PCJ – Chapter 732 The True Intention

“Detected an area of spiritual energy field disorder!” Nie Tong shouted excitedly.

Everyone immediately gathered around, and Zhang Jiaohua also paid close attention.

“Luckily, it’s our spiritual energy detector—only it could pick up this kind of anomaly. In the future, when we explore secret realms, it’ll be spot on. Ordinary electronic equipment could never detect such places,” Nie Tong said.

“Scan it again carefully. See if there’s anything else besides this place,” Zhang Jiaohua instructed.

“Mute, let’s deploy a few more detectors. That should improve accuracy,” Nie Tong suggested.

Mute shook his head. “It might help a little, but honestly, if it can be detected, we’ve already found it. If it can’t be, adding more detectors won’t raise precision. But I do think we can expand the scanning range.”

Meanwhile, Di Changsheng, Zhu Yingchun, Zhang Lingxiong, and dozens of cultivators were still trudging through the desert. Their luck wasn’t great—they had already encountered several quicksand pits. Ordinary people would have been swallowed, but for cultivators, quicksand was no insurmountable threat.

“Cultivator Di, where exactly are we going?” Wei Chenguang asked.

“You’ll know when we arrive,” Di Changsheng replied.

“You bring us here, yet won’t tell us what for?” Wei Chenguang was displeased with such an evasive answer.

“Sorry, I can’t answer that either. But rest assured—our Shu Mountain Sect, as one of the three sacred lands, will never force you,” Di Changsheng said.

“You’ll have to tell us sooner or later. Why drag it out?” Kong Jiyuan asked.

Zhu Yingchun sneered. “When you were invited, we already said—come if you wish, we won’t force anyone. But now that you’re here, you must follow Shu Mountain’s arrangements. Otherwise, you’re free to leave at any time.”

Zhang Lingxiong’s expression hardened. “If any fellow Daoists refuse to follow our arrangements, then please return the way you came. If you won’t leave, then don’t stir up trouble. Otherwise, Shu Mountain is not something you can afford to provoke.”

He fixed his sharp gaze on Wei Chenguang.

Wei remained calm. “I only came out of interest in the Immortal Realm teleportation array. But if you’re using this as a cover for some other scheme, we absolutely won’t agree to it.”

“Friend Wei, I understand your feelings. But your words and actions are causing unease. Please understand—this matter is of utmost importance. I cannot disclose anything now, but once we arrive, someone will naturally explain.” Di Changsheng had long since filed a report on each of these people.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiaohua’s side made another discovery. After Mute rescanned the Taklamakan Desert, nothing new appeared. Suddenly, Zhang Jiaohua realized—only Shu Mountain had brought people here. Kunlun and Buzhou Mountain couldn’t possibly be idle.

He immediately had Nie Tong and Mute monitor cultivator movements worldwide. Soon, they found dozens of similar groups. Each was about the same size as the one in the desert.

“These dozens of teams must have the same goal,” Zhang Jiaohua said, displaying their positions on a map. When connected, they formed what looked like a formation.

“Could it be—the three sacred lands want all cultivators to work together to open the teleportation array?” Kong Fangzhou guessed.

Zhang Jiaohua nodded. “It’s possible. I suspect the array hasn’t been opened all these years because activating it requires massive manpower and resources. And the process itself could be risky—perhaps consuming enormous spiritual energy. In this age of spiritual scarcity, such a drain could cause cultivators to burn out and perish. The three sacred lands spread the Immortal Realm news to draw everyone in, to use them as stepping stones to open the array.”

“Should we call Zhang Yuanbao’s group back?” Nie Tong asked quickly.

“Yes, send word to have them return. Since we’ve basically figured out the three sacred lands’ intention, why risk our own people?” Zhang Jiaohua said.

Mute and Nie Tong immediately sent the recall message to Yuanbao’s group.

Wei Chenguang glanced at what seemed like an ordinary watch on his wrist, then frowned. The situation wasn’t yet clear, but now they had to leave.

He gathered his companions. “The Sect Master ordered us to withdraw. Seems he has already uncovered the truth.”

“Then why not let us confirm it ourselves?” Zhang Yuanbao asked.

“Probably because the Sect Master thinks it’s not worth the risk,” Kong Jiyuan replied.

“So, what do you all think? If you insist on staying, I won’t oppose it. A general in the field need not always obey orders to the letter. We don’t have to follow Jiaohua’s word exactly,” Wei Chenguang said.

Zhang Yuanbao shook his head. “If Jiaohua told us to return, it means he has a way to deal with it. If we insist on staying, we’ll only make things harder.”

“Cultivator Di!” Zhang Yuanbao suddenly raised his right hand and called out.

“What is it?” Di Changsheng asked.

“Do your earlier words still hold true?” Zhang Yuanbao asked.

“What words?” Di felt a sudden unease.

“That we’re free to leave anytime.” Yuanbao smiled faintly, his eyes locked on Di.

Di nodded stiffly. “Of course.”

“After walking back and forth in this desert, I’m honestly tired. I’m going to head back. Anyway, there’s no place for someone like me in the Immortal Realm,” Yuanbao said.

Di almost wanted to detain him. At a time like this, Yuanbao taking the lead in quitting could easily unravel the entire group of rogue cultivators. They had been walking for a long time already.

As more and more scattered-cultivator teams reached their destinations, Zhang Jiaohua knew the final moment was approaching.

Soon after, Wei Chenguang, Kong Jiyuan, and Yuanbao’s party returned.

“Jiaohua, I finally got a chance to go on a mission, and you call me back so soon?” Yuanbao complained.

“Don’t worry—you’ll know the reason very soon,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.