PCJ – Chapter 545 Malice

“You’ve got a nice boat. My friends here want to enjoy the reservoir view for a bit. Once we’re done, I’ll return it to you,” said Zhang Jiaohua.

“That’s not going to work. This boat is a treasure of our Xiyun Sect—it absolutely cannot be lent out,” the man shook his head repeatedly.

“By the way, I forgot to ask your name?” Zhang Jiaohua asked again.

“My name is Hua Shaobo. And you? What’s your esteemed name, and which sect are you from?”

“I’m Zhang Jiaohua, from the Meishan Navy sect,” Zhang replied, mixing truth and falsehood, making it difficult for Hua Shaobo to tell whether he was being honest or not.

“Is that mountain over there also under your Xiyun Sect’s territory?” Zhang asked.

“Don’t underestimate this place. Although we’re called the Xiyun Sect, Xiyun isn’t exclusively ours. There are several other sects around here too. It’s just that we, the Xiyun Sect, are easier to talk to. If you encounter the others, they’d probably chase you off the moment they see you,” Hua Shaobo glanced in the direction Zhang had pointed.

At first, Zhang thought the formation he encountered in the mountains earlier, as well as that area he just saw, all belonged to the Xiyun Sect. He didn’t expect this seemingly peaceful place to be hiding so many powerful factions.

It was rare to even see a single cultivator on normal days, and now during a casual autumn trip, he had stumbled into such a mystical place. Zhang found it hard to believe. Cultivators aren’t exactly kind or humble—they look down on others and don’t tolerate intrusion. “How can others snore beside one’s bed?”

Noticing Zhang’s skepticism, Hua Shaobo smiled and said, “You don’t believe me, do you? Honestly, in this Age of the Decline of Dharma, we cultivators are having a really rough time. Spiritual energy is getting more and more diluted, resources are increasingly scarce, and our lives are like that of a poor farmer—getting worse every year. At this rate, the Xiyun secret realm won’t even last a few more years. Then we’ll have no skills, no cultivation success, and no funds. We’ll all have to go get jobs to survive.”

“How many cultivators does your Xiyun Sect still have?” Zhang asked, looking somewhat conflicted.

“Those with poor talent were sent away years ago. They’re doing okay out in the mundane world. The Xiyun Sect used to be a major sect near the capital, with thousands, even tens of thousands of disciples. Now, real cultivators are few and far between. Including amateurs like me, we’re extremely limited in number. The other sects aren’t doing much better. We used to fight tooth and nail over the Xiyun secret realm. Now, no one even wants to bother. Whether we get it or not, it’ll only last a few more years. What’s the point of barely hanging on? In a few days, I’m planning to enter secular life too. Since I can’t attain immortality, I’ll just go chase wealth for this lifetime.” Hua Shaobo sighed.

Zhang found Hua Shaobo very odd. They had just met, yet he was spilling all this insider information. With his level of cultivation, Hua Shaobo couldn’t possibly tell how strong Zhang was—so why reveal so much?

“Why are you telling me all this?” Zhang asked, puzzled.

“Fellow Daoist Zhang, even though you used some spell to hide your aura, you saw me walk out of the reservoir and weren’t the least surprised. Even if I were dumb, I’d know you’re one of us,” Hua Shaobo said proudly. He clearly loved to show off his knowledge.

Zhang scratched his head—he had indeed overlooked that point. “So did you come just to tell me all this?”

Hua Shaobo shook his head. “Of course not. Originally, I came to scare you guys off. But since you’re one of us, my approach had to change.”

“What are you planning to do?” Zhang smiled.

“Well, since we’re both cultivators, enjoy your time here as long as you want. This secret realm won’t last anyway. You’re young and already this powerful—your sect must be formidable. I may be naive, but I’m not dumb enough to make enemies with a potential giant.” Hua Shaobo smiled, then struck a flashy Daoist technique, walking lightly over the water. From a distance, he shouted, “Fellow Daoist Zhang, wait a moment—I’ll send a small gift.”

True to his word, Hua Shaobo soon returned with a generous gift.

Just as Zhang saw him off, he noticed the mist around the camp was thickening, starting to engulf the tents.

“Not good! How dare they!” Zhang shouted angrily, rushing toward the tents.

With a flick of his hand, he released Leopard, Fat Cat, and Fat Monkey.

“You three, go find the one causing this trouble!” With his command, the three beasts dashed out, scrambling to be first.

Zhang quickly arranged protective talismans around the tents. Once he activated the basic formation, the surrounding mist began to slowly dissipate.

None of the students, including Chen Haibo, noticed anything. Without Zhang’s intervention, this trip could have ended in disaster—they would have either been scared off by Hua Shaobo or trapped and lost in the fog.

Xu Xiaoting was deep in sleep, unaware of the danger. Chen Chen also slept soundly—everyone was exhausted from the day’s wild fun.

“How dare you sabotage our Black Mountain Sect’s plans!” a sinister voice echoed from the forest.

Just then, Hua Shaobo appeared. “You clueless fool from the Luoxian Sect—stop right now! Any later, and you’ll regret it!”

He clearly knew the man from the Luoxian Sect and didn’t hold back.

“We Luoxian cultivators aren’t afraid of trouble. Unlike your Xiyun Sect, which once helped us rise. This time, it’s our turn again.” The newcomer was a young man about the same age as Hua Shaobo.

“Luo Chunyang, you’ll regret this!” Hua Shaobo snapped.

“Regret? What I regret is not swallowing your Xiyun Sect whole back then. Now, we finally find a fellow cultivator who doesn’t seem to have much backing. If we don’t seize his destiny now, in a few years, our sect may fall apart.” Luo Chunyang stared at Zhang like he was a priceless treasure.

“Fellow Daoist Zhang, I can’t help you this time. This guy is ruthless—be very careful,” warned Hua Shaobo.

Zhang wasn’t worried. He had already hijacked the enemy’s formation and turned it into his own. If the Luoxian Sect attacked, Zhang only needed to activate the array. Unless they had someone stronger than him, they wouldn’t win.

“Thanks for the warning.” Zhang cupped his hands in gratitude.

“Fellow Daoist Zhang, here’s a small token from the Xiyun Sect.” Hua Shaobo left a package and departed.

Then, a group of black-clad men quickly surrounded the area, moving with eerie silence.

Zhang formed a hand seal and threw it into the array. The tents shook briefly and vanished.

The Luoxian men looked around, dumbfounded, as if they had stepped into another world.

Luo Chunyang realized something was wrong the moment he entered. “Crap, it’s a formation! We’ve been tricked!”

But it was too late. Inside the formation, how could they escape?

The black-clad men, confused and disoriented, began attacking each other. They saw enemies everywhere, not realizing they were striking their own comrades. Within moments, they were all wounded—any longer, and lives would be lost.

Zhang wasn’t concerned—these weren’t good people. If he couldn’t stop them, he and his friends would be the ones to suffer.

“Who dares cause trouble at my Luoxian Sect’s doorstep?” An aged voice thundered from the forest, shaking the plants and trees. Leaves fluttered down, carpeting the ground.

It was Luo Tianfeng, the Luoxian Sect’s leader. Immensely powerful, he arrived in a blaze of energy, launching his strongest attack—a massive glowing sphere of spiritual energy, which he hurled at Zhang’s formation.

BOOM!

The simple formation Zhang had set up trembled violently under the powerful blast, nearly collapsing.

“Heh, old geezer, your skills are pathetic. That was like a tickle—completely useless,” Zhang suddenly leaped out of the formation.

The ones who suffered most were Luo Chunyang and his lackeys—they were blasted off their feet, their fates uncertain.

“You’re courting death!” Luo Tianfeng charged at Zhang, assuming he only dared resist thanks to the formation.

But before he got close, three figures leapt in front of Zhang.

Leopard, Fat Monkey, and Fat Cat intercepted Luo Tianfeng’s fierce strike.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three loud explosions—Leopard struck and dodged, Fat Cat let out a piercing yowl that stunned Luo Tianfeng, then slashed a bloody line across him. Fat Monkey clashed head-on, rolling on the ground with blood at the corner of his mouth.

Luo Tianfeng fared even worse—badly wounded by Leopard and Fat Cat’s blows, he coughed up blood, clearly gravely injured.