Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In a forest deep in the mountains in Eight Divinities Territory.
There was a graveyard that couldn’t be considered big, yet it had towering gravestones that had been eroded by the passing of time. Jiang Chen and Jiang Moliang were in the graveyard, looking all around.
“Are you sure that there is a precious treasure here?” Jiang Chen’s Holy Awareness had already searched each corner of this place, but he hadn’t discovered anything. Half a month had already passed since Beiliang City’s matter, and during that time, they had cooperated and tried to steal the Jiang family’s treasures.
However, the Jiang family had already taken precautions against them, and the defense of all treasure locations known by Jiang Moliang had been strengthened, thus they couldn’t barge into any of them. As Jiang Chen was about to give up, Jiang Moliang had brought him here. They didn’t see any formations, barriers, or even a person around. Jiang Chen found it difficult to believe that there really was a treasure there.
“Come here!” Jiang Moliang suddenly called him. Jiang Chen went over to her and stood with her before a gravestone. This gravestone was ten meters tall and had an intersecting sword and dagger at its peak. Moreover, a birth and death date as well as a name were recorded on it.
“Did you notice what’s different about this one?” Jiang Moliang asked him. It seemed from her tone like she was testing Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen swept his hand against the gravestone’s surface. He said, “The words written on it are protruding.” Words were carved into the other gravestones, while this one was different, and he could clearly feel the words’ outline with his fingers.
Jiang Moliang nodded and put her finger against the birth date and the name. Immediately after that, the square-shaped grave sank into the ground, and a flight of steps appeared.
“Let’s go.” Jiang Moliang didn’t explain anything and simply jumped into it.
Jiang Chen followed her and asked, “What’s going on here?”
“Treasures belonging to big factions like the Jiang family aren’t only the ones they have obtained. The family even records those they couldn’t get.” Jiang Moliang explained, “For example, this place. It was discovered by the Jiang family inadvertently, but they still haven’t gotten the treasures in it, so they don’t really know what they are.”
“Why isn’t anyone keeping watch over it?” Jiang Chen asked in confusion.
“Wouldn’t it be better for it to be exposed like this? If I hadn’t led you here, would you have found it by yourself?”
Jiang Chen mulled it over earnestly before he shook his head. This place was too remote, and even if someone landed here, he wouldn’t manage to discover the gravestone’s secret easily.
They were now walking in a dim underground place that was illuminated just by the flames’ light. Jiang Chen quickly discovered that a tomb was below them. Many stone coffins were inside, and it seemed like they had once been rummaged through.
“Its exterior is quite ordinary, and we searched each corner of this place, but we didn’t find anything valuable.” As she spoke, she brought him to the front of the tomb. There was an extremely spacious hall there, and three tall gravestones were in its center. Even after they had arrived, Jiang Chen still hadn’t discovered anything unusual about the place.
After they went behind the gravestones, they found a steel gate in the wall. He didn’t wait for Jiang Moliang to explain it to him. He immediately walked over to it. This gate was in the shape of a half sphere, and its edges were adorned with gold. The most eye-catching thing about it was the presence of six crystals embedded in different parts of the gate.
“There is surely a precious treasure behind this gate, but we don’t know what it is. Even though the Jiang family used all its means, they still didn’t manage to get in for some unknown reason,” Jiang Moliang said.
Jiang Chen tried pushing it with his hand, but he discovered that it didn’t budge by even an inch. What’s more, it seemed like his power was absorbed by the iron gate. “Didn’t you all try breaking it by force?” As Jiang Chen thought back about the Jiang family’s usual conduct, he felt like they would surely not have waited until now.
“All attacks directed at the iron gate are absorbed by it, and it’s also the case for the stone walls.”
Jiang Chen went along the stone walls around the iron gate, concentrated wholly on them, and didn’t leave even a single dent. Jiang Moliang, who was beside him, was full of expectation for this as she waited for the final outcome.
After a short while, Jiang Chen went back to the iron gate’s front and said to her, “The Jiang family surely tried all possible means, didn’t they?”
“That’s right.”
“But, they all failed, so why do you assume that I can unravel this?” Jiang Chen asked curiously.
“I don’t hold much hope, but I just wanted to give it a try.” Jiang Moliang had already realized what reply Jiang Chen desired, but she purposely didn’t state it.
Jiang Chen smiled and spoke helplessly, “Opening this gate isn’t really difficult, but the crux is in what we know about it, and I don’t know anything about it.”
“Wouldn’t it be enough to just break it?” Jiang Moliang asked in confusion.
“That is out of the question. There isn’t any formation or barrier here, and this gate was crafted by a skilled workman. We must possess a corresponding technique to open it,” Jiang Chen said.
“All materials about this place are in the Jiang family’s main residence, and I can’t get them.” Disappointment appeared on Jiang Moliang’s face. She said, “Just forget about it, and let’s leave this place.” After she spoke, she discovered that Jiang Chen was still standing there and hadn’t moved. “What?”
“I will give it a try.” Jiang Chen shrugged. He didn’t plan to give up just like that. He didn’t know anything about this tomb, but he could try to consider this matter from its architect’s viewpoint and consider how he would set if he were in his place.
All of a sudden, Jiang Chen noticed that the three gravestones were facing the gate. It was because they were facing it that he hadn’t noticed them at first. He walked to their front and saw just a single line of archaic words written on the gravestones. After he took a look at it, Jiang Chen asked, “Did the Jiang family decipher those ancient words’ meaning?”
“They didn’t because they didn’t have any material about them.”
Jiang Chen smiled. After he observed the six crystals carefully, he understood everything. “If the Jiang family knew the words’ meaning, it would have opened the gate early on,” Jiang Chen said.
“Are you implying that you know how to open it?” Upon hearing this, Jiang Moliang became slightly excited. Sure enough, I didn’t make a mistake by bringing Jiang Chen here.
Jiang Chen didn’t say anything else. A raging flame started burning in his right hand, and he struck the gravestone with it. The gravestone started changing before Jiang Moliang’s worried gaze. Its surface was shattered, and a turntable-like object was revealed.
Jiang Chen turned it slightly, and two light beams shot from the tombstone’s other side and shined on the iron gate. He directed the light beams to specific crystals by turning and adjusting the turntable. They could clearly hear a crisp sound echoing while the crystals lit up. As Jiang Moliang witnessed this development, her breathing became slightly rough.
Jiang Chen went to repeat the same actions with the other two tombstones. In the end, six light beams shot from the three tombstones and shined on the six crystals. The crystals were linked together, and Jiang Moliang found the design they formed quite familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she had seen it.
“The Fire Wolf Constellation.” Jiang Chen walked to her and said, “The words written on the tombstones are related to the fable of the Fire Wolf Constellation. By using the light beams to illuminate the crystals from different corners to form the Fire Wolf Constellation’s design, the gate will open.”
“It’s so mystical!” Jiang Moliang exclaimed.
“It’s just like that. It isn’t related to formations or barriers. It would be impossible for people oblivious to this to open the gate, while people aware of it are like its key holders and are capable of opening it at any time,” Jiang Chen said.
As he spoke, a muffled noise echoed from the iron gate, and its two sides started slowly going back into the stone wall as gem-like radiance shined from it.
“It’s surely a precious treasure.” They could affirm just through the radiance that a great object was surely there. Excited, Jiang Chen and Jiang Moliang went over to it.
