Chapter 312: Black Tiger

Although Thousand Rock Sect and Forgetful Valley had paused their search for the Divine Flame, some of their actions before the pause still caught the attention of Sky Refining Sect.

Sky Refining Sect's monitoring personnel near the exit discovered that these two sects were employing a diversionary tactic. The reason they could identify it as such was Yan Ketao, who had previously described this trick to Sky Refining Sect. Zuo Zisheng mistakenly thought it was related to Shi Chun and his group, so he reinforced his forces in the area, preparing to make arrests or follow clues. However, Thousand Rock Sect and Forgetful Valley withdrew, leaving them with nothing. Many things in this world do not go as planned; unexpected changes can lead to such outcomes.

Nevertheless, Zuo Zisheng and his group thereby deduced the general path by which Shi Chun's group obtained Divine Flame clues. So, the Divine Flame clues Jin Guiqi obtained had come this way. Completing the chain of evidence was a major gain; it was like having a firm grip on that leverage. Zuo Zisheng was still very pleased, believing that once Shi Chun's group was found, they would not dare to disobey! Consequently, their desire to find Shi Chun's group became even more urgent.

"I heard that Bright Mountain Sect and Summer Dao Mountain have joined forces, and they'll split any Divine Flame they find equally."

"What? How could Summer Dao Mountain team up with Bright Mountain Sect? With Summer Dao Mountain's strength, how could they possibly split the Divine Flame equally with Bright Mountain Sect?"

"They must have something to gain by condescending to join forces. In this Divine Flame Domain, what constitutes a gain? The top person at the Sky Rain Meteorite Assembly is no simple individual. I heard Shi Chun's group has a way to quickly find Divine Flames and has already found nearly a hundred of them."

"Nearly a hundred? How is that possible? Are you dreaming?"

"Heh, I'm not making it up. Because of this, I heard Sky Refining Sect has stopped searching for Divine Flames and is now looking for Shi Chun's group, intending to obtain their method for quickly finding them. It's said they even fought Summer Dao Mountain over it, and now Summer Dao Mountain has suffered heavy casualties, losing more than half its forces and sustaining severe damage. The second-ranked sect in the artifact refining world is willing to ally with Shi Chun, and the first-ranked sect is willing to abandon the search for Divine Flames just to find them. Do you think those major sects are fools? I heard almost everyone in Summer Dao Mountain has had the chance to absorb Divine Flames. If that were the case for our twenty-person sect, it wouldn't be 'almost,' but 'everyone' would definitely be able to absorb Divine Flames!"

"The number of Divine Flames can't be infinite, can it? If they're doing this, doesn't it mean others have an even smaller chance of finding them?"

"Exactly. Maybe the locations we're searching now have already been cleared of Divine Flames by Shi Chun's group, which is why we can't find any no matter how hard we look."

Two men, who had been searching around, sat in front of a gully, chattered for a while, and then left. As soon as they left, a group of people emerged from the shadows beneath the bare gully, watching them depart, all with expressions of surprise and doubt.

Someone asked the leader, "A hundred Divine Flames, can that be true?"

The leader's eyes flickered as he said, "You ask me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

Another person said, "If there really are a hundred Divine Flames, then it means there truly is a method to find them quickly. If we could get that method, wouldn't all of us fellow disciples be able to absorb Divine Flames?"

At these words, the group's faces showed fanaticism. Many knew that even if Divine Flames were found, they wouldn't fall to them. Suddenly realizing there was a chance, their excitement was palpable. Their fervent mood at this moment could be understood by observing the irrational actions of An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin when pursuing Divine Flames.

On one side of the distant valley entrance, Gong Shixi was gazing at the emerging people, while the two individuals who had been searching and spreading information returned to report to him. Shi Chun had previously used this method to leak the diversionary tactic to him, and he didn't mind repaying Shi Chun with the same trick. The exaggerated number of Divine Flames, up to a hundred, and the weakened state of Summer Dao Mountain due to severe damage, were also to be emphasized.

Gong Shixi had also devised a method similar to how Four-Tripod Sect sent people to track undercover sects searching for Divine Flame clues. However, he wasn't using it to find clues, but to spread rumors. Once an undercover sect encountered another sect along their route, they would, as if discovering a Divine Flame clue, quickly relay the information to the tracking personnel behind them. The trackers would immediately send a message to Gong Shixi, who would then promptly lead his people to arrange the rumor-spreading performance. This was much more efficient than searching for Divine Flame clues, as there was no need to confirm the existence of such clues. In a short period, he had already spread similar rumors to dozens of sects.

All rumors would emphasize one point: the reason people couldn't find Divine Flames was very likely because the areas they were searching had already been swept clean by Shi Chun's group. Although this was nonsense, Divine Flames had always been difficult to find. But he was someone who had searched for Divine Flames and had personally experienced the despair and frustration of repeatedly searching in one place, finding nothing, and repeating the monotonous process. Knowing most people's pain points, he understood how to create and channel conflicts, how to give everyone an outlet for their frustrations. He clearly knew that even if these people didn't dare to act against Shi Chun's group, they wouldn't want Shi Chun's group to prosper. They would then naturally help spread the rumors.

Perhaps it was jealousy, perhaps covetousness; if a tiger became weak, even a three-year-old child might be able to stab it to death. Everyone wanted to be that three-year-old child, so they spread the rumors as much as possible. As he always said, what he, Gong Shixi, couldn't obtain, he absolutely wouldn't let Shi Chun's group obtain. He would do everything possible to extinguish Shi Chun's group! When such a person schemes from behind the scenes, the consequences are predictable. The targeted individuals have no chance to explain their grievances; with so many people's desires and interests intertwined, it becomes impossible to explain clearly.

What was more terrifying was that Sky Refining Sect had also sent people to search everywhere for Shi Chun's group, asking members of other sects if they had seen them. This undoubtedly confirmed the rumors: they had indeed given up searching for Divine Flames to specifically look for Shi Chun's group. Yet, no sect would relay such rumors to them. As they left under the strange gazes of other sects, they remained unaware, like blind and deaf individuals, even as a colossal wave was rising behind them.

Meanwhile, Forgetful Valley's group, upon hearing these rumors, actually believed them, because they had personally seen Shi Chun's group possess so many Divine Flames that they couldn't absorb them all and had to trade them. Initially, they were quite confused about this, but after hearing the rumors, they finally realized the truth and found their answer. And some "three-year-olds" wished that the major sects knew as much as possible.

In front of the assembled disciples of Extreme Fire Sect, ranked fourth in the artifact refining world and having sent over a hundred disciples this time due to their successful treasure offering, stood another sect with only twenty people. Their leader was relaying the rumors to Extreme Fire Sect. Having met by chance, the two sects were already acquainted. After the latter finished spreading the rumors, they departed with their members. Only the Extreme Fire Sect group remained, looking at each other. A hundred Divine Flames — they all wondered if it was a bit too exaggerated.

The tall, robust leader, Yin Tianlu, with his imposing brows and grand, open appearance, a naturally strong man, now also frowned. After a brief thought, he turned and beckoned towards a secluded, narrow valley. One large and one small figure emerged from the shadows. The small one was a person. The large one was a fierce black tiger, slightly taller than a person when walking on flat ground, with eerie green lights flickering in its eyes, sharp fangs, a bloody tongue occasionally flicking out, and a fiery aura swirling around its body.

This black tiger was also the key reason Extreme Fire Sect was willing to offer their precious "Wilderness Shattering Fragment Blade" as a tribute. In previous competitions, they feared losing valuable treasures without gaining anything. This time, however, they were confident because this fire-devouring black tiger had awakened an extraordinary talent: it could sniff out the aura of Divine Flames within a certain range. For this reason, Extreme Fire Sect had remained low-key, patient, and waiting, until the arrival of this Divine Flame Covenant. With this trump card, Extreme Fire Sect naturally had to give its full support. Support in terms of personnel was indispensable to withstand any dangers, which is why they brought out the "Wilderness Shattering Fragment Blade." The support provided this time was not only in personnel but also included many precious treasures for enhancement. The entire Extreme Fire Sect placed great hopes on this Divine Flame Covenant, aiming to propel the sect to become the top artifact refining sect in the world.

The imposing black tiger walked up to Yin Tianlu, met his gaze, and then, under everyone's watchful eyes, transformed. Its clothes swirled around it, and in an instant, it became a robust Extreme Fire Sect disciple. He was a demonic cultivator named Black Tiger. Extreme Fire Sect itself was one of the few demonic cultivator artifact refining sects in the cultivation world. In other words, almost all the Extreme Fire Sect disciples present were demonic cultivators. They had not disappointed the sect, having already found as many as fifteen Divine Flames. Black Tiger alone had absorbed eight, and Yin Tianlu had absorbed four.

Yin Tianlu asked Black Tiger, who had just transformed into human form, "Junior Brother, did you hear all that? I wonder if it's true."

Black Tiger replied, "Let them search their way; we'll search ours. There are still some days left, and we should be able to find quite a few more."

Yin Tianlu pondered, "Logically, that's true, but you also know the price our sect paid for us to enter this time. They even brought out their most prized treasure, the 'Wilderness Shattering Fragment Blade.' The sect produced this treasure believing we could win and bring it back. If it were lost in our hands, wouldn't we fail to live up to the sect's great expectations?"

Black Tiger asked, "What does Senior Brother intend to do?"

Yin Tianlu thought for a moment, then finally shook his head. "I don't know right now. You can tell how many Divine Flames they've absorbed. If we get a chance to meet them, you might as well sniff them out and confirm whether it's true or not."

Black Tiger said, "Alright. If that doesn't work, we can go to the 'Blind Forbidden Zone.' I hear there are many Divine Flames there."

At the mention of "Blind Forbidden Zone," everyone's expressions instantly changed dramatically. That place was also known as the Burial Ground of Divine Flames, or the Heart of the Divine Flame Domain, signifying the central, core area of the domain.

Yin Tianlu's face also darkened. "Don't be reckless. Terrifying entities slumber there; trespassing is suicide. Many of our sect's predecessors have perished in that place—a bloody lesson. The sect has repeatedly warned us not to approach that area, even if we can't find Divine Flames elsewhere."

Black Tiger insisted, "My talent is here. Others might not succeed, but I might be able to try!"

Yin Tianlu said gravely, "You, above all, must not take that risk. You are too important. The sect's hope for victory rests entirely on you, as does the sect's prosperity. Even if we can't win, I cannot let you take such a risk."