Chapter 352: Striking Masked Man

Shi Chun, rapidly nearing the ground where various factions were gathered, was considering how to discreetly integrate himself when Zuo Zisheng and his group suddenly arrived. As he observed them, his body instinctively began to move.

It was an instantaneous reaction; taking advantage of the fact that all factions' attention was inevitably drawn to the arrival of the three major sects, he sprang forward. In an audacious move, he landed directly behind the three major sects as they descended.

The formation of this group of newcomers was quite particular: the Heavenly Refining Sect personnel were at the front, covering both sides, the Treasure Derivation Sect personnel were at the back, and the Mt. Shudao personnel seemed somewhat encircled in the middle.

Under normal circumstances, no sect would willingly find itself in such a disadvantageous position.

Shi Chun was too familiar with the people from Mt. Shudao. Having spent so much time together, he could discern Mt. Shudao's current predicament with just a quick glance before landing, recognizing their attire and the appearances of Gu Lianni and the others, even though Gu Lianni seemed to be one of the leaders, standing at the very front with Zuo Zisheng and his group.

Shi Chun, landing last, positioned himself at the very back, directly behind the Treasure Derivation Sect's group.

A few people at the back of the Treasure Derivation Sect instinctively looked back. Seeing a masked individual casually walking towards members of another sect nearby and even nodding in greeting to others, they concluded he was an acquaintance, and their inquisitive gaze moved on.

In fact, Shi Chun didn't truly greet anyone; he simply nodded at the people from nearby sects. With the Treasure Derivation Sect's gaze behind him, he seemingly casually made a gesture to pass through.

Although he appeared calm and composed, his mind still wavered due to that one glance he had just received, leaving him slightly nervous.

That unique gaze came from the very front of the three major sects, from the unfamiliar man standing beside Gu Lianni. He had suddenly turned around and stared at Shi Chun as he landed. Although the light was poor, Shi Chun seemed to clearly perceive the man's unusual and discerning gaze, which suggested he had noticed something amiss.

The unique, scrutinizing meaning in that gaze instantly shattered his feigned ease. It made him feel danger, and he inwardly thought, "This is bad." Yet, he dared not reveal any flaws or give himself away. Appearing as if he knew nothing, he forced himself to maintain his composure and continue to act naturally.

He could probably guess who that person was: a member of the Treasure Derivation Sect, and standing at the very front, it must be Li Hongjiu, their leader.

He didn't know Li Hongjiu personally, but the name seemed a bit unusual. When reviewing the roster, the top-ranked sects naturally paid special attention to it. Among the information on attendees provided by Young Master Nan, this person was specifically mentioned. It stated that his situation was unclear, possibly a very formidable expert, and that one should be careful if encountering him.

The saying "everyone has their strengths, and skills have their specializations" is an undeniable truth. In the cultivation world, when it comes to combat, the artifact-refining world is truly not skilled.

There's nothing that can be done about this. When most of one's energy is devoted to their specialty, it's understandable that they might be less proficient in other areas; it's a normal phenomenon.

Of course, the artifact-refining world has magical artifacts to compensate for those deficiencies.

Therefore, few people would describe someone from the artifact-refining world as "good at fighting"; they usually praise their superior artifact-refining skills.

To praise someone's combat skills instead of their refining techniques, for someone from the artifact-refining world, might not be considered praise, but rather a taunt.

In the information on attendees provided by Young Master Nan, only Li Hongjiu, an artifact refiner, was marked as "good at fighting." Furthermore, the word "very" was added, indicating "very good at fighting."

But there was also a prefix: "possibly!"

This ambiguous phrasing made it unclear, but the overall meaning was not difficult to grasp: be careful of this person.

Originally just a name on paper, this startling sensation made Shi Chun vaguely realize that the "possibly" prefix for this person might need to be removed. The heightened vigilance he had honed in the land of exile sensed danger.

He hadn't guessed wrong. The person who suddenly looked back was indeed Li Hongjiu.

It was also a feeling. Li Hongjiu sensed that someone had landed with them, but the swiftness of the descent was subtly different from that of others who landed normally. His heartstrings were subconsciously tugged; it was almost an instinctive reaction, causing him to instantly turn back and stare.

As the saying goes, "a miss by a hair's breadth is a miss by a thousand miles." People with keen insight are often those who can hear thunder in subtle nuances.

Whether a person's actions are perceptive often manifests in the details.

The attire of the newcomer he suddenly saw was indeed unusual; he was masked. This further triggered his vigilance. His elevated position allowed his gaze to sweep over the crowd and fix on Shi Chun.

However, he soon felt relieved. Seeing the masked man greeting people from other sects, clearly an acquaintance, he immediately understood the masking behavior. He thought, "The wind here is strong and uncomfortable; what's wrong with covering one's face? He probably belongs to some sect and was sent out on an errand."

Furthermore, what 'bad guy' would come here and intentionally mask himself to show everyone he's a bad guy?

After observing for a few moments, Li Hongjiu turned his gaze back to the front, continuing to advance with the group.

The few disciples at the back of the Treasure Derivation Sect who had also looked back had similar reactions. After their gaze shifted away from Shi Chun, they continued to move forward with the team.

As for those from the sects whom Shi Chun had nodded to, signaling them to make way, they saw that he was with the three major sects. Although they felt uncomfortable, they were still deterred by the prestige of the three major sects, and suppressing their dissatisfaction, they made way.

Although they didn't know why Shi Chun was so unusual in his masked attire, they couldn't interfere with the affairs of the three major sects. What else could they do but give him a second glance?

The top three sects in the artifact-refining world seemed to have allied, making their way through the crowd towards Yin Tianlu and his group, who were at the center of the gathering.

Shi Chun accompanied them on the side, walking alongside the disciples of the Heavenly Refining Sect. He also occasionally gestured for people to make way. Those who made way simply gave him a few extra glances, assuming this masked individual belonged to one of the three major sects.

The Heavenly Refining Sect members saw this masked companion but didn't know who he was and didn't bother to care, assuming anyone among the various factions' personnel was certainly a disciple of some sect.

As Shi Chun walked, he observed Gu Lianni and the others, and occasionally glanced at the Qianyan Sect personnel who had arrived with them. He wondered, "Has Gong Shixi gone mad? How dare he openly align himself with the three major sects against me?" He couldn't help but worry about Gong Shixi's future, wondering how he would explain himself to the three demonic factions after this.

As for exposing Shi Chun's demonic identity, he believed that unless there was an extremely special circumstance, Gong Shixi wouldn't dare, not even with ten thousand guts, in the current situation. He was probably afraid that if Shi Chun's demonic identity were exposed, people would misunderstand and implicate him.

The other advantages of the Demonic Path might not be obvious, but their persistence in matters is unmatched by those in the Orthodox Path. What they set out to do, they pursue tirelessly until the end. This is also the terrifying aspect of the Demonic Path, making people feel they cannot afford to provoke them.

Meanwhile, the Qianyan Sect personnel, who were accompanying the three major sects on one side, gradually fell behind the Treasure Derivation Sect as they advanced. There was nothing they could do; while the three major sects could loudly demand other sects to make way, the Qianyan Sect couldn't afford to offend and could only gradually resign themselves to following behind.

Xu Anchang and You Mu, who were caught up within the Heavenly Refining Sect's group, were naturally also under Shi Chun's attentive observation. He wondered about their situation and why they were mixed in with the three major sects.

Fortunately, although both were caught in the midst, their defensive stance, holding magical artifacts and being wary of those around them, was very evident.

This made Shi Chun feel compelled to approach them, wanting to find out what was going on.

Looking at Wu Shanshan in the crowd ahead, he realized that people from all three demonic factions had actually gathered here. What a convergence!

Of course, at this moment, Wu Shanshan was his primary focus. For him, eliminating this demonic woman was the most important and urgent task right now.

The night was dark and windy, yet it couldn't disperse those troublesome individuals.

Amidst the rustling and flapping of many garments, the three major sects finally pushed through the crowd, nearing the Extreme Flame Sect's group.

Yin Tianlu, who had called the various sects for a discussion, also stepped forward, confronting the group of newcomers.

As their gaze swept over the newcomers, they also noticed a masked individual who had arrived with them. However, he was not the main focus; their primary attention was on Zuo Zisheng and his group, who were leading.

Wu Shanshan also saw the masked man. After glancing at him briefly, she found him obscured by other people. Her demonic eyes could not be openly used, so she couldn't identify Shi Chun through his aura. Thus, she didn't pay much attention, as she was more focused on the important figures in front of her.

Shi Chun had deliberately avoided her gaze, using other people's positions to block himself. Although he had deduced that her unusual eye ability would not be openly exposed, he didn't know how it was actually employed. Naturally, he had to be extra cautious, trying to remain out of her line of sight.

After noticing that she had seen him, he hid behind others, peeking out to observe Wu Shanshan's reaction. If anything seemed amiss, he would have to find a way to escape.

For this trip, there were three key points he had to consider: first, how to blend in; second, how to get close enough to Wu Shanshan to act; and third, how to escape after taking action.

Nothing was more important than his own safety. Compared to his safety, whether he succeeded was secondary. Therefore, escaping was the crucial element of this mission.

However, after seeing the Qianyan Sect group, he gained a bit more confidence. If things went south, he wouldn't care what fate befell the Qianyan Sect; he would definitely shout for Gong Shixi's help. "Who told you to openly align yourself with them?" he thought. "Gong Shixi, if you dare not help, just try it; you'll be utterly disgraced."

Furthermore, he wondered if Gong Shixi would be afraid once Shi Chun fell into the hands of the Orthodox Path.

First, would he be afraid that Shi Chun would expose him?

Second, would he be afraid that Shi Chun would misunderstand and then expose him?

Fortunately, Wu Shanshan's reaction, as he observed her, was normal; she showed no unusual signs that would alarm him.

He then immediately emerged from behind the people providing cover, moving closer and closer to Wu Shanshan.

As the three major sects approached and the large group had not yet fully settled, he unhesitatingly took advantage of this chaotic moment to move closer and closer. Once everyone was settled, any further approach in his disguise would make his individual action too conspicuous, easily drawing suspicion.

Getting closer didn't necessarily mean he would act immediately, as he wouldn't make a move without certainty. However, only by being close enough would the crucial opportunities to strike become easier to seize.

Before finally succeeding, he had no concrete plan. For such a task, the safest approach was to adapt on the fly and wait for the opportune moment to strike.

Even if there was no chance to act, he wanted to get closer to hear the conversations of the various sect leaders, to grasp their intentions and any exploitable weaknesses. Even if he returned empty-handed, it wouldn't be a wasted trip.

As he approached Wu Shanshan, a ripple in his mind didn't cease. He continued to remain wary of Li Hongjiu from time to time, observing whether he had noticed anything.

Amidst the movement, whenever he positioned himself, he not only used people to block Wu Shanshan's line of sight but also to block Li Hongjiu's.

Li Hongjiu indeed scanned the assembled crowd once more. He couldn't help but shake his head slightly with a wry smile. He really wanted to ask if these people were all insane. For the divine flame, they had gathered here as if making a transaction, completely disregarding the dangers of the forbidden area.

Facing the newcomers, as Yin Tianlu cupped his hands in greeting, he heard the now-settled Zuo Zisheng chuckle and tease, "Brother Yin, you truly have a good plan! Your little 'withdrawal' trick led us all away. I'm impressed, truly impressed!"