Chapter 172: First Layer of Seal Opens, Genius Shang Hongxue?

Chen Chuyang had ten thousand "WTF" thoughts in his mind; for a moment, he didn't know how to answer his Third Uncle's question.

Indeed, Third Uncle was too clever, having guessed everything. At the same time, Chen Chuyang warned himself internally, apologizing for his past actions; in this world there truly are no fools—these people are each more shrewd than the next, only that they hide it; they're all old schemers.

Just an old fox pretending to be a little rabbit here, how…

"Chuyang nephew, you can't be serious?"

Chen Chuyang remained silent; the more he did so, the more Third Uncle's suspicion solidified. He grabbed Chen Chuyang's hand, not letting him leave.

"This matter could be big or small; if anything goes wrong, our Chen Clan will suffer. Those major sects, those prominent families—none are ones we can handle. Even the Great Qi Dynasty's Black Dragon Guard alone is enough to give us a hard time."

"Kid, if you discover the Wild Dragon Snake's corpse, don't let anyone else know. In other words, if anyone learns of this, they must be killed to silence them—this concerns the entire Chen Clan."

At that moment, Third Uncle's face lost its humor and its usual elegance; only cold murderous intent remained.

This matter must remain unknown to anyone; if someone knows and cannot be trusted, then death is the only option.

Chen Chuyang stared straight at Third Uncle, and Third Uncle Chen Shen suddenly realized.

He pointed at himself, then winked at Chen Chuyang; his eyes seemed to say, "Could it be that only I guessed it?"

Chen Chuyang nodded, slowly saying, "Third Uncle, I haven't said anything; you figured it out yourself. If this matter leaks, you become the biggest suspect. If anything truly happens in the future, Third Uncle, you will be the Chen Clan's criminal."

Third Uncle Chen Shen: "???"

Did he just dig a pit for himself?

"Can I pretend I know nothing?"

"You say, Third Uncle."

Chen Chuyang suddenly pointed at the Alchemy Furnace, laughing, "By the way, Third Uncle, now there's one more person who knows about this."

Third Uncle Chen Shen turned around, saw the Alchemy Furnace; he didn't know whether Shang Hongxue inside heard it.

"Chuyang nephew, your Alchemy Furnace should be able to block all sound, right?"

Their voices are so weak, so quiet; Hongxue shouldn't hear them.

Chen Shen comforted himself this way, feeling he shouldn't have gone up the mountain, shouldn't have speculated, and certainly shouldn't have spoken.

Now it's perfect—he's thrown a stone at his own foot; Chen Shen wants to cry.

"It can block a bit, but not completely."

Simple: I can't guarantee she didn't hear.

If she didn't hear, that's fine; everyone stays safe. If she did, that's a huge disaster.

Even though Shang Hongxue is one of us and can be trusted, once another person knows, it will…

"Chuyang nephew, why not add a fire and burn it?"

Shang Hongxue: "…"

She wants to say she heard nothing; she fainted.

But this time's refining, she felt it wasn't as intense as the first; the pain was slight, not severe.

"Third Uncle, look at you, joking again—just now you told me to be careful, and now you want to burn Hongxue; be careful she might come back to revenge you."

"…"

Third Uncle Chen Shen let out a deep sigh: "Alas."

"Does this count as bringing trouble upon myself?"

"Third Uncle, it's okay; it will be discovered soon. If you conceal it for a month—at most a month—that place won't stay hidden. Then Longshe Cheng will become dangerous. When you go back, you must arrange things properly."

"The Chen Clan must not intervene, and shouldn't overthink; no one should go."

Third Uncle nodded: "I know what to do. The Wild Dragon Snake is not something our Chen Clan can touch, nor something we can covet."

"This thing is poison; whoever touches it dies."

Those without strength—individuals, families, or sects—will suffer backlash.

The Chen Clan, being a small household, should still not get involved.

The whole Longshe Cheng could be fraught with danger; the Chen Clan must prepare early.

Chen Chuyang's worries are not unfounded; he also must act quickly, stealthily obtaining the Wild Dragon Snake's inner core and some other items—first secure them, then later seal that breach so no one knows he ever went there.

As for the conflict, let them continue fighting.

In this battle, the Chen Clan cannot intervene, nor be schemed against.

Someone is playing a grand game of chess; who that person is and their purpose, no one knows.

Chen Chuyang speculated that it's certainly not good; likely Longshe Cheng is also unsafe.

The Chen Clan needs to make arrangements, preemptively moving a group of people out of Longshe Cheng to avoid an irreparable tragedy.

"I know what to do; Longshe Cheng is unsafe, so I will inform Elder Brother, discuss with him moving a group out, to ensure the Chen Clan's lineage."

"Also you, kid, watch your safety; don't lose your life for a treasure. You are the hope of our Chen Clan, our future; you must not have any mishap."

"If it really can't be done, let it go; don't get involved."

If the green mountains remain, we won't lack firewood.

Chen Chuyang's safety concerns the entire Chen Clan; nothing must go wrong.

Chen Shen knows clearly that his women are all on his mountain; if Chen Chuyang gets into trouble, his women might also… suffer.

"For Hongxue's sake, for Elder Brother and Sister‑in‑law, you'd better not risk your life."

"I understand."

Chen Shen is uneasy about Chen Chuyang; this nephew is too opinionated, fearing he'll court death.

Even though he knows this nephew won't court death, the treasure is right before his eyes, and people will inevitably take risks.

The treasure blinds the eyes; it's inevitable.

"In short, you must prioritize safety; your safety is paramount. All other matters, whatever they are, can be set aside."

It's just a treasure; there will be more in the future.

There's no need to force it when you lack strength; it will only hurt yourself.

"Third Uncle, you should still watch yourself. As for me, you needn't worry; within Longshe Cheng, anyone who could hurt me hasn't even been born yet."

"As for those people, heh heh heh."

Chen Chuyang stood up, looking down on everyone.

Those people are not even in his view.

In the later part of the third tier of the Hunyuan Dao Scripture, his strength, having advanced another level, had already skyrocketed.

Dealing with people of the Condensing Pill level is a trivial matter; even those above Condensing Pill, Chen Chuyang is not afraid.

Buzz.

While they were chatting, something stirred inside the Alchemy Furnace.

A mysterious wave spread, and the Alchemy Furnace could not suppress it.

Inside the Alchemy Furnace, Shang Hongxue's body remained a blaze of red, and her heart throbbed violently.

Wild Dragon Snake's blood surged against the first layer of seal; that layer, having been struck many times, developed a crack.

A fissure appeared, indicating that this layer of seal had become dangerous.

Bang bang bang.

No one knows how many times it surged, but the cracks in the first layer of seal kept increasing.

In the end, the entire outer side of that layer of seal was covered with cracks.

Shang Hongxue, gathering her momentum, launched a charge.

Pop.

That layer of seal shattered.

A hole appeared.

The emergence of that opening caused Shang Hongxue's body, like a slanted river, to erupt instantly.