Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1156 - 1156 0673 No Other Choice_2

Chapter 1156: Chapter 0673 No Other Choice_2 Chapter 1156: Chapter 0673 No Other Choice_2 Qi Tian finished speaking and, without looking at Emperor Jianwu, the Princes, and their subordinates, he walked straight down the slope to the front of the tomb door. Once again, he placed his hand on the tomb door and activated the Spirit Qi sensing function of the Heavenly Dao Engine, hoping to see if the tomb door had undergone any changes. Unfortunately, as soon as the ghostly face disappeared from the door, it once again severed any external prying.

Qi Tian withdrew his hand. As he was contemplating how to open the tomb door, Emperor Jianwu, the Huoyang Emperor, Emperor Yonghe, Emperor Bahuang, and Emperor Wenzhi—a total of five Princes—had all lined up behind him without exception.

The five Princes said in unison, “Master Qi, we are willing to advance and retreat together with you.”

Qi Tian turned around and saw the five Princes standing behind him, as well as the hundred-plus Gold Core Realm experts, not one of them missing. He nodded gravely and said, “Since everyone is willing to stay, then we can only join forces to open this Saint’s Tomb door first. Everything else will have to wait until we enter the Saint’s Tomb.”

No one objected to Qi Tian’s words, but the memory of the ghostly face that had appeared on the Saint’s Tomb door weighed heavily on everyone’s minds. Qi Tian had made it quite clear: that ghostly face was a Nascent Soul presence, and even if they all banded together, the hundred-plus of them might not stand a chance against it.

Qi Tian also fully recognized this and had no intention of taking action originally. But now, continuing to hide his capabilities served no purpose; every tactic he had must be used now, for there to be even a slim chance of opening the tomb door.

Qi Tian said, “Given the urgency of the situation, I won’t stand on ceremony with everyone. I’ll just bypass the Princes and issue orders directly.”

Everyone’s gaze shifted fervently to Qi Tian, as they were all practical people who knew it was not the time for excessive formalities.

Qi Tian called out, “I need five cultivators skilled in physical combat, preferably those adept at using long weapons like Bai Huiwen and Pan Yunping. Please step forward.”

Everyone knew being called out by Qi Tian at this time was not a good sign. In a sense, this was like selecting members for a suicide squad—an incautious move might cost them their lives today.

Despite this realization, within a few brief seconds, seven or eight Gold Core Realm experts, including the just-mentioned Bai Huiwen and Pan Yunping, stepped forward.

Qi Tian didn’t bother with pleasantries and selected the five strongest from those who had come forth, using the sensing function of the Heavenly Dao Engine as his selection criteria.

Qi Tian instructed the five, “Line up in a row, stand in front of the tomb door, and follow my commands without the slightest hesitation.”

Bai Huiwen, Pan Yunping, and the others nodded. They lined up as Qi Tian had ordered and, at his command, drew their weapons—some wielded long spears, others snake spears or halberds—all similar in length.

Qi Tian instructed them to grip their weapons tightly and hold them upright so that their points aligned on the same level, maintaining a consistent distance from the tomb door. Once they were ready, Qi Tian stared at the door and said coldly, “One, two, three, forward, thrust hard.”

The five Gold Core Realm experts brandished their weapons, infusing them with all the True Essence they could muster. Their weapons immediately radiated dazzling brilliance, each unleashing its full power. Following Qi Tian’s order, they stepped forward in unison, their muscles straining and veins bulging on their arms as they thrust their weapons into the void, all piercing towards the tomb door simultaneously.

Just like before, when their weapons hit the tomb door, ripples appeared again above the door, and all five weapons sank into it.

As the owners of the weapons tried to retract them, they once again felt a powerful tugging force, attempting to swallow their weapons into the tomb door.

Qi Tian said, “Quick, we need more people to help pull the weapons out, don’t waste time.”

Immediately, those who were already prepared rushed forward to assist Bai Huiwen and Pan Yunping, pulling and dragging together. With their help, the ghostly face was slowly pulled out from the tomb door.

When everyone saw the familiar yet strange ghost face again, they all shuddered in unison. They were already terrified to the extreme by the ghost face they did not understand, and now, knowing it was a Nascent Soul Stage entity, their fear was even greater. Had they not been truly out of options, they would never have wanted to encounter this ghost face again.

Qi Tian was well aware that Bai Huiwen, Pan Yunping, and the others, despite the assistance of other Gold Core Realm experts, could not persist for long; they had to fight quickly and decisively, with no room for delay.

Qi Tian clenched his teeth, his heart filled with anxiety. He had been practicing for quite some time, and today he was truly facing a Nascent Soul Stage entity head-on for the first time—an unprecedented experience that was a tremendous test and a torturous trial for his spirit.

Qi Tian did not allow himself to hesitate, knowing that hesitation could lead to retreat. He steeled his heart and took out the most powerful flying sword he had, from the Heavenly Dao Engine’s storage room, which also came from Master Ming Ren’s collection.

After taking out the flying sword, Qi Tian released his full strength without reserve, and as he removed layer after layer of his power’s seal, the aura he could emit was soaring rapidly.

Emperor Jianwu and the others watched as Qi Tian rapidly ascended from the initial stage of the Gold Core Realm to the First Level, Second Level, and eventually, to a level close to the pinnacle of the Third Level of the Gold Core Realm. The Princes watched in disbelief, their eyes bulging as if they would pop out of their sockets.

They all remembered clearly, it was just a few days ago that Qi Tian had passed the Gold Core Tribulation right before their eyes. How much time had passed, and how had he reached the Third Level of the Gold Core Realm in the blink of an eye? This was simply too exaggerated. Could it be that within Qi Tian’s body resided the soul of a millennium-old monster just waiting for the right moment to break free and unlock the profound levels of cultivation?

Qi Tian did not know how Emperor Jianwu was guessing at his transformation, but at that moment, he could not afford to consider anything else. He gripped the flying sword tightly, and his True Essence flowed into it recklessly as if it cost him nothing.

At first, the flying sword was somewhat resistant to absorbing the True Essence from Qi Tian, but once his first trace of True Essence broke through the resistance and entered the sword, it became like a gourmand tasting a supreme delicacy, hungry and greedily absorbing Qi Tian’s True Essence.

Qi Tian’s True Essence was unlike that of other Gold Core Realm powerhouses. His True Essence had been refined through thousands of trials, making it purer and more condensed than typical cultivators’—a rarity among True Essences, one in ten thousand. Faced with such True Essence, the flying sword, lacking in nourishment, naturally did not want to let it go.

The flying sword extracted Qi Tian’s True Essence quickly and fiercely. He felt the True Essence in his meridians being rapidly depleted, nearly draining in an instant, yet the sword did not stop. Just like a vampire sucking the marrow from bones, it refused to spare Qi Tian.