394: Chapter 394 Spiritual Energy Fluctuation, Chen Wuwang Senses Danger

The moment the oil lamp went out, Chen Wuwang's Mechanical Prosthetic Eye suddenly constricted.

He sat in the main seat of the study, his fingers still resting on the edge of the table, tapping twice unconsciously—three short and one long, a habit left over from his coding days.

But this time, he stopped on the third tap.

Three hundred zhang underground, the flow of the Spiritual Vein's main stem had changed.

It wasn't an earthquake, nor was it the violent fluctuation of a mine collapse; instead, it was as if someone had taken a needle and gently poked twelve holes in a stable riverbed.

Small, yet radial, all aimed at the periphery of the Main Peak.

The frequency of the energy backflow was extremely low; had it not been for his prosthetic eye's ability to capture nano-scale spiritual particle shifts, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.

"Interesting," he whispered, his voice low, as if talking to himself or questioning the air. "Who is so bold as to dare touch my Chen family's ley lines?"

Before his voice fell, the door was burst open.

Ling Zhenzi practically rolled in, the hem of his Daoist robe torn, clutching a cracked crystal tightly in his hand. His forehead was covered in sweat, and he was panting as if he had run a hundred miles of mountain roads.

"Family Head!" His voice cracked. "The Eastern Desolate border... seven outposts... their Signal Towers were blown up simultaneously!"

Chen Wuwang didn't move, only lifting his eyelids slightly: "Get to the point."

"They weren't blown up!" Ling Zhenzi slammed the crystal onto the table.

"Someone used a Spiritual Energy Amplifier to reverse-inject energy, forcibly burning out the cores!"

"The technique was clean and efficient, leaving not a single trace; it was clearly done by an expert! And..."

He paused, gritting his teeth. "The activation time of the amplifiers is perfectly synchronized with the ley line fluctuations you just discovered!"

Chen Wuwang finally stood up.

He walked to the window, his left hand pressing against the frame. A blue light flashed in his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye, and an energy map of the entire Eastern Desolate immediately appeared before him.

Mountains, rivers, mine tunnels, teleportation arrays, and defensive barriers all pulsed on a semi-transparent light screen.

His finger slid across several nodes, quickly pulling up the data streams.

"The West Desert Sand Clan's station, Spiritual Qi activity is seventeen times higher than usual."

His tone was calm. "The back mountain of Liuye Village—no one went to gather herbs last night, yet there are trampling marks in the spiritual plant area."

"The message-carrying eagles of the Nanqiu He Clan should have flown to North Valley this morning, but now they are perched motionless on top of their own ancestral hall."

Ling Zhenzi leaned in to take a look, his expression changing: "They... are hiding troops?"

"Not hiding, waiting," Chen Wuwang sneered. "Waiting for a signal. Someone painted a grand vision for them, saying that as long as they act, they can turn over and become the masters."

"Who?" Ling Zhenzi lowered his voice. "Mo Yuan?"

"The name isn't important." Chen Wuwang turned around, his right hand already gripping the Titanium Alloy Dagger at his waist. "What's important is that they think I haven't noticed.

But they forgot that I was the one who lit up the sky of this Eastern Desolate, inch by inch. Wanting to move under the cover of darkness? They should see if they even have those eyes."

After speaking, he flipped his wrist and drove the dagger directly into a rune slot on the ground.

Buzz—

The entire Main Peak suddenly shook.

A dull roar came from underground, like a giant beast awakening.

The spiritual energy lamp posts atop all the buildings lit up instantly, their light merging to form six intersecting blockade lines that pierced the sky.

The three major teleportation arrays around the Main Peak closed automatically, and the protective shields rose to maximum power;

The Formation cores of the logistics hub began to preheat, ready to cut off external access at any moment.

Ling Zhenzi stared at the jumping data on the light screen and muttered, "You're... going straight into level one combat readiness? What if we alert the enemy?"

"Alert them?" Chen Wuwang scoffed. "The snakes have long been awake; they're just feigning sleep.

Now, what I need to do isn't to defend, but to tell them—I see your every move clearly."

He walked to the virtual light screen and drew eight red circles in the air, encircling the stations of the eight subsidiary clans.

"Among these eight, three have already wavered." His tone was as cold as ice. "The West Desert Sand Clan, Liuye Village, and the Nanqiu He Clan.

The others are still watching, waiting to see which way the wind blows. As long as these three don't move, the others won't follow."

Ling Zhenzi wiped his sweat: "Should we strike first? Send people to keep an eye on them?"

"No." Chen Wuwang shook his head. "Arresting people now would only force them into a desperate situation. What we want is stability, not chaos.

Let them continue their act; the more realistic, the better. When they think victory is within their grasp..."

The corners of his mouth curled up into a trace of a crazed smile. "Then, I'll cut their throats with one stroke."

Ling Zhenzi shuddered. Even after thirty years, he still wasn't used to this kind of smile. It wasn't like a human's; it was like a madman's.

Yet it was this very madman who led the Chen family out of the ruins, drove mecha onto immortal mountains, made Formations dance with microchips, and made the Cultivation World fear an outsider who 'didn't understand the Heavenly Dao' for the first time.

"Then what do you plan to do?" he asked.

Chen Wuwang didn't answer but instead walked to the bookshelf and pulled out an old notebook.

On the cover was written 'Records of the Eastern Desolate'; he had compiled it himself the year he first transmigrated.

He flipped to a page and pointed to a small tributary vein that had been almost crossed out.

"This place was said to have dried up three years ago, but in fact, there is still residual flow. I've left it untouched, just waiting for today."

He looked up. "Go to the Nanling Outpost immediately and plant a fake defense map. Say that we've stationed heavy troops here and that the Main Peak's defenses are empty. Let them 'accidentally' see it."

Ling Zhenzi was stunned: "You want to... lure them into attacking the Main Peak?"

"Not lure." Chen Wuwang's eyes were sharp. "Invite. Since they want to seize the Spiritual Pivot Source Eye, then come. I'd like to see who gave them the guts to touch the foundation of my Chen family."

After speaking, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashed blue, pulling up the global surveillance footage.

The stations of the eight subsidiary clans were as quiet as usual, with cooking smoke rising and children playing; not a hint of abnormality could be seen.

But he knew that the undercurrents had already reached the shore.

"Family Head..." Ling Zhenzi hesitated. "What if they really come? Can we... hold out?"

Chen Wuwang laughed.

The laughter wasn't loud, but it caused the temperature in the entire study to drop several degrees.

"Hahahaha..." He laughed until his shoulders shook and bloodshot veins appeared in the corners of his eyes.

"Can't hold out? I, Chen Wuwang, have lived for over thirty years and have never seen anything I couldn't handle. Back then, when the Zerg slaughtered the village, I spent the night alone guarding the ruins;

Later, when the Righteous Path besieged me, saying that my pursuit of technology was a desecration of the Heavenly Dao, I drove my mecha to the gates of their ancestral temples—now, a few clowns dare to play tricks under my nose?"

He suddenly stopped, his gaze cold as a blade.

"Pass down the order: all hidden sentries in position, the patrol teams switch to double shifts, children go to school as usual—no classes are to be suspended. I want the outsiders to see that everything in the Chen family is normal."

Ling Zhenzi took a deep breath: "Then... I'll go reinforce the anti-intrusion System of the teleportation arrays."

"Go." Chen Wuwang nodded. "Remember, don't be too obvious. Make them think we're just doing routine checks."

Ling Zhenzi turned to leave but was called back.

"Wait." Chen Wuwang stood by the window, his back straight. "Tell the people below to add extra meat to tonight's meal. Say... the victory banquet has been moved forward."

Ling Zhenzi's footsteps paused. Without turning back, he simply replied, "Yes."

After the door closed, Chen Wuwang stood alone, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye constantly refreshing the data stream.

He looked at three of the eight red circles, slowly raised his hand, and tapped lightly in the air.

An encrypted command was sent out. Target: Three hundred zhang beneath the Main Peak, the Spiritual Nexus Backup Core.

Start the preheating procedure.

He whispered, "Want to rebel? No way."

As his voice fell, the entire spiritual energy network of the Main Peak vibrated slightly, like a giant beast grinding its teeth, quietly waiting for its prey to arrive.