Chapter 309: Cutting

“How could I not help?” Yan Ketao was overjoyed. He quickly said, “There’s no 'helping' involved; just give the orders.”

Wu Jinliang immediately told him, “You’ve been to the ice plain, haven’t you? To the east, near the ice plain, there’s a mountain range that looks like black coal. Do you know it?”

He believed the other party would know it, as it wasn’t far from where Shudao Mountain first set up the Yuan Lock Array on the ice plain.

Indeed, Yan Ketao quickly nodded upon hearing this. “I do,” he said.

Wu Jinliang continued, “Right at the foot of the highest peak of that black coal mountain, you’ll find our group once you get there. Please tell our Grand Boss and your Junior Martial Uncle that the next location is ready to go. They’ll understand what that means.”

Yan Ketao silently committed it to memory, wanting to ask where the next location was, but ultimately held back. He nodded and replied, “Okay, I’ve noted it. Brother Wu, anything else?”

Wu Jinliang cautioned, “When you leave, circle around from one side of the mountain foot; try to avoid the sight of the elders on the peak.”

“Alright,” he responded.

“This is urgent; don’t delay. Go now.”

So, Yan Ketao left. Wu Jinliang and the other two stood at the cave entrance, watching him go.

Once he was out of sight, Chu Jingting spoke up, “This guy really is problematic.”

Shen Moming also nodded slightly, his expression grave.

Then again, if they hadn’t received Shi Chun’s warning beforehand, they might not have found Yan Ketao suspicious.

For Wu Jinliang, who was now frowning, since he had already received Shi Chun’s warning, it was his responsibility to confirm whether Yan Ketao was problematic, should he appear.

The previous delaying tactics with Yan Ketao were all part of this confirmation process.

He knew very well that if Yan Ketao was indeed problematic, the situation would be serious. Shi Chun’s warning was not just to facilitate their escape but also to devise a way to clean up the aftermath; he needed to cooperate.

“Anyone who can meddle with Shudao Mountain and still dare to charge in won’t be from an ordinary small sect. This place is ruined,” Wu Jinliang sighed, unsure what to say about Shudao Mountain.

However, they couldn’t control matters within Shudao Mountain’s gates. Fortunately, they had been extra cautious beforehand, building a barrier for a slight defense.

“Ruined?” Shen Moming hesitated. “Should we leave?”

Wu Jinliang replied, “Let’s wait a bit longer. He probably didn’t come alone. He’s trying to find out the whereabouts of our Grand Boss and the others. I’ve told him their location, hoping he can lead his accomplices away with him.”

Yan Ketao, having left the area, suddenly landed on a mountaintop to wait. Before long, another figure arrived, none other than Zuo Zisheng.

Upon landing, Zuo Zisheng asked, “What’s the situation?”

Yan Ketao replied, “My guess was correct; they are indeed hiding by the exit. I’ve met with them and confirmed that their divine fire clues come from the exit.”

Zuo Zisheng was somewhat suspicious. “How can there be so many divine fire clues at the exit?”

Yan Ketao explained, “The specifics aren’t clear; it’s classified, and they wouldn’t tell me. What’s certain is that Elder Jin Guici of Shudao Mountain is involved. The Mingshan Sect has hollowed out the nearby mountain into a bunker-like structure. After Jin Guici obtains the divine fire clues, he’ll pretend to take a stroll or relieve himself, and then slip the clues into the bunker’s openings. Once they get the clues, they immediately send someone back to report.”

Zuo Zisheng was exceedingly shocked to hear this. “Jin Guici dares to illegally intervene in this matter?” In his understanding, those elders would at most help with minor biases or mediate disputes. To personally get involved and break the rules of the artifact refining world that have stood for countless years—this was too incredible, and to do it right under the noses of so many other elders was extremely audacious.

Yan Ketao said, “I was surprised too, but then again, how else could there be so much divine fire without extraordinary measures? Speaking of audacity, with that Shi Chun around, it shouldn’t be too surprising. I suspect that Shi Chun used some method to bewitch Jin Guici.”

He suddenly showed a playful expression. “But this isn’t bad for us, is it, Brother Zuo? You wanted to cooperate with them, right? How the divine fire should be divided once found, that should be your call, shouldn’t it? With this leverage, do they even have room to refuse?”

This was easy to understand. Zuo Zisheng was delighted to hear it, unable to resist clapping his hands in praise. “Exactly! As long as they’re sensible, and as long as we get our share, there’s no need to expose them. Now, the most crucial thing is how to find them.”

Yan Ketao replied, “Their whereabouts have been ascertained. I’m going to meet them now, near that ice plain.”

“Good, I’ll go gather our people now. We’ll go to them and have a good talk, but…” Zuo Zisheng, who had been speaking excitedly, suddenly hesitated. “In that case, you might be exposed.”

Yan Ketao gave a bitter smile and said simply, “Whether to expose me or not, you decide.”

He knew very well that no matter how much the other party hesitated, there would only be one outcome.

The outcome was just as he expected: Zuo Zisheng preferred to expose him in order to obtain more divine fire. He immediately went to gather his people.

Wu Jinliang, who had been waiting at the cave entrance for a long time, estimated the time was right. He turned and called out, “Let’s do it!” A rumbling sound began, and amidst the rising dust, the cave they had been hiding in collapsed.

The commotion made the ten elders on the main peak open their eyes in unison and look. They saw the smoking mountain peak, unsure what had happened.

Soon, a figure flew over and landed before them. It was Wu Jinliang; the other two were still at the site of the incident.

After bowing to the elders, Wu Jinliang said, “Since taking refuge under your esteemed feet, we have always been grateful for your care. We are formally leaving today, and have come to bid you farewell.” He also tried to make his words sound more refined.

An elder rebuked, “If you’re going, then go; no one’s keeping you. What’s with all the rumbling? Is this a place for you to make a racket?”

Wu Jinliang quickly bowed and replied, “To the elder, we had no choice but to do this. We just received news that one of our companions was a traitor, lured here by a muddle-headed old man, and he really messed things up for us. So we had to destroy our traces and flee to avoid further trouble. Elders, take care, I bid you farewell!”

This was his way of tipping off Jin Guici, telling him to quickly clean up the mess. The collapsed small cave was an example, meant for Elder Jin to see what needed to be done.

With things said and done to this extent, if Elder Jin still didn’t understand, then Shudao Mountain deserved its misfortune. Apart from anything else, they certainly wouldn’t be allowed into the next Divine Fire Alliance. And as for the divine fire they had consumed, if it aroused the envy of other sects and they found leverage, who knew what might happen? There was a high probability of them being ‘choked to death’ by it.

He was also directly scolding Jin Guici to his face, calling him a muddle-headed old man. He believed Jin Guici would understand, and even if he did, wasn’t he deserving of the scolding?

Jin Guici’s lips tightened. With a little thought, he understood the meaning. The others present didn’t know what the big man’s ‘companions’ referred to, but he immediately made the connection; to some extent, he was also one of the companions, and he was the only one in the group who could be called ‘old.’ Combined with Wu Jinliang’s subtle glance, he didn’t need to interpret it carefully; in a flash, he knew what was going on: he was being scolded for leading Yan Ketao there.

Yan Ketao was a traitor? He was very shocked. With a clear target, it wasn’t hard to understand in retrospect. In a place like the Divine Fire Domain, to prevent getting lost, people would certainly be extremely careful. Was Yan Ketao’s claim of being lost not suspicious? Thinking of this, coupled with Wu Jinliang saying they were ‘messed up,’ his intestines turned green with regret. He might have truly messed up the participating disciples.

He also somewhat regretted getting involved in such dealings, but he truly had no choice at the time, having been inexplicably drawn in by the disciples.

The elder from Lianyantian Sect also had flickering eyes. Speaking of traitors, he knew more than Zuo Zisheng did; he knew before he came in that Yan Ketao was an undercover agent the Lianyantian Sect had planted in Shudao Mountain. He instinctively connected ‘traitor’ with Yan Ketao, but he didn’t know that Shudao Mountain had already allied with Mingshan Sect, so he couldn’t think too deeply. He was just curious why only Wu Jinliang was seen, and not Yan Ketao. Had they not met up earlier?

And Wu Jinliang had already left with Shen Moming and Chu Jingting. Wu Jinliang had taken the initiative to abandon this place, directly cutting off the excellent situation Shi Chun had painstakingly built up earlier.

This operational structure might have brought in considerable divine fire revenue later. While it was regrettable to destroy it, in his view, nothing was as important as first securing their current gains. Once Jin Guici’s involvement was exposed, it could lead to a series of unpredictable consequences, even potentially causing Shudao Mountain to sacrifice him to save themselves. After the incident, Shudao Mountain would merely be a bit unlucky, but their Mingshan Sect group could lose their lives, potentially never getting out. Therefore, they absolutely could not be caught with leverage; when it was time to cut ties, they had to cut them.

The big man had pointed it out so clearly that Jin Guici naturally understood the severity of the matter.

After some time, while casually chatting with other elders, he started a friendly spar, and during the exchange, he used his magic to collapse the passage beneath everyone’s feet...

Uncertain about how effective using Yan Ketao to lure away potential ambushers was, Wu Jinliang and the other two, who were fleeing, proceeded cautiously, making various diversions along the way, finally arriving at the Iron Forest.

As soon as Wu Jinliang arrived, Xu Anchang wanted to curse, feeling like he had encountered an incorrigible beast who was once again making rumbling noises. If this kept happening, would they ever find divine fire here in this lifetime? Meeting him with a dark expression and communicating, he realized he had misunderstood. He learned that the other party had rushed there with good intentions, to inform him to prepare for evacuation.

There was no other meaning than this: Shudao Mountain had previously found this place, and due to the Shudao Mountain mole, if the mole didn’t find Shi Chun and his group, any possible location, including this one, might be searched. Better safe than sorry; the people from Siding Sect also had to evacuate. Also, those five people from Siding Sect who were tracking the mole sects would later run towards the exit area with divine fire clues, requiring Siding Sect to send people to intercept them.

Regarding this, Wu Jinliang quickly and efficiently made all the necessary arrangements and explanations.

Seeing the seriousness of the situation, Xu Anchang wanted to know what had happened, but Wu Jinliang refused to tell him, only saying that it seemed there was an internal traitor, that he himself wasn’t entirely clear on the specifics, and that he was acting on Shi Chun’s orders. He told Xu Anchang to hide well for now and that Shi Chun would personally explain later.

There were no further instructions. After speaking, Wu Jinliang left with Chu and Shen.