The woman followed the passage within the coffin all the way down. After an unknown duration, she lightly tapped three times at a certain spot, and a hidden door slid open.
Before her lay a dimly lit secret chamber. As the door opened, an aura of decay rushed out, mingled with the potent scent of death and a faint trace of life.
Gurgle—
A bubbling sound echoed within the dim chamber.
At the very center of the secret room, there was a modest blood pool, within which a golden coffin was submerged.
The woman entered the chamber, and the hidden door automatically closed behind her.
"Your servant greets Her Majesty." The woman knelt before the golden coffin, her forehead pressed to the ground, her voice exceedingly respectful.
Whoosh—
A sharp aura shot out from the golden coffin, striking the prostrate woman.
The woman was sent flying by the attack, crashing heavily against the wall.
"Do you know the grave trouble you have caused this Empress?" A voice, sounding like that of a woman no older than thirty, emanated from the golden coffin.
The voice was calm yet carried an air of authority.
The woman scrambled to her feet, daring no resistance. "Your servant knows her crime, and your servant was merely used by others..."
"Fool! I have been dormant here for a century, and you almost ruined my grand plan!"
"Were it not for this golden coffin being a supreme treasure, that person just now would likely have already sensed my presence."
The woman's face was deathly pale, and she trembled as she said, "Your servant knows her crime."
"It is good that you know your crime. I am at a critical juncture and cannot afford any mistakes."
"Furthermore, I have one more task for you."
A golden beam shot from the golden coffin, and a palm-sized token landed before the woman.
"Take this and proceed to the Northern Frontier to the foreign tribes."
"Your servant obeys."
The woman collected the golden token and quickly departed.
Gurgle—
The blood in the pool boiled, and a long, faint sigh came from the golden coffin, "Over a hundred years, those old monsters are probably getting restless as well..."
With that, the golden coffin slowly sank back into the blood pool.
—
"We will put aside the matter of the Wuxiang Palace for now."
Ye Kunlun replied to Blood Hand.
In this world, everyone had secrets. Besides Wuxiang Palace, did the seven Kyoto clans or the Shanhe Tai have no secrets?
If Ye Kunlun were to investigate every single one, would he not exhaust himself to death?
Ring ring—
Ye Kunlun's phone suddenly rang. He frowned, a sudden premonition of something bad surfacing in his heart.
He pulled out his phone; it was Zhuge Chu calling.
"Boss, something's wrong."
Ye Kunlun answered the call, and Zhuge Chu's anxious voice came through. "The gold mine was tampered with, and an explosion occurred!"
Upon hearing this, the aura around Ye Kunlun instantly turned cold, even the rain seemed to freeze around him.
Blood Hand was startled by Ye Kunlun's sudden change.
Ye Kunlun had anticipated that Changsun Che would play dirty tricks behind his back, but he hadn't expected that even with Zhuge Chu and Wu Lingxiang present, they would still manage to blow up the gold mine!
"What happened?"
Ye Kunlun asked in a chilling tone.
Zhuge Chu hastily replied, "The Xinxin Jewelry Store was indeed somewhat overbearing, but after two days of negotiations, they also made concessions."
"I suspect another group was involved in this incident; it might not be people from Xinxin Jewelry Store."
"Another group?"
Ye Kunlun narrowed his eyes. "Any leads?"
Zhuge Chu replied, "Not yet. I'm currently preparing for the rescue efforts, hoping there are no casualties."
"I'll speak with Chuxue," Ye Kunlun replied.
"Ye Kunlun, I'm fine, don't worry, I'll handle it." Yun Chuxue, afraid Ye Kunlun would worry about her.
Ye Kunlun could hear the tension in Yun Chuxue's voice. A gold mine explosion was no small matter, and casualties would make it a major accident.
"Don't worry, with me here, everything will be alright," Ye Kunlun reassured Yun Chuxue. "I'll return to Qingcheng as soon as possible."
Yun Chuxue didn't want Ye Kunlun to worry, but with such a significant incident, she still wished Ye Kunlun could be by her side.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault for being useless." Yun Chuxue's voice was filled with self-reproach.
"Silly girl, this has nothing to do with you." Ye Kunlun's eyes were filled with coldness. "Someone wants to target me through you, so you need to be careful!"
"Mm, you take care too." Yun Chuxue knew Ye Kunlun had offended many people in Kyoto. "Don't worry, I will definitely become stronger and will never be a burden to you again..."
After hanging up, Ye Kunlun's mind flashed through his enemies in Kyoto.
Besides the Changsun brothers, the remaining ones were the Huang family, the Qiao family, the Feng family, and the Qintian Tower...
Feng Zhan had already been dealt with by him; it was not impossible for the Feng family remnants to seek revenge, but their actions shouldn't have been so swift.
The Huang family was likely so terrified by him that they wouldn't dare provoke him at this time.
The most likely culprits were Qiao Wangnian, as he was the one who attracted assassins from all over the world!
Then there was Qintian Tower, as Nangong Yunshao had poisoned him.
Gu Changsheng's acquaintance with the person from the Wu clan indicated a close relationship with Feng Zhan.
Feng Zhan was dead, and Qintian Tower might be their fallback.
With this thought, Ye Kunlun felt a killing intent towards Gu Changsheng.
If Qintian Tower was behind it, then Yun Chuxue would be in grave danger right now.
Fortunately, he had arranged for Zhuge Chu and Wu Lingxiang to be by Yun Chuxue's side, along with the sword talismans he left behind. Yun Chuxue should be safe for the time being.
"Let's go, to Qintian Tower!"
Ye Kunlun put away his phone and headed towards Qintian Tower.
Qintian Tower, shrouded in rain, appeared transcendent, its mid-section obscured by clouds, adding to its mystique.
Ye Kunlun tilted his head slightly, gazing up at Qintian Tower. Through the mist, his gaze met Gu Changsheng's directly.
Gu Changsheng stared at Ye Kunlun, his expression frigid.
He had been standing there since Nangong Yunshao left last night, waiting until Ye Kunlun arrived.
Gu Changsheng's heart was not at peace.
Although Ye Kunlun had been poisoned, it seemed he had either neutralized or controlled the poison, and he also knew that Nangong Yunshao was the one who administered it.
"Young Master Ye, what brings you to my Qintian Tower?" Gu Changsheng asked calmly from the ninth floor of Qintian Tower.
"To kill you!" Ye Kunlun replied coldly.
Upon hearing this, Gu Changsheng chuckled. "Heh heh, Young Master Ye has quite the audacity. This is Qintian Tower, officially sanctioned by a sage. Do you dare to cause trouble here?"
"What if it is sanctioned by a sage?" Ye Kunlun's lips curled into a cold smile. "Nangong Yunshao poisoned me, should I just accept it?"
Gu Changsheng showed a hint of surprise. "Young Master Ye, you shouldn't speak carelessly. You cannot make such accusations and tarnish the reputation of my Qintian Tower!"
If Ye Kunlun hadn't personally witnessed Gu Changsheng meeting with the Wu clan man in the small building on the antique street, he might have believed his fabricated words.
"Speak carelessly?"
Ye Kunlun was amused by Gu Changsheng's words. "Gu Changsheng, I never expected the Lord of your esteemed Qintian Tower to be so shameless."
Gu Changsheng replied indifferently, "If you are here to provoke, my Qintian Tower will accept your challenge. If you are here as a guest, I will offer you good water and fine tea."
"Then try taking this sword from me!"
Ye Kunlun snorted, and with a pointed finger, he unleashed a sword strike towards Qintian Tower.