Chapter 418: Unreasonable Demand

Situgou's usually serene and emotionless face showed a hint of impatience. He turned to leave, dismissing them with a curt, "I'm busy."

It was hard to say if it was arrogance, but his impatience was genuine. His immense reputation was a burden; too many people sought him out, often not for any specific request, but simply to meet him and have something to talk about later.

With the Divine Flame Realm currently open, he needed to monitor its exit. Should the passage connecting the two realms encounter any issues, he would have to intervene promptly. He had no time to entertain such superficial matters.

Even if he had free time, he wouldn't want to meet them. He delegated mundane affairs to the sect because he wasn't adept at handling them and knew he could easily offend people. The sect understood his shortcomings and would do their best to deflect such requests. If a meeting was unavoidable, the sect would explain the necessity, for instance, if the person was too influential to offend. Only then would he reluctantly make an appearance.

He didn't even ask who was calling, nor did he fear offending friends. This was because he had virtually no friends, and those few who were close to him understood his nature, making it impossible for him to offend them.

The disciple quickly caught up, continuing to report softly, "The person said they were entrusted to deliver a letter to you."

Situgou casually raised a hand, signaling for the letter.

The disciple cautiously glanced around before saying, "The person said the letter must not be seen by anyone else and must be handed to you personally. They also said if you were unwilling to meet them, I should mention a name: 'Zhen'er'."

Situgou showed almost no reaction throughout the long string of words, appearing utterly indifferent until the last two words—the name—were uttered. Only then did his swaying sleeves and figure suddenly halt.

Silent as a statue, his eyes, fixed forward, widened slightly. Clearly recalling something, he suddenly turned and stared at the disciple, giving a single command: "Bring them to me."

With that, he turned, changed direction, and instead of heading to the mountaintop, strode quickly towards his own room.

"Yes," the disciple murmured, taking his leave. As he turned, a hint of confusion crossed his face; he wondered who this 'Zhen'er' might be.

When the messenger had first conveyed the message, he had sensed its potential complexity. That's why, from his position as an elder's attendant, he had been so cautious and whispered. There was no other way; his interests were tied to this elder.

Such a strong reaction from the elder to a mere name was extremely rare.

Shortly after, he went to the main gate, greeted the messenger, and signaled to his fellow disciples at the entrance to allow them passage.

His fellow disciples raised no objections. Elder Situgou held an exceptional status within the sect, and the actions of those around him often represented him directly. Ordinary disciples treated them with deference, as no one dared to offend them.

The messenger appeared to be an ordinary disciple of the Lihuo Sect. As the host sect, many of the auxiliary staff within Qi Cloud Valley were indeed from Lihuo Sect.

The person was led deep into the inner courtyard, to the exterior of a room with ancient roof tiles and an old tree whose canopy shaded half the yard.

Only large sects with numerous attendees would be allocated such a spacious temporary residence.

Situgou's disciple knocked on the door. After hearing a faint "Mmm" in response, he pushed the door open and gestured for the messenger to enter.

Situgou was already seated behind a long desk, his gaze no longer serene but sharp and intense, fixed on the visitor. He recognized the Lihuo Sect uniform.

The messenger immediately felt immense pressure; he rarely had the opportunity to encounter such a high-ranking figure. After a moment of appraisal and confirmation, he respectfully cupped his hands in a salute.

Before the messenger could speak any pleasantries, Situgou broke the silence directly, "The letter."

Resigning himself, the messenger retrieved a sealed small wooden cylinder from his sleeve and, holding it with both hands, bowed as he presented it to the desk.

The original item had clearly been sealed for confidentiality. The reason was simple: some people could see it, others could not. The person sent by Young Master Nan was quite experienced.

Situgou lifted his sleeve, extended a finger, and carefully picked up the small wooden cylinder. He gently shook it, then used a spell to probe its contents. Only then did he confidently twist open the lacquered seal, glance at what was inside, and extract the letter. He set the cylinder aside and unfolded the paper to read.

The handwriting on the paper was a bit jarring. He guessed the writer had intentionally made it so messy to conceal their identity, so he paid it no mind and carefully deciphered the contents.

The letter hadn't been tampered with; it still contained the same single sentence: "Zhen'er is with me. Please, Elder, come to the Divine Flame Realm and help me leave."

The combination of 'Zhen'er' and the location 'Divine Flame Realm' transformed Situgou's surprise into certainty. His brow twitched violently.

The room was so quiet that one could hear breathing. The attendant disciple's gaze also lingered on the letter, wondering about its contents.

Finally, Situgou broke the silence, asking, "Who sent you with this letter? Is it from the Lihuo Sect?"

With such an abrupt and vague letter, there was no way to tell who was behind it without asking.

The messenger tilted his head, glancing at the attendant disciple beside them, then hesitated before replying, "Elder, the sender's name can only be told to you alone."

Situgou, never one for lengthy discussions, simply told the disciple, "You may leave." The disciple faltered for a moment but ultimately turned and exited, remembering to close the door behind him.

With no one else present, under Situgou's piercing gaze, the messenger leaned closer and whispered, "It has nothing to do with the Lihuo Sect. The letter was delivered by someone entrusted by Shichun of the Mingshan Sect."

"Shichun?" Situgou was startled. Just moments ago, a group of senior officials from the Sky Refining Sect had been discussing that person for a long time. He had merely listened in, not uttering a single word, as he thought it had nothing to do with him.

He never dreamed it would suddenly become "relevant" in such a way. How was this connected to him?

"Precisely," the messenger confirmed, then cupped his hands again, saying, "I shall take my leave, Elder. I truly do not know the specifics, nor am I qualified to. My sole purpose in coming here was to pay my respects to you; I have done nothing else."

The implication was clear: once he left this room, he would deny everything.

With that, he took three steps back, turned, went to the door, opened it, and exited.

Situgou merely watched him leave, not detaining the guest. His thoughts had already drifted far away. In the darkness, a clear, glass-like flame, beautiful and surprisingly soft, hummed with a faint, human-like sound, guiding him through an eternal night in search of something.

He was young then, and he knew it was a fortuitous opportunity, one he had seized firmly.

Alone with the flame in the eternal night, they had explored together, gazed at the starry sky, dreamt of the future, shared many laughs, and made many promises.

Yet, life is both unpredictable and constant; all journeys eventually end. He had left, but not without leaving a promise.

Later, he broke his promise, but it was unavoidable. To this day, he lacked the ability to fulfill it, and he couldn't easily seek help from others. He was keenly aware of the immense allure that divine flame held for anyone who could enter that place.

The past was long ago, a lingering illness in his heart.

His gaze returned to the letter, his brow furrowed in doubt. He murmured, "Shichun..."

He initially suspected that this scoundrel might have already unraveled the forbidden area's restrictions and taken Zhen'er hostage.

He then dismissed the idea, believing that Shichun's strength was insufficient to break those restrictions. Even the current top masters might not gain an advantage against those ancient monsters.

He knew well that the ancient monsters inside the tower were far stronger than when they were first imprisoned. Someone with extraordinary means had managed to teach them cultivation methods. These ancient beings, who had existed for countless years, had learned to harness their immense power, making their terror unimaginable.

How could Shichun possibly contend with such terrifying entities?

Recalling Zuo Zisheng and his team's earlier report, he knew Shichun had entered the forbidden area. A realization dawned on him: Shichun must have encountered Zhen'er within the forbidden area and subsequently taken her hostage.

This was, in fact, his greatest fear all along. If he could encounter Zhen'er, who was to say others wouldn't?

Indeed, what he feared most had come to pass.

Having heard Zuo Zisheng's report, he naturally understood Shichun's motive for the hostage-taking.

However, the audacity to threaten him directly filled his eyes with rage. The old saying was true: those who emerged from the land of exile were indeed morally corrupt, hateful, and deserving of death!

Yet, at this moment, he was helpless against Shichun. Besides, Shichun wouldn't care about Zhen'er's life or death. Didn't he know what Shichun was truly using to threaten him?

At the doorway, the disciple who had seen off the guest poked his head back in. It wasn't merely escorting a guest; he had brought the person in and was responsible for ensuring their departure. Everything required accountability.

"Elder, do you have any instructions?" he tentatively asked, though he was more eager to know what the letter was about.

However, Elder Situgou was cautious this time. He picked up the small wooden cylinder, put the letter back inside, and with a flash of fire from his hand, instantly incinerated both the cylinder and the letter into ashes.

"Nothing," Elder Situgou said as he stood up and left, leaving the disciple to clean up the freshly burned ashes.

Situgou went nowhere else but returned to the summit of Qi Cloud Valley's highest peak.

His slender figure, draped in wide robes, appeared ethereal as he gazed down at the crowded beach below, then up at the rotating Divine Flame Spirit Gate in the night sky. The swirling vortex of light was temporarily empty; gone was the initial bustling activity.

After being open for so long, all those who could exit had already done so. The remaining individuals either hadn't managed to leave yet or simply chose not to, such as the various factions' personnel lying in wait for Shichun.

After standing silently beside the sect leader for a while, Elder Situgou finally spoke, "I wish to enter the Divine Flame Realm."

Sect Leader Luoyan uttered a surprised "Hmm?", turned to look at him, his astonishment clear, as if about to say, "Could you repeat that?"

The other elders nearby also thought they had misheard and turned to him in unison. It was too illogical; what else could it be but a misunderstanding?

Receiving no immediate reply, Situgou had to repeat himself, "I wish to enter the Divine Flame Realm."

Luoyan and the others were speechless, exchanging bewildered glances. They knew Situgou could be willful at times, but this request was far too unreasonable to grant.

That was not a place just anyone could enter; indeed, one couldn't even get in easily. It wasn't something any single sect could decide. Even if they agreed, it would be useless. No matter how much influence Elder Situgou had, other sects would not consent.

Luoyan asked, "Why?"

Situgou's expression was calm as he simply and directly stated, "If I go in, I can find Shichun."

This was his explanation, and it was not untrue. He surmised that Shichun was hiding somewhere within the forbidden area. Since Shichun hadn't specified a meeting point, it had to be a place both he and Zhen'er knew.