Chapter 341: Ghostly Wails and Wolf Howls

As this scene unfolded, a hint of schadenfreude appeared on the faces of the other sects. They weren't gloating for any particular reason, other than to vent their frustration.

Earlier, Zuo Zisheng, leveraging his status in the Heaven-Refining Sect, had displayed an arrogance that showed no regard for other sects. That feeling of being belittled had been deeply unpleasant for everyone, regardless of whether they belonged to a large or small sect.

No one expected Zuo Zisheng's comeuppance to arrive so quickly.

Of course, it was also uncertain if Li Hongjiu was truly as formidable as he appeared.

Regardless of whether he truly possessed such ability, at least he had publicly challenged Zuo Zisheng, whereas none of them had dared to utter a sound before.

Being openly challenged, Zuo Zisheng's expression darkened. He wanted to ask Li Hongjiu, "Are we not making it obvious enough, or are you blind? Can't you see that we are allied with the Summer Dao Mountain?"

But he restrained himself from reacting. Despite his background, he held back his temper, knowing that reactions varied depending on the individual.

With a stern face, he formally reminded him: "Mr. Li, we have allied with the Summer Dao Mountain. Gu Lianni and I are together."

Mistook the target? Li Hongjiu paused slightly, then looked at Gu Lianni, his eyes seeking confirmation: "Is what he said true?"

Gu Lianni blinked. She also wanted to know where Li Hongjiu got such confidence, and thus was eager to see which sect, the Heaven-Refining Sect or the Treasure-Refining Sect, was stronger. Regardless of the saying that women admire strength, in such a situation, for self-preservation, was it wrong to cooperate with the stronger party?

What kind of bogus cooperation was this? Do you negotiate a partnership with a knife at someone's throat?

Her true partner for cooperation was Shi Chun. A truly sincere partner should be like Shi Chun, offering benefits during negotiations. Those who resorted to coercion were not seeking cooperation; they were forcing compliance.

However, she still had to consider her great sect's reputation. She couldn't be so two-faced so quickly; not only would it make her despicable, but the Heaven-Refining Sect's displayed strength was clearly superior.

So she nodded in acknowledgment, "That's right."

But inwardly, she was anticipating, "If you have the ability, defeat the Heaven-Refining Sect and claim me!" Women, after all, rather enjoy the feeling of being contended for by men.

He really got it wrong. Li Hongjiu secretly glanced at his junior disciples, a cold sweat breaking out. He had just geared up to handle the situation, only to make a blunder. What a mistake, what a mistake.

As expected, he again saw a look of helplessness on his junior disciples' faces.

"Cough, cough." Li Hongjiu cleared his throat, then picked up his wine gourd, pulled out the stopper, and took a swig to hide his embarrassment. Then, exhaling a breath of wine, he asked, "Lady Gu, weren't you cooperating with Shi Chun? How did you end up cooperating with the Heaven-Refining Sect instead?"

Gu Lianni: "I'm willing, is that a problem?"

Li Hongjiu chuckled and put down his wine gourd. "Well, it won't be too many if you add me. With my Treasure-Refining Sect joining, the top three sects in the refining world would be allied. That sounds just right, comfortable in every way, with a clear path forward. What do you say?"

Gu Lianni uncrossed her arms from her hips and folded them across her chest. She tilted her head, gesturing towards the Heaven-Refining Sect, "I'm just a woman, very easy to talk to. You'll have to ask the Heaven-Refining Sect if they agree first."

Of course, he had to ask. Li Hongjiu, generally speaking, seemed quite agreeable. He then said to Zuo Zisheng, "As I said before, I don't need much here. My junior disciples just need one flower each, and you can divide the rest. How about that?"

Zuo Zisheng wanted to curse his ancestors; he wanted to ask him what right he had to demand a share.

But seeing Li Hongjiu's confident demeanor, he felt a little intimidated. If he refused him publicly, a fight might break out.

He scanned the other sects present, who were eyeing them covetously. He felt that whether they won, lost, or drew, this was not a good place to start a fight.

As a disciple on whom his sect placed high hopes, he couldn't afford to be rash or impulsive. After quickly weighing the pros and cons, he replied, "Mr. Li, there are too many people here, and it's not the place to discuss this matter. How about our three sects move to another location and talk at leisure?"

If the other party didn't agree, he would provoke them, asking if they were afraid.

Oh no, the other sects hoped they would sort things out right there, to give them an opportunity to act when the time was right.

However, Li Hongjiu agreed readily. He also glanced at the surrounding covetous crowd, tucked his wine gourd into his waist, and laughed, "Alright, let's go. I saw a good place to settle down up ahead. Follow me."

Thus, the top three sects in the refining world left together, flying away amidst the deeply disappointed gazes of the crowd, with no one daring to move.

Unless they were absolutely certain of victory or completely forced, no one was willing to engage in a fight to the death. Life was their own, and they only had one.

Xu Anchang and You Mu also left under the coercion of the Heaven-Refining Sect. Regardless of whether Gu Lianni had truly killed Shi Chun, Zuo Zisheng still intended to keep both of them for the time being.

Xu and You, however, were filled with surprise and doubt. They also wanted to ask Gu Lianni if what she said was true or false.

On the ground, Yin Tianlu, who had been watching with a tense expression, remained motionless for a long time, holding his breath in frustration. It was the same old saying: he used to think his Blazing Fire Sect was on the same level as others, but now he realized that was merely his own perception.

After a long while, he exhaled, then took out an ice sheep to aid his breathing, and his gaze became even more resolute.

In that instant, he set a 'great ambition' in his heart: to elevate the Blazing Fire Sect to the top position in the refining world, in order to wipe away today's shame.

Now, this Divine Fire Domain was the opportunity!

"Brother Yin."

Mi Liangmeng, the leader of the Golden Aspect Hall, approached with his people to greet him. He still had that lifeless face, a dull expression that never showed any emotion.

Yan Chunlai, the leader of East Cloud Island, ranked seventh in the refining world, also arrived with his people. His name was quite pleasant, but his appearance was not; he had a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks.

Du Da, the leader of Fallen Flame Mountain, ranked tenth in the refining world, had dark skin and looked honest and simple.

After seeing the movement from Golden Aspect Hall, the two sects also approached one after another to greet him.

Some other sects followed suit, mostly those with stronger capabilities who felt they were qualified to join.

The brilliant starlight across the sky resembled the flickering human hearts in the darkness, vibrant and countless.

Most of the sects under the starlight were still just watching eagerly, unsure of where to go and observing the situation.

While there seemed to be many people on site, in reality, less than thirty percent of the sects had come to participate.

The reasons for not coming varied: some were uninformed, while others made more conservative decisions. The latter generally ended up benefiting.

Among those who ventured here, the proportion of powerful sects was very high. Yet, no matter how they searched, they couldn't find a single trace of the Divine Fire.

Yin Tianlu turned around, calmly surveying the new arrivals, and said, "They've taken the Divine Fire secret technique. You all are remarkably composed."

Mi Liangmeng of Golden Aspect Hall: "Let what cannot be retained go."

Yan Chunlai of East Cloud Island asked, "Why are we staying here? Shall we leave together?"

Du Da of Fallen Flame Mountain, who arrived shortly after, agreed, "That's a good idea."

Yin Tianlu calmly stated, "I just swore an oath to withdraw from this dispute. You may do as you please; we won't accompany you."

He certainly wasn't going with these people. He was anxious to find Wu Shanshan and her group. Now that Summer Dao Mountain was gone, he could go capture Shi Chun instead. Relatively speaking, catching Shi Chun would be much easier; his sect alone could easily handle it.

After speaking, he turned around, waved to his fellow disciples, and then led the Blazing Fire Sect group into the sky.

Mi Liangmeng, watching them depart, narrowed his eyes slightly.

Yan Chunlai and Du Da instinctively exchanged glances.

The former asked, "They could have kept it to themselves, yet the Blazing Fire Sect called everyone to come along. This isn't the way back now. Where are they going?"

Du Da gave a simple, knowing smile and said meaningfully, "What makes the Blazing Fire Sect so bold, daring to roam around the forbidden area alone?"

The dull-looking Mi Liangmeng suddenly interjected, "They won't run fast. We can still catch up."

Then, all three turned their heads and exchanged glances.

Then, the forces of the three sects rose as if summoned, quickly taking to the sky to pursue the Blazing Fire Sect.

The various sects who had been observing surged into the sky, chasing after them like a swarm of bees seeing their queen leave the hive.

Most were unclear what was happening, had limited information, and couldn't discern any effective logic. They simply followed along, believing that going with the flow at this moment was the right thing to do.

After a long period of gaining nothing and having no reliance, retreating alone felt difficult and out of place. Blindly following seemed to be the only choice; their destiny was no longer their own.

As Mi Liangmeng had said, they didn't have to chase for long before the group found the Blazing Fire Sect.

Mi Liangmeng, Yan Chunlai, and Du Da then exchanged glances from afar, all realizing their previous guess was correct: the Blazing Fire Sect indeed had something up their sleeve.

The various sects, just as they had dealt with Summer Dao Mountain before, didn't get close; they simply followed. If the Blazing Fire Sect stopped, they stopped.

The Blazing Fire Sect naturally also discovered they were being followed. Yin Tianlu immediately seethed with suppressed fury, with no outlet to vent it.

However, he was helpless. He couldn't just fly straight ahead freely in the sky. Wu Shanshan had taken his people, and he needed to search for the markers his people had left along the way, so his speed certainly wouldn't be that fast...

Wind, a strong wind, howled like ghosts and wolves in the chaotic, varied canyons among the mountains. On the undulating ridges, pillars of wind, like giant gods and demons, swept back and forth, dimming the brilliant starlight across the sky.

The wind emerging from the canyons was sometimes cold, sometimes hot, with chaotic interweaving currents. Yet, there was no mist or clouds; they seemed to be entirely within the rotating wind pillars. Inside the grey, misty wind pillars, lightning frequently roared and thundered, and blinding flashes of electricity occasionally extended long arms to connect with the lightning in adjacent wind pillars.

It was also like gods and demons continuously wielding jagged swords and battling, their sounds shaking heaven and earth.

The ground, with its complex and strange terrain, was smooth and bare, without dust or gravel. Even large rocks had been polished into curved surfaces. An ordinary person couldn't stand firm here; by simply relaxing their body, they could float into the sky.

Their clothes flapped wildly as the group, who had spread out to search, received a summons signal. They converged towards Wu Shanshan, who was standing alone on a ridge, observing the surroundings. This group was precisely the small team from Forgetful Valley and Blazing Fire Sect tracking Shi Chun's party.

Black Tiger surveyed the surroundings, then asked, "Where is this?"

"I don't know," Wu Shanshan shook her head, but then she raised her chin, gesturing, "They should be inside."

Black Tiger pondered for a moment, then said with some suspicion, "We traveled here almost non-stop, meaning that after Shi Chun's group and Summer Dao Mountain's group separated, they also didn't stop along the way. Given such a peculiar place, I wonder if they discovered it accidentally en route, or if they headed directly here?"

The reason for this question was that the difference was significant. If it was the latter, it would be a major problem.