Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1317 - 1317 0753 Paying Respects

Chapter 1317: Chapter 0753: Paying Respects Chapter 1317: Chapter 0753: Paying Respects Chapter 0753: A Token of Respect

Qi Tian patted Emperor Chaoyang’s shoulder, the force and manner as if he were petting a little dog, and said, “A wise man submits to circumstances. You’ve chosen the correct path. I need to make one thing clear to you: I won’t place any restrictions on you or pull any tricks, but I do hope you’ll firmly remember the promise you made to me. Don’t try to be clever in front of me or engage in underhanded tactics that can’t withstand scrutiny. I have little patience, and should there be a single incident where I find out you’ve deceived me, then I can assure you, even if you flee to the ends of the Earth, you won’t be able to save your own life.”

Emperor Chaoyang repeatedly said he wouldn’t dare, regardless of what he was thinking. For now, he didn’t dare to argue with Qi Tian, much less openly go against his wishes.

Qi Tian had made himself clear, and whether Emperor Chaoyang listened or not, Qi Tian no longer cared. As long as Emperor Chaoyang didn’t interfere with his affairs in the coming days, he would let it go, for there was nothing on Emperor Chaoyang’s person that was worthy of his attention.

Qi Tian commanded, “Immediately order everyone in the Chaoyang Palace, from top to bottom, to gather here. Then, bring me a map of Mount Wangsheng, the most detailed kind, not just any simple map meant to deceive me. Of course, if the map you bring out can indeed deceive me, consider it a skill of yours. But if it can’t, Emperor Chaoyang, you’d better consider the consequences.”

Emperor Chaoyang had indeed intended to appease Qi Tian with a passable map, but having heard Qi Tian’s warning, he discarded that idea. If Qi Tian discovered any discrepancies between the map and the reality as he claimed, the consequences would be severe.

Emperor Chaoyang promptly followed Qi Tian’s instructions, ordering everyone in Chaoyang Palace to assemble at the gate. While he waited for the crowd to arrive, Emperor Chaoyang took out a jade slip from his Storage Bag which contained a detailed map of Mount Wangsheng.

Without a word, Qi Tian casually took the jade slip and, not daring to inquire, Emperor Chaoyang stood behind Qi Tian in silence, awaiting further orders.

Before long, several hundred people from Chaoyang Palace gathered at the gate as per Emperor Chaoyang’s orders. Using the Heavenly Dao Engine’s ability to sense Spirit Qi, Qi Tian instantly checked everyone present. Through the fluctuations of their Spirit Force, Qi Tian could determine if the person he was looking for was among them.

Turning to Emperor Chaoyang, Qi Tian said, “Stand here now and keep your subordinates in line for me. Don’t let them whisper to each other or move around, and certainly do not allow them to send out any messages. Stay put, all of you. That’s a simple task you can do, right?”

Emperor Chaoyang nodded again and again, replying, “Rest assured, Master, I will keep them in order and ensure they don’t cause you any trouble.”

Qi Tian nodded and then stepped through the gate, passing through the crowd and officially entering Chaoyang Palace’s territory.

Emperor Chaoyang and his people had no idea what Qi Tian was going to do and didn’t have the nerve to stop him; they could only watch as he walked into the newly built imperial palace of Mount Wangsheng.

Qi Tian spent half the day walking around Mount Wangsheng. During that time, he used the Heavenly Dao Engine to carry out a thorough exploration of the entire mountain, but he found nothing—neither Sun Xiang nor Liao Bichu or anyone else had left any clues there. Although he did discover some artifacts of the Half-step Nascent Soul level and above, which he might have casually taken before, he now thought little of such artifacts and left them where they were.

After checking the whole of Mount Wangsheng, Qi Tian returned to the gate. With Emperor Chaoyang’s oversight, the few hundred people from Chaoyang Palace had stayed put as Qi Tian had requested, without any movement. Qi Tian could be so sure of this not because he took Emperor Chaoyang at his word, but because he had taken precautions before he left. He had discreetly arranged for two phantom faces to monitor the area, and if Emperor Chaoyang acted differently in his absence, the phantom faces following his command would not hesitate to act against Emperor Chaoyang, killing him on the spot.

The threats Qi Tian had made to Emperor Chaoyang were no joke—if Emperor Chaoyang dared to betray him, Qi Tian would certainly make him pay with his life.

Seeing Qi Tian return, Emperor Chaoyang hurried forward to meet him. Although Emperor Chaoyang had always been an aloof prince who’d never kowtowed to anyone, he hadn’t imagined he’d ever stoop so low, but now he involuntarily plastered an obsequious smile on his face and his back bent unconsciously as he approached Qi Tian.

“Master Qi, did you find what you were looking for?”

After glancing at Emperor Chaoyang, Qi Tian said, “No, I didn’t. By the way, Emperor Chaoyang, out of all the princes in the Eastern Capital City, you should have the deepest understanding of the Imperial Family Secret Territory. Do you know if there’s a place where someone entering the secret territory is most likely to get lost and trapped, unable to leave?”