I asked you to go down the mountain and get married, not to shock the world!

Mingchuan shook his head.

Forget it, now is not the time to think about this.

There are still many troubles ahead.

He suppressed these romantic thoughts and refocused his attention on the pressing reality.

The master of Longyin Temple is about to emerge from seclusion; this is a huge variable.

The leader of a sect, especially the controller of a top power in the Holy Domain, is far superior to Yue Yao in terms of cultivation, temperament, and skills.

His attitude towards Yueyao after emerging from seclusion, the impact on the overall situation of the Holy Domain, and even his strategy towards the Spirit Domain are all fraught with uncertainty.

“We can’t keep passively investigating and defending like this.” Mingchuan walked to the Observatory and unconsciously ran his fingers across the cold sky. “We must take the initiative and at least find out what that old guy is planning to do after he comes out of seclusion.”

He retrieved all known information about Yue Wuyai, the master of Longyin Temple.

Information is scarce and mostly vague. All that is known is that he has been in seclusion for over two hundred years and his cultivation is unfathomable. It is rumored that he had already reached the threshold of the mid-stage of the Integration Realm before he went into seclusion.

His personality... opinions from the outside world are polarized. Some say he is dignified and fair, the pillar of the Dragon Roar Temple; others say he is extremely cunning and unpredictable, and many of Yueyao's actions bear his shadow.

“Mid-stage Integration Realm…” Mingchuan pondered.

Breakthroughs at this level are often accompanied by enormous risks and uncertainties.

Regardless of success or failure, Yue Wuyai's mindset, state of mind, and even his understanding of power may undergo tremendous changes after emerging from seclusion.

Just then, an inconspicuous sub-mirror node on the edge of the Observation Mirror platform emitted an extremely weak and intermittent spatial fluctuation signal.

It's a positioning artifact carried by Zhao Hu and his group!

The signal was extremely unstable, clearly strongly interfered with by the chaotic energy field of the fallen planet's wasteland. The information it transmitted was also extremely vague, consisting of only a few intermittent coordinates and a fragmented warning:

"...Confirmed...Abnormal energy gathering deep within the wasteland...Similar to clone fluctuations...Large scale...Suspected to be...Underground...Cautious...Investigate..."

The signal abruptly stopped there, and no matter how Mingchuan tried to enhance the reception or send inquiries, there was no further response.

Mingchuan's heart leaped into his throat.

"Suspected underground. Large-scale?" These keywords instantly conjured up many unpleasant possibilities in his mind.

An underground base? An experimental field? Or even... some kind of massive array or summoning ritual?

"Jinman!" Mingchuan immediately sent a message.

A moment later, Jin Man reappeared on the platform, her face now calm and composed as usual, as if her brief display of emotion had never happened.

"Zhao Hu and his team sent back a signal, but it was severely interfered with. They only confirmed that there was a large-scale abnormal energy accumulation deep in the wasteland, and the source of the fluctuations, similar to a divine sense clone, was probably underground."

Mingchuan quickly said, "The signal is lost, the situation is unclear."

Jin Man's expression turned serious. He walked to the Observatory and carefully observed the coordinates where the intermittent signal had last disappeared. His fingers quickly traced in the air, as if he were recalling or calculating something.

“This area…” she frowned. “According to the ancient “Starfall Earth Vein Map” fragment of Longyin Temple, at the core of the Fallen Star Wasteland, there is a legendary earth hole that was pierced by a meteorite in ancient times, leading directly to the depths of the earth veins. It contains strange magnetic fields and chaotic star power, and the environment is extremely harsh. However, it may also give birth to something that defies common sense, or become an excellent place for certain special formations and rituals.”

“The Earth Aperture…” Mingchuan’s eyes sharpened. “If Yueyao wants to conduct large-scale, high-risk fusion experiments, or set up some kind of evil array that requires drawing on the earth’s veins and star power, that place is indeed one of the most ideal locations.”

"We must reinforce Zhao Hu and the others immediately!" Jin Man said urgently. "If that place really is Yueyao's core stronghold in the Spirit Realm, the five of them are in grave danger!"

Mingchuan shook his head, forcing himself to analyze the situation calmly: "We can't act rashly. First, the reason for the signal interruption is unknown; it could be natural interference, or it could be a deliberate interception or a trap. Second, if that's truly an important stronghold, the defenses will be formidable. Sending too few people would be suicide, while sending too many could alert them and even trigger a direct conflict. On their home turf, we might not have the upper hand."

"What should we do then? Are we just going to abandon Zhao Hu and the others?" A hint of anxiety flashed in Jin Man's eyes.

“Of course we need to manage it, but we have to do it differently.” Mingchuan’s eyes gleamed with a silver light, and a bold plan gradually took shape. “Doesn’t Yueyao like to hide in the shadows and weave a big net? Then let’s do something like this to her… stir up the grass to alert the snake, lure it out of its hole, and follow the clues to find the melon!”

"what do you mean?"

“Zhao Hu and his team’s reconnaissance may have alerted the other side, at least letting them know that this stronghold is at risk of being exposed.” Ming Chuan’s thoughts became clearer and clearer. “The other side has two options: one is to strengthen their defenses, and may even move or destroy evidence; the other is… to take the initiative to eliminate the threat, or to play along and set a trap for us to take the bait.”

"What we need to do is make them believe that we have obtained key information and are about to take large-scale action, forcing them to take action! As soon as they move, whether it is adjusting their defenses, mobilizing personnel, or setting up traps, they will inevitably leave more traces, and may even expose their communication channels with other strongholds and the Sanctuary headquarters!"

Jin Man's eyes lit up: "Ambush the enemy's reinforcements? Or... lure them away from their base?"

“Either is fine.” Mingchuan nodded. “But the premise is that we need to convince the other party that we have the capability and the intention.”

He quickly made arrangements:

"First, immediately announce, in the name of the five major sects, that a large-scale joint defense exercise will be held on the western border, in an area near the Fallen Star Wasteland. Mobilize some elite troops and make a public deployment, making it appear as if they may enter the wasteland to search at any time. The show should be grand, but the actions can be slow, giving the other side time to react."

"Secondly, we will secretly leak the intelligence that we intercepted the divine thought clone and deciphered some of the information pointing to the Fallen Star Wasteland through reliable channels. It doesn't have to be completely true; it can be half true and half false, making the other side suspicious and uneasy."

"Third, activate all our covert agents in the Holy Domain to closely monitor the Dragon Roar Temple, especially the movements of Yueyao and her confidants. At the same time, strengthen surveillance within the Spirit Domain, especially the various sects, markets, and routes to the Western Regions, and pay attention to any unusual movement of people or goods."

“Fourth, and most importantly,” Mingchuan looked at Jinman, “I need you to immediately begin researching how to use your understanding of the Dragon Roar Temple’s techniques and formations, combined with the characteristics of the divine sense clones analyzed by Qingmianhu and the others, to create a decoy that can disguise or simulate similar fluctuations, or a directional detector that can trace the source of the fluctuations in reverse. This is crucial for our next move.”