Chapter 403: Entanglement

Once again, a cloud-shrouded ice plain appeared, with towering ice mountains jutting out from beyond the clouds, reflecting starlight and shimmering with a hazy brilliance.

This area was precisely where the ice dragon that died earlier had transformed.

The group, already familiar with the area, landed on the highest ice peak. Shi Chun asked the others to step away, leaving only Li Hongjiu.

"We're not too far from the exit here."

This was Shi Chun's opening line.

Li Hongjiu surveyed the surrounding scenery, then joked with a bright smile, "I thought you'd be brave enough to run to the exit now."

Shi Chun said, "Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, by my calculations, the exit will open the day after that, won't it?"

Li Hongjiu replied, "There shouldn't be any change. This is the longest safe period for staying here, a limit countless ancestors deduced with their lives. If we delay even one more day, the internal and external ends of the passage might lose connection. No one who has entered the Divine Fire Domain has ever been known to survive here until the next opening of the Divine Fire Domain."

Shi Chun nodded. "Alright then, let's designate this as a specific location."

Li Hongjiu, puzzled, asked, "What location?"

Shi Chun explained, "The location where we'll expose the murderer who killed your sect's disciples. Once you're at the exit, wait for people from a few specific sects, then lead them here."

Hearing about exposing the murderer, the smile on Li Hongjiu's face faded. He asked, "Which sects?"

Shi Chun said, "Heavenly Furnace Sect, Fengluo Cult, Spirit Refining Fortress, and Seven Stars Island. When you see people from these four sects, you don't need to call all of them over. Just call the sect that has more people present."

He wasn't entirely sure how many survivors there were from these four sects, nor if any of the sects that had previously harassed him included members from these four. The probability of them all being annihilated was likely low.

Hearing that these were four unfamiliar sects, Li Hongjiu was suspicious. "What's the deal with these sects?" he asked. "Why would they kill my Yanbao Sect disciples?"

Shi Chun said, "Perhaps killing Yanbao Sect disciples wasn't their goal; rather, they wanted you to kill me. I offended Jiyun Mountain, the largest sect in Shengzhou, on the Eastern Shengzhou side. These four artifact-refining sects are precisely from Shengzhou. Before entering the Divine Fire Domain, I obtained some secret information that Jiyun Mountain instigated these four sects to kill me. Earlier, someone spread a rumor claiming that I and Shudao Mountain had found hundreds of Divine Fires, which led to various sects pursuing us relentlessly. I realized then that someone was deliberately stirring up trouble behind the scenes, and it must have been directed at me. Of course, this is just my speculation. They are just one of my suspects, and I need to verify this next. These four sects are allied, so if people from one of them come, we'll understand the situation. Brother Jiu, you'll only need to observe to know the truth then."

Li Hongjiu thought it over, hesitating.

Shi Chun waited for a moment. Seeing no immediate reply, he asked with some surprise, "Is there a problem?"

Li Hongjiu shook his head slightly. "I was just thinking about how to get them here. After all, they're not from the same continent as us, and we haven't had any dealings with them before."

Oh, is that all? Shi Chun said, "Brother Jiu, you're overthinking it. Just find them directly and ask them to help with a small favor. Promise them a Divine Fire as compensation. As for what the small favor is, you can decide. Given your status as a disciple of a major sect, plus the allure of a Divine Fire, they will surely come, provided they have no ulterior motives. I won't make it difficult for you. If it turns out they aren't the culprits, you can still give them the promised Divine Fire; I have Divine Fires prepared for you here."

Hearing that, Li Hongjiu also thought it over and agreed. If they had nothing to hide, there was no reason for people from those four sects not to come.

So, he felt it was acceptable and indeed not a major issue. He immediately nodded and said, "Alright, I understand." Then, pointing between them, he asked, "Should we separate now?"

Shi Chun replied, "It's better to figure things out sooner for peace of mind. If we wait until the last minute, it might get complicated. It's always good to leave a little room for maneuver. Of course, I suspect more than just those four sects. I'll trouble Brother Jiu to bring another group over. You should know this group: Gong Shixi and his Qianyan Sect."

Li Hongjiu's eyes narrowed slightly. He had already suspected this group earlier because they had set out with the disciples who met with misfortune. While his own disciples encountered trouble, Gong Shixi's group returned safely. It was hard for him not to be suspicious.

At this point, Shi Chun countered, "Brother Jiu, do you also suspect him?"

Li Hongjiu nodded slightly.

Shi Chun then asked, "And does he know you suspect him?"

Li Hongjiu replied, "Definitely. Several sects whose disciples met with misfortune had doubts about him and questioned him directly. He must know."

That was exactly what Shi Chun wanted to hear. He immediately suggested, "Then we can't use the same method we used for those four sects. If you approach him, he'll surely be afraid and might not come. Brother Jiu, you just need to let him unintentionally learn my location. He will definitely come to investigate."

Li Hongjiu understood his meaning. Someone who had relentlessly pursued Shi Chun with other sects surely had covetous ambitions. It would be strange if he didn't come to verify Shi Chun's whereabouts once he knew.

However, his thoughts shifted, and he countered, "Then why do you suspect him? Are you implying that Wu Shanshan was sent to you by him?"

"I never said that," Shi Chun denied, waving his hand quickly. "Brother Jiu, I can't say who sent Wu Shanshan before the culprit is revealed. Otherwise, I might wrongly accuse someone, and they've helped me out of good will. I can't speak carelessly; I value loyalty the most. Brother Jiu, the truth will be revealed soon; why are you in such a hurry?"

Then he pointed in another direction. "There's an Iron Forest over there. I'll take you to see the location. Later, you can lead Gong Shixi's group there. We can't have both groups gather here; that would be difficult to manage."

After more or less convincing Li Hongjiu, he called over people from the Bright Mountain Sect, instructing Chu Jingting to bring two others to lie in wait there and make the necessary preparations.

The group then left, leaving the three behind.

They traveled to the Iron Forest, showing Li Hongjiu the location. Only then were they truly ready to part ways.

Before parting, Li Hongjiu joked, "You're not going to send me away and then run off, are you?"

Shi Chun countered, "Brother Jiu, is that necessary? If I really wanted to run, I would have let you die. I wouldn't have saved you when I had the chance to kill you."

Li Hongjiu naturally understood this logic. He simply couldn't help but be wary of the fellow in front of him; facts had repeatedly proven this man to be extremely cunning. He had a subconscious sense of caution. Pointing at Shi Chun's nose, he said, "Brother, if you dare to trick me, don't blame me for settling scores with you later."

Shi Chun patted his chest and said, "I'll accept being cut into a thousand pieces."

To reassure Li Hongjiu, he simply decided to take his group and accompany Li Hongjiu towards the exit.

Along the way, they all changed their appearances, even wearing masks.

After reaching the vicinity of the exit, Shi Chun's group stopped. After agreeing to meet Li Hongjiu there later, they watched Li Hongjiu depart. They could see the tall mountain at the exit from a distance.

Li Hongjiu, who had flown across the sky, landed directly on the highest peak at the exit.

His sudden arrival moved all ten sect elders, who successively stood up. A small number of disciples from other sects lingering nearby also stood up in surprise, looking around. This included Gong Shixi's group.

Li Hongjiu, whose gaze swept around, noticed him but merely glanced past, showing no particular focus. He then turned to salute his own sect elder, saying, "Disciple greets Elder."

The Yanbao Sect Elder, also surnamed Li and named Qianqiu, surveyed him, then asked, "How are your injuries?"

It was clear from his words that a fellow disciple had returned. Li Hongjiu gave a wry smile. "I'm fine," he said.

As he spoke, he looked around and asked, "Where are Guang Haoyou and the others?"

Elder Li said, "They were idle anyway, so I sent them to continue searching for Divine Fires. What exactly happened?"

Li Hongjiu glanced at the other elders and said with reserve, "This disciple dares not break the rules of the Divine Fire Alliance. I will report to the Elder in detail once we are outside. Please allow this disciple to heal first."

As he spoke, he subtly gave a knowing look to the Elder.

Elder Li understood, grunted in acknowledgment, and watched Li Hongjiu excuse himself to sit cross-legged in a nearby area.

"Alas," Elder Li sighed, feeling an inexplicable melancholy. He walked back and forth on the mountaintop with his hands behind his back. As he paced alone near the edge of the mountain, he casually scraped a patch of ground flat with his foot.

Li Hongjiu, sitting cross-legged with his back to the other elders, also swept a patch of ground flat in front of him. Then he brought two fingers up and drew them together in front of his chest. From his fingertips, a swirling breeze suddenly arose and seeped into the empty night.

Soon, the wind on the mountain repeatedly rose and fell, enticing yet not disturbing the mind.

The wind etched lines of text into the flat dust beneath Elder Li Qianqiu's feet. And Elder Li, secretly casting spells and communicating beneath his feet, continuously inscribed questions on the flat ground in front of Li Hongjiu.

In this silent, clandestine exchange, Li Hongjiu reported the relevant situation in detail to Elder Li, asking the elder for his final decision on whether to help Shi Chun's group leave.

Elder Li naturally wanted to keep the secret method for finding Divine Fires in the Yanbao Sect's hands. However, with all sects closely watching Shi Chun's group, getting them out was almost impossible and highly difficult.

"It's hard to monopolize this matter," he conveyed. "First, let's find the murderer of our disciples. You keep him stable for now, and allow me to think it over carefully."

Seeing the text Elder Li had conjured before him, Li Hongjiu, after reading it, waved his finger through the air, erasing it.

He then looked at the few remaining members from various sects around them. He wasn't sure if people from the sects Shi Chun mentioned had arrived. He still needed to find a way to discreetly investigate without attracting outside attention.

After a brief moment of thought, and having rested for a bit, he stood up. He first approached Gong Shixi's group and asked directly, "Have you seen Guang Haoyou and the others anywhere?"

Gong Shixi gave a wry smile. "Mr. Li, I truly don't know. We were all terrified by the lake. After we ran back, we've been hiding here, too scared to leave. We only saw them return once, but we don't know where they went again."

If he didn't know, then so be it. Li Hongjiu didn't waste another word with him. He then went to another sect and greeted them politely with cupped hands, asking, "Disciples of whichever sect you may be, have you seen any disciples of my Yanbao Sect, and if so, where?"

The reply he received was similar to Gong Shixi's.

Li Hongjiu didn't mind the trouble and continued inquiring one by one.

The other elders on the mountain weren't sure what he was doing and were a little suspicious. So, one elder called over a disciple from another sect and asked what Li Hongjiu was doing. Upon learning that he was inquiring about the whereabouts of Yanbao Sect disciples, they didn't ask further questions and were relieved. After all, he was a team leader and his people had gone missing.