Chapter 324: Chapter 322: Taking Full Advantage
Cui Buping hesitated for a moment before his expression firmed. With a flash, he entered the tunnel. Inside, a cold draft whistled through, yet there was no scent of decay.
This was a place that not even Ma Wuchang and the others knew about!
Only the successive Patriarchs of the Cui Family were privy to this secret. This place was the single most important location for the ten-thousand-year-old Cui Family!
As for that underground city, it was merely an empty subterranean fortress. Although it was also a top secret of the Cui Family, it was nowhere near as important as this place. This was where the Cui Family had stored all its most precious treasures accumulated over ten thousand years!
Most importantly, it held the very thing that had allowed the Cui Family to rise to prominence... the Ancient Map!
The light underground was dim. The faint glow from the Everlasting Lamps on the walls cast Cui Buping’s long shadow, making it flicker and dance on the ground.
A sense of unease lingered in Cui Buping’s heart, robbing him of his peace. He felt as if a pair of eyes were constantly watching him from the shadows.
Although Cui Buping was injured, he was still in the Venerable Realm. He refused to believe that anyone could bypass the Cui Family’s tightest security to enter this place.
One had to understand that the profound foundation of the ten-thousand-year-old Cui Family was not something supported by a single Shattered Void expert and a few dozen Venerables!
Therefore, Cui Buping was still very confident in his family’s strength. He glanced back once more. The long, silent, narrow tunnel was completely empty.
Cui Buping knew this place so well that he could picture the exact appearance of the ground illuminated by the Everlasting Lamps; he knew it like the back of his hand! After a careful look, he was certain that there was indeed no one here!
At the end of the long tunnel was a stone door, over three meters high and just under two meters wide.
Cui Buping took a key from his robes and inserted it into an inconspicuous keyhole on the stone door. He turned it over a dozen times, and the door emitted a heavy, grinding groan.
Then... it slowly opened!
What was shocking was that the stone door was actually over ten meters thick!
Its weight was evident from the sound alone. Forcing it open with brute strength would likely be impossible.
As Cui Buping’s figure disappeared inside, the stone door slowly closed again, not leaving even a sliver of a gap.
Beyond the stone door was another long, narrow tunnel. After walking for a while, a fork in the road appeared before him—three stone doors, each leading down a different path!
Cui Buping walked toward the leftmost stone door. This repeated again and again; there were a total of nine such forks!
Unless one knew the correct path, they would surely get lost!
It wasn’t until he arrived in a massive underground chamber, twenty meters high and a hundred meters in diameter, that the unease in Cui Buping’s heart finally vanished completely!
This was the most central and secret location of the entire ten-thousand-year-old Cui Family!
The radiance and Spiritual Qi emanating from the various treasures in this chamber were simply dumbfounding! Many treasures that would cause a frenzy on Profound Island were simply placed casually to the side here.
Weapons, armor, Spirit Stones, all kinds of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, combat techniques, Heart Methods... and countless Ancient Times artifacts. Even someone with the most disciplined temperament would likely be shocked by the sight of this treasury.
But Cui Buping seemed accustomed to all this. His steps didn’t linger on any of these treasures; instead, he walked toward the far end of the chamber.
On closer inspection, the walls of this chamber were actually... built entirely of gold!
The glittering golden light dazzled the eyes. The combination of opulence and substance formed a breathtaking picture, one that no one in the world could dislike.
’This is true wealth!’
Cui Buping felt along the wall for a moment before pressing down hard on a specific spot. His full power as a Venerable erupted at that moment, forcing the spot to sink inward.
’What could possibly be stored in a place so well-hidden that it requires the strength of the Venerable Realm to open?’
With the sound of a mechanism, the gold wall slowly parted where Cui Buping had pressed, revealing a small, meter-wide cavity inside.
The cavity wasn’t deep. Inside sat a modest-sized box. Cui Buping reached in and lifted it out. The wall slowly returned to its original state.
The box looked ancient, its original color long faded. It wasn’t locked. Cui Buping casually opened it. There was nothing inside but a simple, antiquated map. A flush rose to Cui Buping’s face, and a gleam lit up his eyes. With trembling hands, he carefully lifted the map, pressed it to his chest, and muttered to himself, "With this, even if only one male heir of the Cui Family remains, we will have a day to rise again! Qin Li, and all you families on Profound Island, just you wait! I will pass this hatred down through the generations! One day, the Cui Family... will appear on the lands of Profound Island once more! And when that day comes, what awaits you... will be a storm of blood!"
Cui Buping turned and surveyed the countless priceless treasures, his voice low and slow. "And these... this is the great fortune my Cui Clan leaves for its descendants, the capital for the Cui Family to make its comeback! No one... will ever find this place! Aside from the Cui Family’s Patriarch, no one can enter! HAHAHAHA!"
Cui Buping’s expression was crazed, his laughter echoing through the treasure room. He walked toward a mountain-like pile of treasures and casually picked up a fist-sized Top-Grade Spirit Stone. The surging energy fluctuations radiating from it intoxicated him. He couldn’t help but mutter to himself, "To think, my Cui Family has dominated a corner of Profound Island for thousands of years. We have seen countless Top-Grade treasures and accumulated a staggering amount of wealth. You want to destroy my Cui Family? You want to take over my Cui Family’s assets? You want to take a bite out of this delectable cake that is the Cui Family? Hmph, I’d like to see if you have the teeth for it!"
As he spoke, tears began to stream down his face. He choked out, "Ancestors above, this descendant has been unfilial. I have led the Cui Family to a dead end. I won’t be able to rest in peace!"
With that, Cui Buping stood up. He looked at the room full of glittering Top-Grade treasures and the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures that hadn’t decayed in ten thousand years. He let out a sigh, seeming to age immensely in an instant.
"Heh, throughout history, forget about mere families. Even the great and powerful clans of the flourishing Primordial Era, factions that produced countless super Great Powers, couldn’t avoid the fate of decline. You, a mere Profound Island family, talk of eternal prosperity and glory for ten thousand generations? What a boast!"
A voice full of mockery suddenly rang out in the secret chamber!
Cui Buping was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Every hair on his body stood on end in an instant. He roared, "Who?! Who’s there?! Come out! Get the hell out!"
Cui Buping snatched an ancient longsword from the floor. SHING! The Treasure Sword left its sheath, releasing a burst of bone-chilling cold. Cui Buping leaped into the air and swept the blade horizontally, sending a line of Sword Qi slashing toward the direction of the voice.
The Sword Qi cut through the air and slammed into the gold wall, blasting off a large section of gold bricks.
"Hehe, on such a fine evening, why is Patriarch Cui so irritable? This won’t do, not at all!" The mocking voice sounded again, this time from behind Cui Buping.
Cui Buping spun around and slashed again. This strike actually contained a trace of Sword Intent!
Clearly, Cui Buping was being pushed to his limit!
BOOM! A large pile of precious artifacts from Ancient Times was smashed to pieces by Cui Buping’s strike. The massive crash was followed by the sound of shattering.
"Stop!" Qin Li could no longer stand by and watch. He bellowed, "Cui Buping, if you dare destroy any more of my treasures, I’ll slaughter you right now!"
Qin Li’s voice was filled with heartache. Everything being destroyed... was his treasure now!
"You..." Cui Buping felt blood rush to his head, the urge to vomit blood overwhelming him. ’Damn it, this is my Cui Family’s treasury!’
’The Cui Family’s! The Cui Family’s! The Cui Family’s... treasury!’
’Since when did it become yours, you little bastard Qin Li?’
However, Cui Buping finally calmed down. A determined light shot from his eyes as he began to gather power in his Dantian. Yet, his voice was light as he asked, "I’m very curious, Qin Li. How did you get in?"
The space in front of Cui Buping distorted, and an elegant fist materialized out of thin air, viciously striking his Dantian. Cui Buping let out a wretched scream as his body was sent flying backward. He slammed into the gold wall and fell to the ground, curling into a ball of pain.
"Don’t even think about self-destructing. If you can honestly answer a few of my questions, I might grant you a dignified death. Cui Buping, I know you hate me, but you have to admit, from start to finish, it was your Cui Family who picked a fight with me! I never once provoked you!"
Cui Buping looked up, his eyes filled with venomous hatred, as Qin Li’s figure gradually materialized from the void. He finally understood the source of his persistent unease.
The woman in black beside Qin Li was truly an expert at the Shattered Void Realm!
Otherwise, it would be impossible for anyone to enter this place, let alone follow him without him noticing.
"You’ve won. Kill me or torture me, do as you please. But Qin Li, and this isn’t just me fearmongering before I die, do you really think that the other families on Profound Island will let you go after you take my Cui Family’s fortune?"
Seeing the cold smirk on Cui Buping’s lips, Qin Li nodded earnestly and said, "And why wouldn’t they?"
A disdainful sneer spread across Cui Buping’s mouth. "Qin Li, you damned little bastard, did you really think I didn’t have any tricks left up my sleeve? Haha, my final precaution before I die has finally come in handy. Having you buried with me will make it all worth it! Without my personal operation, once you’re in this secret chamber, you can’t get out! And as soon as I die, the Cui Family will immediately spread the word that you’ve taken all the wealth! HAHAHAHA! How about it, Qin Li? Do you like this little arrangement I’ve made for you?"
Qin Li also began to laugh, a wide, happy smile spreading across his handsome face. "Cui Buping, you really are the type to not shed a tear until you see the coffin. You think if we could get in, we can’t get out? But don’t you worry. We won’t be leaving the Cui Family until we’ve taken our fill of the spoils!"
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