Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1267 - 1267 0729 Surprise

Chapter 1267: Chapter 0729: Surprise Chapter 1267: Chapter 0729: Surprise Chapter 0729: A Pleasant Surprise

Just as Qi Tian had predicted, Manager Chen, as the head representative of Wanjie Commerce stationed in the Imperial Family Secret Territory, had set his sights on the core area’s Saint’s Tombs early on. In the past, those buried in the Saint’s Tombs were low-level cultivators. Even if one could excavate rather fine treasures from within, they were only comparatively worthy within the bounds of the Imperial Family Secret Territory. If taken outside, they were far inferior, not to mention for a business like Wanjie Commerce that spanned numerous worlds large and small. Back then, Wanjie Commerce could maintain neutrality, simply conducting normal trade without interfering in any affairs within the Imperial Family Secret Territory, let alone seizing any resources from it.

However, all that was ancient history. In recent years, the number of Saint’s Tombs dwindled, and the remaining unexcavated tombs were universally recognized to contain the remains of Nascent Soul Masters, with numerous burial items accompanying each one. Manager Chen, stationed in the Imperial Family Secret Territory, took note of all this, keeping it imprinted in his heart; he yearned to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage earlier than anyone else and naturally set his sights on the Saint’s Tombs.

For this reason, Manager Chen had dedicated a considerable amount of thought to surveillance of the core area, gathering and sorting information from all sides, which included potential dangers that could arise in the Saint’s Tombs, such as records about Liuli Sand.

Of course, before Qi Tian, no one within the entire Imperial Family Secret Territory had grasped the true nature of Liuli Sand, knowing only that its appearance was accompanied by dense fog that blotted out the sky and sunlight, dark and ominous, obscuring one’s vision and severing one’s Divine Sense, rendering it impossible to clearly see the surroundings. Moreover, the fog was exceedingly hazardous, and anyone who rushed into it would soon be covered in wounds; if one could not retreat from the fog in time, death would follow swiftly.

Manager Chen’s history of monitoring the core area was extraordinarily long, having spanned over a hundred years. During this time, he had already summarized the various dangers, and he imparted all these summarized experiences to his subordinates, including strategies for dealing with Liuli Sand.

Liuli Sand was undeniably formidable; this was unquestionable. When Qi Tian first encountered it, had it not been possible for him to strip away the energy carried by the sand and gravel released by Liuli Sand at any moment, he wouldn’t have found it so easy to drive Liuli Sand into a corner with no escape, forcing it to enter a small space, where Qi Tian caught it red-handed.

Manager Chen lacked Qi Tian’s abilities, but he had developed a complete set of methods to counter Liuli Sand. What set him apart from cultivators like Emperor Jianwu, who had lived in the Imperial Family Secret Territory for several centuries, was his ability to seek solutions from Wanjie Commerce; his perspective was broader, and he could mobilize more resources.

Through the channels of Wanjie Commerce, he ordered a large quantity of targeted magical artifacts from the outside world and distributed them to each of his subordinates so that they could utilise them promptly upon encountering Liuli Sand. To this end, before entering the core area, Manager Chen also specifically trained his subordinates to prevent them from being at a loss on how to respond when faced with danger in the core area.

It was precisely because of the prior summarization of potential dangers in the core area and the provision of corresponding solutions that Manager Chen’s subordinates, upon the emergence of Liuli Sand, did not even consider attributing it to human action; they simply thought it was Liuli Sand unable to withstand loneliness and wreaking havoc once more. What they needed to do was to follow the instructions Manager Chen had given them beforehand and use the magical artifacts provided by him—they didn’t have to do much, merely withstand the encounter.

Soon, several of Manager Chen’s subordinates began to take out their respective magical artifacts. Following the predetermined practice, they deployed the artifacts and then took cover within. These artifacts were not used for combat; they were shaped like tents, and upon deployment, they would take firm root in the ground. Their surfaces were extremely smooth, void of any inscribed runes or arrays, and the materials used were particularly tough and durable. Even an advanced cultivator in the late-stage of the Gold Core Realm, without resorting to certain special methods, would find it difficult to breach the outer layer of these tents.

Inside the tents, aside from a space for concealment, there were many runes and Arrays carved into the inner walls, further ensuring the tents’ sturdiness and stability, impervious to the destruction by Liuli Sand.

Manager Chen’s arrangements were exceedingly targeted; had Liuli Sand not fallen into Qi Tian’s hands and accompanied him to the Saint’s Tomb for a round, then his elaborate preparations would assuredly have caused Liuli Sand to return without success, gaining no advantage. However, the problem was that Liuli Sand was no longer what it once was. After being soaked in Spirit Liquid, its strength had increased dramatically, far exceeding Manager Chen’s assessment.