Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1257 - 1257 0724 Straight to the Heart

Chapter 1257: Chapter 0724: Straight to the Heart Chapter 1257: Chapter 0724: Straight to the Heart Chapter 0724: Straight to the soul

The self-proclaimed clever cultivators were after all a minority, and Qi Tian had only managed to catch two people. Even just two were enough to make Qi Tian’s complexion turn ugly, his face so dark it almost seemed like it could drip water. He had repeatedly instructed the five princes to make sure their subordinates were well-informed, and they had assured him that no mistakes would occur. He had believed their promises, but the result that awaited him infuriated him—how could it not?

On one hand, Qi Tian was worried about the potential uncontrollable risks, that coffin placed in the center of the Inner Underground Palace always felt extremely dangerous to him. If his concerns became reality, the outcome would be very unpredictable. On the other hand, Qi Tian had always thought that by controlling the five princes, he essentially controlled the entire team, and by extension, the forces of all five palaces. However, the event that unfolded made him realize his control wasn’t as solid and reliable as he had imagined; there were still many loopholes.

With Qi Tian’s complexion looking so poor, those Gold Core Realm cultivators who had emerged from the Inner Underground Palace felt as if his vicinity had become as cold as an ice cave, icy and bone-chilling. They hurriedly kept their distance, none daring to approach him.

This situation persisted until everyone had withdrawn from the Inner Underground Palace, and only then did the five princes follow suit and leave. They had originally wanted to report the situation to Qi Tian, but seeing his grim expression and everyone keeping their distance, their hearts skipped a beat with anxiety.

Others could avoid Qi Tian, but the five princes could not. Four of them were Qi Tian’s Immortal Slaves, and although Emperor Wu was not an Immortal Slave, his fear of Qi Tian was in no way inferior to the others. They exchanged glances, and without daring to discuss anything in Qi Tian’s presence, they encouraged each other with a look and then approached Qi Tian together.

Emperor Jianwu mustered his courage and asked, “Master Qi, what’s the matter? Has something happened?”

Qi Tian pointed to the two bound Gold Core Realm cultivators and replied, “You might want to ask these two what they did when they left the Inner Underground Palace?”

Emperor Jianwu glanced at the two unlucky ones and immediately felt his heart drop by more than half. Those two weren’t from his Jianwu Palace, so no matter how much trouble they’d stirred up, it had nothing to do with Emperor Jianwu. He quickly called out to the Huoyang Emperor and Emperor Wenzhi, urging them to come and deal with the situation.

The Huoyang Emperor and Emperor Wenzhi’s legs weakened at the sight of the two bound cultivators, nearly collapsing from fright. Then anger flared within them; they felt they had been fair to their subordinates, so what were these two up to? Did they actually want to bring about their demise? Were the scoundrels content only with their deaths?

The Huoyang Emperor was the first to rush over, kicking one of the captured subordinates as he cursed, “You scoundrel, what did you do to make Master Qi so angry? Do you have a pig’s brain? Don’t you know that if it weren’t for Qi Tian’s protection, we’d all be doomed on this journey? It’s bad enough you’re ungrateful, but to anger Master Qi, too? Do you not believe I would flay you alive?”

Emperor Wenzhi was no calmer than the Huoyang Emperor, beating up his own subordinate without mercy. Both emperors showed no restraint, quickly incapacitating their Dantians and beating the two subordinates to a swollen and broken state. If not for the need to find out what they had done to infuriate Qi Tian so much, they would have already slapped the incompetents to death.

Although the loyalty of the two captured Gold Core Realm cultivators had waned, the long-established awe and dread they felt towards the Huoyang Emperor and Emperor Wenzhi remained potent. Under the princes’ punches and kicks, the pair confessed in detail what they had done during the evacuation from the Inner Underground Palace.

After learning the reason, the vision of the Huoyang Emperor and Emperor Wenzhi darkened, and they almost fainted. They had repeatedly assured Qi Tian that no mischief would occur during the evacuation. While the subordinates of the other princes were fine, theirs had caused trouble. How could they face Qi Tian now, and how would the other three princes view them?

The Huoyang Emperor, a ruthless man, slapped his subordinate on the head, crushing his skull and killing him instantly. Then, he turned to face Qi Tian, kneeling on one knee and proclaimed, “Master Qi, my oversight with my subordinates led to this problem. I am willing to take any punishment you assign, without complaint.”

Everyone looked on in shock at the Huoyang Emperor’s actions, never expecting him to be so resolute. They knew that everyone present, having explored the Saint’s Tomb, had gained enormous opportunities. The future achievements of these individuals were limitless. Once they rose in power, they would surely become the princes’ most capable subordinates, capable of carrying out tasks others could not. Each individual was extremely precious, yet the Huoyang Emperor had just slapped one to death. Such ruthless decisiveness astounded them, but what shocked them even more was that the Huoyang Emperor actually knelt before Qi Tian. Although it was only on one knee, it was still intimidating. After all, the Huoyang Emperor was a renowned emperor in the history of Great Zhao Nation, and Qi Tian was but a subject of Great Zhao. Since when did an emperor kneel before a subject?