Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1164 - 1164 0677 Unfavorable _2

Chapter 1164: Chapter 0677: Unfavorable _2 Chapter 1164: Chapter 0677: Unfavorable _2 Starting with this principle, the Princes selected the best of the best from their subordinates, ultimately drafting a total of ten individuals. They then formed two groups of five and divided the ten individuals into these two teams.

The Princes instructed the two teams to act separately, taking left and right paths to explore the Saint’s Tomb respectively. They also agreed upon a method of communication with the two groups, stipulating that messages be sent at regular intervals. Additionally, it was agreed the teams wouldn’t keep exploring indefinitely; after a certain period, they would retreat and be replaced by other groups to continue the exploration.

To ensure the safety of these two vanguard teams, the Princes generously provided their treasured collections, ensuring that each member of the vanguard teams had at least one artifact of Half-step Nascent Soul level. This was not only to enhance their strength but also to minimize their concerns as much as possible, allowing them to focus on the task of exploration.

Soon, the two vanguard teams set off, quickly vanishing into the darkness of the underground palace.

At first, both vanguard teams made smooth progress, but it wasn’t long before they encountered severe setbacks. Almost simultaneously, they were attacked and had to fight while retreating. It was with great difficulty that they managed to escape the battlefield and rejoin the main force.

Both vanguard teams suffered casualties; one team lost one member, and the other lost two. The remaining members of both teams were all injured, presenting a very disheveled appearance.

Seeing this, Emperor Jianwu and the Princes were deeply grave. They had anticipated that the exploration of the Saint’s Tomb beneath their feet would not be easy, but they had not expected such significant losses so soon after dispatching the two vanguard teams. It was important to note that these ten team members were among the strongest in the large expedition. Additionally, they were equipped with high-quality artifacts and had practiced joint formation techniques, making thorough preparations. They had thought that nothing would go wrong, yet so soon after their departure, they suffered such heavy losses.

The emergence of this situation weighed heavily on the hearts of the more than one hundred Gold Core Realm experts in the expedition. They all had a premonition that this exploration of the Saint’s Tomb was bound to be extremely dangerous, with the slightest carelessness potentially costing them their lives.

Fortunately, every team member had a clear understanding of the risks of this exploration of the Saint’s Tomb. They knew it was their only chance of survival; retreating was no longer an option, unless they were willing to confront Manager Chen and his group pressing in from outside the Saint’s Tomb.

The Princes had no choice but to engage in urgent discussions once again. After a heated debate, they decided to consolidate their forces rather than continue dividing them as before. They would gather their elite troops into one group, which would then serve as the pathfinders for exploring the Saint’s Tomb. To ensure the maximum safety of this group, the Princes once again made a significant sacrifice by providing even more Half-step Nascent Soul level artifacts.

Once each team member was equipped with these artifacts, they each had at least three Half-step Nascent Soul level artifacts on them. The most important among these was the defensive artifact, providing them with the best possible protection.

Emperor Jianwu, as the overall commander of the exploration of the Saint’s Tomb, stood in front of his team members. His gaze swept over each one of them, locking eyes to convey confidence and strength.

Emperor Jianwu said, “You five bear the hopes of our successful exploration of the Saint’s Tomb. To some extent, the hope you carry is unique. If you succeed, then our subsequent exploration will continue to be worthwhile, and it will justify the enormous costs and efforts we will continue to incur. But if you fail, then our subsequent efforts may likely cease, and all of us, over a hundred souls, might end up trapped in this Saint’s Tomb. Of course, there’s also the possibility that we could be left with nothing, waiting for Manager Chen to send someone to clean up after us. I think that’s a possibility none of us want to see. Therefore, I earnestly implore you all to employ your most powerful methods to ensure a successful exploration.”

All five team members nodded in agreement and assured Emperor Jianwu and several princes before turning and leaving the tomb passage with resolute steps, officially entering the underground palace of the Saint’s Tomb.

Watching them depart, Emperor Jianwu and the princes each displayed a look of unease. They had exhausted all the solutions they could think of, but whether events would unfold as they wished was something only the heavens knew.

All they could do was pray, pray that the heavens would show mercy and allow the scouting team members to find something of value, and not perish in vain like the previous two groups.

The development of events often does not shift according to human will; initially, Emperor Jianwu was able to maintain contact with the team members, but soon enough, they could not get in touch with the team on time. At first, it was just delays, but as time passed, the delays grew longer and longer, until eventually, they lost all contact with the members of the scouting team.

Emperor Jianwu and the princes were extremely anxious. The five individuals who had gone to scout this time were nearly the strongest among their group of over one hundred and forty people. Additionally, each of them was equipped with several artifacts of Half-step Nascent Soul level. With these artifacts, any of these five team members could rank among the best in their realm.

Yet, these five formidable companions had vanished without a trace into the underground palace of the Saint’s Tomb. No matter how they tried to contact them, there was no response.

A foreboding feeling welled up in the hearts of the princes. Had these five comrades already met their end here?

If even they could not make significant progress inside the Saint’s Tomb, how could the rest of them possibly go further than these five comrades had?

The princes all felt a sense of despair. They knew that exploring the Saint’s Tomb would not be smooth sailing. Outside the Saint’s Tomb, they had faced continual dangers, and they had already felt that the exploration would not be easy. However, they had truly not anticipated that not long after entering the Saint’s Tomb, their casualties would be so high.

If they continued on, the princes dared not imagine how the situation would evolve; perhaps all the Gold Core Realm experts that they had brought might end up losing their lives here. Even the few princes, should they encounter such dangers, would be helpless, for their cultivation and strength only placed them among the top within the entire team, but certainly not among the very best. The very best had already been uniformly assigned to the scouting teams, and now there was no news from them.

What should they do now? At that moment, the princes were at a loss. They wanted to seek advice from Qi Tian, but Qi Tian was in a critical phase of recovery and was unable to provide any guidance at this time.

The princes once again fell into a heated argument, debating what to do next. Whether to send out people to search for the missing team, or to form a new scouting team and disregard the missing one altogether. There was also another option, which was to sit tight at their current location and wait, hoping for news from the missing team while also waiting for Qi Tian to recover.