Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1050 - 1050 0620 Emperor Chaoyang Gives Way_2

Chapter 1050: Chapter 0620: Emperor Chaoyang Gives Way_2 Chapter 1050: Chapter 0620: Emperor Chaoyang Gives Way_2 Qi Tian smiled and clasped his hands in greeting, “Commander Yang is too kind, what I’ve done is purely for self-preservation. My little tricks are not worth mentioning before your formidable strength. Now that things have come to this, wouldn’t it be better for you and your men to retreat first?”

In his heart, Yang Yongqi rapidly calculated whether to take the risk and continue his attempts to capture Qi Tian. The distance between him and Qi Tian was not great, and with his skills, he could bridge the gap between them in an instant and strike at Qi Tian. If everything went smoothly, it could be a matter of just one or two seconds before he had Qi Tian under control.

By doing so, he could fulfill the task given by the Prince and not have to face him empty-handed upon returning.

But such action would undoubtedly come with immense risk; the Killing Array of Jianwu Palace was not to be taken lightly. He had witnessed firsthand the tremendous power of this Killing Array, and if possible, he did not want to experience it himself.

As Yang Yongqi wavered in indecision, the voice of Emperor Chaoyang once again reached his ears through a magical transmission.

“You fool, you’ve disappointed me greatly, unable to handle even such a trivial matter. Don’t stand there making a spectacle of yourself, come back to me immediately,” the Emperor chided.

Yang Yongqi hadn’t expected Emperor Chaoyang, who had been on the verge of rage just moments before, to suddenly issue a recall order for him to retreat. Yang realized that the Emperor’s change of heart wasn’t because he no longer wished to capture Qi Tian, but rather out of concern that the Killing Array of the Jianwu Palace might endanger his safety, and that of the Gold Core Realm experts he’d brought along, potentially resulting in their complete loss here. With this understanding, a warm current surged through Yang’s heart; the Prince still had him in his thoughts and did not regard him as a disposable pawn.

Yang Yongqi swiftly made up his mind. This time, he had been outsmarted by Qi Tian, and to continue would mean not only failing the Prince’s task but also risking severe loss. It would be wiser to preserve himself for future use, retreat for now, and look for another opportunity to complete the tasks given by the Prince.

As the saying goes, there are only so many days to be a thief but not as many to guard against one. He didn’t believe that if he kept a close watch on Qi Tian, an opportunity to strike wouldn’t present itself one day. When that time came, he would surely deliver a fatal blow to Qi Tian and leave him with no chance of escape.

“Qi Tian, don’t be smug. Don’t think that with Emperor Jianwu and Huoyang Emperor’s protection, you can always remain unscathed. Time will prove everything to you, and then you’ll realize how foolish your choice today was. Let’s go,” he warned.

After his warning to Qi Tian, Yang Yongqi turned and strode off; those Gold Core Realm experts he had brought with him followed behind, leaving together.

Watching Yang Yongqi’s retreating figure, Qi Tian’s gaze turned profound.

Previously, Qi Tian hadn’t been acutely aware of it, or perhaps Yang Yongqi felt there was no need, thus always keeping it concealed. But just now, Qi Tian distinctly sensed Yang Yongqi’s strength; for the first time, he identified the realm of cultivation that Yang had been concealing—Gold Core Stage Eighth Level, and a rather powerful one at that, nearing the Ninth Level of Gold Core Realm.

Such a level of cultivation was extremely powerful. Not just in Eastern Capital City, but even if placed in the whole Imperial Family Secret Territory, he would be among the top tier. Even if Yang Yongqi were to be placed in Wanjie City with his level of cultivation and demonstrated martial prowess, he would be a cultivator that no one in Wanjie City could afford to ignore.

Facing such a formidable opponent as Yang Yongqi, despite appearing as stable as Mount Tai, only Qi Tian himself knew the sweat he had clutched in the palm of his hand.

The force of Yang Yongqi was not something that Qi Tian could contend with at the moment; the punch he had thrown earlier was his all-out effort, with no holds barred. In the short term, he would not be able to unleash an attack more powerful than that punch.

Qi Tian estimated that his punch could only exhibit the power of about the Golden Core Stage Seventh Level. With such strength, threatening Yang Yongqi would still be quite difficult.

What really caused Yang Yongqi to rethink his approach was Jianwu Palace’s Killing Array. But what made Qi Tian sweat was this same Killing Array.

Just now, the distance between Yang Yongqi and the Killing Array was quite significant; he was always blocked from entering the main gate of Jianwu Palace and thus couldn’t observe the Killing Array up close. However, Qi Tian was very clear about its condition.

Because of Qi Tian’s tribulation, the Killing Array had sustained considerable damage. Repairing it was not an easy task, and even with Emperor Jianwu and Huoyang Emperor, both Princes working together, they couldn’t restore the Killing Array to its original state in a short period. For now, the two Princes had only managed to make the Killing Array seem intimidating. To put it plainly, while the Killing Array could make one feel a sense of deadly intent, it lacked the actual power to kill.

If Yang Yongqi acted rashly, disregarding all caution and insisting on capturing Qi Tian, the Killing Array, mere empty shell that it was, would be utterly useless, and it would burst just like a soap bubble when poked.

It must be said that Qi Tian was taking a risk just now. If he had a choice, he wouldn’t have wanted to take this risk, but circumstances had forced his hand. Of course, if Yang Yongqi hadn’t acted according to Qi Tian’s expectations and he had been a reckless man by nature, Qi Tian would not have chosen such a risky strategy. Qi Tian devised this plan because he saw through what kind of man Yang Yongqi truly was and also understood that Emperor Chaoyang would not easily let Yang Yongqi take such a risk.

Despite Emperor Chaoyang’s position as the foremost among the six Princes of the Eastern Capital City, he too would worry about his strength being compromised. Emperor Chaoyang definitely wouldn’t be satisfied with just dominating the Eastern Capital City; his aim was to occupy the top position within the entire Imperial Family Secret Territory. Yang Yongqi was his strong right arm. Given that he had already lost a puppet wolf at the Half-step Nascent Soul level, he absolutely wouldn’t allow this right arm to be easily damaged.

Of course, if something unexpected did occur to Qi Tian’s plan, he also had a contingency measure, which was to use Master Ming Ren’s flying sword in a dire situation.

He received several flying swords left by Master Ming Ren. The one that self-destructed during the defense against the Heavenly Tribulation was merely the least impressive among these swords. However, if he really had to use the flying sword, there was a significant chance that he would face relentless pursuit by Emperor Chaoyang at all costs, which was undoubtedly the worst-case scenario.

Fortunately, the development of the events had mostly followed Qi Tian’s predictions. By using Jianwu Palace’s Killing Array to force Yang Yongqi to retreat, he had secured precious time for himself. With this time, he could devise every possible way to urgently enhance his own strength and combat power to gain the capital to confront Emperor Chaoyang and people like Yang Yongqi. In this way, he could stand above the many cultivators in terms of strength within the Imperial Family Secret Territory and not be as constrained as he was now.

At this moment, Zhao Shibo approached Qi Tian. Nowadays, Zhao Shibo wouldn’t dare treat Qi Tian as casually as he had days before, let alone put on airs as a Prince. He respectfully said to Qi Tian, “Master Qi, Yang Yongqi and his men have left. What should we do next?”

Qi Tian said, “Immediately send people to repair Jianwu Palace, especially the Defense Magic Array, which should be the focus of the repairs. Also, arrange for responsible personnel, prohibiting anyone from approaching our Jianwu Palace.”

Zhao Shibo promptly agreed.

Qi Tian continued, “There’s one more thing: send orders right away to have all important people from the Prince Manor and Princess’s estate relocate to work in Jianwu Palace. At a time like this, we need to prevent someone from targeting them, capturing them, and forcing us to make concessions.”

Zhao Shibo nodded repeatedly. He had long wanted to move all his trusted aides into Jianwu Palace, but he didn’t have the guts to make such a request to Emperor Jianwu. Now it was easy; Qi Tian had directly issued the order, and all he had to do was follow it. Considering his father’s trust in Qi Tian, it was very likely that his father wouldn’t reject Qi Tian’s command.