, the assembled crowd acknowledged the orders in unison.

Outside Qi Yun Valley, Young Master Nan was still standing alongside Qian She, waiting. The longer they waited, the more anxious Qian She grew, fearing a potential misstep that could embarrass him.

Having cooled down, he began to feel some regret for acting so openly. But on the surface, he maintained his composure, refusing to back down after making bold declarations.

Of course, Young Master Nan continued buoying his spirits with words of encouragement now and then.

Over the sandy beach, many Lifebound Lotus Lamps had been taken down. Disciples who had already returned were registered before having their lamps decommissioned one by one.

Such decommissioning was essential. After all, once someone had exited, it was impossible for their Lifebound Lamp to remain in someone else's hands.

Yet, no one from the Divine Fire Spirit Gate emerged for quite some time. As the hours dragged on, many spectators at the beach began to disperse—not out of impatience but to avoid waiting idly. They figured they could always return upon hearing new developments.

Meanwhile, Lan Qiaoyan and her daughter persisted in waiting, driven by the presence of someone inside they remained worried about. Of course, their waiting was far more comfortable than most, as they had cozy seating, ample space, and fine wine with delicacies accompanying them.

Noticing that Shi Chun's Lifebound Lotus Lamp, as well as the lamps of the Mingshan Sect party, continued to hover in place without dropping or being taken down, they began to speculate. What could it mean? It meant Shi Chun's group hadn't exited the Divine Fire Domain yet.

The exit was already open. Why were they lingering inside, delaying their departure?

The mother and daughter duo vaguely sensed that things might not have gone as smoothly as they had hoped. Could something have happened to Shi Chun inside?

They wanted to find someone to inquire about the situation, but for the moment, no suitable candidate could be found. Most people were equally clueless about matters within Qi Yun Valley. Among the ideal individuals to approach, Gong Shaoci had been uncharacteristically and inexplicably absent for a long time. This unusual behavior further fueled their growing concerns.

Their sense of foreboding deepened.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed, followed by Gong Shaoci greeting courteously outside their door.

Since women resided here, he refrained from entering uninvited.

After receiving permission, he opened the door and walked over to the veranda, his expression warm and graceful as ever, exuding the reassuring charm of a spring breeze. He clasped his hands and offered an apologetic smile. "Apologies, Aunt Lan, I was temporarily occupied with some business."

Lan Qiaoyan stood up and pointed lightly toward the remaining Lifebound Lotus Lamps. "Has something happened? So many have exited, yet there's no news from inside the Divine Fire Domain?"

Seeing her directness, Gong Shaoci hesitated slightly, unsure how much to disclose or whether the truth might alarm the mother and daughter. He knew their keen interest in observing this was largely tied to Shi Chun. Ironically, his recent flurry of activities was due to issues surrounding Shi Chun. He'd been running around endlessly, pressuring Artifact Refining sects wherever he could make an impression.

Of course, it was also because of pressure from Qian She.

Noticing his reaction, Miao Yilan slowly rose as well, concern flickering in her eyes.

Lan Qiaoyan probed, "Did something happen to Shi Chun?"

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