142: Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell and the Deception Strategy

The plan was proceeding tensely and orderly.

Senior Brother Zhang and Zhao Iron Pillar relied on the star core's jump to arrive silently at a desolate valley a hundred miles away called "Ghost Howl Ravine."

The terrain here was treacherous, with howling Yin Qi winds year-round and craggy rocks, making it the perfect place to fake an "evil entity stronghold."

The two did not dare to delay and immediately began setting up according to Wen Youyi's instructions.

Senior Brother Zhang took out the specially made "Illusion Energy Stones" capable of simulating chaotic energy fluctuations, as well as several low-level Magical Artifact fragments that had been deliberately aged and stained with a faint, evil aura, scattering them at the bottom of the ravine.

Zhao Iron Pillar used his brute strength to hack marks into several rock walls that looked like they were left from a fierce battle, and he buried a few one-time-use explosive Talismans, disguising them as traps set during a hasty retreat.

The entire process was fast and covert, without using any spiritual power that might expose their identities, relying entirely on physical setup and pre-processed Materials.

Meanwhile, Ying, through her understanding of the "spirit net" nodes, simulated an energy signature similar to "the accidental convergence of earthly Yin Qi breeding low-level filth," like a drop of ink in clear water, silently "polluting" the energy background of the Ghost Howl Ravine area.

After finishing all this, Senior Brother Zhang and Zhao Iron Pillar immediately withdrew and returned to the Shelter.

The entire setup of the "fake stronghold," from start to finish, took no more than an hour.

Shortly after they returned, the "Purifiers" responsible for guarding issued a warning—several auras belonging to Qingxuan Sect deacons had appeared in the area near Ghost Howl Ravine!

They had indeed been attracted by the simulated anomalous energy!

Inside the Shelter, everyone held their breath and focused intently, closely monitoring the movements at Ghost Howl Ravine through the faint external perception established by Wen Youyi using the star core and the "star chain."

They saw the few Qingxuan Sect deacons cautiously approach Ghost Howl Ravine and quickly "discover" the "anomalies" at the bottom of the ravine.

"There is residual evil Qi! And signs of a battle!"

"Look at these Magical Artifact fragments... they look like some kind of sinister thing!"

"The energy fluctuations are very chaotic, and the residue isn't strong. It looks like a low-level filth that had just formed and was startled away by us!"

"Hmph, lucky for it that it ran fast! Record it, report it to the Discipline Hall, and list this place as a Grade C monitoring zone."

The few deacons investigated the bottom of the ravine and concluded that "low-level evil entities had bred here but were startled and fled."

They triggered the explosive Talismans buried by Zhao Iron Pillar, causing a few small explosions, which further confirmed the illusion of a "hasty escape."

Afterward, these individuals left Ghost Howl Ravine with their "findings" and did not conduct a deeper search.

Inside the Shelter, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

"It worked! They believed it!" Zhao Iron Pillar slapped his thigh excitedly.

Senior Brother Zhang also wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "It's fortunate that Youyi predicted this so accurately and arranged it in advance. If we had panicked, we might have really been tracked down by them."

Wen Youyi, however, did not fully relax: "Do not be careless. This is only the first wave of probing. The Discipline Hall, especially Elder Xuan Shi, is not so easy to fool. They might temporarily target Ghost Howl Ravine, but they will never completely give up monitoring the southwest region."

Sure enough, in the following days, although a large-scale search did not come, the energy environment around the Shelter became much "cleaner"—those naturally existing, faint energy turbulence and rule fragments seemed to have been quietly smoothed out by an invisible force.

This was a more covert monitoring method, attempting to make any "abnormality" have nowhere to hide against a smooth background.

At the same time, through the "Star Language" network, Wen Youyi learned that the Qingxuan Sect had strengthened its control over the speech of Sect Disciples and the surrounding areas, and those previous rumors about the "spirit net" and "Ascension" had been forcefully suppressed.

Clearly, the higher-ups hoped to keep the situation under control and avoid causing greater panic and turmoil.

The enemy's response was calm and seasoned.

"We are safe for the time being, but we are also being watched more closely." Wen Youyi analyzed the situation, "The mining point for our 'operation poaching' is lost, so we have one less energy source. The 'dandelion' plan also needs to be more careful; the other side must have strengthened monitoring of Divine Sense fluctuations."

"Then what do we do in the future?" Zhao Iron Pillar asked.

"Lay low and continue to accumulate strength." Wen Youyi's gaze was firm, "The mining point is lost, so we will rely more on the 'star chain' and internal accumulation. The other side is watching closely, so we will more carefully sow 'star dust.' They want to trap us to death, but we insist on blooming in this desperate situation!"

He looked at the star core stably operating on the altar and the slowly expanding Shelter space.

"Moreover, through this incident, we have a deeper understanding of the enemy's style of operation. Next time, we will be even better prepared."

The golden cicada had shed its shell, but the crisis had not gone away.

The confrontation between the Shelter and that invisible giant net from the outside world had entered a more subtle and dangerous phase.

(End of Chapter)