People were trying to be friendly, but Mulan Jin had no reaction. He wouldn't interfere in such matters, especially since he had already been expelled from the sect.

At that moment, he noticed something and took out the Mother-child Talisman used to communicate with Shi Chun to check. He was a bit worried that Shi Chun might act recklessly for Li Hongjiu. After half a day without any response, he thought he might be overthinking.

Although he heard Shi Chun had a good relationship with Li Hongjiu, he sneered at such so-called friendships. Coming from the Land of Exile, this kind of bond is unreliable. Surely, there's an ulterior motive, probably coveting the sect's background.

Given the current situation, even if Shi Chun wanted to cling to that powerful connection, it was beyond his capability. Even Gao Lian couldn't escape the entanglement, and Ming Chaofeng was powerless. He doubted Shi Chun would really risk his life for Li Hongjiu.

However, upon checking the message contents, he saw there was still inquiry about Li Hongjiu's situation, as if there was a sliver of hope.

To make him give up, Mulan Jin gave a concise reply about the general situation. He spoke truthfully, without any emotional bias, leaving Shi Chun to decide for himself.

If he weren't afraid Shi Chun might desperately retaliate, he wouldn't even bother replying to Shi Chun's message.

Given the current situation, Shi Chun's team was dispersed, and he lost the Centurion Token, which also means he's lost the authority to command his daughter, who has been directly controlled. The possibility of acting recklessly is gone, and he realized that controlling the daughter until the Battle of Great Pardon ended was simple and effective compared to his previous elaborate strategies.

He regretted not thinking of solving the issue in such a simple manner earlier, feeling that going to Life Prison personally and using so much personal favor to get Shi Chun out was not worth it.

He already had Han Bao discard their armor, which could be tracked because Shi Chun, the Centurion, had already done so. He secretly instructed Han Bao to hide with his daughter until the battle concluded before appearing.

As for Mulan Qingqing's desire to make contributions or succeed on her own, he found it absurd and laughable, and he could dismiss her feelings afterward.

On the other side, Shi Chun was relieved to hear that Li Hongjiu was still alive.

He couldn't understand what the Commander of the Nanshan Team was doing. They claimed to be fellow disciples, yet hadn't rescued anyone for so long.

He had hoped for a better outcome, wishing Ming Chaofeng had already saved Li Hongjiu and was only unable to detoxify, at which point he could assist with detoxification, surely gaining Ming Chaofeng's cooperation.

Now it seemed he shouldn't have harbored such unrealistic expectations.

Having observed the communication contents, Wu Jinliang was worried. Li Hongjiu was being surrounded by the alliance of four teams, and if not for the Yanbao Sect's quasi-sixth-grade magical treasure maintaining their position, Li might have been gone long before. Under such circumstances, hoping for spring to save him was too risky and impossible to win.

Shi Chun checked another Mother-child Talisman linked to Pang Tiansheng but saw no response, unsure of Wei Mo's thoughts.

For now, he wouldn't concern himself with Wei Mo. Since Mulan Jin said Li Hongjiu wasn't dead, it was believable. If he claimed Li Hongjiu had died, Shi Chun would be suspicious and need to verify with someone else.

Li Hongjiu was alive, so he urgently needed Huang Yingying to find a place to cultivate, rapidly becoming familiar with the basic cultivation techniques in the Demon Book.

He quickly took out the Mother-child Talisman to contact Xiao Sheng, inquiring about their situation.

Xiao Sheng said nothing was happening, and everyone had been waiting idly, wondering why the Master hadn't returned for half a day.

Shi Chun instructed him to convey a message to Wu Hong, Chen Wuji, Fang Zicheng, and Hao Ji, asking them to come secretly.

He sought them out because Huang Yingying required secrecy during her urgent cultivation. The four hadn't cultivated advanced techniques or possessed artifacts; encountering significant danger would be suicidal.

Shortly, the four arrived quietly for a meeting. After they met, Shi Chun quickly found a suitable location, and Wu Jinliang used Earth Escape Technique to create an underground cultivation space.

After settling Huang Yingying and the five students, Shi Chun instructed Chu Jingtang and Lao Changtai to change out of their mourning-like white attire and then had everyone cover their faces, heading towards Feng Chi.

Upon suddenly seeing a group of masked individuals, Tong Mingshan and others became curious, but Wu Jinliang's conspicuous height dispelled their doubts.

After greeting, Feng Chi pulled Shi Chun aside to speak, informing him that the Demon Path had been trying to contact Shi Chun without success, eventually questioning Feng Chi, who could only say she didn't know, causing displeasure with the Demon Path, demanding immediate contact upon return.

Shi Chun said he understood but didn't plan to deal with it now, prioritizing rescuing Li Hongjiu. As long as Li Hongjiu was safe, he would address those in the Demon Path later.

Returning to the group, Shi Chun immediately instructed, "Cover your faces."

Upon covering faces again, Chai Wenwu, Old Chai asked hesitantly, "Master, why are we masking again?"

Shi Chun glanced him over and replied, "My Token has been taken by others; I'm no longer a Centurion. You can return to the Command Center, where they'll rearrange and assign you to another team."

Old Chai said hurriedly, "No, no, that's not what I meant. Whatever the Master says, I'll do," and quickly took out a cloth to cover his face.

Isn't it delightful to wander around, neglecting duties? After all, this is following orders, not deserting. Once reassigned by the Command Center, it'll be back to fierce battles.

Of course, there's some concern that without achieving any merits, after the war ends, they're off to prison again.

Shi Chun was a bit speechless. He meant what he said, but this person lacks power and appearance; who knows what use they are, and some secrets still need to be guarded against.

Forget it, no time to deal with this old guy's stuff. If he wants to follow, let him. At least he's obedient; when something dangerous comes up, it can be thrown his way to reduce risks for their own people.

Without further ado, he turned and walked away.

Wu Jinliang, who was constantly anxious, didn't feel like dealing with others and quickly followed up, whispering a reminder to Shi Chun: "Chun Tian, shouldn't we reconsider? Li Hongjiu is important, but his current situation is beyond expectations. With our strength, it's impossible to rescue him from those major forces. The attack power of our fifth-grade Magical Treasures is equivalent to that of the Earth Immortal realm, which poses no threat to experts at the Earth Immortal Great Success realm. We can't act recklessly."

Shi Chun gazed into the distance for a while, then took a deep breath, turned his head to look at him, and calmly reassured him: "Don't worry, I'll figure something out."

Wu Jinliang looked conflicted, surrounded by several major forces, even Ming Chaofeng couldn't resolve the situation; what could they do by getting involved?

Shi Chun took out the Mother-child Talisman to contact Mulan Jin, hoping she could indicate where Li Hongjiu was currently located.

After glancing at the message on her hand, Mulan Jin immediately replied: What are you planning?

Shi Chun replied: Li Hongjiu and I are like brothers; I can't just watch him die without trying to save him.

Mulan Jin raised an eyebrow slightly. Though the words sounded nice, she didn't really believe it; if he wanted to save, he would have done so earlier. After delaying most of the day, who knows what he's up to.

Just then, Li Hongjiu's image appeared again in the mirror; he glanced at Li Hongjiu's bleeding eyes and nose, showing no sign of improvement, and replied: I'll say it again, this poison has no cure. Even if he could endure, it wouldn't be for long. There's no need to take risks; surrounded by these families, your intentions are futile.

Shi Chun replied: Even if it's just to give him a complete corpse, it would be worth it for our brotherhood. Please inform the Commander that I can contact Ming Chaofeng; perhaps I can persuade Li Hongjiu's team not to resist, maybe get them to hand over that Magical Treasure. Would securing that Magical Treasure for the Heavenly Court Team count as a significant achievement for me?

This was the main issue he wanted to discuss with Mulan Jin, hoping to offer something valuable enough to garner their help.

Mulan Jin was momentarily surprised, then suddenly realized, thinking this guy was ambitious.

He willingly became Shi Chun's messenger and conveyed Shi Chun's words to Manxi.

Upon hearing this, Manxi was stunned, then delighted, and replied: "Commander, you don't say. He did save Li Hongjiu before, and since things are like this, Ming Chaofeng might actually believe him. He might really persuade Li Hongjiu's team not to resist. Commander, tell him if he can secure that Broken Fifth Grade Magical Treasure for the Heavenly Court Team, I'll reward him with the merit of fifty tokens!"

Mulan Jin communicated: "If he could secure it himself, he would have acted already. By reaching out to us, he must need cooperation from our side. Whether he plans to approach that team or make them leave the encirclement, someone needs to provide an exit, which we're afraid we cannot manage."

Manxi fell into contemplation, "The powers besieging Li Hongjiu are entangled, watching each other, with Heavenly Mirrors monitoring, making it impossible for anyone to enter or exit unnoticed. We granting passage wouldn't help if others don't."

Mulan Jin immediately relayed this situation back to Shi Chun.

Shi Chun replied: I'll figure something out.

After receiving the reply, Manxi hesitated again: "He didn't save Li Hongjiu earlier and only started on this task after half a day; did he just come up with a solution, or… has he truly found a way to cure Li Hongjiu's poison? Even if Li Hongjiu survives, it will cause more trouble."

Mulan Jin remained silent, leaving the decision to him.

Manxi then looked at the Mountain River Map, his expression serious. As Yan Zhili directed attention somewhere, the experts from several factions responded, including a reaction from the Nanshan Team, which had ceased assisting. Were the two kings about to meet so soon?

This isn't good news for any team, and he didn't know why Wei Mo stirred things up.

At the same time, he wasn't sure if Shi Chun's supposed plan would arrive in time, but since he held the control, he could terminate the operation at any time, allowing someone willing to try their ways seemed fine.

Having decided, he communicated to Mulan Jin: "Regardless of Li Hongjiu's fate, he mustn't participate in any subsequent battles and must hand over that Broken Fifth Grade Magical Treasure. Achieving this will merit great rewards; failing to do either, he will face extreme punishment."

These were the conditions for their support, though whether they would assist in the end would depend on circumstances, as the pieces below were not qualified to be players.

Mulan Jin immediately conveyed this to Shi Chun.

Handing over the important treasure made Shi Chun hesitate for a moment, but in comparison, Li Hongjiu's matter was more urgent.

Seeing the clean and direct "As you command" reply on the Mother-child Talisman, Mulan Jin was a bit surprised; knowing that in the Battle of Great Pardon, whoever grabs the treasure owns it, giving up such a treasure seems either overzealous for achievement or genuinely intended to save Li Hongjiu?

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.