Chapter 1480: Seeing Through But Not Revealing

Chapter 1480: Chapter 1480: Seeing Through But Not Revealing

Lin Tian looked at the clean-shaven old man in front of him, grinned, and said, "Seventh Elder, if I’m not mistaken, you only have the strength of a high-level Martial Artist now, right? If I want to seize it by force, you likely don’t stand a chance."

Lin Tian couldn’t discern the other’s strength, it was merely a guess. Golden Core masters weren’t common; each ancient martial arts family, apart from concealed experts, didn’t have many Golden Core masters.

The Wang Family already had many Golden Core masters; anymore would be somewhat freakish.

Moreover, Golden Core masters possess an indescribable aura of profundity that Mr. Wang, Wang Manzi, and Xu Shoujiang all have. As for the seventh elder in front of him, Lin Tian felt none of it.

Even if he were a Golden Core master, so what? Lin Tian wouldn’t take him seriously. Currently, the only person he fears is that old undying Mr. Wang.

Wang chuckled coldly, "You just said you wanted to make peace with our Wang Family but now you’re thinking of snatching by force? Indeed, I’m far from the Golden Core stage, but that doesn’t mean I’m afraid of you. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you try?"

Wang stood in place with one hand behind his back, the other holding the Luban Lock. His expression was calm, embodying the spirit of remaining composed even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.

The saying goes that unusual things must have a trick; the old man clearly looked unruffled, and anyway, it’s not yet the time to resort to force.

Wang continued, "Let me tell you, if you really want to snatch it, I will forcibly smash this Luban Lock open. If the contents inside are destroyed, mechanisms will shoot out. Even if you miraculously survive, this underground palace is a full thirty meters deep. It also has a self-destruct system; once I trigger the mechanism, the top three layers will collapse, burying us all below. Forget about escaping; the oxygen here will dwindle and we will suffocate to death."

At this point, Wang gave Wang Sijing a look and said with a cloudy expression, "As descendants of the Wang Family, one must disregard life and death. I imagine you can guess where the collapse mechanism of the underground palace is. When push comes to shove, do not hesitate!"

Wang Sijing nodded earnestly. She then glanced at Lin Tian with a hint of contempt.

Just then, Chen Moxiang suddenly saluted Wang and said, "Mr. Wang, I am the captain of the sixth squad of the Security Management Institute. I’m sure you’re not unfamiliar with the Security Management Institute?"

Wang chuckled, his face full of pride, "Ah, collaborators from the Security Management Institute, my apologies, my apologies. Truth be told, I have ties with the Institute, having worked there in a clerical position for two years."

"You know what I’m talking about," Chen Moxiang’s tone abruptly became much sharper, "This Luban Lock was once a national treasure of Celestial Dragon Continent, later smuggled abroad. It took us years to locate it; it was nearly in our grasp until your ancient martial Wang Family swooped in, like a mantis watching the cicada. Isn’t this too immoral?"

Chen Moxiang’s words were like daggers, each word finely honed, igniting the anger buried within. The Wang Family, for personal gain, caused trouble for many, even costing lives, such as Davis and his followers.

Wang laughed slyly, looking somewhat pleased.

"Your Institute expended effort, but did the Wang Family not? I can only say your current cohort lacks capability; at least you failed in intelligence work, otherwise we wouldn’t have had the opportunity. By saying this, it’s merely your oversight; we’ve taught you a lesson. Why still come knocking?"

Old people are crafty, like the old fox before him. With a sentence, he shifted the narrative. This is the Wang Family, deeply rooted in Celestial Dragon Continent, developed over centuries. If it were a family with less foundation, would they dare confront the Security Management Institute?

It’s no secret the Wang Family’s methods are questionable. For this, they’ve paid a hefty price, otherwise, they wouldn’t send Chen Moxiang to sneak in but directly come accusing.

The investment for getting this Luban Lock indicates its rarity. Wang is the most agile minded in the Wang Family, with a knack for mechanisms. He cloistered alone in the chamber to decode it, even sleeping and resting always with it.

Lin Tian closely examined the Luban Lock in his hand, noticing part of its exterior dismantled, revealing intricate inner workings—a task requiring great patience. He studied it alone for over a month, hardly unlocking much, showing its difficulty.

His eyes narrowed into a line, focusing intently. Lin Tian’s gaze soon pierced through the tiny, dense components to see what was hidden within.

This Luban Lock indeed held a storage piece. Deep inside, there was a round wooden box with a pill the size of a pinky fingernail, blue in color, ordinary, without a Pill Pattern or Pill Halo, appearing of low quality.

Yet, it was well protected. Around the pill’s exterior was a hollow space containing black liquid. If not opened sequentially and violently, the liquid would spill onto the pill. No doubt, it would instantly become highly poisonous.

Moreover, if forcefully broken, triggering the internal springs would shoot needle-like projectiles. Without wearing bomb-proof clothing, no one could avoid it.

What puzzled Lin Tian most was, there were only three or four rivets left from the spring. No wonder Wang stopped at this point; he used the wrong method, dismantling by force would cost his life.

Before encountering the Luban Lock, Lin Tian was curious about this odd item, wondering what lay inside that made Davis, the Wang Family, and the Security Management Institute go to such lengths.

Now seeing through it, in an instant, Lin Tian lost interest in both the Luban Lock and the pill inside, even feeling disdain.

Did these people know they were expending great effort over a broken pill? Without a Pill Pattern or Pill Halo, what good could it be?

Seeing through but not revealing, even if spoken, no one would believe; Lin Tian didn’t bother to argue.

Lin Tian wanted Chen Moxiang to give up the quest for the Luban Lock, as the effort would be in vain. The thought reached his throat before he forcibly swallowed it down.

Regardless of what’s inside, it was Chen Moxiang’s task. Following orders is a soldier’s duty, and this applies to Chen Moxiang.

"Old man, do you know what’s inside?" Lin Tian asked Wang, his eyes full of contempt.