Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1182 - 1182 0686 Abnormal_2

Chapter 1182: Chapter 0686: Abnormal_2 Chapter 1182: Chapter 0686: Abnormal_2 In other words, the shell that Ghost Face inhabited as an entity at the Nascent Soul Stage is still intact, but the filling inside has partly gone missing. Generally speaking, in the Cultivation World, it’s fairly easy to recover from such a condition. As long as one can timely replenish with plenty of spirit food or elixirs rich in Spirit Qi, one can quickly regain strength and once again possess the power of the Nascent Soul Stage. For other cultivators, achieving this is relatively easier since what they mainly lack is not the ability to own a bottle that can hold water, but rather the water itself.

Ghost Face isn’t free to act on his own will now, He definitely needs to obtain Qi Tian’s permission if he wants to recover. If Qi Tian doesn’t agree, he won’t be able to replenish even the slightest bit of Spirit Qi and thus will never be able to revert to being a Nascent Soul Stage entity again.

Ghost Face felt like crying but had no tears. If he couldn’t recover to the Nascent Soul Stage, then trying to break free from the control of the Blood Pact was basically impossible.

“Ghost Face, how do you feel?” Qi Tian’s voice came through, brimming with concern.

Ghost Face had long noticed Qi Tian’s vigilance towards him and hurriedly expressed his submission, “Master, I feel very well, thank you for restoring me to my original form. Please rest assured, master, I will never forget your forgiveness today. I will definitely serve you diligently under your command, and not let down the trust and kindness you have shown me.”

At this moment, Qi Tian also noticed that Ghost Face hadn’t recovered to the Nascent Soul Stage. If one had to describe Ghost Face’s strength at that time, it would be a bit above the Half-step Nascent Soul level but not quite at the Nascent Soul Stage. The difference between the two was like a layer of window paper, but it was precisely this layer that held him back.

Such an outcome made Qi Tian feel a little regretful, but more than that, he felt a sense of relief. Right now, Qi Tian wasn’t entirely confident he could control a Nascent Soul Stage entity, but if it was a Half-step Nascent Soul, that would be quite manageable. He could not only be sure to control him but also consider him a significant asset in battle.

Qi Tian said, “Good, rest for now. When I need your help, I will summon you, and then we shall see your performance.”

After giving his instructions, Qi Tian removed all kinds of surveillance and preventive measures against Ghost Face. However, this removal was only superficial. In secret, Qi Tian still had some necessary control measures in place for Ghost Face. The main ones included not moving Ghost Face out of the storage room of the Heavenly Dao Engine but allowing him to stay there, believing that Ghost Face would never be able to cause any trouble. If Qi Tian sensed any rebellious intent from Ghost Face, he could immediately use the Heavenly Dao Engine to convert Ghost Face into fuel, leaving no chance of escape.

The second control measure was that Qi Tian completely forbade Ghost Face from absorbing Spirit Qi from the storage room. Even though the room was filled with mountains of natural treasures, without Qi Tian’s permission, Ghost Face could only look on, unable to draw the slightest bit of Spirit Qi from them. This involved higher level rules – to put it simply, Qi Tian had full control over the Heavenly Dao Engine. His words became the law, and Ghost Face, in this place, could only be a passer-by, touching none of the benefits.

After arranging things for Ghost Face, Qi Tian ended his cultivation and opened his eyes, moving his hands and feet.

Gao Jinmei, Xia Xiaoming, and Li Mijia, who had been waiting by his side, gathered around him immediately, following his movement, and bowed to greet Qi Tian.

“Master Qi, do you have any instructions?”

Qi Tian said, “I’ve fully recovered now. Tell me, how are the Princes’ explorations going? Have they figured out the basic situation in the underground palace yet?”

Gao Jinmei spoke, “The Princes’ progress this time has been quite smooth, though there have still been casualties. As for the specifics, you should ask the Princes themselves, Master. I can’t say for sure.”

Qi Tian glanced at Li Mijia and asked, “Chief Li, do you have anything to add?”

Li Mijia hastily said, “Master Qi, this servant has always been by your side, not daring to leave my post. What Master Gao knows, this old servant knows; what Master Gao doesn’t know, this old servant also doesn’t know.”

Qi Tian nodded and said, “Since that’s the case, let’s go and have a look together.”

As he spoke, Qi Tian rose to his full height, stepped down from the couch, and headed towards the underground palace along the tomb passage. Gao Jinmei, Xia Xiaoming, and Li Mijia hurriedly followed, closely matching Qi Tian’s pace behind him.

At this time, the tomb passage was much quieter than when they first started. Although there were still people guarding the passage, most of the team had already stopped congregating in the tomb passage and had entered into the underground palace.

At the connection between the tomb passage and the underground palace, Emperor Yonghe was on guard. Seeing Qi Tian approach, Emperor Yonghe hurriedly greeted him with clasped hands.

Qi Tian clearly saw the flicker of change in Emperor Yonghe’s eyes; evidently, his arrival gave Emperor Yonghe much more confidence. Without wasting any more time, Qi Tian directly asked, “How is the situation? What’s the progress?”

Emperor Yonghe promptly replied, “Thanks to your generosity, Master Qi, in providing us with several artifacts above the Half-step Nascent Soul level, and also sending Liuli Sand to assist us, our exploration this time has been relatively smooth. We have now basically figured out the structure of this underground palace, and right now Emperor Jianwu and the rest are leading people to clear the last area. Based on past experience, they should be finished soon.”

Qi Tian nodded with satisfaction and asked, “What’s the casualty count?”

Emperor Yonghe answered, “Overall casualties aren’t significant. Including the three teams we initially sent out, up to now, we’ve sacrificed a little over twenty but fewer than thirty people. There are more injuries, but overall, it is within an acceptable range.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Tian raised an eyebrow; he had not expected that even after he had provided Emperor Jianwu and his team with several artifacts above the Half-step Nascent Soul level and had sent Liuli Sand to assist them, there would still be so many casualties. It was a clear indication of the great danger involved in exploring the Saint’s Tomb, far beyond his expectations.

Qi Tian pursued further, “Have you encountered any beings at the Nascent Soul Stage?”

Emperor Yonghe quickly shook his head and said, “Truly, we have not. If we had encountered such beings, I’m afraid none of us would have survived.”

The way Emperor Yonghe said this lacked any semblance of bravado, but it was a frank admission. Even with over a hundred people and Qi Tian’s support, they lacked the strength to confront a being at the Nascent Soul Stage. The primary reason Qi Tian and his group managed to capture the Ghost Face was not that the Ghost Face was weak but rather that it faced significant restrictions, preventing it from unleashing its full power. Without those limitations, to put it bluntly, including Qi Tian, none of the hundred-plus people would have survived an encounter with the Ghost Face—they all would have been annihilated.

Qi Tian frowned slightly and said, “Not encountering a Nascent Soul Stage entity is a good thing, but from another perspective, it’s not necessarily a good thing. Moreover, Emperor Yonghe, don’t you think that this is a bit abnormal?”

Emperor Yonghe understood what Qi Tian meant. Not encountering any Nascent Soul Stage entities could only mean that there were no significant treasures in the Saint’s Tomb. However, it was unreasonable; the tomb used the Ghost Face to guard the entrance, so why should the underground palace be so uneventful and lack guardians of any real strength?