Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1006 - 1006 0598 The Treasure of Eternal Life

Chapter 1006: Chapter 0598: The Treasure of Eternal Life Studio_2 Chapter 1006: Chapter 0598: The Treasure of Eternal Life Studio_2 Qi Tian’s expression was somewhat displeased. He had racked his brains and, with great difficulty, managed to control Emperor Jianwu using a Servant Pact. He thought that the secrets of the Imperial Family Secret Territory were within his reach, but he hadn’t expected Emperor Jianwu to pull this move. The emperor had once sworn an oath before the ancestral tablets, which complicated matters significantly.

Unwilling to accept this outcome, Qi Tian contemplated and then said, “Is there any way you can allow me to access the secrets of the Imperial Family Secret Territory without breaking your oath? This is of paramount importance to me.”

Emperor Jianwu replied, “I have made an oath before the spirits of my ancestors, so I definitely cannot tell you myself. However, as one of the eighteen Princes residing within the Imperial Family Secret Territory, I am entitled to assemble a team. Thus, I can reserve a position for you within the team. As for what secrets lie within the Imperial Family Secret Territory—that you will have to discover on your own.”

Qi Tian nodded. Such an arrangement was likely the limit of what Emperor Jianwu could offer without breaking his ancestral oath.

Emperor Jianwu added, “Master Qi, if you have no other pressing matters, you may as well stay temporarily in Jianwu Palace. I will make arrangements for you to reside in Su Jinghan’s Eternal Life Studio. Everything that Su Jinghan has left in Eternal Life Studio is now yours; you may dispose of them as you see fit.”

Qi Tian still had many questions, but they were not of great importance, and he did not need to ask them all today. He accepted Emperor Jianwu’s arrangement and decided to temporarily reside within Jianwu Palace. He said, “Prince, may I borrow some of the palace’s books to read first?”

Emperor Jianwu said, “Su Jinghan had collected quite a few books, some of which he did not carry with him and left in his Eternal Life Studio. You can start by looking at those. After you’re done, you can compile a list of the books you wish to read and submit it to me; I’ll arrange the rest for you.”

After some thought, Qi Tian agreed.

Emperor Jianwu immediately gave the order, directing someone to escort Qi Tian to Su Jinghan’s Eternal Life Studio.

By this time, the news of Su Jinghan being beheaded by Emperor Jianwu had spread throughout Jianwu Palace. Although Su Jinghan was arguably the second most powerful figure in the palace, wielding tremendous influence, and many had relied on him, now that Emperor Jianwu had emerged from seclusion and made his appearance, it was a disaster for the cultivators under Su Jinghan’s lead. None of those who had depended on Su Jinghan dared to oppose Emperor Jianwu at this juncture, nor did they have the courage to antagonize Qi Tian.

Qi Tian arrived at Su Jinghan’s residence without trouble. The place was actually a small palace named Eternal Life Studio. Naturally, it couldn’t compare to Diligent Government Hall in scale or grandeur, but it was considered one of the noteworthy palaces within Jianwu Palace. The main hall, along with the annex buildings, occupied about two acres of land and was quite spacious.

When Qi Tian arrived, the place had already been thoroughly cleaned. All personnel related to Su Jinghan had been apprehended, and their fate was now a matter for Emperor Jianwu to decide, not something Qi Tian needed to concern himself with.

There was a Gold Core Stage cultivator standing guard at the entrance of the Eternal Life Studio. Upon seeing Qi Tian approach, the cultivator hurried forward and said, “Sir, we have finished cleaning the Eternal Life Studio. However, there is one issue: Eunuch Su valued his Eternal Life Studio greatly. He strictly forbade us from approaching his private chamber, and he had set up Defensive Restrictions outside his chamber which only he knew how to navigate. We have no knowledge of how to enter or exit. Eunuch Su also said that the restriction is very powerful and equipped with a self-destruct mechanism. If an outsider attempts to forcefully break it, the restriction will explode, and the entire Eternal Life Studio will be leveled to the ground. We truly have no means to handle this, and no one dares to touch this Defensive Restriction. What should we do? Should we ask the Prince for instructions and request the Prince’s intervention?”

Qi Tian had already scanned the entire building, which naturally included the Eternal Life Studio. At this moment, he did not need to use the Heavenly Dao Engine for another scan; he simply needed to consult the information he had already gathered.

In the blink of an eye, Qi Tian, through the three-dimensional holographic images fed back by multiple Heavenly Dao Engines, was able to observe the situation in the Eternal Life Studio. The first thing Qi Tian did with the method he had just acquired was to check whether there was a small space within the Eternal Life Studio. Although the possibility was slim, it could not be completely ruled out. Soon enough, Qi Tian didn’t find any anomalies in the images.

The Eternal Life Studio indeed had multiple places with Defensive Restrictions and arrays set up, and while most of them had been dismantled, one remained intact to this day—the main hall of the Eternal Life Studio, where Su Jinghan rested.

This restriction was of Half-step Nascent Soul level, incredibly powerful. Given Qi Tian’s current abilities, breaking it would be no easy task. However, Qi Tian didn’t need to do so at all. Su Jinghan had fallen into his hands, and he had stripped her of all treasures, now part of his collection, including the control token for this Half-step Nascent Soul level restriction.

Qi Tian searched the storage chamber of the Heavenly Dao Engine and without spending much time, found the control token. Holding the token, he approached the Defensive Restriction, touched it with the token, and instantly, a small crack appeared, automatically opening up. It wasn’t large, but it was enough for Qi Tian to enter with ease.

Qi Tian stepped inside the defensive restriction and then turned around to address the Gold Core Stage powerhouse guarding outside the Eternal Life Studio, “I’m a bit tired and wish to rest. Please don’t take offense that I don’t invite you in.”

The Gold Core Realm powerhouse, though curious about what Su Jinghan’s resting palace looked like, dared not ask Qi Tian for entrance. With a smile, he replied, “Sir, the Prince has ordered me to guard outside the Eternal Life Studio and await your commands, ready to be called upon at any moment. I will stay right outside and not stray. By the way, you may call me Old Hu, my full name is Hu Tianyu.”

Qi Tian nodded, then used the control token to reseal the crack in the Defensive Restriction and turned to enter the resting palace.

On the surface, Qi Tian appeared quite composed, but inside he was practically jumping with excitement. Not because he finally had a foothold in the Jianwu Palace, but because of the astonishment that the Eternal Life Studio brought to him.

Su Jinghan truly deserved to be the second-most important figure in the Jianwu Palace. Her hatred for Emperor Jianwu was comprehensive, always fixated on revenge. In addition to meticulously preparing poison, always ready for Emperor Jianwu to ingest, Su Jinghan had done something else—systematically looting the Jianwu Palace’s cultivation resources.

Having followed Emperor Jianwu for hundreds of years, he, for various reasons, displayed unwavering trust in her to the outside world. Moreover, as they were brother-in-law and sister-in-law, outsiders never questioned their relationship.

To curry favor with Su Jinghan, countless cultivators inside and outside the Jianwu Palace sought ways to please her, bootlicking and bestowing upon her a myriad of cultivation resources.

With Su Jinghan’s own efforts to hoard, coupled with the tributes from others, this accumulation over hundreds of years resulted in an incredibly vast fortune. Most of it Su Jinghan didn’t carry with her but left inside her resting palace.

Su Jinghan always believed her resting palace was absolutely safe. In all of the Jianwu Palace, the only one who dared to intrude upon her resting place was Emperor Jianwu himself. For Emperor Jianwu, who hid away in a small space to avoid Heavenly Punishment, it was impossible to enter her resting palace. Therefore, no matter what she stashed inside, there was never any worry of discovery.