Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1128 - 1128 0659 The Reason for Living Until Now_2

Chapter 1128: Chapter 0659: The Reason for Living Until Now_2 Chapter 1128: Chapter 0659: The Reason for Living Until Now_2 At this moment, in the eyes of Emperor Jianwu and the others, the dense fog began to entangle and then formed a vortex, falling into the palm of Qi Tian. As time stretched on, the vortex persisted, but the fog was gradually thinning.

As the fog lightened, Emperor Jianwu and their vision widened once more. They could see several sandstorms within the fog, some of which were even sucked into the vortex connected to Qi Tian’s palm, struggling in vain, while more sandstorms were fleeing desperately away from Qi Tian like startled rabbits.

This process lasted for about ten minutes or so. The once sky-darkening fog now appeared as if nibbled by a dog, leaving behind a gigantic hole. At the location of the hole, both the dense fog and the sandstorms had vanished without a trace, and the surrounding fog was also extremely thin, no longer obstructing the sight of Emperor Jianwu and the others. Only in places far from the hole could one still see the fog coalescing and not dispersing. Even so, the dense fog that had been relentlessly pursuing them was now retreating quickly, moving away from them.

The fogs, whether they possessed their own intelligence or were controlled by something, knew fear and were all moving away from Qi Tian.

Qi Tian felt somewhat unsatisfied. The energy contained within the fog and sandstorms was quite considerable. In just ten minutes, Qi Tian had gathered a substantial amount of fuel for the Heavenly Dao Engine using the Transporting Whirlwind. The harvest was indeed rich. If possible, Qi Tian hoped to collect all the fog, but unfortunately, the fog did not give him that chance. Qi Tian could not be bothered to chase after it, so that was that.

Qi Tian lowered his hand and then casually flicked his sleeve, patting his clothing to shake off any possible dust that had settled on it. Then he turned around, cast a glance at the dumbfounded Emperor Jianwu and the rest, and said, “Now, do all of you Princes believe me? In the future, when you encounter such situations, remember to tell me first. Just because you can’t resolve it doesn’t mean I can’t. If you Princes take matters into your own hands again, then I might as well not serve as your Chief Worshipper.”

Having come back to their senses, what more could Emperor Jianwu and the other Princes say? They could only nod repeatedly, assuring Qi Tian again and again that they would certainly not take action on their own next time.

If one were to truly lay blame, it wouldn’t be fair to hold Emperor Jianwu and the others entirely at fault, for they were simply unaware of the true extent of Qi Tian’s abilities. Even though Qi Tian had always seemed very powerful in front of them, Emperor Jianwu and the others always thought Qi Tian’s strength was relative, mainly in terms of personal combat power and that it was not limitless. Otherwise, Qi Tian would not have gone to such lengths a few days ago to search for artifacts above the Half-step Nascent Soul level.

They genuinely did not know that Qi Tian possessed such formidable abilities to effectively counteract such powerful dense fog. Had they known how capable Qi Tian was, they would have sought his help much earlier.

Qi Tian returned to the soft couch and continued to focus on repairing the Wolf Teeth Knives. Up until now, he hadn’t fixed many, considering that not much time had passed since defeating Shen Ziyu. No matter how proficient Qi Tian was in repairing the Wolf Teeth Knives, it still took time to fix them one by one and he couldn’t have repaired too many in such a short period.

Emperor Jianwu knew that his recent behavior had displeased Qi Tian, so he had to do something to change Qi Tian’s opinion of him. He thought for a moment and then gestured for Li Mijia to come over. Although Li Mijia was not under Emperor Jianwu, he ran over quickly.

Emperor Jianwu instructed, “Chief Li, you performed well just now, but it’s not enough. So, forget about other matters for now and stay by Master Gao and Master Xia’s side, always ready to follow Master Qi’s orders. You must do your utmost to serve Master Qi well, take good care of his daily needs, and handle those trivial matters for Qi Tian. If you do this well, I will not pursue your past offenses against me. If you fail, be careful I don’t flay your skin.”

Li Mijia looked at his own Prince in the same way. Although the Huoyang Emperor was not very satisfied with Li Mijia’s recent action of risking danger to protect Qi Tian without his permission, he still nodded at Li Mijia at this time.

Having received the silent approval of his own Prince, Li Mijia nodded repeatedly and said, “Lord Jianwu, rest assured, this servant will surely take good care of Master Qi.”

After dispatching Li Mijia to Qi Tian’s side, Emperor Jianwu and a few other princes gathered again. After quickly conferring, the team split into front and rear groups once more and continued down the path.

This time, having learned from their recent experiences, they placed even greater importance on scouting. They not only sent scouts ahead of the group but also placed several behind as watchful eyes to avoid a repeat of the previous incident where they remained unaware even as thick fog approached.

Their progress this time was unexpectedly smooth. They did not encounter any other dangers along the way, and this result left Emperor Jianwu and the others somewhat unaccustomed.

In their past explorations of the Saint’s Tomb, they had always faced danger after danger. Each time, they had to overcome multiple trials, paying a heavy price in effort and blood. Only then was it possible to approach the Saint’s Tomb. They had not anticipated such a smooth journey this time, with only a thick fog presenting itself as an obstacle.

Now, the team arrived at a large mound, an area larger than a hillock but not by much. This mound was the Saint’s Tomb they intended to explore.

The mound was actually a burial mound, inside of which lay a cultivator who had passed away many years ago. The owner of this burial mound must have been an extraordinary person in his life; otherwise, no one would have built such a large tomb for him.

Based on the experience they had accumulated, the tomb surely contained many burial goods. Although the passage of time had dimmed some of their original luster, there were still many powerful items. Should they manage to locate these still-intact burial goods, it would undoubtedly be an incredible opportunity. For them, it could mean the chance to further extend their lifespans.

The entire tomb looked like an inverted bowl. A protruding section on the exact south side signified the tomb’s entrance, which had been sealed shut.

From the outside, the burial mound did not appear to have many unusual features. At most, the top and surrounding area were covered with lush vegetation. Apart from that, there was nothing else noteworthy.

Under Emperor Jianwu’s command, the entire team set up camp about a thousand meters away from the Saint’s Tomb. This distance was not chosen at random; Emperor Jianwu and his companions had determined it based on thousands of years of historical experience. In history, any exploration team that encamped closer than a thousand meters to their target never ended well. Many were completely annihilated, and while some escaped utter destruction by luck, they too suffered heavy casualties with few survivors.

One crucial reason Emperor Jianwu and his companions had survived thus far without dying was their extra caution and scrutiny when exploring the Saint’s Tomb. They adamantly avoided mistakes where possible and never sought to stand out by knowingly leaping into pits ahead.

Qi Tian did not interfere with setting up the encampment, as he was still focused on repairing the Wolf Teeth Knife. However, while Qi Tian did not inquire, Emperor Jianwu and his company did not dare to make decisions on their own again. They approached Qi Tian, waiting to see if he had any commands. If Qi Tian wished to lead the entire exploration process, Emperor Jianwu would not hesitate to cede command to him.