After receiving the mark, Jiang Zuo planned to leave. He felt a sense of discord here, a rejection from the Array itself.

Simply put, he wasn’t welcome. Jiang Zuo had no intention of digging deeper. If he wanted to stay, the Array couldn’t drive him away; likewise, if he wanted to leave, this Array couldn’t trap him.

To avoid being detected, Jiang Zuo didn’t linger and left the jewelry store immediately.

As he walked out, the small shop vanished behind him.

The original jewelry store had become an ordinary sweet shop.

Jiang Zuo wasn’t surprised. After putting away the Array Stone, he resumed his search for the Ghost Cultivators. His intuition told him the mark he’d obtained in that shop would prove to be very interesting.

He had learned the locations of the Ghost Cultivators—especially the nearby ones—when he had connected to the Grand Array moments ago.

As long as they hadn’t left, Jiang Zuo could find them without even needing his coin.

Jiang Zuo then came to an alley. A handsome man and a beautiful woman were embracing, so lost in passion that they were locked in a deep kiss on the street corner in broad daylight.

Most people would naturally look away upon seeing them.

But Jiang Zuo watched with great interest. "Ghost Cultivators are certainly open-minded," he remarked. "As long as it’s someone of the opposite sex, it doesn’t matter if they’re strangers. They can still kiss so passionately."

The pair stopped. The man scowled at Jiang Zuo, seemingly annoyed at being interrupted.

The woman, however, retorted, "Could you please not spout nonsense? We’re a real couple, not like those other shameless ones."

As soon as she spoke, the man put a hand to his forehead. "Now I see how your ex-boyfriends died."

’They were probably driven to death by her stupidity. How could she just admit to being a Ghost Cultivator right now?’

’How has an idiot like you survived this long?’

The man didn’t hesitate for a second, however. He immediately grabbed the woman and tried to flee.

The woman asked in surprise, "Why are we running? He’s just an ordinary person."

"Use that thick skull of yours! If he were really an ordinary person, how could he have spotted that we’re Ghost Cultivators at a glance? Would an ordinary person be reckless enough to come over and taunt Ghost Cultivators?"

What he said made a lot of sense, and the woman was very impressed with him.

Jiang Zuo was also surprised. ’Sure enough, Ghost Cultivators are different from Blood Demons. They won’t even waste their breath talking to me.’

’Good thing their Cultivation isn’t high, probably upper Tier Two. They must just be cannon fodder.’

Jiang Zuo took out the Array Stone. An Array Map appeared and instantly enveloped the alley.

The Ghost Cultivators then discovered that no matter which way they ran, they couldn’t escape the alley.

"A Trapping Array?" The man stopped.

They weren’t proficient with Arrays. It would take them some time to break through by force.

Thus, he had to stop; running around randomly was just a waste of Spiritual Qi.

The man then looked at Jiang Zuo, not daring to make a rash move. He couldn’t see through this person, and he couldn’t escape. It was an awful feeling.

Jiang Zuo looked at him and said, "I just want to ask a few questions. No need to struggle."

"Go on, ask," the male Ghost Cultivator said, his face grim.

He read two possible meanings in the man’s words: one, they could leave after they answered; two, they wouldn’t need to be alive after they answered.

"What is the Ghost Cultivators’ purpose for coming here?"

"The ritual."

"Be more specific."

The male Ghost Cultivator thought for a moment before saying, "I heard there’s a fishing part of the ritual where catching a fish can increase one’s Cultivation. We Ghost Cultivators have a grandmaster of Arrays who plans to invade the Holy Land Array and tamper with the fishing.

"The plan is to make it so that anyone who catches a fish not only gets a boost to their Cultivation but also receives our Ghost Cultivation Mark.

"This mark can convert people without them ever realizing it. The Holy Land Priest has drawn disciples from every sect and school, including many talented ones. Our goal is a grand one."

This Ghost Cultivator truly believed their goal was a grand one.

’It’s a plan so powerful it’s hard to even imagine. The whole world will be full of Ghost Cultivators, creating the strongest Ghost Cultivator collective in history!’

Jiang Zuo had to admire the person who came up with this plan. They certainly dared to dream big and act on it.

Then Jiang Zuo spoke slowly, "And this is something a mere Tier Two Cultivator like you would know?"

’Even Blood Demons know to keep secrets from their underlings, so why wouldn’t Ghost Cultivators?’

’This guy knows far too much detail. Still, the plan itself is certainly audacious, and it has a high chance of success.’

The male Ghost Cultivator said immediately, "I overheard it. If you don’t believe me, I have no way to prove it."

Jiang Zuo nodded, then pulled out his phone and pointed it at them. "Do it again."

The Ghost Cultivators: "..."

’What’s he doing? Recording this? Is he trying to threaten me?’

Jiang Zuo said casually, "Don’t worry, I’ll blur your faces."

The female Ghost Cultivator asked, "Will you let us go after we’re done?"

"If I weren’t planning to let you go, I wouldn’t need to blur your faces," Jiang Zuo replied.

"Okay, I’ll talk." The female Ghost Cultivator was very cooperative.

The male Ghost Cultivator frowned, glanced at the surrounding Array, and then sighed. Even if he could break the Array, it would surely attract attention, and then he would be as good as dead.

’The people from the Holy Land have probably arrived by now.’

’It seems I have no other choice.’

The female Ghost Cultivator wiped her slightly smudged lipstick and waved at the camera. "Hello everyone! I’m the Ghost Cultivator Mei Wu, and this is my boyfriend, Ghost Cultivator Ying Liu. Here’s what happened..."

Hearing the self-introduction from the Ghost Cultivator Mei Wu, Jiang Zuo couldn’t help but think of the Blood Demon, Blood Soil. ’Why do these people always feel the need to introduce themselves?’

The Ghost Cultivator Ying Liu’s face grew even darker. ’If this woman wants to die, why does she have to drag me down with her? Is this really the time to be giving out our names?’

’Does she have a brain at all?’

After the video was recorded, the Ghost Cultivator Ying Liu looked at Jiang Zuo, about to speak.

Jiang Zuo put his phone away and said, "Don’t worry. Faces blurred, audio distorted, voice changed. I guarantee you won’t be identified."

The Ghost Cultivator Ying Liu: "..."

’He seems awfully proficient at this. Does he do this kind of thing often?’

Jiang Zuo then withdrew the Array. He didn’t plan on killing these two—he couldn’t.

Even if he used all his trump cards, it wouldn’t be a guaranteed kill. The Ghost Cultivator Ying Liu, in particular, was constantly scanning his surroundings. If anything went wrong, he’d likely fight like a cornered animal.

After taking down the Array, Jiang Zuo said, "You can go."

The Ghost Cultivator Ying Liu watched Jiang Zuo warily as he led the Ghost Cultivator Mei Wu backward, and the two of them vanished before his eyes.

’What a cautious Ghost Cultivator. But will he report this when he gets back?’

’Smart people really are a pain. So annoying.’

Jiang Zuo didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he opened the group chat and sent the video.

He attached a message: Authenticity unverified. Figure it out yourselves.

Fairy Mo Yan: "Boss, you’re repeating your moves. How about some innovation next time?"

Liuyue Xue: "Fellow Daoist Po Xiao, we can beat up Mo Yan for you. By the way, will you be able to tell if the Array has been invaded when the time comes?"

Po Xiao: "I just had some contact with the Holy Land Array. This Array isn’t easily invaded. If the enemy could silently invade and alter the Array in a short period of time, they wouldn’t need to resort to covert means."

Fairy Mo Yan: "What does that mean?"

Blade Master Hai Bian: "Fellow Daoist, are you saying their strength is insufficient for a silent invasion? Does that mean there’s no problem?"

Po Xiao: "Not necessarily. If I were them and couldn’t invade silently, I’d opt for a forced invasion. They could use the split second of the breach to plant Ghost Cultivation Mark seeds.

"They wouldn’t get everyone, but with good timing, they could get most people."