Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1130 - 1130 0660 Sudden Danger_2

Chapter 1130: Chapter 0660: Sudden Danger_2 Chapter 1130: Chapter 0660: Sudden Danger_2 Gao Jinmei’s expression changed slightly, and she glared fiercely at Li Mijia, saying, “Chief Li, you must be careful with your words. How can you casually speak of such a curse that brings misfortune upon your own family? Surely you don’t intend to be an ill omen?”

Li Mijia was startled and quickly covered his own mouth with his hand, mumbling a defense, “Master Gao, our family truly did not mean that. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Gao Jinmei did not pay any more attention to Li Mijia, but the speculation he had just made cast a shadow over her heart. She thought that she should find an appropriate moment to inform Qi Tian about this possibility raised by Li Mijia and to better prepare Qi Tian mentally in advance.

Time ticked by, second by second, and in the blink of an eye, half a day had passed. The sky gradually darkened, and the preparation work for Emperor Jianwu and the others continued in an orderly fashion.

Emperor Jianwu had already issued a clear order: not to rest tonight and to press on with the preparations. No one complained. As Gold Core Realm cultivators, they could handle busyness throughout the night. Even if they had to work without sleep, rest, or food for an entire month, it wouldn’t affect them too much. Moreover, they were well aware of the danger they were in; without getting all the preparatory work done in advance, they wouldn’t be in the mood to rest anyway.

Among all the preparations, the most challenging was to lay an Array around the entire tomb. The Saint’s Tomb covered a significant area, with more than fifty acres of exposed burial mounds, translating to over 33,000 square meters. It was incredibly vast and spectacular. Setting up an Array around such a huge Saint’s Tomb, not to mention the other aspects, required a tremendous consumption of various natural treasures.

Any one of the five royal palaces that had come this time would not be able to bear such a huge expense on its own. Even if the cost was shared among the five palaces, it would still be a considerable expenditure for each. In the past, the royal family often led the way in exploring the Saint’s Tomb. However, in the last few centuries, the royal family had become less enthusiastic about it. Besides the increased danger of exploration, which often involved substantial casualties, the high expenses were a significant reason.

The rationale for setting up such a large Array was multifaceted. The main reasons could be divided into two parts: internal and external.

The “internal” referred primarily to unexpected situations arising within the Saint’s Tomb. For instance, some natural treasures within the Saint’s Tomb might have, due to the long passage of time and the nourishment of the Spirit Qi, developed sentience. After the opening of the Saint’s Tomb, these sentient natural treasures would usually attempt to escape at the first opportunity. Without an Array to obstruct them, those precious natural treasures might flee, and it would become extremely difficult to capture them afterward, possibly missing the chance forever. Such treasures were generally extremely precious, with many able to extend the lifespan of cultivators. If they were to escape, Emperor Jianwu and the others would surely regret it deeply.

Of course, sentient natural treasures were just one reason. The Saint’s Tomb could present many sudden situations, and having an Array in place could save a lot of trouble.

The “external” was mainly to guard against dangers from outside. Like the dense fog that had left Lord Jianwu and the others helpless during their journey or the unwelcome visitor Shen Ziyu, pre-laid Arrays could provide some obstruction and yield unexpectedly great effects.

To properly set up this Array, Emperor Jianwu not only instructed the Huoyang Emperor and Emperor Yonghe to take charge of this task together, but he, as the main coordinator, also devoted half his time to this Array. They needed to set up the Array without fail, with no room for any accidents.

This exploration of the Saint’s Tomb could be seen as a gamble for Emperor Jianwu, the Huoyang Emperor, Emperor Yonghe, Emperor Bahuang, Emperor Wenzhi, and the other princes. If they gained something from this attempt, all would be well. However, if they failed due to various reasons, they could say that these princes were doomed to be eliminated in the coming days, not by others, but by the merciless hand of time.

The remaining lifespans of these Princes were all alarmingly short, with the least having only a mere few decades left, and the most having less than a hundred years. In the days they had left, they were essentially powerless to organize another exploration team for the Saint’s Tomb.

It was deep into the night, pitch black without the light of the moon or the stars, visibility was like groping in the dark. Though all Gold Core Realm powerhouses could clearly see their surroundings in such conditions, to save unnecessary expenditure of energy, Emperor Jianwu had still arranged for some lanterns around the Saint’s Tomb and its vicinity, providing visible light for the bustling Gold Core Realm experts.

Emperor Jianwu was currently directing a group of people in building an Array because there was a shortage of manpower, and sometimes, he had to take part himself. Even so, the construction of the Array was not proceeding quickly. This place was unlike the imperial palace; there was not even a hint of an Array foundation here, and everything had to be started from scratch, making the setup exceedingly troublesome.

The progress of other preparations was relatively smooth, and to hasten the construction of the Array, some manpower was reassigned from other areas, hoping to accelerate the pace.

No one noticed that as they all worked feverishly, danger quietly descended once more. The danger arrived so silently that no one was aware of its approach.

It was at this moment that Qi Tian, who had been busily repairing the Wolf Teeth Knife, suddenly stopped his work, looked up at the sky, then around him, and said to Gao Jinmei, Xia Xiaoming, and Li Mijia, “You must immediately retreat to the top of the Saint’s Tomb. Staying here now is dangerous.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Jinmei quickly asked, “Master, what’s happened?”

Qi Tian replied, “There’s no time to explain. Follow my orders and retreat quickly. Find Emperor Jianwu and tell him to have everyone withdraw to the top of the Saint’s Tomb. Act fast and do not delay.”

After giving his instructions, Qi Tian suddenly moved. His speed reached an extreme, and in the blink of an eye, he dashed into the darkness.

Gao Jinmei, not understanding what was going on, instinctively wanted to follow Qi Tian, hoping to help in some way. Li Mijia quickly grabbed her and said, “Master Gao, at this time, we should heed Master Qi’s command and immediately find Lord Jianwu to relay Master Qi’s orders. If we insist on finding Master Qi now, we may end up burdening him. Please, you must not cause any trouble for Master Qi.”

Although Gao Jinmei was reluctant, she knew Li Mijia was right. If she went to find Qi Tian now, she would be of no help and would only hinder him.

Left with no other choice, Gao Jianming, Xia Xiaoming, and Li Mijia hurriedly retreated to the top of the Saint’s Tomb, found Emperor Jianwu, and informed him of Qi Tian’s request.

Emperor Jianwu was taken aback, but he did not waste time asking for details and immediately issued the command as Qi Tian had requested, ordering everyone to quickly fall back and gather at the top of the Saint’s Tomb. After the order was disseminated, Emperor Jianwu had time to inquire about what exactly had happened.