الشطرنج الخالد - Book 04 Chapter 040

Outside Dragon Vein City:

Fairy Waner flew to a place hidden in the mountain forest.

Standing in the forest, she put away her zither puppet and looked into the distance. As she watched the many experts escort Gu Hai into Dragon Vein City, her face sank.

“You baddie! Who told you to come and save me? How is this saving me? You ended up in deep trouble yourself!” Fairy Waner stomped her foot.

She remained silent for a while as she looked into the distance. Then, she took out some black clothes with a flip of her hand and changed into them.

“Humph! Now, I have to save you instead. Seeking trouble when there is none!” Fairy Waner complained while looking at the distant Dragon Vein City. However, this complaint came not from resentment but worry.

She then put on a conical bamboo hat and quickly flew towards Dragon Vein City.

——

In Dragon Vein City:

Gu Hai led Long Wanyu around, brazenly searching the city, digging up mountains and draining rivers. This created a foul atmosphere all over Dragon Vein City.

Gu Hai audaciously commanded the various experts and factions, drawing their resentment.

However, he still kept on doing so despite the threats and curses.

Two days later, the number of cultivators around Gu Hai had decreased. No one wanted to be ordered about like a servant by Gu Hai. Furthermore, Gu Hai might not be right.

As a result, the many experts returned to their territories, monitoring Gu Hai from afar.

“Humph! If he can’t find it, I will kill him!”

“That bastard! Making my sect help him dig a mountain? No one has ever commanded me like that before. I’ll kill you in a few days!”

The various experts looked at Gu Hai with sullen expressions from afar.

The number of people by Gu Hai’s side, monitoring him, decreased. However, he showed a faint smile.

As Gu Hai searched the city, he carefully studied the city’s terrain.

The foundation rock golems have been following my orders, digging large tunnels outside the city. As long as I find an opportunity, I can charge out of the city and use the flying ship to enter the tunnel and move rapidly. As we fly, the tunnel will collapse. Even a Middle Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator cannot catch up underground with the flying ship’s speed, no matter how they chase. Confidence flashed in Gu Hai’s eyes.

There are branches in the tunnel. Even if they gave chase, they would not know where to go. Ha! Over the past two days, the number of cultivators following me has decreased. When you all turn impatient, that will be when I charge out of the city! Gu Hai’s eyes narrowed.

Although the city had a ritual array covering it, the city gates in the four cardinal directions were open.

Gu Hai had already planned everything. He only lacked an opportunity to cause chaos. When that opportunity arrived, he would divert everyone’s attention. Then, he could flee. He only had one chance. He needed to board his flying ship after rushing to the city gates and diving underground.

After that, everything would be fine.

The Bi-An King could not possibly follow Gu Hai at all times. He had already flown to a mountain summit and coldly watched Gu Hai from afar.

As the number of people around Gu Hai decreased, even those remaining by his side became impatient.

Digging the mountains for two days and two nights? Clearing up the river? We are sect masters and clan heads, and yet we are fooling around with you here?

More people drifted away until only one person persistently followed Gu Hai: Xi Yan.

Although Xi Yan did not know what Gu Hai was up to, he still kept his guard up against Gu Hai, closely following Gu Hai wherever Gu Hai went.

On the third day:

The resentment of the surrounding cultivators grew.

“Gu Hai, you can’t find it, right? Hahaha! Let’s see how you die later!” Xi Yan said with a ferocious expression.

After three days, the surrounding cultivators no longer believed Gu Hai. Many of the cultivators whom Gu Hai commanded to dig the mountains showed sullen expressions. They sharpened their weapons as they stared at Gu Hai.

Is this Gu Hai seeking death?

Now, if Xi Yan or Qin Zibai wanted to kill Gu Hai, the various cultivators would not help anymore. They might even attack Gu Hai too.

Gu Hai ignored this. He just continued directing a private army to dig up a mountain.

Digging mountains again.

However, this place was extremely close to the east city gates. Most of the cultivators had already left. No one thought that Gu Hai would try to flee as nearly everyone was staring at him.

Flee? How could Gu Hai flee?

Unbeknownst to them, Gu Hai had already plotted his escape route. He just waited for an opportunity.

Since the opportunity had not arrived, Gu Hai had to think of a way to attract everyone’s attention.

Gu Hai saw a black-robed man standing in a crowd far away. This black-robed man was Ju Lu, the foundation rock golem’s new prime. Gu Hai had already given him instructions long ago.

Ju Lu nodded to Gu Hai, waiting for Gu Hai’s signal.

Gu Hai was about to nod to initiate the plan to attract everyone’s attention.

“Ah! Brother-in-Law, something’s wrong!” Long Wanyu’s expression suddenly changed.

“Ah? What’s wrong?” Gu Hai looked at Long Wanyu.

“Here, below! I sense a greatly ominous feeling!” Long Wanyu looked at Gu Hai with worry.

“Greatly ominous?” Sima Feng’s expression changed.

“Oh? What is greatly ominous?” Gu Hai said, feeling confused.

The Grave Valley of Death was right below Dragon Vein City. Some Hanba’s fire would periodically erupt from the ground. However, there were no commotions from the ground during the few days that Gu Hai had been here.

Gu Hai was already about to make his escape when Long Wanyu said that there was a greatly ominous feeling from underground.

“What greatly ominous?” Xi Yan asked with a frown.

Gu Hai ignored Xi Yan. Instead, he looked at the dug-up mountain before him.

The mountain before him looked ordinary, just showing black dirt and nothing else.

“Continue digging! We found the treasury!” Gu Hai suddenly shouted.

Buzz!

The countless cultivators in the surroundings immediately perked up.

Over the past three days, everyone had already lost confidence in Gu Hai, thinking he was a liar. However, he now said that he found the treasury?

Whoosh!

Many cultivators suddenly flew over.

“Where is it? Where is the treasury?” the various cultivators asked anxiously.

“It is here! Hurry! Dig it up!” Gu Hai yelled.

“What nonsense? How is this a treasury?” Xi Yan immediately said with a glare.

Boom!

The Bi-An King waved his hand, immediately moving large amounts of dirt and creating a deep pit.

“There is nothing at all. Gu Hai, you are lying to me?” the Bi-An King said with a sinister expression.

“Brother-in-Law, it’s below! It’s below!” Long Wanyu said with an anxious expression.

“Continue digging!” Gu Hai shouted.

The Bi-An King looked at Gu Hai with suspicion.

“Humph! Gu Hai, if there is nothing below, I’ll kill you,” a cultivator said with a ferocious expression.

As that cultivator spoke, he called over his subordinates and started digging.

“Humph! My sect disciples! Come over here and dig. If we find nothing, we will bury Gu Hai here!”

“My soldiers, dig! If we dig out nothing, kill Gu Hai!”

The surrounding experts called over their subordinates and disciples to dig in the deep pit quickly.

This huge pit was very deep. The dirt dug up had already piled into five large mountains. A deep, pitch-black pit now lay before everyone. However, there was still nothing.

“Brother-in-Law, the greatly ominous feeling is very horrifying. We cannot continue digging. We have to stop!” Long Wanyu said with a horrified expression.

Gu Hai frowned slightly.

This commotion instantly spread throughout the entire Dragon Vein City.

An increasing number of people gathered in the eastern sector of the city.

——

In the western sector of the city:

Mister Dongfang and Qin Zibai looked into the distance coldly.

“They found it? Ha! What a joke!” Mister Dongfang scoffed.

“Oh?” Qin Zibai appeared confused.

“I have figured out the rough location. Every time Hanba’s fire appears, its source is in the western sector of the city. How could anyone find anything in the eastern sector?” Mister Dongfang sneered.

“However…”

“That is just Gu Hai’s scheme,” Mister Dongfang said coldly.

Qin Zibai frowned slightly as he nodded. He felt that it might really be Gu Hai’s trick.

“Hah! Right now, so many people are staring at Gu Hai. If he tries to play a trick now, he is just seeking death. Without my doing anything, he will suffer a great calamity.” Qin Zibai smiled coldly.

“Indeed. It is impossible for there to be a treasury in the eastern sector of the city!” Mister Dongfang sneered.

“I found it! There really is something! There really is something!” A shout of pleasant surprise came from the distance.

“What? How can that be?” Mister Dongfang’s face sank.

“No, Gu Hai must have done something. He has the foundation rock golems. Did the foundation rock golems bury something there in advance? What is he planning?” Qin Zibai’s expression turned cold.

However, this time, it really was not a trick of Gu Hai’s.

Gu Hai did get Ju Lu to bury something underground. However, it was not in the eastern sector of the city but the southern sector. He had been planning to use that to divert everyone’s attention, making it easy for him to flee. How could he have dug up something in the eastern sector?

Whoosh!

The Bi-An King waved his hand, and a large amount of dirt flew out again. This immediately revealed a seal underground reminiscent of a tortoise shell.

When a few of the cultivators struck it heavily, the tortoise shell did not budge at all.

“What is this?” Everyone looked at Gu Hai.

How could Gu Hai know?

“Brother-in-Law, you can’t dig any further! We can’t dig anymore! Quickly leave this place! Hurry!” Long Wanyu urged anxiously.

Gu Hai’s face sank as he looked at the surrounding people.

“Bi-An King, everyone, I have found the location for everyone already. I shan’t be participating from here on. Do go on by yourself,” Gu Hai said while shaking his head.

“Trying to run?” Xi Yan suddenly roared out.

“Huh?” Everyone looked at Xi Yan, feeling bewildered.

“Humph! Gu Hai, are you trying to trick us? You arranged for this, right? You got the foundation rock golems to bury it there, right? Want to leave? It’s not so easy! How could you possibly have known that there is something here?” Xi Yan shouted furiously.

When Xi Yan shouted, everyone frowned, feeling some hesitation.

Even the Bi-An King looked at Gu Hai coldly, clearly disinclined to let Gu Hai leave.

“Gu Hai, you are just playing a trick, right? Hahahahaha! You have been fooling everyone over the past few days. Now, you planted something fake to fool us all? In your dreams! Today will be your death day! Your death day!” Xi Yan sneered with a ferocious expression.

Everyone looked at Gu Hai with a sullen expression.

“Fool you? Haha! You are so certain about it?” Gu Hai said coldly.

“I am that certain. I have been following you over the past few days, waiting for an opportunity to expose you in front of everyone. Hahaha! A large tortoise shell? You want to fool everyone with this? In your dreams! Right now, I will destroy it in front of everyone, proving that there is nothing! There is nothing at all. After that, it will be your death day!” Xi Yan said with a ferocious expression.

Among the crowd, Fairy Waner showed an anxious expression.

The cultivators surrounded Gu Hai, preparing to kill him.

Xi Yan took out his sword, wanting to expose Gu Hai. Then, he swung his sword at the large tortoise shell below.

Boom!

Xi Yan used all of his strength in his sword strike. The immense force shook the entire Dragon Vein City.

“Huh? It’s that tough?”

After one sword strike, Xi Yan’s expression changed. Even after using all his might, he only put a faint crack in this tortoise shell.

“Gu Hai, you are really going all out. This tortoise shell is even tougher than your earlier bronze saber! To think that you can bear to part with it. Wait for me to destroy it!” Xi Yan roared.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Xi Yan swung ten times in rapid succession, putting countless cracks on the tortoise shell.

Bang!

The huge seal exploded, revealing an extensive underground palace.

“That’s not right. There’s something below?!” someone suddenly exclaimed.

For some strange reason, there were two people in the underground palace.

The instant the countless experts saw the two, they paused in their tracks.

Xi Yan’s and the Bi-An King’s expressions turned stiff.

One of the two was fat like a pig, and the other was skinny like sticks. Their clothes were tattered and torn.

The two tumbled on the ground together, looking like they were intimate. The fat one pressed down on the thin one. Their faces were next to each other, and their chests pressed against each other.

When Xi Yan suddenly unsealed the underground palace, it seemed like he had interrupted something. The two looked up at the one hundred thousand cultivators outside in shock. Furthermore, their lewd smiles remained unchanged.

The most crucial thing was that the two were males.

The surroundings suddenly fell deathly silent; everyone felt stunned.

“My eyes! Two perverts?” one of the cultivators said with a stiff expression.

“Ah? How immoral!” Long Wanyu immediately covered her face and turned away.