Wu Jinliang was also startled, and after cautiously withdrawing his hands, he asked, "No way, we were extremely cautious on the road and even let Xiao Sheng go ahead to wait on our route for most of the day, and didn't notice anyone tracking us. Where did the ambush come from?"

Shi Chun also found it strange. His Bath Demon Skill had been tested and should be able to sever the tracking of the Demon Eye, so why could it still follow?

He scanned the area again for confirmation, but the figures in the four directions within the vision of his Right Eye Superpower wouldn't be wrong, and they just happened to be surveilling them from the center. Could this be a coincidence?

The only thing worth pondering is that the eight figures in the four directions were all grayish and seemed to be demon cultivators.

Whether they were of the Demon Path, he couldn't confirm. The distance was too far, and he couldn't see each person's Magic Source.

"Front, back, left, right — four directions, eight people, all demon cultivators. We're surrounded in the middle." He succinctly reported the situation to Wu Jinliang.

Wu Jinliang contemplated briefly and asked solemnly, "What should we do?"

Shi Chun thought for a moment and said, "They likely haven't gauged our strength yet, otherwise they would have acted long ago. Waiting longer might be risky. Let's go!"

The command 'go' was crisp and decisive, and after a brief consideration, an adventurous decision was made instantaneously.

His hands pulled out a Magical Treasure.

Wu Jinliang steeled himself, pulling out the Three-in-One Treasure, and quickly employed the Earth Escape Technique to open a passage through the mountainside.

The two shot out from the passage and immediately rode the Wind Riding Scale into the sky.

The result was quite unexpected for them; they encountered no obstacles nor signs of pursuit. The figures at the so-called four ambush points seemed to make no moves.

"What's happening? Didn't they notice us escaping?" Wu Jinliang was puzzled.

Shi Chun retorted, "Did all eight people go blind?"

After speaking, he murmured, "Could it really be a coincidence?"

Other than this explanation, he couldn't think of any other reason.

Still uneasy, they continued to wander along the path, with Wu Jinliang instructing Xiao Sheng to put other tasks aside and first go to their intended route to lurk and observe after they passed by.

After a good while of wandering, they confirmed no one was tracking them and finally felt secure enough to attend to their own affairs.

What they didn't know was that the eight people previously positioned in the four directions had never been tasked with tracking them; their primary purpose was to observe.

No matter where Shi Chun and the others flew, those eight didn't need to follow them in circles. Upon receiving orders to investigate a certain location, they would immediately cut across and report the scene's environment and situation.

Therefore, wherever Shi Chun flew or ran, no one cared. Yet, every place they stopped, afterward, those eight people would mostly arrive in that vicinity to investigate.

Unaware of this, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang coordinated with Xiao Sheng's actions. After Xiao Sheng obtained his goods at the designated meeting point, they lurked along Xiao Sheng's path to observe and only dared to meet once they confirmed no one was tracking Xiao Sheng.

Ultimately, they successfully obtained three jars of ointment-like Death Refusing Incense.

With the goods in hand and checked thoroughly, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang then headed to a Stone Mountain, lifted a stone, and tossed all remaining cores of Reversing Soul Tree into a cave, then rolled the stone back to seal the entrance.

Afterward, Wu Jinliang sent a message to Bai Qiru to relay to Granny Qi, saying that another batch of goods was placed at the old spot, urging Granny Qi to complete the work quickly.

The news quickly reached Granny Qi in confinement.

Inside the cage, Granny Qi was stunned after hearing Yin Fei's low voice report from outside, "Another one?"

She was somewhat shocked.

Over a hundred Reversing Soul Tree materials at once had already surprised her; now another batch came, making her wonder how much stock Jin Zhan cut down back then?

Also, how tactless was Gao He, using the same place as last time for materials for a second time had already surprised her, but using it for a third time was even more surprising. Were they not afraid someone would stake out there again, or weren't they afraid she'd zero in on them again?

The first time materials were used for trial, ensuring successful refinement before sending a second batch, and the second batch was refined before daring to send a third batch. Originally thinking the other side acted cautiously, now she wondered if they might actually be meticulous despite seeming reckless.

After pondering deeply, she still instructed Yin Fei outside the cage, "Notify the inn to gather materials from the old place and make the dish promptly."

"Yes." Yin Fei acknowledged and left.

Night had just fallen, with stars impatiently twinkling.

Near a Stone Mountain, eight figures searching were suddenly startled, hurriedly ducking using nearby cover to hide.

Soon, a Wind Riding Scale swept across the sky; two figures landed on the mountaintop — two demon cultivator men.

After a scan of the surroundings, they familiarly found the stone blocking the cave entrance, pushed the stone aside, and one jumped inside while the other watched outside.

Not long after, the person inside jumped out with a Qiankun Bag in hand, flashing it to the one outside and said, "This time it's over ten more pieces than last time."

The sentinel quickly pushed the stone back to seal the entrance, and the two immediately rode the Wind Riding Scale and soared away.

After they had left far away, the hidden eight revealed themselves one by one, ran alongside the concealed entrance and inevitably pushed the stone aside to explore the inside, only to find it empty.

After a while, Lan, receiving the detailed report, personally led two cloaked figures swiftly across the sky and arrived.

Lan also entered the cave, personally inspected the site, as the eight's leader accompanied, taking out a few irregular black wooden scraps and presented them, "Big sister, this was found at the site. Based on their entry with the Qiankun Bag, it appears they took something from here, perhaps related to this, like some special wood material."

The cave's simple environment allowed a single glance to take it all in, Lan grabbed a piece and snapped it, bringing it to her mouth and nose, and upon detecting a familiar scent, instantly recalled where she smelled it before.

She immediately collected all these scraps, slipped out of the cave, and asked the two cloaked figures, "How is it?"

The two cloaked figures said nothing, only nodded.

Lan understood and said in a deep voice, "Report to me immediately once you find them, don't alert the enemy."

"Yes." The two cloaked figures took the order and swiftly disappeared into the sky.

The other people present were also sent by Lan to the next target stop.

Shortly after they left, a rift in the void appeared, and the red-robed woman appeared out of thin air once more.

Lan respectfully handed over the black wood scraps with both hands, "Madam, these were found at the scene. If I'm not mistaken, the scent is exactly the same as that on the Divine Mountain."

The red-robed woman picked up a piece, sniffed it, and nodded slightly, "It indeed smells similar, could it be…"

She was a bit unsure.

Lan voiced her suspicion, "Madam, do you suspect it's the Reversing Soul Tree?"

The red-robed woman returned the wood piece to her palm, "Take it to have the Pharmacist confirm what it is."

"Yes." Lan acknowledged the order and withdrew.

With the surroundings quiet, the red-robed woman looked up at the starry sky, her dress billowing in the night wind, and she slowly closed her eyes, concentrating.

Upon reopening her eyes, she found a flat spot, threw out a cushion, sat cross-legged, and casually took out a fine wine for a sip.

Perhaps it was the captivating night wind and starlight that stirred her emotions, she took out a bamboo flute, holding onto the wine, facing the vast world alone, began to play a haunting tune. The music was plaintive yet graceful, carrying faint sadness along with its light melody…

The wind stirred up sand, Shi Chun waved his sleeve, sweeping away the dust in the desolation.

This desolation had something to do with him; it was the place where he was besieged by the Demon Path last time. After a fierce battle, all the lush greenery turned into wasteland, but resilient wild grass was now sprouting.

Before long, a figure flashed by and landed—it was Wu Jinliang, carrying a large sack on his shoulder.

Shi Chun frowned and questioned, "Why did it take so long?"

Wu Jinliang chuckled, "So long? Finding them at all is lucky." He opened the sack and dumped out five Earth Wolves, "You guys flattened this area with your brawl. If anything didn't die, it ran away scared. I had to travel far and wide to find these. Don't kick them; they're not dead, just knocked out."

They acquired quite a bit of Death Refusing Incense to complete the imagined experiment in their minds. To avoid any deviation when contacting Chu Jingtang and the others in the Netherworld, they not only returned to the original experiment site but also insisted on using the same species of animals for the test, leaning on the results learned from books.

Shi Chun withdrew after touching the Earth Wolf's paw, using his Right Eye Superpower to scan the surroundings again, ensuring no one else was present. Then he used a spell to wipe out the footprints in the area. "Let's do it here below," he said, tapping his toe on the ground.

Wu Jinliang immediately used Earth Escape Technique to submerge both himself and the Earth Wolves underground.

After reaching a considerable depth, he performed another spell to create a spacious underground space.

Shi Chun also retrieved an Earth Wolf corpse from the Qiankun Bracelet. It was still the same one from last time; the body hadn't decayed within the storage bracelet, though less than a month had passed. Not sure if it was still useful, he nodded at Wu Jinliang to signify.

Being no stranger to this task, Wu Jinliang adeptly cooperated and retrieved a small jar, scooped out some black ointment, and set it aflame, quickly producing a fragrance again.

Shi Chun immediately used a spell to encircle the rising smoke, directing it toward the Earth Wolf's corpse.

The effects took longer to manifest than last time, possibly because the corpse was too old, yet the same result appeared—the golden threads spread and penetrated the void, under the influence of Shi Chun's Bath Demon Skill, a black passage in the void reappeared.

The eerie gloom once again seeped out from the black hole.

Despite having seen it before, Wu Jinliang couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder as he ceased his actions to burn. Facing Shi Chun's warning glance, he grinned sheepishly, gesturing surrender with both hands, "Don't worry, I won't run around this time. I'll just stay here, ready to burn incense if needed."

Satisfied with the response, Shi Chun vanished into the black hole once more. Upon landing, he found himself again in that sinister, dark realm.

Scanning the surroundings, he immediately took out the Mother-Child Talisman used to contact Chu Jingtang and the others, while also preparing the golden threads in bundles with a spell. He then hurriedly transmitted to Chu Jingtang, "I'm not sure if we are still at the previous location. How far are you from where we last met, and how quickly can you get here?"

He then waited patiently.

Whatever Chu Jingtang was doing, it took a while before a response came: "Master, I've left the area. For ease of contact, Lao Changtai is still staying in Langdang River City. If he sees the message in time, he should be able to get there in about a quarter of an hour. I will contact him now."

As Shi Chun read the message, the captivating flute melody on Stone Mountain was interrupted. After taking another sip of wine from the clay jug, the red-robed woman closed her eyes to the starlight once more.

As she focused slightly, she suddenly sprang up as if bitten by a snake. Her eyes snapped open, filled with an indescribable shock, and she cried out involuntarily, "Netherworld?"

Seeing the message, Shi Chun knew the time for the golden threads to hold the soul was limited; there was no time to waste. He immediately replied, "Tell him I'll come back in half a two-hour."

This was also to give Lao Changtai ample time to prepare, lest he mishandle things in a rush, as it was a last-minute summon.

Chu Jingtang quickly responded, "Okay, I'll tell him."

Shi Chun was uncertain if the forces of the Netherworld would continue to pursue the souls. He didn't want to encounter them again casually for fear they would discover the black hole passage, thus he hastily returned just as the golden threads were retracting. He slipped back through the void passage.

Back in the underground cave, he released the restraint on the golden threads, curious to see if the Earth Wolf's body could be revived.

Once unbound, the golden threads instantly dispersed, causing the void passage to break down and disappear.

On the mountain peak under the night sky, the red-robed woman, her face still shocked, took a deep breath to regain her composure. Once calm, she closed her eyes again to focus and verify if she had sensed something wrongly.

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