Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1131 - 1131 0661 Absurd Reality_1

Chapter 1131: Chapter 0661: Absurd Reality_1 Chapter 1131: Chapter 0661: Absurd Reality_1 Chapter 0661: The Absurd Reality

After issuing his command, Emperor Jianwu had time to ask Gao Jinmei what had happened. He was shocked to learn that Qi Tian had sensed danger and left on his own. First, he couldn’t believe that he, among everyone else, hadn’t detected any sign of danger. Not a single one of the Gold Core Realm subordinates, nor any of the other Princes, seemed to have noticed anything; only Qi Tian had perceived it. This seemed incredible to Emperor Jianwu and he was even slightly unwilling to accept such a reality, suspecting that Qi Tian might have made a mistake.

Secondly, Emperor Jianwu was surprised by the audacity Qi Tian exhibited by leaving everyone behind to handle the situation alone. He hadn’t expected Qi Tian to make such a choice. If Emperor Jianwu had been in Qi Tian’s position and encountered danger, he would definitely have sent his subordinates first and never confronted it alone. As a Prince, he had always followed the belief that a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall; how could he lead the charge personally and let his subordinates relax in safety behind him?

These thoughts flashed through Emperor Jianwu’s mind, but he quickly calmed his emotions and then prepared to dispatch reliable people to search for Qi Tian and assist him. Regardless of anything, he was Qi Tian’s Immortal Slave; he couldn’t just watch Qi Tian face danger without any reaction.

Following Emperor Jianwu’s orders, all the Gold Core Realm powerhouses began to mobilize. At that moment, someone cried out in alarm. After Emperor Jianwu had ordered everyone to gather at the top of the Saint’s Tomb, they ought to have all arrived, yet several Gold Core Realm powerhouses had not shown up. When their comrades tried to contact them with the Hundred-Mile Message Butterfly, there was no response.

Emperor Jianwu’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly ordered a headcount to determine who hadn’t returned. Upon identifying them, he traced back to find out which Prince these Gold Core Realm powerhouses served under and then asked that particular Prince to personally contact their missing subordinates.

To the astonishment of the Huoyang Emperor, Emperor Yonghe, Emperor Bahuang, and Emperor Wenzhi, there were individuals under their command who had gone missing and even more unnervingly, they were unable to establish any contact with the missing ones. Furthermore, the Life Symbols they held for each of their subordinates had begun to show cracks, signifying that the respective individuals had met their demise in the Netherworld.

Moreover, the missing individuals had one thing in common; they had all been at the outermost perimeter of the Saint’s Tomb during the preparations. If there truly was danger on the perimeter, they would have been the first to face the threat, and the likelihood of misfortune befalling them was much greater than for others.

At this point, Emperor Jianwu and the others had to acknowledge a fact: they were indeed facing danger. This peril had emerged suddenly and silently, cloaked by darkness, and except for Qi Tian, no one had been able to detect its presence.

Emperor Jianwu and the others exchanged glances, simultaneously considering an ominous possibility. They thought of one potential threat: could it be the dense fog that had left them helplessly immobilized during the day returning to launch a stealth attack? If it were indeed a combination of dense fog and a dust storm, like in the daytime, then under the cover of night, a perfect stealth attack could certainly be executed against them.

The Princes discussed their next move. They needed to ascertain the exact nature of the danger they were facing. If, as in the daytime, it was indeed a combination of dense fog and a dust storm, then redirecting manpower to assist Qi Tian would be an utterly foolish decision. They had been unable to counter the fog during the day, let alone under the current circumstances.

Determining whether the current danger was the same as that faced during the day was relatively simple. Just a moment ago, to ensure that everyone could work effectively in the dark, they had placed many sources of light around the Saint’s Tomb, including torches, fire bowls, and Night Pearls. When everyone had gathered at the top of the Saint’s Tomb, these light sources hadn’t been collected and were still scattered around the tomb. By standing at the tomb’s summit and looking around, they could see the lights. If the dense fog was indeed approaching, these lights would serve as reference points, indicating whether they were being engulfed by the fog.

No sooner had they established this method than Emperor Jianwu and the others were horrified to discover that the light sources on the outermost edges of the Saint’s Tomb had vanished. They had not been extinguished by the wind but had been consumed bit by bit, inch by inch, right before their eyes. It was a chilling scene that could not be fully understood unless witnessed firsthand.

This situation declared to everyone that the dense fog, which had earlier caused significant trouble for Qi Tian, was taking advantage of the night to mount another stealth attack on them, and this one was even more terrifying than during the day.

In daylight, at the very least, they could determine where the fog’s boundary lay and the extent of its reach, but now they couldn’t see where the fog began or what areas it covered. It wasn’t just the visible threats that evoked fear in them; what truly terrified them was that Qi Tian had disappeared.