A few seconds later, the three of them started talking.
"Uncle Niu, no matter what we do, there is no chance we can let the heirlooms of our ancestors be given to outsiders!" Mu Tao stated firmly.
"Nephew, but we don't have any chance. Our coffers are dried up and even the servants have started leaving. Only the ones who have been serving the clan for a long time and are loyal are here. Our businesses are gone and only a few small ones are left, but even they are likely to be gone soon.
We need a solution or our clan will be forever gone." Mu Niu replied.
"Cousin… I… I'm willing… I'm willing to marry the heir of the Fei Clan… if we do that we will be able to resolve some of our debt, right?" the teenage girl said in between her sobs.
Hearing the words of the girl, Mu Tao got enraged and slammed his fist on the table.
~THUD~
"NO! I'll never let that piece of shit, Fei Teng marry you. I'd rather let the Mu clan perishes than be disgraced like this." Mu Tao said in a stern tone.
Lin Mu narrowed his brows upon hearing this and tried to remember if he knew any Fei clan and Fei Teng.
'Isn't one of the council members surnamed Fei?' Lin Mu recalled that it was one of the old men that had sided with Shantung from the start.
"B-But counsel—" girl wanted to say more but was interrupted.
"Enough! This matter is final." Mu Tao declared.
"I fear soon we may not have the choice. I suspect the other council members have been planning something. There have been unusual activities on their end and what they are planning we do not know.
We no longer have enough people to look out and spy for us and we are in the blind. If we do not take a concrete decision soon, we might not be able to last long." Mu Niu said after seeing it all.
"The Mu clan still has several trump cards we can use. I'd those greedy and dishonorable bastards try it I won't hesitate in using them!" Mu Tao replied, rage fuming from his eyes.
Upon hearing this, the eyes of Mu Niu and the teenage girl went wide.
"Cousin, you don't mean…" the teenage girl muttered.
"That vault cannot be opened carelessly! The last time we did it your junior uncles had to sacrifice their lives. And now… there is only you of the direct bloodline left that can open it. We can't afford to lose you." Mu Niu said, feeling uneasy.
The teenage girl sobbed even more and slumped down onto the floor while the middle aged man tried to persuade Mu Tao further. But the young man was like a hundred year old Oak, firm and unyielding.
'What is this vault they are talking about… could it be the inheritance?' Lin Mu wondered and checked the interior more thoroughly with his spirit sense.
After two minutes of search, he finally found a small clue to where the vault was. He headed there and ended up another two floors below the one he was on before. The vault was made out of a solid black stone and many formations could be felt beneath it.
"What is this… these formations… they are not normal…" Lin Mu muttered as he assessed the vault.
He placed his hand on the black stone and found it to be a bit familiar.
"Wait a minute, isn't this… Earthen Depths Obsidian?" Lin Mu recognized.
"Looks like the Mu clan truly has a decent inheritance. The formations and the vault are not something a clan of their current stature can make. I doubt even the Top sects will find it easy to make something like this.
Plus, using Earthen Depths Obsidian that can isolate spirit Qi is very difficult and needs a formation grandmaster to operate on it. I doubt even the people in higher realms would find this easy.
Whoever made this vault was certainly not weak." Xukong commented.
Hearing the high praise from senior Xukong, Lin Mu knew that this was far more complex than he thought. He tried to see if he could do anything to the formations and found it to be impossible for him as of now.
"I can't do this, we'll need Jing Luo for this." Lin Mu said.
"Hmm… one of the key formations used for this vault is the bloodline trinity formation. This will be hard even for Jing Luo." Xukong replied.
"What is the Bloodline Trinity Formation senior?" Lin Mu questioned.
"One of the strongest key formations in the world. But its strength is varied depending on the bloodline that is entered into the formation. It is a formation you will encounter in nearly every world that has cultivators in them.
Resolving it is hard, and the solutions are sparse. You can still ask and see if Jing Luo can open it. If he can then we will be lucky if not, then we may need a more crude method." Xukong answered.
"I see. But first, we need to talk to them…" Lin Mu said as he looked up.
~Sigh~
'Let's get to it.' Lin Mu thought to himself and ascended directly to the hall where the three people were still conversing.
Mu Tao and Mu Niu suddenly felt a strong spirit sense scan over them and their eyes went wide.
"WHO's THERE!" Mu Tao shouted and got into a defensive pose, taking out a spirit sword.
Mu Niu on the other hand, rushed to the teenage girl and pulled him to his back.
"Mu Bing, stay behind my back and get ready to run. If they managed to come here, then they are stronger than the enemies that came before." Mu Niu warned.
He then took out a small triangular pendant from his neck and handed it to Mu Bing.
"Take this… it will take you far from here." Mu Niu said with a heavy heart.
"Uncle… you…" But before Mu Bing could say more, she was stunned.
A Handsome long haired man dressed in black robes appeared from the ground.