Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1273 - 1273 0732 Hollow in the Lamp Post

Chapter 1273: Chapter 0732: Hollow in the Lamp Post Chapter 1273: Chapter 0732: Hollow in the Lamp Post Chapter 0732: Hollow Pillar

Manager Chen, as he ran towards the outside of the Saint’s Tomb, slapped a talisman on his mouth. It was meant to seal his mouth shut to prevent the Pill Spirit from escaping. The Pill Spirit struggled violently within his mouth, causing Manager Chen to bleed from the corners of his lips and his teeth to ache in just a short moment. If this went on for much longer, he feared all his teeth would be knocked out by the Pill Spirit.

Manager Chen didn’t have time to worry about anything else. He was painfully aware of how dangerous his current situation was. If he stayed here any longer, he might end up trapped like a turtle in a jar. At any other time, there would be nothing for him to fear; in his eyes, everyone in the Imperial Family Secret Territory was just a chicken or a dog, not worthy of a second glance. However, the problem now was that he needed to expend a considerable amount of energy to suppress the Pill Spirit in his mouth, which greatly reduced his strength. Whoever was forcing Wang Fengna to the brink of self-destruction must be extraordinary, and it was very likely that they had already taken care of all his underlings, which meant Manager Chen had fewer helpers at his disposal.

With his strength diminished and his helpers gone, he was inevitably fighting an uphill battle. Manager Chen wisely chose the option most advantageous to him. At this moment, his primary goal was to ensure his own safety, to extricate himself from the unfavorable external environment, and find a safe place to digest and absorb the Pill Spirit. This hard-won opportunity could then truly be converted into his strength, assisting him to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage and become a Nascent Soul Master revered by all. At that time, he would firmly occupy the top spot in the entire Imperial Family Secret Territory. Even if there were one or two thorns he hadn’t previously noticed in the territory, it wouldn’t matter—he could simply kill them.

Manager Chen rushed headlong to the outside. To seize this opportunity, he had spent several days clearing various dangers in the Outer Palaces of the Saint’s Tomb and knew them like the back of his hand. Even with his eyes closed, he wouldn’t take a wrong turn. His speed was incredibly fast. With the speed-enhancing magical tools he carried, he was confident that as long as he could leave the closed space of the Saint’s Tomb, he could shake off any pursuer.

However, not long after he began his escape, Manager Chen sensed something was wrong. An inexplicable pressure made it hard for him to breathe. He was shocked; this pressure was all too familiar to him—it was the intimidating aura inadvertently emitted by a being at the Nascent Soul Stage. The first time he encountered this kind of pressure, he was crushed to the ground, groveling like a defeated turtle, utterly humiliated. It was one of the main reasons why he was obsessed with advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage. He could never erase this kind of pressure from his mind.

Manager Chen’s first instinct was disbelief. He was more than familiar with the basic situation of the cultivators in the Imperial Family Secret Territory; there were no beings at the Nascent Soul Stage, whether human, other creatures, or magical tools. What on earth was the source of this sudden Nascent Soul Stage pressure? Did it fall from the sky, or was it originally in the Saint’s Tomb, or did it escape from another Saint’s Tomb?

The question flashed through Manager Chen’s mind and was quickly put to the back of his head. He immediately thought of another, more critical issue: what should he do?

If he stayed put, he would soon encounter the being, leading to an inevitable fierce battle with almost no chance of victory. Death was certain.

Manager Chen made his decision in an instant. He turned his head, changed direction, and headed towards the Inner Underground Palace. He remembered that near the entrance to the Inner Underground Palace, there seemed to be a place where he could hide. Before encountering the Nascent Soul Stage being, he had to find a place to conceal himself and wait for further developments. Perhaps he could avoid this unexpected Nascent Soul Stage presence.

Qi Tian had been using the Heavenly Dao Engine’s function of sensing Spirit Qi to lock onto everything in the Saint’s Tomb, with Manager Chen being his primary focus. Although he didn’t see it with his own eyes, he was precisely aware of every move Manager Chen made, without any oversight.

The Nascent Soul Stage pressure that Manager Chen sensed was the work of a Nascent Soul Stage ghostly face sent out by Qi Tian. He didn’t instruct the ghostly face to conceal its pressure, which allowed Manager Chen to detect it and, like a startled rabbit, turn and flee.

What Qi Tian wanted was exactly this effect. When people face danger, especially the kind that threatens their lives at any moment, many make mistakes in their panic. Manager Chen needed a considerable amount of energy to suppress the Pill Spirit in his mouth while also avoiding the presence of a being at the Nascent Soul Stage. The risks he faced were compounded, and the likelihood of error was high. This would make Qi Tian’s job of capturing him much easier. He certainly didn’t want to repeat the outcome of Wang Fengna’s self-destruction, which would cost him much of his potential gains.

The Outer Palaces were not small, but they were finite. Before long, Manager Chen had fled to the entrance of the Inner Underground Palace. There was a wall here, with a tomb gate leading into the Inner Underground Palace. Manager Chen knew the dangers associated with this gate and had always avoided it, not daring to get close.

The tomb gate was very conspicuous; Manager Chen couldn’t possibly hide there. His target was the two stone-carved pillars beside the gate. The pillars, more than a person high, were carved to resemble kneeling figures, each holding a brazier on top of their heads. The Saint’s Tomb was of unknown age, and the braziers had long been extinguished, now cold and icy.