Chapter 261: Taking One's Life as Collateral

Talking to intelligent people makes things straightforward, and Shi Chun experienced this firsthand. The three exchanged glances, and with no objections raised, the matter was settled.

The three returned to their respective groups and instructed everyone to gather their missing members. They then agreed on a new meeting location, ostensibly to search for the divine fire together. The ten elders then watched, powerless, as the group departed. This time, the ten elders observed who was the most courteous. By all accounts, those from the land of exile were supposed to be the most uncouth, yet the person who bowed from a distance was quite remarkable.

By the sea, the soul-bound lotus lanterns suspended in the air began to fall. A murmur spread through the observing crowd as one, then two, then three or four lanterns flickered out and plummeted onto the sand. The commotion caused Mulan Qingqing to quickly appear at her inn window. She looked out, saw that Shi Chun's soul-bound lotus lantern was still safely aloft, and breathed a sigh of relief. As she turned back, her gaze lingered briefly on the mother-child talisman on the table. Strangely, whenever she saw that mother-child talisman, the memory of that overly direct, almost sappy compliment — calling her the most beautiful — seemed to surface.

On the mountain, members of the various artifact forging sects were also discussing the fallen lanterns. Yu Xingdou, the Sect Master of the Four Cauldrons Sect, stroked his beard and commented, "It's only been a short while since they entered, yet so many lanterns have fallen. To some extent, this is a good sign; it suggests that quite a few people have already located the divine fire." An elder beside him nodded, "Indeed. There must have been conflicts over the divine fire. Some will rejoice, while others will mourn." No sooner had he finished speaking than a disciple nearby suddenly pointed to the sky and cried out in alarm, "Senior Brother Feng's soul-bound lantern! And Senior Brother Huang's..."

The group from the Four Cauldrons Sect, who already knew the positions of their disciples' soul-bound lanterns, quickly looked up. They saw two lanterns fall; Feng Yaoyang's name flickered out and disappeared, and two soul-bound lanterns belonging to Four Cauldrons Sect disciples crashed to the ground. The expressions of everyone from the Four Cauldrons Sect shifted dramatically, and they remained silent for a long moment. There was nothing else they could do; they couldn't enter, making it impossible to offer any assistance.

Beneath a tree, Xiang Lan'er and Feng Chi simultaneously turned their heads to one side. A few steps away, a gaunt man in green robes appeared, his face expressionless. Both women instinctively looked at his hands peeking from beneath his sleeves — dry and thin like chicken feet — and immediately recognized him. Their eyes met. Xiang Lan'er then turned to Duan Xiangmei, who was beside her, and said, "Xiaomei, could you get us something to drink?" "Certainly," Duan Xiangmei responded, then departed. Without an excuse to send her away, the woman would absolutely refuse to leave, insisting on guarding the soul-bound lanterns vigilantly.

Once they were alone, Feng Chi quietly spoke, "Master Qing, what brings you here?" The green-robed man, who had arrived in disguise, spoke with barely any movement of his lips, his voice hushed. "Our primary candidate for the championship is gone; the plan can be abandoned." Both Feng Chi and Xiang Lan'er were startled. They simultaneously looked up at the gap in the neatly arranged soul-bound lanterns in the sky, realizing that one of their key candidates had been among those that had fallen earlier. But Shi Chun's soul-bound lantern was still aloft. Feng Chi said, "It's not time to give up yet. Shi Chun is still inside; there's still a chance."

As he spoke, the green-robed man's gaze shifted slightly. He watched as several more soul-bound lanterns began to waver, then extinguished one after another, plummeting to the ground. These were not from other factions; they belonged to disciples of the Four Cauldrons Sect. Seven fell in quick succession, their descent period highly concentrated, prompting relevant personnel to rush and retrieve them. The green-robed man slowly exhaled and said, "I don't know what happened inside, or if Shi Chun has managed to rendezvous with the target team. In any case, without a base of support for his abilities, Shi Chun's presence inside is futile. The higher-ups have decided to abandon the original plan; you two should evacuate quickly."

Xiang Lan'er, puzzled, asked, "Why must we evacuate? We have nothing urgent back home; we can simply wait here for Shi Chun to emerge." The green-robed man explained, "The higher-ups have abandoned the primary plan and are now proceeding with the secondary one. Once we pinpoint the location of what we seek, we may have to resort to seizing it by force. Those top-tier artifact forging sects are not to be underestimated; if a conflict erupts, the entire Li Fire Island could be razed to the ground or completely vanish into the sea. You will be in danger if you don't evacuate promptly." He wouldn't have come to inform them personally if the mother-child talisman hadn't temporarily lost its functionality in this area.

Feng Chi suddenly interjected, "Master Qing, please inform the higher-ups that the secondary plan should be delayed, and the primary plan must not be abandoned. As long as Shi Chun remains inside, we still have hope." The green-robed man replied, "Didn't you understand what I said? Without a crucial point of support for his abilities, no matter how capable he is, it's useless. This isn't something that can be solved by simply finding a bit more divine fire; it's about the absence of an artifact forging master who can compete alongside the disciples of those top sects."

Feng Chi insisted, "I believe he will certainly find a way to resolve it. Since he accepted the mission and entered, I trust he will achieve something significant and will do his utmost to provide a satisfactory outcome to the higher-ups. Master Qing, please relay my conviction to them: I believe Shi Chun will succeed!" The green-robed man scoffed, "You believe? Are you jesting? You expect the higher-ups to alter their plans based solely on your belief?" Feng Chi suddenly declared, "I'll stake my life on it!"

At her words, both the green-robed man and Xiang Lan'er froze in disbelief. Xiang Lan'er turned to Feng Chi, her face and eyes wide with astonishment. The green-robed man, too, wanted to turn his head and look at Feng Chi, but he managed to restrain himself, only his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Perhaps realizing her earlier words were somewhat extreme, Feng Chi added, "Once we move to seize it, can the other two factions truly resist joining the struggle? Can we guarantee that we'll secure it? If someone else snatches it away, then the opportunity is truly lost. Shi Chun is still inside; we sent him in precisely because we had faith in his abilities. We shouldn't easily doubt our own judgment simply because we've lost a few points of support. I believe he himself is the greatest support we have. If we lack even this much confidence, why did we send him in the first place? I believe in him, and I will stake my life on it. Please, Master Qing, relay my message to the higher-ups."

The green-robed man remained silent this time. After a brief pause, he turned and walked away. Once he was out of earshot, Xiang Lan'er spoke in a solemn tone, "Sister Feng, have you lost your mind? Even if we consider the worst-case scenario, whether this succeeds or fails has no bearing on you, and a failed seizure wouldn't implicate you. Why would you stake your life on something like this?"

Feng Chi's fingers were already tightly clenched into fists. "Yes, I am indeed mad; they drove me mad! They always spoke of various hopes to me. They punished me, crippled my cultivation, forced me to start anew — I accepted it. When I was in the prime of my life, they made me a brothel madam — I accepted that too. But where truly is this hope? They have never allowed me to see any! Miss, they only know how to scheme and steal; I don't believe they can succeed. Now, I see hope, and I believe that only if he advances further will we have any hope. If my hope is shattered, then living a life of constant hiding holds no worth or meaning for me. I would rather die! I am betting my life that he will succeed! Miss, this is my last shred of faith!"

Her words carried an unexplainable sense of despair. Xiang Lan'er had never seen her like this, and only half-understood her feelings. Yet, she said nothing more. Since Feng Chi had made her choice, opting to stake her life on this gamble, she had to be prepared to pay the price. She was well aware that such defiance would not be easily overlooked by the higher-ups. Even if they disregarded Sister Feng's advice and proceeded with the secondary plan, the higher-ups would still not spare her. Her only chance was if the higher-ups heeded Sister Feng's words, and the ultimate outcome proved her correct; only then would Sister Feng be safe. However, if the final outcome was unfavorable, and such an important matter was jeopardized, Sister Feng would undoubtedly face certain death! Reflecting on this, a pang of sorrow arose in Xiang Lan'er's heart. Anyone with a shred of rationality would know that hope for Shi Chun was slim, and hope for Sister Feng was equally dim. This was a sudden eruption of hysterical madness...

At the edge of the lava fields, the full contingent of Mingshan Sect members waited for a considerable time, until the Four Cauldrons Sect group finally arrived to rendezvous. Upon seeing that Shi Chun and the others were indeed present, Xu Anchang felt considerably relieved. This at least indicated that Shi Chun had not lied, and his earlier claims about the divine fire were true. He also trusted that Shi Chun wouldn't speak idly; if he truly dared to cause trouble, the higher-ups would not spare him later. Furthermore, the Four Cauldrons Sect had fewer members once more; this time, seven were missing. With the two previously lost, that made a total of nine missing, leaving only eleven members.

Wu Jinliang, feigning ignorance, asked, "Brother Xu, it seems your people aren't all here, are they?" Xu Anchang sighed, "That culprit is truly formidable; our brethren paid a considerable price during the pursuit." To hell with chasing a culprit, Chu Jingting and the others couldn't help but glance at their own complete contingent. They, of course, knew that the real 'culprit' was among them. They were therefore puzzled: how did the other seven go missing?

Shi Chun didn't concern himself with how the other party had dealt with those seven fellow disciples. He joined in with a sigh of regret, lamenting, "What a real shame! If we catch that culprit, we certainly won't let him off!" Chu Jingting and the others didn't dare to even twitch their eyes, and they struggled to maintain control over their expressions. This feeling was strangely familiar, one they hadn't experienced in a long time, as if they had returned to the days of the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Conference.

Xu Anchang said, "Brother Chun, the best way to honor the deceased is to complete their unfinished work. There's no time for sentiment now; let's get down to business. Where did you discover traces of the divine fire?" Shi Chun immediately produced his Wind Scale, saying, "Let's not waste any more time; we can just fly there directly." This was precisely what Xu Anchang had hoped for. He praised, "Excellent."

Thus, both groups were lifted into the air by the Wind Scale, with Shi Chun taking the lead, controlling it. Having already circled this lava region several times before, and remembering some of the landmark topography, it didn't take long to locate the Turtleback Land, from which molten lava periodically surged.

After the group landed, one after another, facing the surging heat, Shi Chun pointed to the large lava spring. "Right here," he said. "When I flew over earlier, I saw an unusual red glow pulsing within this spring. Brother Xu, if this divine fire is hiding beneath, how do we retrieve it?" Xu Anchang, his eyes gleaming, waved his hand dismissively, then instructed You Mu, "Take three people and scout down there first." You Mu nodded, his gaze sweeping over his fellow disciples before he designated three individuals. The four positioned themselves at distinct points around the mouth of the lava spring. Activating their fire-attribute cultivation techniques, their bodies became wreathed in fiery energy. They then stepped into the molten lava, forcing it aside as they descended, and soon vanished from view.