Chapter 255: Already Not Easy

On the highest peak of Qiyungu, after a period of silent observation, Situ Gu suddenly declared, "That's enough."

At his command, the eight individuals on the platform once again unleashed torrents of fiery energy, directing them onto the gigantic metal ring above.

Before long, the metal ring's rotation gradually slowed, and the swirling orange clouds within it dissipated. The fiery energy from the eight cultivators receded, and the slowly spinning metal ring began to shift, flying off into the distance towards Lihuo Sect.

Apart from the personnel remaining on duty, a group of high-ranking officials from the major artifact-refining sects also flew towards Lihuo Sect.

In the valley below, the sect masters and their retinues, who had been confined, were finally freed. They emerged and flew onto the mountaintops to observe, marveling at the sight of over thirty thousand neatly arranged lotus lamps floating spectacularly in the air.

As he surveyed his surroundings, the Seven Star Island Master, Xin, noticed the Tianlu Sect Master, Wu, nearby. Both were from artifact-refining sects in Shengzhou, and despite some rivalry, they were old acquaintances.

Xin immediately approached and greeted him, "Sect Master Wu."

Sect Master Wu turned, acknowledging him with an "Oh, Island Master Xin."

Island Master Xin made a gesture for a private word. Sect Master Wu understood, and without bringing anyone along, the two walked to a secluded spot.

Upon meeting again, Island Master Xin asked in a low voice, "Did you inform your disciples about that matter from Jieyun Mountain?"

Sect Master Wu scoffed, "Jieyun Mountain just sends out a couple of nobodies, and they dare to tell us what to do? What kind of nonsense is that?"

Island Master Xin was surprised. "You didn't inform them?"

Sect Master Wu retorted, "Don't tell me you'd let your disciples waste time chasing Shi Chun and neglect their proper duties. Is it worth it? I don't believe it."

Island Master Xin sighed. "Who says it isn't?"

After a whispered conversation, they parted ways. An elder from Tianlu Sect approached Sect Master Wu and asked, "Was that person still here about the Jieyun Mountain matter?"

Sect Master Wu hummed in affirmation, then counter-questioned, "Have you explained everything clearly to the disciples?"

The elder replied, "Rest assured, Sect Master, everything has been explained thoroughly. They will be cautious when encountering people from Fengluo Cult, Refining Spirit Fort, and Seven Star Island to avoid being dragged into their troublesome affairs and delaying important matters."

***

At the seaside.

Watching the gradually dispersing crowd, and then the tens of thousands of lotus lamps floating in the sky, particularly the one bearing Shi Chun's name, Lan Qiaoyan remarked with a sigh, "He's gone in. Once inside, who knows if he'll come out alive."

Gong Shaoci asked, "Are you referring to Shi Chun?"

Lan Qiaoyan replied, "Among those who went in, he and the other fellow are the only ones I know. Shi Chun, that man, doesn't walk the straight path. If he keeps this up, he's bound to fall, eventually. Alas!"

Her tone carried a hint of helplessness; he wasn't her son, so she truly couldn't control him, nor would it be appropriate for her to try.

Gong Shaoci pondered for a moment, then said, "How should I put this? I heard his expenses are quite high. He bought another residence in the capital of Shengshenzhou, even larger than the one the royal court awarded him previously. And they say that large bodyguard of his is squandering money in brothels, even using Qiankun bags and Wind Scales. How could he have so much money after only a few days out of exile? He couldn't have gotten it through normal channels. It's no wonder Young Master Nan got them involved; with their spending habits, they couldn't sustain it without resorting to unorthodox methods."

Lan Qiaoyan fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Without the Futian Mirror this time, we can't see the competition inside. How will Young Master Nan's gambling operate?"

Gong Shaoci chuckled, "Not being able to see is what makes it fun, more exciting, and allows for bigger bets."

He pointed to the floating lotus lamps in the sky. "Betting is based on these. You can bet on which sect will claim victory, the number of divine fires each sect absorbs, or even on individuals. There are many types of bets. In short, because you can't see inside, you can keep placing bets right up until the Divine Fire Domain opens again. The odds will also continuously adjust during this period, with different odds at different times."

Lan Qiaoyan looked around, asking, "Just these people on the island?"

She implied that this number of people was far fewer than those who bet during the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Grand Assembly, and while those on the island might be wealthy, they didn't seem like the type to sustain Young Master Nan's scale of gambling.

Gong Shaoci smiled and reminded her, "The Futian Mirror cannot see into the Divine Fire Domain, but it can see here."

He pointed to the lotus lamps floating above. "Young Master Nan is playing big this time. He paid a hefty sum to rent Futian Mirrors and has opened betting simultaneously in the capitals of the Four Great Continents. For example, he rented the drill grounds in the Shengshenzhou capital again, making it open for everyone to watch. The same goes for the capitals of the other three great continents. It's said that the major drill grounds in various royal courts are currently bustling."

"Hiss…" The mother and daughter simultaneously gasped. Leaving aside everything else, merely being able to rent out the drill grounds used by the armies of the Four Great Continents was something no ordinary person could achieve.

Lan Qiaoyan exclaimed, "Young Master Nan is indeed playing on a massive scale, he must be mad! Such a treasure as the Futian Mirror, can it really be rented?"

Gong Shaoci explained, "Last time, at the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Grand Assembly, the one who controlled the Futian Mirror, apparently named Yang Wu, earned money from it. That gave Young Master Nan the idea. So this time, he sought him out. After they reached an agreement, he immediately found friends in the Four Great Continents to open the betting. Seeing the potential profit, everyone pitched in and played along. Getting Shi Chun involved was merely an afterthought."

The mother and daughter were truly speechless.

After a long moment, Lan Qiaoyan sighed wistfully, "Young Master Nan is playing too ostentatiously. If he doesn't learn to restrain himself, I'm afraid he'll end up getting himself into trouble sooner or later."

***

By a coconut tree, the Vermillion Bird Pavilion group stood gazing at An Wuzhi's name on a lotus lamp, their eyes fixed for a long time.

The Myriad Herb Hall group did the same, staring at Zhu Xiangxin's name with great anticipation.

It was impossible for the entire group to remain there guarding indefinitely. Sect Master Ao Hongyou suddenly turned to face his people and declared, "Assign shifts! Not a single moment must be missed!"

***

In another realm, Shi Chun realized he had misinterpreted the situation. He was standing a bit far, and his respectful bow went unnoticed by the ten elders.

However, Tong Mingshan and others nearby saw him, and they all looked at him with strange expressions, wondering what he was up to, putting on such a refined demeanor.

Seeing that he hadn't been noticed, Shi Chun shrugged. With a flick of his sleeves, he abandoned his formal posture.

As personnel from various sects flew off, three cultivators with fire-attribute cultivation grew impatient seeing him still lingering.

Tong Mingshan urged, "Leader, we need to get ahead! Where are Wu Jinliang and the others?"

"Even if we encounter divine fire in this area, it will be contested by too many; we won't be able to keep it," Shi Chun waved a hand, indicating there was no rush. He also noticed that the demonic cultivators they had met earlier seemed to be waiting for him.

In another mountain hollow, the team of five cultivators with demonic flames hid. One peeked from behind a rock to observe Shi Chun's group.

Someone behind him asked, "What's wrong?"

The peeker whispered, "We were instructed by our superiors to be careful of Shi Chun's group."

Someone behind scoffed, "Are we supposed to be afraid of them?"

The peeker clarified, "It's not fear, but our superiors believe Shi Chun's entry into the Divine Fire Domain this time is somewhat unusual. They're concerned it might be related to the other two factions, and want us to be extra cautious."

"Hmm, could Shi Chun also be one of us demonic cultivators...?" someone behind muttered.

"Everyone, carefully identify the Ming Shan Sect members. If we run into them, we need to be prepared."

In yet another mountain area, the team of three cultivators with demonic flames also observed Shi Chun and his group from the shadows.

Later, seeing that almost everyone else had left, and fearing they might attract attention by remaining, their leader signaled them, and they departed.

The first team also left soon after.

Shi Chun and his companions waited and waited, finally until Wu Jinliang returned with Chu Jingtang and others.

Wu Jinliang said nothing, only giving Shi Chun a slight nod, indicating that the task was completed.

Shi Chun waved his hand, finally leading everyone forward.

After seeing their direction, the demonic cultivators who had met with them earlier discussed briefly among themselves, then followed in that same direction.

Along the way, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang found an excuse to separate from their main group.

The two demonic flame cultivators from the group trailing far behind also separated upon seeing the two leave.

Before long, the two pairs met on a barren mountain peak.

In fact, they hadn't seen any growing grass along the way, but they had seen many places covered in sparkling crystals.

The two groups sized each other up once more. The man with a habitual smile at the corner of his lips cupped his hands and introduced himself, "I am Xu Anchun, a disciple of the Four-Cauldron Sect."

The other, with particularly dark red and more robust skin, also cupped his hands and said, "Four-Cauldron Sect disciple, You Mu."

As Shi Chun and his companion were about to return the gesture, Xu Anchun waved his hand and chuckled, "No need, gentlemen. We know you, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang of the Ming Shan Sect. We noticed you a long time ago. I truly didn't expect that the ones our superiors wanted us to meet would be you two. It seems your entry this time was also arranged by them."

Shi Chun still clasped his fists. "A pleasure to meet you. Indeed, it was arranged by our superiors."

Xu Anchun questioned, "Why arrange only thirteen people? Since you've already gotten them in, wouldn't it be better to have a full twenty? You'd have more strength."

Shi Chun explained, "Too many people are watching us. Even those eleven are just a cover; in reality, it's just the two of us. However, those eleven can also be arranged to help. How many people did your side bring this time?"

Xu Anchun replied, "Besides these twenty people you see, we have five more of our people scattered among other sects."

Shi Chun raised an eyebrow. "How many? Twenty-five? I say, did your superiors tell you the purpose of my coming here?"

Xu Anchun confirmed, "They said someone would be arranged to cooperate with us, and that we should listen to that person's opinions, provided they are useful, of course."

Shi Chun stated indifferently, "If you can't even truthfully tell me how many people you have, then how can I devise a plan later? This task simply cannot be done."

Xu Anchun was surprised. "What makes you say that? I haven't hidden anything; it's just these twenty-five people."

Wu Jinliang scoffed at this, disbelievingly. "The mighty Demonic Sect can only send twenty-five people? Who'd believe that?"

Xu Anchun immediately shushed him, quickly glancing around, implying it was unsafe to openly mention "Demonic Sect."

He then explained with serious earnestness, "It's not what you think. Besides, how could we possibly get a large number of people in? This is an artifact refiner's event. People from other professions simply cannot easily sneak in. Oh, you two are exceptions. But you should know, your entry this time wasn't easy and caused such a huge commotion. We wouldn't dare create a hundredth of that commotion, even less. Only artifact refiners can participate, and their cultivation is restricted. This couldn't be prepared for in advance. If personnel were arranged too early, their cultivation might exceed the limit, preventing them from entering. If their cultivation was too low, it would indicate a lack of talent, and they wouldn't be given a chance to enter the Divine Fire Domain. The problem is, no one knew in advance that a 'Broken Desolate Blade' would appear. There was no prior preparation, and no time to prepare. Among our people in the artifact-refining profession, those with low cultivation couldn't get in, and those with high cultivation couldn't either. As for the rest, not just anyone who wants to can get in; they also need to have artifact-refining talent. To gather twenty-five was already extremely difficult. In reality, we don't even have twenty-five; among our team of twenty, eight are not fellow practitioners. We can only use them, but we cannot let them know the truth. If not for these circumstances, perhaps we wouldn't have brought you, Shi Chun, into this matter. Seeing you, I probably understand what our superiors meant; they must have taken notice of the abilities you displayed at the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Grand Assembly. Our superiors are truly resourceful."