Chapter 386: Injured by Shi Chun

The unknown breeds fear. Before visiting Lake Heart Island, the Chief, given the terrifying legends, flatly refused to go.

After being forced to visit and personally confronting the supposed horrors, he found them to be not so terrible after all, especially considering Old Ninth's unforgivable behavior.

As soon as he spoke, it startled everyone around him. They had only just managed to escape; why would they go back? That was simply asking for death.

Xu Anchong was not the only one baffled; Wu Jinliang, standing nearby, also widened his eyes in disbelief.

Wu Jinliang, however, considered himself to know Shi Chun quite well, understanding that the Chief was someone who wouldn't stir without significant gain.

For the Chief to willingly take such a substantial risk, the expected reward had to be extremely lucrative. Petty gains would certainly not motivate him, as it wouldn't be worth it. Their current wealth far surpassed what they had in the land of exile; they had money, beautiful women, and powerful artifacts. They would certainly no longer risk their lives for a few square meals.

Previously, a hundred pieces of sandalwood gold would have been enough to make them both risk their lives. Now, even a million would be useless. Though their good fortune hadn't lasted long, people are simply that fickle.

As they stared at him, dumbfounded, Shi Chun gestured to Xu and You. "You two will come with me," he instructed.

"Ah..." Xu and You exclaimed simultaneously. After exchanging glances, they turned back to Shi Chun, both with expressions that indicated they wanted to speak but hesitated.

Shi Chun paid no heed to their willingness. "You two are going, whether you like it or not," he stated. "You've come too far to turn back. If you don't listen to me now, you'll find yourselves without any escape. Given how things have developed, passing through the exit or dealing with the demonic cultivators is no longer a matter of choice."

He then turned to Wu Jinliang. "You and the others wait here for my signal," he instructed.

Wu Jinliang hesitated, admitting he was afraid of danger and death. However, he eventually said with difficulty, "Let me go with you; we can look out for each other."

The two brothers had faced many dangers together and understood deeply that, in certain situations, unspoken coordination between people could be more valuable than advanced cultivation.

"Fill this hole, and be discreet about it," Shi Chun commanded Xu and You, pointing to the cave behind him. He then waved Wu Jinliang over, indicating they should speak in private. There were indeed important matters he needed to entrust to Wu Jinliang before leaving.

What choice did Xu and You have? After watching the two walk away, they entered the cave and saw Wu Shanshan lying motionless on the ground.

The two quickly glanced outside the cave, then crouched beside Wu Shanshan and, like thieves, reached out to examine her. They confirmed she was beyond any doubt dead.

They had no idea what Wu Shanshan had endured or what Shi Chun had done to her. It wasn't the right time to meticulously examine her remains. They decided to report it to their superiors if they managed to get out.

The two then meticulously collapsed the cave from the inside out, taking care to minimize any disturbance.

Away from the others, on a mountaintop, Wu Jinliang questioned, "Chun Tian, you're not still planning to go after the divine relics in the underground tower, are you?"

Getting straight to the point, he didn't believe Shi Chun would take such a risk solely for Zhen'er. Such noble pretexts were for outsiders; between them, they knew each other's true intentions.

Shi Chun countered, "If there's an opportunity to take them, why wouldn't I?"

This made Wu Jinliang thoughtful. He hesitated, then asked, "Are you talking about Old Ninth? He did seem a bit strange."

Shi Chun replied, "Is he the only one acting strangely? If he doesn't make a move, can the other ancient beings not act either? Old Ninth's demeanor reflects the stance of the entire underground tower. So it's not just him; all the ancient beings in the underground tower are behaving unusually. Old Ninth seems afraid to make a move!"

Wu Jinliang, seemingly enlightened, understood. It meant the ancient beings in the underground tower dared not make a move. He wondered, "Why would that be? But the old legends are still there; what if we're just overthinking it?"

Shi Chun replied, "Didn't I promise Zhen'er I'd propose? That plan was disrupted, so it's only right to continue now. If we truly are overthinking things, I'll simply emerge and prepare the betrothal gifts. It won't be too late to make our escape then."

Wu Jinliang finally understood. Their plan was to scout the situation: if an opportunity arose, they'd seize it to make a fortune; if things went awry, they'd flee. It was their typical approach from their time in exile, unchanged.

Still, he expressed some concern. "You want to go, and you want to leave," he said, "but I'm worried they won't be so agreeable."

Shi Chun replied, "Wasn't Old Ninth quite reasonable? A group of people chased a suitor right to their doorstep, fighting and killing, yet he remained patient and reasoned with them. There's no reason he would suddenly turn hostile towards me, who is merely coming to propose. To be frank, if he hadn't seemed so agreeable, I wouldn't dare go back."

Though the words were blunt, the logic was sound. Wu Jinliang nodded slightly, then suddenly realized, "If there's no danger, why won't you let me come along? Chief, you're not planning to keep all the spoils for yourself, are you?"

Shi Chun didn't entertain his jest. "There's no need to risk both of us just to scout the situation. Xu and You know your current location, and they might not be reliable if things change. After we leave, immediately move the Mingshan Sect group to a new hiding spot. Just leave a trail marker. If the mission is feasible, I will naturally contact you.

"If the exit is about to open and I haven't returned, don't wait. Take them and head straight for the exit.

"Those at the exit will, at most, capture you; they won't kill you unless they understand the situation. Remember, as long as you don't reveal the secret of finding the divine fire, you will remain safe. The closer you get to the end before leaving, the less suffering you'll endure. Once you're outside, they won't have control anymore. Young Master Nan is not someone to be trifled with; he will surely intervene to rescue you.

"If I don't make it out, then that's largely the end of my involvement. For you, everything else is easy to distance yourself from, but the connection to the demonic path is problematic. Alas, you really shouldn't have followed me down this path of demonic cultivation. There's no point in saying more; the rest is up to you to manage."

Wu Jinliang grimaced, as if in pain. "You're giving me your last instructions again, only to later claim you've contributed more and deserve a larger share, right? Fine, it's always you who decides how things are ultimately divided anyway."

Shi Chun was unmoved. Facing the distant horizon, he said softly, "If this truly is an opportunity to make a massive fortune, we might never get a second chance in this lifetime. I wouldn't be content to miss it. I don't understand grand philosophies; I only know that if we had missed certain opportunities, we wouldn't be alive today. Jinliang, we both need to survive, and we need to live well."

Some words can perhaps only be understood by those who have long struggled for survival in desperate circumstances and witnessed others living comfortably—only they can truly grasp that refusal to accept one's fate.

After saying this, he turned and departed, summoning Xu and You as he descended the mountain, and then they were off.

Consequently, the bewildered Chu Jingtang and others immediately surrounded Wu Jinliang, asking where the Chief had gone and what was happening.

Wu Jinliang's usual grin was gone; he simply stated calmly, "We're moving. Follow me!"

He then led the group to a new location.

The accompanying group's imaginations were still captivated by what might have transpired between the man and woman in the cave...

Near the exit, the atmosphere grew noticeably livelier.

After the terrifying entity in the forbidden zone made its move, the major sects, compelled to abandon their efforts, dispatched some of their personnel back to the exit to report.

Unlike previous reports, this message informed their sect elders that their capabilities were limited, they were out of options, and they had to abandon the pursuit of Shi Chun, which effectively meant abandoning the quest for the divine fire's secret method.

In essence, they knew it couldn't be found, didn't want to take responsibility, and sought the elders' opinions. If the elders insisted they continue the search, they would persist in their futile efforts. If not, they would return to seeking their own divine fire, just as they had done upon first entering the Divine Fire Domain.

Often in life, people are busy in this way, expending great effort for little accomplishment.

The Qianyuan Sect group also returned, and Gong Shixi stood nearby, listening.

He no longer harbored any hope of winning the top prize. He had fallen for a stranger's dubious method for finding the divine fire, exhausting himself in a fruitless search and wasting most of his time. He knew that further effort would be in vain.

So, there was no need to strive anymore. His only remaining objective was to prevent the other faction, specifically Shi Chun, from claiming victory.

However, the situation had changed. Shi Chun had vanished within the forbidden zone, and finding him again seemed highly improbable. After their recent setbacks, the various factions were also harder to incite. Rather than searching aimlessly, it was better to gather more information near the exit to make informed decisions.

Shortly after the messengers from various sects reported Li Hongjiu's severe setback, a group from the Yanbao Sect arrived with a commotion.

Upon seeing that Li Hongjiu was not among the disciples, the Yanbao Sect elder stood up in alarm. Without waiting for the disciples to bow in greeting, he immediately demanded, "Where is your Martial Uncle?"

Guang Haoyou cupped his hands, his face grim. "Martial Uncle was injured by Shi Chun and is currently recuperating. He instructed us to return first and report the situation to you, Elder."

"Hmm?""Oh?""Tsk..."

Many of the listening elders suddenly made strange noises. The reports from their own disciples had stated that a terrifying entity had injured Li Hongjiu, yet here it was being claimed that Shi Chun had done it.

Were their own disciples lying, or were the Yanbao Sect disciples fabricating the truth?

Logically, neither should be lying. While it was plausible for one group of disciples to lie, it was unlikely for an entire collective to do so. And the Yanbao Sect disciples seemingly had no reason to deceive their own elder about this particular matter. This discrepancy caused a wave of strange reactions.

The Yanbao Sect elder froze for a moment, then exhaled in relief, just glad that Li Hongjiu was still alive, as none of the other sects' recent reports had confirmed his fate. He then pointed at Guang Haoyou's nose and reprimanded, "Speak clearly! Who injured your Martial Uncle?"

Guang Haoyou replied with a firm expression, "Shi Chun!"

The elder instinctively stroked his beard, looking at the other disciples, then glancing at the messengers from other sects who had arrived earlier, as if searching for some clue.

The other groups, meanwhile, exchanged puzzled glances, seemingly unable to understand why Guang Haoyou would lie.

Jin Guiqi, an elder from Shudaoshan, couldn't help but interject, asking Guang Haoyou, "Did you personally witness Shi Chun injuring Li Hongjiu?"

Guang Haoyou merely glanced at him and did not reply. Instead, he looked at his own elder, indicating he would not speak without his elder's permission.

Their own elder, however, couldn't resist pressing the point. "Did you personally witness it?" he asked.

Guang Haoyou shook his head. "No," he confirmed.

At his reply, a large group of people collectively rolled their eyes.

The Yanbao Sect elder, looking suspicious, asked, "Did your Martial Uncle state that Shi Chun injured him?"

He wondered if Li Hongjiu might have been attacked by Shi Chun *after* being injured by the terrifying entity.

Guang Haoyou thought for a moment, then replied, "Martial Uncle didn't say. However, he returned injured after pursuing Shi Chun."

Someone almost burst out laughing, amused that the Yanbao Sect had sent such an unthinking person to lead their group.

His elder, even more exasperated, retorted, "You didn't see it, so how can you claim Shi Chun injured your Martial Uncle? You idiot! Is this something you can just guess at? What were you thinking? Is Shi Chun even a match for your Martial Uncle?"

The Yanbao Sect group didn't quite agree with this assessment and couldn't help but exchange glances.

Seeing the onlookers laugh and the elder's growing anger, Guang Haoyou had no choice but to reveal some details. "Before Martial Uncle pursued Shi Chun, he had already fought him once. Martial Uncle was injured by Shi Chun during that encounter, and we all witnessed it with our own eyes."

He avoided mentioning the embarrassing detail that his Martial Uncle had tricked and scared away Shi Chun, deeming it a private matter best kept within the sect. He only offered enough information to make his point.