Jiang Chen was dumbfounded when he heard this.
He had never expected that the words from this person's mouth would contain such a revelation.
A treasure secret realm? The Master of Cuihua Pavilion intended to hoard the treasure all for himself?
Jiang Chen stared into the man's eyes for a long while, probing carefully, and he could tell that there was no trace of deception in the man's gaze.
In other words, at the very least, the man was telling the truth. Whether what he said was the actual truth, however, was another matter entirely.
After all, this man was merely carrying out orders and might not know any deeper details.
However, Jiang Chen reasoned that as a second-stage Imperial realm expert, this man would absolutely belong to the top decision-making circle even within the Red Cauldron Imperial Family.
The intelligence he had obtained, even if not perfectly detailed, should not be false.
If that was the case, then this seemingly straightforward act of a martial arts breakthrough was in fact nothing more than a contest for treasure in disguise?
Thinking this far, Jiang Chen was utterly shocked. Just how large were this Master of Cuihua Pavilion's guts and appetite? He intended to swallow the entire treasure hoard alone?
But the more Jiang Chen thought about it, the more puzzled he became.
If the Master of Cuihua Pavilion had truly discovered a treasure secret realm, why then had he invited so many protectors? Wouldn't that only increase the risk of exposure?
Or perhaps the man believed that his excuse of a martial arts breakthrough could deceive everyone under the heavens?
If it was the latter, then the Master of Cuihua Pavilion's elaborate scheme had clearly failed.
It seemed that not only the Imperial Family but also the Chili Sect—a third-rank sect within the Red Cauldron Central Domain—had gotten involved. That already made two factions, not to mention other forces lurking in the shadows.
Jiang Chen pondered for a moment. A thousand threads of thought tangled together, yet he could not weave them into a single coherent picture or fully dissect this affair.
But right now, Jiang Chen had no time to analyze things in detail. He would simply have to play it by ear.
He asked, "There's a formation blocking the path ahead. Without an accomplice, you couldn't possibly pass through it. Who is your accomplice?"
The man sighed. "Fine, fine. Since things have come to this, don't blame me for betraying a friend. Among those four protectors, the strongest—Elder Zhang—is a man of the Imperial Family. The outside world has simply never known this."
Elder Zhang?
Jiang Chen had indeed taken note of the protector roster before. Of the Master of Cuihua Pavilion's twelve protectors, Elder Zhang had the greatest reputation and the highest cultivation.
He had reached the sixth stage of the Imperial realm. Even the Chili Sect's Elder Gao was slightly inferior to Elder Zhang.
"How many people has the Imperial Family sent in total?" Jiang Chen asked again.
The man smiled bitterly. "I'm nothing more than a lapdog raised by the Imperial Family. You think I'd be privy to everything? I was simply carrying out orders. When I arrived, I contacted Elder Zhang and followed his arrangements."
Jiang Chen nodded and pressed further with a few more questions, extracting every detail about the communication methods and special precautions to observe.
After finishing, the man could not help but say, "Friend, I've been very cooperative. You won't…"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Since you're a lapdog of the Red Cauldron Imperial Family, if I don't kill you, someone else certainly will."
The man's face went deathly pale. He hadn't thought this through earlier. Only now did he realize that the other party's Heaven and Earth Oath had concealed a trap within!
Jiang Chen snapped his fingers and summoned the Gold-Munching Mouse King directly.
"Old Gold, your Gold-Munching Mouse clan has done well this time. This man shall be the blood offering bestowed upon you."
The Gold-Munching Mouse King was overjoyed upon hearing this.
An Imperial realm expert—that was a tremendous tonic.
The Gold-Munching Mouse clan ate everything and could gnaw through anything. A second-stage Imperial realm expert's flesh, blood, sinews, and bones were all immensely nourishing.
Jiang Chen did not remain idle either. He immediately employed his disguise technique, transforming himself to look exactly like the man.
In less than a quarter of an hour, everything was ready.
By that time, the Gold-Munching Mouse clan had finished their feast. The Gold-Munching Mouse King grinned sycophantically. "Chen Shao, this is truly a pillow appearing just as you're about to sleep. With this, you can pass through that formation with ease."
Jiang Chen nodded. "You've done well this time. If the opportunity arises, there will be more rewards later!"
Disguised as the man, Jiang Chen swaggered forward, and before long he arrived at the edge of the formation guarded by Elder Zhang. He had extracted every detail of the communication methods and the secret countersign, so there was nothing to trip him up.
Elder Zhang suspected nothing and opened the formation to let him in.
"Go in first and find a place to hide. Once all the others have arrived, I'll issue the secret assembly order. Remember—don't wander off. This time, it's not just Imperial realm experts from the Imperial Family who've come. There are also strong cultivators from the Chili Sect, the Tianying Sect, and the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect—all third-rank sects."
Elder Zhang warned.
Jiang Chen chuckled inwardly but nodded obediently, showing his compliance.
"Go!" Elder Zhang opened a corner of the formation and let Jiang Chen through.