Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1207 - 1207 0699 Black Heart

Chapter 1207: Chapter 0699: Black Heart Chapter 1207: Chapter 0699: Black Heart Chapter 0699: Black-Hearted

The death of Xia Xiaoming caused Qi Tian to feel some regret, but it was limited to that, not enough to fill him with sorrow. Instead, it was the bloody demise of his other companions that truly filled him with regret. Their cultivation levels and strengths far exceeded Xia Xiaoming’s. The assistance they could have provided Qi Tian was incomparable to Xia Xiaoming’s, yet now they had died here without any worth, which was incredibly frustrating.

Qi Tian did not spend much time sighing over those who had perished; he had been cultivating for quite a while. Along the way, he had encountered hundreds, if not thousands, of others who had fallen on the path of cultivation, and he had long since learned to view it all impassively. As the saying goes, “the dead are gone for good, while the living go on like this.” Rather than spending time mourning the dead, it was better to think of ways to solve the problems in front of his eyes. If he couldn’t even solve those, then perhaps one day, he too would become a set of bones on the path of cultivation, and he might not even have anyone to bury him.

Qi Tian glanced at the people lying about haphazardly, not helping them up or rushing to rescue them. His gaze turned towards the direction of the Inner Underground Palace, lingering at the entrance for a long time, his expression full of struggle. He hesitated over whether or not to enter the Inner Underground Palace alone.

Going to the Inner Underground Palace alone was undoubtedly very dangerous. The ghost that had appeared at the entrance of the Inner Underground Palace was clear evidence. It had defeated them all without even lifting a finger, merely by releasing a spiritual pressure that knocked everyone down. Even Qi Tian, if he didn’t have the Heavenly Dao Engine as his trump card, might now need to resort to self-induced unconsciousness to preserve himself.

But then again, if he didn’t go alone and instead gathered a few companions, given the actual condition of Emperor Jianwu and the others, none could withstand such pressure. Not to mention anything else, just the appearance of that ghost could cause Emperor Jianwu and the rest to fall into a deep unconsciousness once more. They would be of no help to Qi Tian, utterly useless.

What really troubled Qi Tian was not whether or not to bring someone with him, but whether he could face the various dangers inside the Inner Underground Palace alone.

Qi Tian struggled for a long time, well aware of the great risks he was taking. Describing it as a life-and-death situation might not even accurately depict the peril. On the other hand, not entering the Inner Underground Palace and withdrawing from the Saint’s Tomb now would be the simplest and safest way to resolve the current crisis. The problem was, doing so would only provide temporary safety; in the long run, he would still have to face the danger posed by Manager Chen. With his current power and means at his disposal, it was virtually impossible to win in a direct confrontation with Manager Chen. The inevitable outcome would be death, and what was even more frightening was that after capturing him, Manager Chen might not kill him, but instead might torture him and extract his secrets, making his life worse than death.

This threat was something Qi Tian had to consider seriously. Whether he advanced or retreated, he faced great danger, and it was up to him to make his choice.

Eventually, Qi Tian stopped hesitating and started walking towards the Inner Underground Palace.

The Inner Underground Palace might be fraught with danger, but he still had a chance to fight, relying on the various methods at his disposal. Maybe there was a glimmer of hope. Conversely, if he were to retreat now, when he faced Manager Chen in the future, he wouldn’t even have this sliver of hope.

Qi Tian took a few steps forward, and just as he was about to reach the entrance of the tomb, that spiritual pressure suddenly reemerged. Like an untamed wild horse, it charged at Qi Tian recklessly, determined to knock him down.

Even though Qi Tian had cultivated for a day and a night, greatly enhancing his mental strength, he still felt a heaviness in his chest and an excruciating headache as if hundreds of nails had been hammered into his head, and his brain seemed on the verge of exploding.

This spiritual pressure was far stronger than before, more powerful, domineering, and ruthless. Its only purpose seemed to be to crush Qi Tian’s soul, leaving him with no room to struggle.

Faced with such danger, Qi Tian took decisive action. He didn’t use the Contemplation Skills as he had done before; instead, he immediately activated the Heavenly Dao Engine. All the Transporting Whirlwinds were released en masse, engulfing wave after wave of the spiritual pressure, like a whale devouring schools of fish, and dragging them into the Heavenly Dao Engine’s storage chamber, rapidly transforming them into fuel for the Engine.

This was only a way to alleviate the danger Qi Tian faced, not a solution to the root of the problem. The sudden onslaught of spiritual pressure was relentless, pouring over Qi Tian’s head like a waterfall, and even if he managed to divert some of it, the subsequent flow would quickly fill the gap and continue to cascade down upon him, leaving no chance for Qi Tian to dodge.