Chapter 299: Soil Flame

Before the two parties, who were merely feigning negotiations, could speak, Shi Chun approached them. With his back to Gong Shixi's side, he whispered to Gu Lianni, "Come with me. We'll go do something, and the others can continue with the pretense."

Xu Anchang asked, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Shi Chun replied, "Don't worry, I won't implicate you."

Gu Lianni, growing impatient with the charade and curious about Shi Chun's intentions, instructed Yuan Yao to continue negotiating with Xu Anchang.

Yuan Yao obeyed, but as Gu Lianni was led away, he couldn't help but caution her, "Auntie, be careful." He cast a pointed look at Shi Chun as he spoke.

Gu Lianni understood his meaning: even though they had renewed their cooperation, she still needed to be wary of Shi Chun. She nodded slightly in acknowledgment and followed Shi Chun, eager to discover what he was truly planning.

Seeing everyone's attention on the two departing figures, Wu Jinliang quickly intervened, urging those present, "Ignore them. Let's continue."

After walking a good distance away, out of sight and earshot, Gu Lianni finally couldn't resist asking, "What are we doing? You're not trying to ambush me, are you?"

"Why do you always have such a strong prejudice against me?" Shi Chun voiced his displeasure, then looked around. Once sure no one was watching, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a compass, handing it to her.

Gu Lianni was startled when she took it. She examined it and recognized it: wasn't this the control compass for her Yuan-Locking Array? Suddenly, objects appeared out of thin air before them. She stared, stunned again, as twelve half-zhang-tall, dark iron pagodas lined up in front of her. They were incredibly familiar. She looked at the compass in her hand—the complete set of artifacts for the Yuan-Locking Array was all here! She reached out and touched the pagodas, and after inspecting and confirming them, she turned to him in surprise. "How did you find these?"

Shi Chun replied, "How else? Of course, I found them by searching the incident site." He then added, "I found them before the Ice Dragon returned."

An uncontainable joy appeared on Gu Lianni's face, but her expression quickly changed. Her gaze fell back to the compass in her hand. She then lifted her eyes to Shi Chun, raising the compass, and asked with a raised eyebrow, "You want this as collateral? Are you trying to con me out of my complete set of Yuan-Locking Array treasures?" She finally realized it now. If he hadn't proactively given it to her, she might have forgotten to retrieve her compass, as it had become useless, and whether she got it back or not seemed irrelevant.

Shi Chun said, "I've already given it to you. Do you really think I'm trying to trick you? Of course, if you had absolutely refused to believe me before, insisting that you were being deceived on the ice plain and that it had to be a fight to the death, then I certainly would have just kept them. But now that the misunderstanding is resolved, I wouldn't claim even the best magical treasure from you. A gentleman acquires wealth through proper means!"

His words were reasonable and logical, and he had indeed returned her items, so the displeasure on Gu Lianni's face vanished instantly, replaced by joy. She had to admit that Shi Chun's actions had truly helped her a great deal.

She then proceeded to inspect each of the twelve iron pagodas one by one. After waiting for a moment, Shi Chun asked, "Can you set up this Yuan-Locking Array by yourself?"

Gu Lianni replied casually, "Of course I can. It just depends on the size of the area to be set up, which affects the speed."

Shi Chun, who had witnessed the array's setup before, had estimated this to be the case. Reassured, he waited patiently beside her. Only after Gu Lianni had finished inspecting all twelve iron pagodas and put them away did Shi Chun ask, "Well, are they undamaged and usable?"

Gu Lianni said, "These aren't junk. They're not that easy to damage."

"Good." That was the answer Shi Chun was waiting for. He immediately pulled out the Wind Scale and gestured, "Come on, follow me."

Gu Lianni was puzzled. "Where are we going?"

Shi Chun whispered, "I've found the location of the Divine Flame that Qianyan Sect is searching for here. Let's go get it quickly."

Gu Lianni's eyes immediately lit up. "Really?"

Shi Chun couldn't help but sigh in exasperation, "Seriously? Can you please drop your prejudice against me?"

Gu Lianni quickly waved a hand. "Wait, I'll go call for reinforcements." She turned to leave quickly.

"No, don't!" Shi Chun instinctively grabbed her wrist, leading her while explaining, "If I wanted to call for people, why would I be so secretive? Why would I have Qianyan Sect watched? I can find the Divine Flame, and you can use the Yuan-Locking Array. The two of us working together are enough. There's no need to alert others."

"What do you mean, 'one male, one female'? That sounds awful," Gu Lianni retorted, rolling her eyes, then forcefully pulled her wrist free.

Shi Chun added, "If we can take the Divine Flame quietly, let's try our best to do so to avoid unnecessary trouble. If the commotion can't be kept small, it won't be too late to act forcefully then. For now, let's keep Qianyan Sect where they are. If you move your forces, you'll only alert them." He simply wanted to take it secretly. If he could, he would make Gong Shixi regret his actions. How dare he be so greedy and even try to threaten him? Shi Chun wanted to see how much nerve Gong Shixi truly had.

Gu Lianni thought about it. Avoiding conflict to obtain the Divine Flame was indeed the best strategy. She immediately asked, "Is it far?"

Shi Chun pointed in a direction. "Not far, about ten-odd li away."

Gu Lianni was instantly relieved. If there was any trap, their own people would hear the commotion from such a short distance. She immediately shook her head, gesturing, "Let's go!"

Shi Chun immediately ascended on his Wind Scale, carrying her with him as they flew away. This short distance didn't actually require the Wind Scale; Shi Chun simply wanted to reconfirm the location from the air.

Once he located the spot and saw that the suspected Divine Flame object was still there, Shi Chun descended. He then took out a stick of incense and lit it in front of Gu Lianni. Gu Lianni quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth and nose. Although the air in the Divine Flame Domain was inherently toxic and shouldn't be inhaled—she had long since cast a spell to hold her breath—she still reacted with unconscious caution, asking warily, "What are you doing?"

Seeing her distrustful demeanor, Shi Chun rolled his eyes, too lazy to explain. He raised his hand and cast a spell, making a grand gesture as if drawing a symbol in the air towards the incense stick. Under the influence of his spell, the rising smoke began to curve downward, falling straight for a distance before dispersing. Shi Chun pinched his index finger and thumb together to indicate the distance the smoke had fallen vertically, then pointed to the ground. "That's right. The Divine Flame should still be beneath our feet, about a hundred zhang below the surface."

Gu Lianni, who was already full of doubt, stared in dumbfounded amazement. This was too mystical! After a good while, she swallowed and asked, "You can find the Divine Flame just like this?"

Shi Chun replied, "Whether we can find it or not, we'll know if we try."

Gu Lianni asked, "Where did you learn such an unorthodox technique?"

Shi Chun said, "Don't ask me that question yet. Ask me again after we've found the Divine Flame, and I'll answer you then."

What did he mean? Gu Lianni was puzzled, but she made a mental note of it. At the same time, she subtly sensed his extraordinary nature. He was very different from others; his actions, though seemingly unpredictable, actually followed a refined method. She instinctively studied Shi Chun's profile for a moment longer, feeling a touch of curiosity. She had heard he came from the Land of Exile, but he didn't quite fit the descriptions she'd heard of people from there.

Shi Chun pointed to areas with sinkholes around them, gesturing to go down and search. He then jumped into a large pit with strangely shaped earthen pillars and entered a cave. Gu Lianni was still worried about potential traps, so she let Shi Chun go first, covertly following behind him with caution.

The underground passages in this loess wasteland truly gave a sense of insecurity, constantly feeling like they might collapse and bury people alive. The two, illuminating their way with Sandal Gold, trod very lightly, yet occasionally fine crumbs of loess could be seen falling from the cave walls. If the falling earth made a slightly louder sound, they would hold their breath and stop, poised and ready to retreat at any moment. Seeing no danger, they continued on.

Gu Lianni, following behind, sighed softly, "No wonder they say Divine Flames are hard to find. In places like this, even if you find one, it's probably hard to catch."

Hard to find? For Shi Chun, this time it was relatively easy, at least easier than in the Iron Forest. He didn't know what was going on with the underground metal environment of the Iron Forest; deep inside, there was none of the cerulean substance found in the illusory world. As a result, the paths in the tunnels were obscured by uniform colors, rendering his right eye's ability useless for discernment. This underground loess environment was different; it was mixed with that cerulean substance. With the subtle contrast between the two shades of color, he could find the path to the target location.

Having a path was good. If there was no path and excavation was required, that would be troublesome. It was precisely because of this convenience that Shi Chun dared to secretly extract the Divine Flame while delaying Qianyan Sect. He couldn't stall them for too long. Of course, he didn't reveal his ability to choose the correct path all the way. The incense stick in his hand could only indicate direction, not navigate complex environments; that would be too suspicious. So sometimes he would deliberately take a wrong turn and then correct it, and sometimes it was genuinely due to the colors blurring together in his vision, making it hard to distinguish, leading him to go the wrong way, necessitating re-evaluating the path from another angle before correcting. One thing was fortunate: deeper underground, the earth layers were much more solid, so there was no need to worry about easy collapse.

All in all, the two approached the target area quite efficiently.

It was then that Shi Chun, reaching a fork in the path, suddenly stopped. He extended a hand to block Gu Lianni, pointed to the incense smoke, and whispered, "We're about ten zhang from the target. Getting any closer might alert it, and it's hard to catch if it runs underground. Let's start setting up the array around the target."

"Ten zhang..." Gu Lianni didn't know how he could deduce the distance from the smoke. The problem was, she looked at the left and right passages, and said with difficulty, "We need to set up a circular array. A straight line won't work."

The distance was very close, and Shi Chun's right eye ability could see various chaotic, multi-branched surrounding tunnels around the target, but he couldn't say that. So he made a mark and then personally led the woman on a circuit. Along the way, he even concealed the light of the Sandal Gold and quietly squeezed into a small, narrow side cave, stooping low to look. He couldn't stand upright, and crouching was inconvenient, so they crawled in. They dared not make even the slightest sound. In the darkness, they kept bumping into each other, which made Gu Lianni blush. Something rather embarrassing had happened: she had accidentally bumped Shi Chun's bottom a few times and even touched his thigh, a sensation that left a deep impression. But inwardly, she was grumbling at Shi Chun for suddenly stopping without a word. Shi Chun, however, didn't give it much thought. Bumping into each other in the dark was perfectly normal, wasn't it?

Upon seeing a flickering orange light around the corner, both were secretly delighted. After confirming the presence of the Divine Flame, they dared not proceed further to avoid alerting it. Actually, Shi Chun didn't need to confirm it this way at all; his right eye could see it. He did it entirely for Gu Lianni's benefit. Afterward, in the cramped space and under the light filtering in from around the corner, they gestured to each other, indicating that they should turn back. Then, cautiously retracting their bodies, they slowly turned around and began crawling back.

When they crawled back into the darkness, it was Shi Chun's turn to feel awkward. Gu Lianni now understood why Shi Chun had suddenly stopped earlier. Sometimes, in the dark, one would inexplicably halt, even when knowing there were no obstacles ahead. Then her thighs and bottom were also touched several times by the person behind her, making her body stiffen. One particularly egregious time, his face accidentally brushed against her bottom, and they both froze there, feeling each other's body heat. If not for the fear of startling the Divine Flame, Gu Lianni would have almost instinctively kicked backward. Given that she had also touched him, she endured it, and quickly and carefully crawled away. Shi Chun, who hadn't minded being touched earlier, now also registered the sensation.

After a few turns, when he felt the light would no longer be visible, Shi Chun took out the Sandal Gold for illumination. After finally crawling out of the small cave, they tacitly avoided mentioning touching each other, as if nothing had happened. They then started leaving marks along the way, eventually returning to the previous fork. Only then did Shi Chun ask, "Does this count as circular?"

Whether it was truly circular, she didn't know; it was just a winding path that went around. Gu Lianni felt a bit of a headache. "Array foundations are usually set up symmetrically and regularly. I've never tried anything this winding."

Shi Chun asked, surprised and doubtful, "You can't set up the array if it's not symmetrical?"

Gu Lianni replied, "It's not that it can't be set up, but one thing is certain: if the released power structure is asymmetrical, the array's might will be significantly diminished, and its ability to obstruct the target will definitely be weakened."

Hearing this, Shi Chun felt relieved. He had several past encounters with Divine Flames, and his right eye's ability allowed him to gauge their power based on their form and size. This Divine Flame appeared to be relatively weak. If it weren't, he wouldn't dare hope to quietly take it away. So he urged, "It doesn't matter. It's like treating a dead horse as if it's still alive. Having an array is better than having none at all. Hurry up. Qianyan Sect can't be stalled for long."

Gu Lianni thought he had a point. So she took out the iron pagodas and arranged them on the spot, without securing them. There simply weren't enough hands; if they tried to secure them simultaneously, it would alarm the Divine Flame and make it escape. After circling around again and deploying all twelve pagodas, Gu Lianni took out the compass and began turning and adjusting it.

After a series of clicking sounds ceased, a ripple-like illusory light curtain immediately appeared, penetrating into the earth. Shi Chun's right eye ability could vaguely perceive its full form, noting that the crooked, oddly shaped seal was indeed very irregular. Gu Lianni, putting away the compass, had shining eyes. She truly rolled up her sleeves and excitedly ran towards the small cave they had entered earlier.

When she reached the cave entrance, she instinctively put both hands behind her back, almost as if shielding her backside. She turned to offer him the entrance, whispering, "You go first."

Shi Chun paused briefly, then waved his hand. "I don't cultivate fire-attribute techniques. I dare not touch the Divine Flame. I'll wait for you outside."

Gu Lianni understood this. She gave him a disdainful look, then bent down and squeezed inside. Shi Chun pursed his lips and retreated further, fearing that if a fight broke out and caused a collapse, they would be buried alive. Standing farther away would allow for a quick escape. As long as the Divine Flame was trapped within the array, he could bring people back to dig it out later.

Under the watchful gaze of his right eye's ability, Gu Lianni moved carefully. After a long period of probing, she suddenly became as still as a statue. After building up momentum for a moment, she abruptly darted out, heading straight for the target. Although there were thumping sounds and energy fluctuations emanating from inside the cave, he could see that the cultivation of a High Martial Perfection Realm expert was indeed different. The Divine Flame failed to escape and was captured by Gu Lianni in one swift move. It seemed she had gained control of it. Seeing this and noticing that no fighting or collapse had occurred, Shi Chun quickly ran back to the small cave's exit, feigning that he had never left.

Soon, a bright yellow light flickered out from the cave, and an excited Gu Lianni crawled out, grinning, showing off two rows of white teeth. "I caught it!" She was genuinely thrilled. It was her first time catching a Divine Flame, and the first Divine Flame captured by Shu Dao Mountain on this expedition was caught by her.

Shi Chun felt a bit dejected. He hadn't expected it to be caught so easily; the Yuan-Locking Array wasn't even needed. If he had known this Divine Flame would be so easy to acquire, he could have done it himself and avoided including it in their partnership's distribution. Nevertheless, he forced a smile and asked, "What kind of Divine Flame is this?"

Gu Lianni said cheerfully, "It's the Divine Flame Earth Blaze, said to be a very rare type of Divine Flame."

Shi Chun immediately reminded her, "As per our agreement, those two Ice Blazes are yours, and the first four Divine Flames found together belong to us."

A look of clear reluctance flashed across Gu Lianni's face, but she could still do the math: one versus two. If she didn't give up this one, she wouldn't get the two Ice Blazes. Moreover, the secret method Shi Chun had just demonstrated for finding Divine Flames was truly wondrous, and if she wanted to continue their cooperation, she couldn't break the agreement. After a brief consideration, she replied, "As long as you don't break the agreement, we won't either. Bring those two Ice Blazes for the exchange."

Shi Chun readily agreed. "Sounds good. Let's go, retreat!"

"Wait for me to collect the Yuan-Locking Array," she said. As Gu Lianni spoke, she pulled out the compass, asking Shi Chun to help hold it. Then, with one hand, she turned the compass, deactivating the Yuan-Locking Array. Only then did she put away the compass, and then circled around to retrieve the iron pagodas. Shi Chun followed behind her.

While busy, Gu Lianni didn't forget her earlier question. "Now can you tell me where you learned this unorthodox technique for finding Divine Flames?"

Shi Chun calmly replied, "How should I explain this to you? Let's put it this way: you just need to know that whether Mingshan Sect enters the Divine Flame Domain is not something we can decide on our own. Don't ask about anything else. Knowing too much won't benefit your Shu Dao Mountain. If you're not afraid of bringing trouble to Shu Dao Mountain, I can even tell you the entire secret method."

Hearing this, Gu Lianni's gaze slightly sharpened, and her action of collecting the pagodas froze. Her mouth twitched instinctively, and her heart sank. She understood the implication of his words: if such a secret method fell into the hands of Shu Dao Mountain, and the news got out, Shu Dao Mountain would become a target of everyone unless they shared it. She couldn't really make a decision on this matter now, but she made a mental note of it, intending to report it to her sect after leaving the Divine Flame Domain. Of course, she also wondered, wasn't Shi Chun afraid of becoming a common target himself? She didn't ask further, just as Shi Chun had said: don't ask when you shouldn't know. She continued gathering the Yuan-Locking Array artifacts.

Once all the items were collected, the two quickly returned to the surface. Shi Chun suggested that Gu Lianni stay there for the time being. After giving some instructions, he returned alone.

Upon returning to the spot where the negotiation had devolved into an argument, Shi Chun inquired about the situation, then turned to Xu Anchang and said, "Brother Xu, the animosity with Shu Dao Mountain has been resolved. Take your people back to our old spot and continue with whatever you were busy with. You don't need to get involved in anything else."

Xu Anchang's eyes showed inquiry, as if asking, "Are you sure?" Shi Chun returned a look, letting him interpret it as he wished. Upon receiving the clear signal, Xu Anchang was more than eager. Instead of searching for the Divine Flame properly, they were messing around. He preferred taking steady steps rather than dealing with all this nonsense. He immediately led his Four Tripod Sect members away, only looking back a few times from the air.

Before Yuan Yao could speak, Shi Chun immediately said, "Brother Pang, head in the direction I came from, about ten li. Gu Lianni is waiting for you there. She has something to tell you. She'll see you and call out to you when you get there. Brother Yuan, let's pretend to continue talking." After getting Yuan Yao's agreement, Pang Hou quickly departed.

Yuan Yao turned and asked Shi Chun again, "What exactly are you doing?"

Shi Chun glanced at the impatient Gong Shixi nearby, then turned back to Yuan Yao with a slight smile. "Gu Lianni will be here shortly; you can ask her yourself. Let's chat about something else. Brother Yuan, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you...?"

Just as he said, before long, Gu Lianni's figure finally appeared. Seeing her, Yuan Yao finally sighed in relief, but noticing that Pang Hou hadn't returned with her, he immediately asked with concern, "Auntie, are you alright?"

Gu Lianni waved her hand slightly, indicating she was fine, then turned to Shi Chun and asked, "What do we do now?"

Shi Chun chuckled, "Naturally, we leave. Let's complete our transaction and not delay their search for the Divine Flame."

Gu Lianni smiled subtly and nodded. "Very well."

Shi Chun immediately appeared outside Shu Dao Mountain's encirclement and announced loudly, "Brother Gong, your single sentence has truly made me rack my brain and talk myself hoarse."

Gong Shixi snorted, "You brought this upon yourself!" He gestured at the encirclement. "How long do you plan to keep us surrounded?"

Shi Chun replied, "It's been settled. We'll withdraw immediately. It might be easy for you, but I paid a heavy price. We apologize for the disturbance. From now on, we'll keep to ourselves. We'll be leaving now!"

Gong Shixi, with a grim expression, cupped his hands. "No need to see you off!"

Shi Chun immediately pulled out the Wind Scale and ascended into the air, calling out, "Let's go!" The Mingshan Sect group immediately followed him into the sky.

"Let's go!" Gu Lianni also called out. The Shu Dao Mountain contingent also took to the sky and departed.

The Qianyan Sect group, suddenly relieved of the encirclement, finally sighed. Gong Shixi, watching them leave, boosted his subordinates' morale, sneering, "Mere parlor tricks, yet they dare to show off in front of me!" He then told his people, "Everyone, continue the search. Don't act alone; work in groups of at least two, in case those departing fellows try any tricks."