Chapter 433: 惊魔

Anyone with a shred of sense knew that these newly revised competition rules were specifically aimed at Tong Mingshan. It was useless for An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin to absorb more divine flames, because they lacked the artifact-refining skills; otherwise, Shi Chun wouldn't have let them leave the valley. And now Tong Mingshan was saying Shi Chun couldn't stop him? Shi Chun truly couldn't fathom what he was thinking.

Under Shi Chun's confused gaze, Tong Mingshan raised a hand and waggled four fingers at him. Shi Chun considered himself quite intelligent, but staring at the four wiggling fingers made him a little dizzy, and he still didn't understand. He gave up guessing and asked, "Spit it out, don't be so mysterious."

"Still don't get it?" Tong Mingshan was a little surprised, feeling it didn't quite fit the 'Big Boss's' usual cleverness. He immediately whispered an explanation: "I absorbed twenty-six divine flames. Twenty-four of them have merged into two 'True Flames of the Two Essences.' That means I only have four divine flames now, which is within the ten-divine-flame rule."

As Shi Chun listened, his brows gradually furrowed. A look of dawning comprehension spread across his face. He subconsciously glanced left and right cautiously, then lowered his voice to confirm, "Can you really do that? When you go on stage, they'll definitely inspect you. Can those two merged True Flames, formed from twenty-four, escape detection?"

Tong Mingshan replied, "I don't know either, so I only suspect it might not be stoppable; I can't be absolutely certain. But one thing I am certain of is that no one in the current artifact-refining world has likely seen the legendary 'True Fire of the Three Essences.' If judging solely by quantity and color..." He glanced at the sky outside. "If the competition takes place during the day, they might not recognize the True Fire of the Three Essences."

"Aha," Shi Chun began stroking his chin, arms crossed. This turn of events was truly far beyond his expectations. It just goes to show that many things require an expert's eye. He hadn't even considered this possibility before. It seemed some matters still needed to be discussed more with experts.

"Daytime..." he muttered, trying to calculate, but couldn't figure it out. Suddenly, he turned and strode out the door, walking directly through the courtyard. The group in the courtyard watched him, and Young Master Nan called out, "Where are you going?" Shi Chun ignored him. He wasn't going anywhere specific, just to the doorway. He peered outside for a moment but didn't see anyone from the Lihuo Sect. So he walked back and went directly to Young Master Nan, asking, "How much longer until dawn?"

"Huh?" Young Master Nan didn't know why he was asking, but he calculated with his fingers. "It should be less than two hours." Shi Chun immediately estimated the time the two-realm passage would open. This meant that it would be night here when it opened, and counting twelve hours from that moment, it would still be night when it closed. If the competition began immediately after the Divine Flame Domain closed, it would still be night. How could he make the competition happen during the day?

Just then, Chu Jingting and Lao Changtai returned. The two had just escorted An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin; more accurately, Shi Chun had sent them to check on the situation. He couldn't very well have Situ Gu return to report, could he? Not seeing An and Zhu, Shi Chun preemptively asked the returning duo, "Are they out of the valley?" Chu Jingting nodded. "They're out." Shi Chun asked, "No trouble?" Chu Jingting replied, "None. When they were near the valley entrance, Senior Situ told them to try exiting on their own first, saying he'd intervene if necessary. But it went very smoothly; the guards at the gate let them out after confirming they were forfeiting the competition, so Senior Situ didn't even need to show his face. Oh, Zhen'er left with Senior Situ."

Shi Chun frowned. This outcome, surprisingly, made him uneasy. He didn't know if it meant no instructions had been given at the exit, or if Mu Lanjin hadn't issued strict orders yet. He could only wait and see.

He wasn't one to sit and wait. Matters he couldn't figure out yet, he set aside; things he could prepare for, he prepared for. So he told Chu and Lao, "Go make another trip and sign up our Sect Master." He gestured towards Tong Mingshan.

"Sign up for what?" Chu Jingting asked, puzzled. Shi Chun said, "Didn't someone from the Lihuo Sect just announce it? What else is there to sign up for right now besides that competition?" At his words, everyone was stunned.

The Lihuo Sect had indeed come to announce earlier that those who wished to participate in the competition needed to register, and those who didn't were not compelled. The words were polite, but everyone understood the real reason: most people had no need to participate, nor was it worth everyone participating, as it would simply be a waste of manpower and resources. However, the new competition's conditions were stated clearly: they were explicitly aimed at their Sect Master Tong. Registering him seemed like a joke. If one had more than ten divine flames, they weren't allowed to participate, and their Sect Master had absorbed twenty-six!

Chu Jingting gave a wry smile. "Big Boss, it's not that I don't want to run this errand. I just think, is there any need to offer our faces up to be slapped?" That made sense. Young Master Nan blinked and stroked his beard, also wanting to ask what was going on. At the same time, he felt Shi Chun was incredibly busy; he hadn't stopped for a moment since coming out.

Shi Chun said, "Let's do our part beforehand. Whether it succeeds or not is another matter. It's just signing up; it's not like they forbid it. Go." He didn't want to state the specific reason in public; after all, Young Master Nan had brought some outsiders whose origins were unknown. Since he said so, what could Chu and Lao say? They were used to him calling the shots, so the two had to turn around and make another trip.

Later, Young Master Nan also pulled him aside to ask. Shi Chun similarly brushed him off. As for Tong Mingshan knowing two essences of the True Fire of the Three Essences, Shi Chun hadn't yet decided whether to leak this information...

In a corner room of a rather secluded inn's inner courtyard by the sea, a man walked to the door, observed his surroundings, then knocked and entered, closing the door behind him. The inner and outer rooms were separated by a hanging curtain. Behind the curtain, there was light, and one could vaguely discern a man's silhouette sitting sideways at a desk, pouring and drinking tea by himself. His build and appearance were unclear.

The man stood before the curtain, cupped his hands, and reported, "Reporting, Young Master, we haven't yet found anyone who witnessed the collapse of the Qianyan Sect." The figure behind the curtain slowly said, "I've checked. Many sects suffered heavy losses, but few were completely wiped out, yet the Qianyan Sect was one of them. Why do I feel something is amiss? Gong Shixi was also a leader we carefully selected; his abilities and strength were beyond question. How could he have been completely annihilated without a sound?"

The man replied, "Most of the people who have emerged are still trapped within Qi Yun Valley, making detailed investigation inconvenient. It might be difficult to find any clues for now." The figure behind the curtain's voice grew cold. "Then why aren't you investigating? Did you just come to give me a non-answer?"

The man hastily said, "Young Master, there's important new information from the valley: Command Master Mu Lanjin of Xuanji has entered the valley." The figure behind the curtain, who had been raising a cup, paused. "Why has he come? What is he doing in the valley?"

The man said, "They say he's here for the Mingshan Sect group, to inquire about clues related to demonic cultivation." The figure behind the curtain froze, then slowly said, "In other words, he's actually here for us. Could the news about our planned robbery have leaked?"

The man replied, "This subordinate does not know." The figure behind the curtain slowly tilted his head back, finished his tea, then set the cup down on the table with a clatter. He pressed his hand on the teacup, remaining silent for a long time. Finally, he slowly exhaled. "Mu Lanjin is here. There might be a trap waiting for us. This cannot proceed. Notify all personnel who have arrived and those who are on their way: withdraw, retreat completely. Those who withdraw are not to make any unauthorized moves; all are to lie low!" "Understood." The man acknowledged the order and departed.

Above the beach, the Mingshan Sect group's soul lotus lanterns had been retrieved. This indicated that Shi Chun's group had landed safely. Duan Xiangmei wanted to cheer with joy. However, she glanced left and right and was startled again, finding that Xiang Lan'er and Feng Chi, who had been standing on the slope with her, had mysteriously disappeared again.

Little did she know, the two women had received another meeting signal and had reappeared at their usual meeting spot with the man in green, behind the large rock. Although it was late at night, the grim expression on the man in green's face made the two women feel that something was wrong.

Xiang Lan'er asked, "Has something happened?" The man in green said grimly, "Mu Lanjin has brought people to Qi Yun Valley. They're here for Shi Chun's group." "Mu Lanjin?" Xiang Lan'er was startled. When people of the demonic path heard that name, their hearts couldn't help but tremble. To the demonic path, Mu Lanjin might seem more like a demon, even far more terrifying than a demon, with countless demonic cultivators having met a tragic end at his hands.

Feng Chi asked with a mix of surprise and suspicion, "Is this still about him injuring her daughter at the Heavenly Meteor Shower Convention?" The man in green, his face tense, replied, "The message we received from above is clear: Mu Lanjin wants to find Shi Chun to investigate clues related to demonic cultivation." "What?"

Although Mu Lanjin's appearance had already made them subtly suspicious, the two women still couldn't help but exclaim in shock after confirmation. What demonic cultivation clues could Shi Chun possibly have? The greatest possibility was that they themselves were the clues. After recovering from their panic, Feng Chi said gravely, "Do we need to move? What about Shi Chun?" The man in green said, "Forget about Shi Chun for now. Given how Mu Lanjin operates, do you think you could still escape if Shi Chun exposed you? I've met with you repeatedly; I'm afraid the Xuanji Guards have already been tracking me."

At his words, the two women immediately looked around in alarm and suspicion. They felt as if eyes were watching them from every shadow. "The higher-ups told me to relay this to you: should anything change, they do not wish for us to fall alive into Mu Lanjin's hands. They hope you are mentally prepared."

The two women fell silent, a hint of sorrow even appearing on their faces. They naturally knew what the man in green's words implied. Feng Chi, still somewhat unwilling, suddenly clenched her fists and said, "Why? How did we get exposed when everything was going so well?"

The man in green could not answer that question.

At the temporary lodging of the Jihuo Sect, seeing Shi Chun's group, Gu Lianni, and others emerge, Yin Tianlu also came out. As a team leader, he naturally had a report to make to the Sect Master and other high-ranking officials after emerging.

After hearing the report about the woman accompanying Shi Chun, Sect Master Su Qiao asked, surprised and suspicious, "She's a fire spirit who has cultivated into human form? Are you sure?" Not only him, but all the high-ranking officials of the Jihuo Sect were astonished. An elder also said, "It's already difficult for an illusory fire to take shape, but to cultivate into a human requires immense luck. Are you sure?"

Yin Tianlu hastily said, "This disciple isn't certain, which is why I haven't spread the word. But Black Tiger said this before he died: he claimed he sensed that this woman might be a transformed fire spirit."

The high-ranking officials exchanged glances, and someone hesitated, asking, "Black Tiger's sense in this regard is extremely keen. Could he be wrong?" Just then, a voice from outside reported, "Reporting!" After the reporter received permission to enter, he bowed and cupped his hands, saying, "Reporting to the Sect Master, a disciple from the Artifact-Refining Grand Competition registration office has sent news that Mingshan Sect Master Tong Mingshan has signed up to participate."