Chapter 79 The Secret Treasure of the Martial Lord!
Inside the grand hall of the City Lord's residence, the lights were blazing, illuminating every corner as bright as day.
However, this brightness could not dispel the gloom and chill in the heart of the Fat Taoist kneeling in the center of the hall.
Wu De clearly realized that he was now like fish on a chopping block, unable to escape even with wings.
Any sophistry, concealment, or wishful thinking would only accelerate his death.
His instinct to seek good fortune and avoid disaster was currently screaming warnings at him: either tell the truth, or die!
He swallowed with difficulty, moistening his parched throat, and plastered a fawning smile on his face that looked even worse than crying.
With a tremor in his voice, he said, "Replying... replying to Young Master, this poor Taoist... this poor Taoist's dharma name is Wu De, a wandering rogue cultivator."
He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts, and finally let out a long sigh.
With a look of helplessness, he laid out the reasons why he wanted to snatch the blue sea pearl.
"Young Master, you may not know this, but the reason this poor Taoist was determined to obtain the blue sea pearl was not out of greed for the treasure itself, but for a monumental plan.
This poor Taoist intends to sneak into the Sword Mausoleum of the Sword Burial Mound Sect to pay a visit to the predecessors and sages of their sect."
He spoke subtly, but given the intelligence of Ye Haocheng and his two companions, they instantly understood what he meant by 'pay a visit.'
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall became somewhat strange.
The corners of Ye Haocheng's mouth twitched slightly, a trace of astonishment appeared on Jin Daoming's usually calm, ancient face, and Leng Yi, standing to the side, stared at Wu De as if looking at a madman.
Digging up the graves of the sect's predecessors?
This Fat Taoist's train of thought was truly bizarre!
The Sword Burial Mound Sect was a top-tier sacred ground for the sword arts, standing tall within the Great Yue Dynasty. The sect was filled with experts, and its foundation was unfathomably deep.
Its Sword Mausoleum was the most forbidden of all forbidden areas in the sect, where the sword masters who had rendered great meritorious service to the sect throughout the ages were buried.
Let alone grave robbing, even ordinary disciples who got close could be killed on the spot.
Yet this Fat Taoist, the moment he opened his mouth, proposed such a shocking plan.
Wu De seemed not to notice the strange expressions of the three, or perhaps he felt that since he had already opened his mouth, he might as well go all the way, and continued to explain incessantly.
"The three of you might not know, but the Sword Mausoleum of the Sword Burial Mound Sect is no ordinary graveyard.
There, the lingering lifelong sword intent of countless sword masters remains. Over the years, that sword intent has intertwined and settled, forming a natural forbidden zone of sword intent.
Let alone ordinary martial artists, even those at the Martial Emperor Realm, if they dare to trespass without special methods, would be torn into shreds by the thousands of sword intents in an instant, their souls annihilated!"
As he said this, a flash of lingering fear crossed his eyes, but it was immediately replaced by greed and fanaticism.
"But crisis often coexists with opportunity! The treasures buried in that Sword Mausoleum are all earth-shattering existences!
And the blue sea pearl is formed from the essence of water between heaven and earth; it is a natural defensive supreme treasure."
"The water-element energy it emits is extremely soft and compliant, capable of soothing those violent sword intents to the maximum extent.
As long as one holds this treasure, combined with this poor Taoist's unique 'Turtle Breath Stealth Array,' there is a great chance of sneaking into the Sword Mausoleum without alerting any experts of the Sword Burial Mound Sect, and taking away... cough, cough, I mean, borrowing the relics of the sages."
Seeing Wu De getting more and more excited, as if he could already see countless treasures beckoning to him, Ye Haocheng finally couldn't help but raise his hand, interrupting his unrealistic fantasies.
"Stop." Ye Haocheng spoke indifferently, his voice carrying a hint of scrutiny.
"Daoist Wu De, is it? I am very curious, are you really a Taoist?
'This poor Taoist,' 'pay a visit,' 'borrowing'... this set of rhetoric of yours makes you sound like an experienced veteran.
I have never heard of any high-level Taoist who is so well-versed in grave robbing and digging up tombs."
These words were like a basin of cold water, instantly extinguishing Wu De's enthusiasm.
He only then realized he had let something slip and quickly lowered his head, stammering, "Young Master, you flatter me. This poor Taoist is just quite interested in archaeology and historical ruins..."
This pale and weak excuse was something even he didn't believe.
At this moment, Leng Yi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as a blade:
"The Sword Burial Mound Sect holds a Furnace Opening Ceremony every few years, inviting cultivators from all over the world.
At that time, they open their sword furnaces, allowing those with affinity to enter and choose a sword.
As long as one can obtain the recognition of the divine weapon's sword spirit within the sword furnace, one can take it away.
Why do you not take the proper path, and instead insist on eyeing other people's ancestral graves?"
Leng Yi's question was also the doubt in the hearts of Ye Haocheng and Jin Daoming.
Ignoring such a legitimate opportunity and insisting on taking such risks—the Fat Taoist's behavior was truly baffling.
Who knew, upon hearing Leng Yi's words, Wu De actually revealed a sneer of disdain on his face.
He curled his lips and said, "Sword furnace? Hmph! What are those swords in the sword furnace worth? They are nothing more than defective products, or mundane objects forged by junior disciples."
"The real good treasures, those peerless divine weapons that have inherited the souls of ancient Sword Immortals, were long ago taken into the Sword Mausoleum by past sect masters and elders as burial objects!"
"Comparing the scrap metal in the sword furnace to the inherited supreme treasures in the Sword Mausoleum? That is simply comparing the light of a firefly to the brilliance of the moon; it's completely unworthy!"
Wu De's words actually made Ye Haocheng think a little higher of him.
Although this person was greedy and afraid of death, his vision and knowledge were extraordinary.
At this moment, Wu De seemed to see that Ye Haocheng had no intention of killing him immediately.
A sharp glint flashed through his small eyes, which were squeezed into slits by his fat.
He felt that his opportunity had arrived.
"Young Master!" Wu De's tone suddenly became eager.
He struggled to inch his knees forward, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "This poor Taoist knows that you have a grudge against the First Prince Qi Jia of the Great Yue Dynasty.
To tell you the truth, this Sword Burial Mound Sect, located within the Great Yue Dynasty, has always been one of the staunchest supporters of First Prince Qi Jia.
You could say they are in the same boat."
"The enemy of an enemy is a friend, Young Master!" A cunning light flickered in Wu De's eyes.
"Think about it, our goals are the same.
How about this: you lend the blue sea pearl to this poor Taoist, helping this poor Taoist sneak into the Sword Mausoleum."
"After this poor Taoist succeeds, we will split the treasures obtained from the Sword Mausoleum! You get seven, I get three! How about that?
This will not only cause the Sword Burial Mound Sect to suffer a heavy blow and slap First Prince Qi Jia hard in the face, but we can also make a fortune.
It kills two birds with one stone, wouldn't that be wonderful?"
By the end, Wu De's face was beaming with a bright smile, as if he could already see a beautiful future where he and Ye Haocheng teamed up to make a fortune.
He did not yet know that the backer of the Sword Burial Mound Sect he spoke of, First Prince Qi Jia, was already dead and cold.
Listening to this Fat Taoist earnestly describe grave robbing as acting on behalf of heaven, and trying to pull him onto his pirate ship, Ye Haocheng could no longer hold back and let out a "pfft" of laughter.
This laughter caused the originally tense atmosphere in the hall to relax.