Chapter 700: Martial Arts: Even Archrivals Can Become Lovers 34

Perhaps Chilian never imagined his disguise would fail; now surrounded by three highly skilled martial artists, despite his full-body martial prowess he had no power to fight back.

He rolled several times on the ground to dodge the long sword, but the poison flared, causing pain that stalled him, and a sword pierced his chest.

His splendid, exquisite red robe was now disheveled and scattered, looking extraordinarily alluring and seductive, the flowing blood adding a hint of pitiful, tormented beauty.

Chilian cursed under his breath, his narrow eyes suddenly flashing with light; he turned a pitiful, beseeching gaze toward Jin Chen, and an exotic fragrance burst from his whole body.

It was exactly the scent he had unintentionally smelled when they had just clasped hands.

Jin Chen's expression remained unchanged, but his demeanor felt somewhat off.

"Damn, this person actually knows charm techniques as well." Jiang Chu silently thought it was bad.

Mu Huaizhi turned his head, urgently grabbing Jin Chen's hand, "Jin Chen!"

"Ugh—"

Jin Chen couldn't hold his breath, turned his head and retreated several steps, then dry-heaved.

It stinks, it stinks!

Mu Huaizhi's worried, urgent expression showed some astonishment.

Charm techniques, useless against Jin Chen?

Chilian also hadn't expected Jin Chen to react this way; he clutched his shoulder and collapsed to the ground, dazed, muttering, "Impossible... how could it not work on him!"

Jiang Chu let out a snort of laughter, seized the moment when Chilian wasn't paying attention, and another hidden weapon struck straight at his life gate.

"I remember where I've seen you before."

"We met at the Hundred Fragrance Tower in the capital; you are one of the Crown Prince's aides."

Chilian's body shuddered, he collapsed, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"It seems I guessed right; no wonder the Earth Evil Palace has stayed hidden for so many years, its wicked deeds causing no ripple—turns out it's under the Crown Prince's protection."

Jiang Chu stroked his chin thoughtfully, then looked at Jin Chen.

He hadn't forgotten that their Nine Abysses Young Master still had countless ties with the imperial family.

But it was long ago, and the sect leader forbids bringing it up again; I don't know if Jin Chen still remembers.

Jin Chen dry-heaved repeatedly, still feeling the foul smell lingering at his nostrils, so he hastily waved at Mu Huaizhi.

Mu Huaizhi, not understanding why, still walked over, and was then embraced fully.

"Come here, let me smell you—I'm about to be suffocated by the stench."

Jin Chen muttered against his neck, complaining, deeply inhaling his wife's faint cold fragrance, his arms also unreservedly wrapping around her slender waist.

The embrace came too suddenly; Mu Huaizhi stared for a few seconds before reacting, and hearing Jin Chen's complaint, his lips unconsciously curled up.

The jealousy that had inexplicably welled up earlier was also completely suppressed.

{Detected Villain Heartthrob Value +5, total 65! }

{Detected Villain Blackening Value -20, total 45! }

Why did it spike now? Jin Chen's poison-ravaged nose finally eased; he was about to observe Mu Huaizhi's condition when he heard Jiang Chu's annoyed shout.

"If you've had enough of holding positions, please lend a hand."

Mu Huaizhi, as if waking from a dream, hastily pushed Jin Chen away; in the dim light his ears tinged red, yet he tried to maintain a cool demeanor.

He had no idea how pitiful he looked in that state.

Jin Chen lightly coughed to suppress his chaotic thoughts, then took his hand and walked forward.

Chilian was already dead beyond death; to prevent him from being controlled by gu worms, Jiang Chu even dismembered him into eight pieces, the corpse fragments scattered.

Even if the Earth Evil Palace possessed resurrection techniques, they would be powerless.

Fu Zhiyuan and the other two also found another hidden door.

But the hidden door was extremely heavy; several strong men couldn't push it, and Fang Xun, holding a child, couldn't exert force.

Jin Chen and the other person hurried over to help, using internal energy to push.

As he pushed, he wondered, looking at Fu Zhiyuan, "I just had a fight; how do you two already have a child."

Fu Zhiyuan's foot slipped, almost making him fall.

"Are you sick?" he said through gritted teeth.

Sang Ning laughed gleefully, explaining, "That's the child trapped in the cage, his whole body covered with wounds from flesh being cut and bled."

"Have you confirmed there's no problem?" Mu Huaizhi still felt uneasy; they already faced many dangers.

"It's just a small child, lacking internal energy and even muddled-minded; what could possibly be wrong."

Fu Zhiyuan knew his senior brother was always cautious, but this child really had nothing special about him.

Boom—

The heavy stone door was finally pushed open.

Everyone entered, and in an instant they stood frozen in place.

"Holy crap..." Sang Ning covered his mouth in astonishment, his eyes filled with flashing gold.

Unlike the dimness outside, the cavern beyond the stone door was filled with night‑glowing pearls, emitting an extremely dazzling light.

Beneath the night‑glowing pearls lay piles of gold stacked like small hills.

The only two who weren't surprised were the two wealthy members of the Nine Abysses Sect.

Bang—

The stone door closed again.

Jin Chen glanced around, then warily surveyed the surroundings.

Such a huge treasury must be where the Earth Evil Palace stores the gold and silver it has looted.

For such an important place, they actually assigned only Chilian to guard it?

But after scanning with divine sense, aside from them, there were indeed no traces of any living people.

Wait a moment……

Jin Chen reacted instantly.

No trace of the living doesn't mean there are no dead.

The Earth Evil Palace excels at using gu poison to control corpses; moreover, the coffin-carrying puppet that Moon Night once saw.

They have no need to use living people.

Having figured out the crucial point, Jin Chen took Mu Huaizhi's hand, turned his back to the cave wall, and with a piercing gaze observed everything around.

Everyone, seeing this, also became alert; Fu Zhiyuan protected Fang Xun and asked nervously in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

"This cave stores gold; there must be a mechanism." Fang Xun, after all, is a person of the Thousand Mechanism Palace, so he is quite familiar with this.

He carefully handed the child to Fu Zhiyuan, took out the Eight Trigrams Instrument from his bosom, and examined it carefully.

Apart from the stone entrance, the whole cave has no angles; it looks like a huge tortoise shell, and the gold is positioned exactly above the shell's top.

Fang Xun caused the Taiji Instrument to fluctuate, moving toward the gold.

The gauge that should have remained still suddenly began to tremble, swaying left and right.

His solemn expression slightly changed; he raised his head to look at the gold mountain.

With such a gold mountain, how could there be a sign of Kan water?

Jin Chen also saw the instruments shaking violently; after a moment's thought, he flung his sleeve dagger into his palm, signaling Fang Xun to step aside.

He threw the sleeve dagger, striking squarely the treasure chest at the very top of the gold mountain.

The gold mountain trembled for an instant, then booming sounds arose all around.

Mu Huaizhi looked toward the source of the loudest sound and urgently said, "Indeed, there is a mechanism."

Jin Chen protected him and shifted back a little, signaling Fang Xun.

"Wear nine, step one; left three, right seven; confirm the direction before seeking the mechanism."

"Good."

Fang Xun partitioned the cave according to the Lo Shu mnemonic; his steps slowly paused in the rear left, and he raised his head to look upward.

"Found it!"

Above the spot where he stood was an inconspicuous luminous pearl; upon closer inspection, its luster differed from that of the other luminous pearls.

"I'll handle it." Jiang Zhu did not move his position; with a slender fingertip lightly flicked, an almost invisible silver needle shot out.

It happened to stick right into the center of the luminous pearl.

Thud!

The entire cave shuddered a few times; the stone door opened again, but at the same time, water stains began to spread across the cave walls.

"Not good, it's mercury."

Fang Xun turned pale with fright; no wonder there would be a sign of Kan water!