Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1026 - 1026 0608 Gold Core Tribulation_2

Chapter 1026: Chapter 0608: Gold Core Tribulation_2 Chapter 1026: Chapter 0608: Gold Core Tribulation_2 Emperor Jianwu said, “If we’re going to talk about it, the person who caused such a phenomenon between heaven and earth isn’t someone you’ve never heard of; you just never thought about him. Not long ago, my son uncovered this man from among the common folk and then introduced him to me. We hit it off right away. Let me be frank with you, I have sworn a brotherhood with him—I’m the elder brother, and he’s my younger brother. He even helped me eliminate the traitor Su Jinghan, making a great contribution. Now I have let him reside in the Eternal Life Studio, temporarily holding the position of Chief Worshipper, serving my Jianwu Palace.”

The Huoyang Emperor listened as if to a tale, incredulously saying, “The person you’re talking about, it couldn’t be Qi Tian, could it? Is he that formidable? Isn’t he just someone who has mastered a little secret technique that helped the princess, Zhao Ninglu, to open up her meridians? How could he possibly have such high potential to cause such terrifying heavenly and earthly phenomena when he’s promoting to the Gold Core Realm?”

Emperor Jianwu laughed and said, “This matter, I can’t explain it either. In any case, that’s just how it is. Whether you believe it or not, it remains the same and no one can change it.”

The Huoyang Emperor stared fixedly at the Tribulation Clouds enveloping the skies above Eastern Capital City, shocked by the information Emperor Jianwu revealed. He wouldn’t believe it even if it were about someone else he knew, let alone Qi Tian.

He said, “Jianwu, if what you are saying is true, how terrifying must Qi Tian’s cultivation aptitude be? Look towards the direction of Jianning Palace, then look around at those Tribulation Clouds. They’re covering a radius of ten miles now, don’t you think? Then look at the thickness of the clouds, consider the force contained within them, and the time they’ve been brewing… If these Heavenly Tribulations were to strike, it wouldn’t just be Qi Tian, a mere mortal, who couldn’t withstand them; I fear even we may not be able to bear it when we are advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage.”

Emperor Jianwu said, “Qi Tian’s cultivation aptitude is certainly excellent; otherwise, he wouldn’t have caused such a commotion in heaven and earth by attracting this phenomenon during his promotion to the Gold Core Realm, facing the test of a Heavenly Tribulation. As for whether he can pass it, that’s his own business. We can’t help even if we want to, we can only be onlookers at most. However, this is also good. Qi Tian’s Heavenly Tribulation is unprecedented, and as you said, when we try to reach the Nascent Soul Stage in the future, the intensity of the Heavenly Tribulation might not be as great. We can take this opportunity to observe carefully. This is a rare chance that shouldn’t be missed.”

The Huoyang Emperor said, “Weren’t you just saying that you and Qi Tian hit it off at first sight and have already sworn brotherhood? Why do I feel like you, as the elder brother, aren’t worried at all?”

Emperor Jianwu indeed had no worries. On one hand, he knew that worrying was useless in the face of such a Heavenly Tribulation; on the other hand, deep down, he actually hoped the Heavenly Tribulation would annihilate Qi Tian so that he could regain his freedom rather than continue as Qi Tian’s Immortal Slave. But this dark thought is something Emperor Jianwu only dared to contemplate in the recesses of his heart, never daring to reveal it to anyone. He said, “It’s not that I’m not worried, but I have great confidence in my sworn brother. Other people might only await death when faced with this kind of Heavenly Tribulation, but for my brother, it’s just a minor test that he can easily pass.”

The Huoyang Emperor curled his lips, his eyes full of doubt. He didn’t challenge Emperor Jianwu’s words but merely nodded.

Emperor Jianwu continued, “There’s one thing we need to be clear about; right now, we are allies in this together. In the coming days, it’s very possible that the other four palaces will all be our enemies. If they can’t deal with me temporarily, they might target Qi Tian. If Qi Tian can’t safely overcome the Heavenly Tribulation, then there’s nothing more to say. But if Qi Tian does make it through, he’s bound to attract the enmity of the other four princes. I’m worried they’ll attempt to kill Qi Tian the same way they want to kill us. I hope that when the time comes, you, along with your Huoyang Palace, will be able to stand up and join me in ensuring Qi Tian’s safety until he gains the capability to protect himself.”

The Huoyang Emperor’s eyes flickered as he said, “If Qi Tian can really pass the Heavenly Tribulation as you say, and form his Gold Core, then I am willing to join you in ensuring Qi Tian’s safety.”

The Huoyang Emperor was very aware that if Qi Tian could overcome such a Heavenly Tribulation, his future achievements would be immeasurable. Offering a helping hand to Qi Tian in his time of trouble would be like providing timely help in the snow, far greater than adding flowers to the brocade later. Even if Qi Tian didn’t remember today’s events and never thought about repaying him, it would still be a good karma formed between him and Qi Tian.

While Emperor Jianwu and Huoyang Emperor exchanged words, cultivators from the other four imperial palaces also began to gradually retreat from the Eastern Capital City. It was not just them; thousands upon thousands of cultivators who had settled in the Eastern Capital City began to withdraw upon sensing the power of the Heavenly Tribulation that Qi Tian had brought upon them. For a brief period, centered around Jianwu Palace, cultivators within several miles either had already evacuated or were in the process of doing so, and the area was on the verge of becoming deserted.

Countless cultivators lingered outside the Eastern Capital City, watching the increasingly gloomy Tribulation Clouds above with complex expressions. Although they had withdrawn from the Eastern Capital City and the Tribulation Clouds were no longer hovering above their heads, they could still feel the oppressive weight of the clouds, as if a heavy block of lead rested on their hearts, making each heartbeat notably heavier.

They could not imagine what means Qi Tian, who was under such Heavenly Tribulation, could possibly use to save his own life.

What they did not know was that up until that moment, Qi Tian had not yet felt the pressure the Heavenly Tribulation had brought upon him. Qi Tian’s focus remained steadfast on compressing his Gold Core. Unbeknownst to him, it was his continuous compressions of the Gold Core that had been delaying the impending tribulation meant to start much earlier. Each time he compressed his Gold Core, the Tribulation Clouds gathered more strength, to the point that when Qi Tian had compressed his Gold Core to the size of a grain of rice, the power of the Heavenly Tribulation had become so tremendous that even the veteran Gold Core Realm cultivators like Emperor Jianwu and Huoyang Emperor watched with hearts racing and guts trembling.

Only after Qi Tian was certain his Gold Core had been compressed to its limit, with no further possibility of compression, did he shift his Divine Sense from his sea of consciousness and bring it outward. In the very next instant, Qi Tian felt the immense and omnipresent external pressure, as if the entire world were bearing down on him.

At that moment, Qi Tian felt as though he were deep in the ocean, with the intense pressure bearing down on every cell of his body. More terrifying were the many deep-sea bombs drifting around him, any one of which could accidentally detonate and obliterate him into pieces.

Qi Tian was breaking through within the Eternal Life Studio; He could not see the Tribulation Clouds in the sky, and no flicker of light was present around him. For a moment, Qi Tian was at a loss as to what exactly was happening.

Qi Tian had been cultivating for too brief a period; many things in the Cultivation World were either unknown to him or felt very unfamiliar. The occurrence of a cultivator triggering Heavenly Tribulation upon breaking through to the Gold Core Realm was rare in the Cultivation World, and even though Qi Tian had read through many texts, he had only seen scant mentions of this phenomenon; making it difficult for him to associate his current circumstances with his breakthrough to the Gold Core Realm.

However, instincts honed over time alerted Qi Tian to the extreme danger he was in, and he understood he must find a way to escape this peril.

The first thought Qi Tian had was whether Emperor Jianwu was making a move against him, but he quickly dismissed the idea. The control exerted by the Servant Pact made the likelihood of Emperor Jianwu betraying him exceedingly small, to the point it could be disregarded.

If the danger did not come from Emperor Jianwu, it had to be originating from somewhere else. Qi Tian instantly released the sensing capabilities of the Heavenly Dao Engine regarding the Spirit Qi, scanning the area within several miles around him, hoping to determine the source of the danger through it.