Chapter 267

A group of people didn't understand what was happening. Chu Jingting asked, "Leader, what is this?"

Shi Chun replied, "An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin will stay close to me. The rest of you, spread out around us, escorting and maintaining vigilance. If anyone approaches, give a warning."

Initially, no one understood what he was doing. But then they saw him moving in the direction indicated by the drifting smoke, and suddenly, they all realized something, exchanging glances.

An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin's hearts pounded. They quickly positioned themselves to Shi Chun's left and right, following closely behind him. When Shi Chun stopped, they stopped; when he walked, they walked. If Shi Chun took even half a step, they dared not overstep him. It was as if they had never been so obedient in their lives.

Chu Jingting and the others exchanged another glance, secretly thinking, "Good heavens, the leader truly came prepared if he dared to enter here."

They now finally understood why the leader had been able to find the Divine Fire Scarlet Flame in the molten land before.

It was clear without being told that this secret method was extremely important and could not be seen by others.

Quickly, each of them pointed in a direction and moved to various positions, neither too close nor too far, to guard Shi Chun as he proceeded unhurriedly.

The sandy soil on the ground was quite thick in most places. Beneath the strange metal branches lay pieces of iron, resembling solidified wax drippings. Some were exposed on the sand, others buried deep beneath it, all appearing to have melted down from the branches.

They looked like tears shed by iron trees.

The tree trunks also bore many mottled marks from solidified molten flow.

From the perspective of these outsiders, it was a very strange and eerie place.

As they walked, guided by the smoke, they reached a spot directly above their destination. However, Shi Chun stopped before a dead end, facing a long metal embankment. It had some holes, but none were large enough for a person to pass through.

Shi Chun immediately said to those beside him, "The target is very likely underground here. Search around and see if there's an entrance leading down."

"Yes," An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin responded respectfully, their reverence coming from the bottom of their hearts.

Only a fool would fail to realize what the leader was searching for now.

It was clear he was avoiding the Four Cauldrons Sect members. What did that mean? Simply that the Mount Ming Sect wanted to keep it for themselves.

With Tong Mingshan absent and the leader having them both accompany him, the implication was obvious: he was surely helping them find the Divine Fire.

Their hearts were truly excited and their hands trembled. They were ready to do whatever was asked, promptly obeying the command.

After the two had walked away for a short while, Zhu Xiangxin rushed back, pointing in a direction and whispering, "Leader, there's a downward entrance not far from here, large enough to enter."

Soon after, An Wuzhi also darted back, stating that he had found another downward entrance on the other side.

Shi Chun tilted his head, signaling to check the entrance Zhu Xiangxin had found first.

Zhu Xiangxin quickly led the way, bringing the two to a spacious opening, wide enough for a carriage to pass through.

Upon entering, there was still a lot of sand on the ground. As they went further, the sand disappeared, replaced by numerous rough, lumpy formations, with many disc-like objects piled up. The light gradually faded, and An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin successively took out their sandalwood-gold illuminators.

They hadn't walked much further before the path gradually narrowed. They also encountered a fork in the road and, unsure which way to go, both looked at Shi Chun, awaiting his decision.

Although Shi Chun held a wondrous incense stick, he didn't know which way to go. This could be attributed to a limitation of his right eye's special ability; inside this large metal mass, the colors were too uniform for him to discern the internal routes.

He could only adapt to the situation, saying, "This incense stick can only indicate the target's location, it can't show us the way. Each of you take a path and check the situation. I'll wait for you here."

The first part of his statement finally confirmed An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin's suspicions: the incense stick in the leader's hand could indeed sense the Divine Fire. They had never heard of such a treasure. This leader was truly unfathomable.

"Yes," they replied, accepting the order, and each headed in a different direction.

Once they left, Shi Chun was enveloped in darkness, with only a small, dim red glow from the tip of the incense stick. However, his right eye's special ability allowed him to observe the figures of the two men as they disappeared into the metal interior.

He didn't wait long before Zhu Xiangxin returned first, reporting, "Leader, I encountered another fork ahead. I chose one path at random, walked for a while, and then hit another fork, so I had to come back."

Shi Chun pondered, also waiting.

After waiting for a good while, An Wuzhi finally ran back, shaking his head. "Good heavens, the further down we go, the more forks there are. It's like a spiderweb maze. Leader, this will be hard to find."

Shi Chun said, "Go call Chu Jingting and the others in to help. I'll wait for you here. Remember, don't let those people outside notice."

"Understood," they replied, quickly departing.

They were swift in leaving and equally swift in returning.

Before long, the two brought back Chu Jingting, Chen Wuji, and Hao Ji.

When they found Shi Chun, the five were somewhat stunned. They saw five large sacks of white ash in front of him, having no idea where they came from. They could only surmise that Shi Chun also possessed a Cosmos Pouch.

Chu Jingting asked, "Leader, what is this?"

Shi Chun replied, "Nothing much. It's white ash for you to scatter on the ground to mark the paths."

This was leftover from the last Heavenly Meteor Shower Convention, used against Mu Lanqing. Wu Jinliang had made a large quantity for him then. Since the Cosmos Bracelet had ample space, he had kept it there untouched, and now it was proving useful.

Chu Jingting and the other four were quite enlightened, realizing that the leader's preparations for this trip were extraordinarily thorough—he even had so much white ash ready; it was incredible.

Shi Chun didn't want to dwell on these minor details. He waved them off and instructed, "Scatter this white ash along the way to make it easier to find the path and to prevent you from getting lost on your way back. Remember to scatter ash continuously. If you hit a dead end, retreat. When you return to a fork, make sure to clear the ash at the entrance of the dead end so you won't take the wrong path later."

"Judging by the directional sensing of this 'Divine Fire Incense,' there is indeed Divine Fire here, approximately two hundred zhang deep. Our task now is to find a path to it. When choosing routes, try to select paths that lead downwards."

Everyone nodded in unison, but their eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the incense stick in his hand, observing how its smoke indeed curved downwards for a stretch.

They firmly remembered one term: this object was called 'Divine Fire Incense.' It seemed so unremarkable and ordinary, yet they never imagined such a miraculous item existed in the world. Good heavens, if those artifact-forging sects learned about it, they would surely go mad trying to seize it. This was truly an eye-opener.

Of course, they were even more amazed, wondering where this leader had acquired such a peculiar treasure. The world was vast, and indeed, full of wonders.

Shi Chun suddenly asked, "I'm asking the two of you who cultivate fire-elemental techniques: if you encounter the Divine Fire, can you capture it?"

An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin thought for a moment. Zhu Xiangxin said, "I've never experienced it, so I don't know."

An Wuzhi also nodded, saying, "Me neither."

Neither of them felt confident.

Shi Chun immediately pointed to the surrounding cave walls. "Look at these small holes on the walls; they're clearly burned out by fire. This indicates that the Divine Fire here can burrow into them. In this dreadful place, it would be very difficult to catch once it escapes. So everyone, under no circumstances should we alert it. Move lightly. If you see the Divine Fire's glow, retreat immediately. Do not disturb it. We'll meet first, discuss our plan, and then approach it together, aiming to capture it in one go. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Understood," some replied, while others nodded.

Shi Chun waved his hand, signaling, "Each take a bag and begin."

So, the five men each shouldered a large sack of ash and split into two groups, each entering a different opening. An Wuzhi and Chu Jingting formed one group, and the other three formed the second.

The men began working as Shi Chun instructed, while Shi Chun continued to use his right eye's special ability to observe their movements, watching to see whose path would get closest to the target...

"Don't run!"

"Leave the Divine Fire, and we'll spare your lives!"

In the air, the Red Cloud Fortress group, led by the bald Qian Qie, chased closely behind Wu Jinliang and his two companions, shouting continuously.

How could Wu Jinliang, riding the Wind Scale, believe their lies? He only pushed the Wind Scale to its utmost speed, and then pushed it even harder.

Fortunately, the Wind Scale had a fixed maximum speed; no matter how high one's cultivation, that speed wouldn't change. The escapees were trying hard, and the pursuers were not having an easy time. In the sky, they were mere streaks of light.

Along the way, You Mu and Tong Mingshan repeatedly glanced at Wu Jinliang, finding that the fellow showed no fear at all. All he did was chuckle to himself, seemingly deriving foolish amusement.

Observing the mountains and terrain ahead, a familiar landscape suddenly appeared. Wu Jinliang let out another chuckle and directly guided the Wind Scale to glide towards the highest peak.

The ten elders, meditating cross-legged beneath the great pestle on the mountain peak, uniformly turned their heads. Suddenly, three figures appeared in the sky and swiftly descended before them. The clattering scales, like flying petals, gathered into one person's hand.

The ten elders' first reaction was to collectively stare at the crimson flames in Tong Mingshan's hand.

Someone exclaimed in surprise, "Divine Fire Scarlet Flame?"

Only then did they realize that these three descending figures were also old acquaintances. While they might not recognize the other two, the one carrying a large gourd and wielding an exaggerated saber had to be recognized; they could even name him.

Wu Jinliang plunged his large saber into the ground, first bowing respectfully. Then he immediately pointed at the group circling in the air, who dared not descend, and complained, "Seniors, they are pursuing and attacking us. We ask you to uphold justice!"

The Red Cloud Fortress group, circling in the air on their Wind Scales, indeed dared not descend. They were somewhat dumbfounded. They hadn't noticed where they were going while chasing, so how had they ended up here?

They also had no idea what that foolish big fellow below was pointing at and saying.

On the mountainside of another peak, Lao Changtai and two Four Cauldrons Sect disciples were already stealthily observing.

One Four Cauldrons Sect disciple said, "What's going on? That person looks like Wu Jinliang."

The other replied, "It's not 'looks like'; that tall man with the big gourd and large saber is Wu Jinliang. And the Divine Fire being held, we just saw it—isn't that Sect Leader Tong? The one beside him, wearing our sect's clothes, seems to be Senior Brother You. Come on, let's go check it out." With that, he started to rise.

"Wait," Lao Changtai quickly called out, then pointed to the people circling in the air. "It looks like they're being chased."

The one who had been about to stand up quickly lowered his body again, muttering, "Chased again? Are the culprits not even bothering to cover their faces this time?"

Lao Changtai quickly pulled his hair forward to cover his face, then looked back at the clothes of the two beside him. Only then did he relax, as the clothes were damaged by fire, so nothing should be discernible from the air.

The ten elders looked at the group above, then at the three men before them. One elder, puzzled, asked, "Wu Jinliang, isn't this your second time? Why are you always being chased?"

Tong Mingshan, standing beside him, secretly broke into a light sweat. There was nothing he could do; he himself had been the one chasing Wu Jinliang the first time.

Wu Jinliang, who refused to let go of the Wind Scales in his hand, sighed, imitating Shi Chun's polite demeanor. "Seniors, this junior now understands what it means when 'popularity brings trouble.' We haven't provoked anyone, yet there are those who abuse their power. It is truly despicable, and I hope you seniors will uphold justice for us juniors."

He finished speaking and looked up.

This was because the shout "Let's go!" echoed from the air.

Qian Qie, his face full of indignation, flicked his sleeve and was the first to depart on his Wind Scale. The others followed, retreating as quickly as they had arrived.

There was no way to snatch anything or take action in this place; it was clear that the others would not leave easily.

The ten elders understood the situation. They had once again intervened to avert disaster for someone. Their gazes at Wu Jinliang grew somewhat heavy. Was it their purpose to stand guard here for such matters?