Chapter 1476: New Discovery

Chapter 1476: Chapter 1476: New Discovery

The golden statue stood behind all the ancestral tablets, holding a massive black blade. Its eyes glinted as it gazed forward, exuding a formidable presence.

Lin Tian recognized it at a glance; it was the Thousand Jin Rock, nearly identical to the one he kept at home, only much larger.

Wang Sijing stepped forward and respectfully lit three sticks of incense. Her gaze lingered on the golden statue, her eyes filled with remembrance.

"Is this statue your family’s ancestor?" Chen Moxiang asked.

"Yes. It was he who founded the Ancient Martial the Wang Family. To honor our ancestors, a golden statue was erected here for future generations to admire."

There really wasn’t much to see here. At first, the golden statue caught the eye, but after a few more looks, it felt unremarkable.

Finally, Lin Tian’s gaze fell on the soul plaques on the offering table. The plaque at the forefront read: The Ancestral Position of Wang Family Jiangzu Xingkong.

Wang Xingkong, the ancestor of the Wang Family. This soul plaque was placed at the front and was roughly twenty centimeters wide and half a meter tall, clearly the plaque of the golden statue behind.

Xv Jiazhi wandered over by a shelf near the offering stand, pointing at an empty knife rack, "This was originally where the Thousand Jin Rock’s rack was, right?"

Wang Sijing shot him a subtle glance and lightly nodded, "Yes. Our ancestral founder considered the Thousand Jin Rock the crowning treasure of the Wang Family, claiming that among weapons of the world, it ranked in the top three. But we descendants were too dull to see anything extraordinary in that stone dagger beyond its immense weight, so we removed it. Man Laozu tried to unravel its mysteries, but ultimately failed."

Suddenly, Wang Sijing noticed a hint of ridicule on Lin Tian’s face, as if laughing at the Wang Family’s dullness. Angered at such a thought occurring in front of the ancestral plaques, her brow furrowed, and she snapped, "What are you laughing at? You’ve seized the dagger, yet you see nothing of use; how can you still wear such a smile, huh!"

Unyielding, Lin Tian shot back, "Haha, I’m just one person, and I’ve only had the Thousand Jin Rock for a few months. It’s normal to see nothing from it; however, your Wang Family descendants wasted hundreds of years with it? That treasured blade in your hands is a true waste."

Wang Sijing was nearly ignited by rage at his words, letting out a heavy breath, "Today, before the ancestral plaques, I, Wang Sijing, swear I will reclaim the Thousand Jin Rock. Otherwise, I won’t enter the Wang Family’s underground palace after I die."

"It’s laughable to make such lofty vows when you can’t even protect yourself." After a pause, Lin Tian continued with a chuckle, "Do you know the Heaven-Swaying Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"In Jin Yong’s books, those two blades are said to contain the ’Wu Mu’s Legacy’ between them. Maybe inside the Thousand Jin Rock’s blade, something is hidden too. When I return, I’ll split that blade in two and see if there’s anything inside."

"No!" Wang Sijing said, her face drawn in shadow, "That blade was retrieved from the ocean depths, forged by nature itself; there can’t be anything inside. Even if there was, our ancestor would have found it long ago, not left it for you."

Lin Tian nodded slightly, "You sound very reasonable. But why should I listen to you? After all, that blade is just broken stone; if it’s destroyed, it’s worthless to me anyway."

Indeed, as soon as he finished, Wang Sijing lashed out, wild-eyed, determined to fight him to the end. In her view, this guy was challenging her limits.

As expected, it resulted in self-humiliation; she truly wasn’t Lin Tian’s match.

Xv Jiazhi stood beside the knife rack and said, "This rack is quite large, Kun Yun told me the Thousand-Pound Rock Dagger and that volume ’Tangxi Meridian’ were taken from here. There should be more valuable things here."

Chen Moxiang showed no interest in what Xv Jiazhi said; she was here to find the Luban lock, and other items didn’t pique her interest.

From the Wang Family ancestral home to here, there was no sign of the Luban lock, which disappointed her, even leading her to suspect the intel was wrong and the Luban lock wasn’t here at all.

Her disappointment was clear on her face, and Lin Tian could see it at once. He then tugged the rope tied at Wang Sijing’s waist, asking, "Where’s the Luban lock? We’re only here for the Luban lock; once we have it, we’ll leave. I’m not interested in anything else here."

Wang Sijing replied crossly, "I don’t know."

"Stop pretending; do you think I’ll believe you?"

"Believe it or not, I can’t help you. The Luban lock was brought in by an elder of the Wang Family. As for where he went, we’ve seen nothing along the way. This underground palace is rigged so complexly; it’s not as simple as you might think. Many things you haven’t seen; similarly, I only understand the surface of this palace."

"There’re mechanisms I can’t open, so there are passages I can’t enter in the underground palace. This is one reason I’ve compromised with you; otherwise, do you think I would invite trouble?"

Lin Tian’s expression turned gradually gloomy; he believed Wang Sijing wasn’t lying. He couldn’t explain why—just intuition.

"Isn’t the underground palace said to have six levels? How do you get to the sixth level?" Xv Jiazhi asked, which was also what Lin Tian and Chen Moxiang wanted to ask.

Wang Sijing smiled and shrugged, "I’ve already said, I don’t know. As a woman, reaching the fifth level of the underground palace is my maximum privilege. Do you think women hold high status in ancient martial clans?"

It seemed to be an impasse; Xv Jiazhi exhausted what he knew. Wang Sijing’s truth or lies remain questionable, and even if it’s true, she won’t say more, leaving Lin Tian feeling lost.

"This underground palace is vast; we should explore more." Lin Tian told Chen Moxiang, caught without alternatives, wondering if some mechanism may still lie hidden here.

Chen Moxiang thought for a few seconds, ultimately shaking her head, "Forget it; let’s go back. Wandering here is indeed too risky."

"No worries; I’m confident," Lin Tian gazed into Chen Moxiang’s eyes and replied.

Just as Lin Tian was about to act, Xv Jiazhi suddenly knocked over the rack that held the Thousand Jin Rock, causing a loud crash, startling everyone.

Wang Sijing was nearly driven insane, for this group was truly outrageous! They came to the underground palace only to disturb the ancestors’ peace!

Lin Tian and Chen Moxiang also looked behind the rack; they too wanted to see what Xv Jiazhi had discovered.