Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1326 - 1326 0757 Child Of Heavenly Selection_2

Chapter 1326: Chapter 0757: Child Of Heavenly Selection_2 Chapter 1326: Chapter 0757: Child Of Heavenly Selection_2 Emperor Longqing’s complexion changed drastically as he shouted loudly, “Anyone who dares assault Longqing Palace shall be killed without mercy.”

The battle erupted instantly. Initially, only a limited number of cultivators charged forward, but those who hadn’t acted yet observed briefly and soon spotted an opportunity, promptly joining the ranks of the attackers. The situation quickly turned against Longqing Palace, as its defenses were breached and cultivators poured inside, rummaging through the ruins. As they began to find treasures, their success further incited the onlooking cultivators.

More spectators joined the assault, rendering Longqing Palace’s defenses dangerously frail and ultimately indefensible.

Knowing the tide had turned, Emperor Longqing could only shout, “Hurry and dig out the cultivation resources buried in the ruins; save as much as possible.”

With this new command from Emperor Longqing, the palace’s own people turned about, charging into the palace, ready to vie with the other cultivators for the cultivation resources hidden beneath the rubble.

Unnoticed, over a thousand cultivators had gathered at Longqing Palace. No one saw the nearly dispersed Tribulation Clouds halt their dissipation—within the blink of an eye, increasingly fierce Spirit Qi reconverged, and the thick, inky Tribulation Clouds swiftly reformed, blanketing Longqing Palace once more.

This sudden turn of events jolted the cultivators bleeding in the palace ruins awake. Realizing the grave danger, they immediately dropped their foes and friends alike, turning on their heels to run toward the palace’s exterior. However, no matter how fast they ran, they couldn’t outpace the descending Heavenly Tribulation.

Tribulation Thunders roared down indiscriminately from the clouds, striking without distinction. They were Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation thunders, meant to challenge cultivators at the Peak of the Gold Core Stage. Even cultivators at the Peak of the Gold Core Realm had to resist with all their might, and even then, success wasn’t guaranteed. The formidable power of such thunders meant certain death for whoever they struck.

Qi Tian, observing from outside the walls of Xidu City, gazed toward Longqing Palace and could clearly see each thunderbolt take out swathes of cultivators—hundreds at times, and at least a dozen at others.

In this brief span, at least four to five hundred cultivators met their demise under the Tribulation Thunder, becoming sacrificial victims to the Heavenly Tribulation.

The spectacle made Qi Tian shake his head repeatedly, pitying the greed-driven cultivators. Had they managed to suppress their greed for mere seconds, such a human tragedy wouldn’t have unfolded.

As he shook his head, Qi Tian also made a point of checking on Zhao Deyi’s situation.

The return of the Heavenly Tribulation suggested that Zhao Deyi should certainly be a prime target. Yet, somehow, none of the ensuing thunderbolts fell upon him, instead striking unrelated individuals.

While others might believe Zhao Deyi was already dead, hence no longer necessitating punishment by the Heavenly Tribulation, Qi Tian didn’t think so. Though he hadn’t faced the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation himself, his extensive reading had given him considerable insight. The Tribulation bypassing Zhao Deyi didn’t necessarily mean his death; another possibility was that Zhao Deyi might have been chosen by heaven and earth, permitted to become a Nascent Soul Master. However, the emergence of such a master could disrupt the balance of heaven and earth. To restore the order and balance, sacrifices from others might be needed.

The sudden resurgence of the Heavenly Tribulation and the death of hundreds of other cultivators could very well be for that reason.

The occurrence of such a situation is extremely rare; even in the historical records, it’s often mentioned as a rumor, not something witnessed firsthand—it’s the stuff of legends that might not happen even once in thousands of years.

Qi Tian was not entirely sure if Zhao Deyi’s situation was one of these legendary instances; however, he preferred to err on the side of caution, believing it to be possible rather than impossible. He began to make some necessary preparations, for if Zhao Deyi really was a Child of Heavenly Selection, then the upcoming battle would prove to be quite troublesome.

Longqing Palace had already turned into a purgatory for humankind; the Heavenly Tribulation continued to descend relentlessly, but the frequency of its falling had changed significantly, signaling that the end was near.

Seizing the weakening of the Heavenly Tribulation as an opportunity, the cultivators who were lucky enough to not be struck dead by the Tribulation Thunder hastily took advantage of the favorable moment, scrambling out of Longqing Palace and reaching beyond the area covered by the Tribulation Clouds. Once they had safely escaped, they all felt as if they had dodged death, and they wanted nothing more than to shout out to the heavens in relief.

The appearance of such circumstances during a Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation is extremely rare. Under normal conditions, once someone is affected by the Heavenly Tribulation, it’s relentless—chasing them wherever they flee. Only in those legendary Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulations does one observe the Tribulation ceasing its pursuit outside the range of the Tribulation Clouds. This made Qi Tian even more convinced that Zhao Deyi might indeed be a Child of Heavenly Selection, with even the Heavenly Tribulation paving the way for his ascension.

Qi Tian hastened his preparations, certain that a fierce battle was likely to erupt between him and Zhao Deyi. Even though he had acquired many techniques within the Saint’s Tomb, whether he could have the last laugh was still an uncertain matter.

After a while, no more Tribulation Thunders fell, and suddenly, a tremendous surge of vitality sprang forth from the Tribulation Clouds blanketing the skies above Longqing Palace. It transformed into a beam of golden light that fell from the clouds and enveloped Zhao Deyi.

A Gold Core emerged from within Zhao Deyi’s body. Under the cover of the golden light, it shattered into powder. This powder absorbed the golden light and grew rapidly. The particles then recombined, and soon after formed a clear-faced infant—this was the Nascent Soul.

The Nascent Soul opened its eyes, and Qi Tian wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but he felt the Nascent Soul seemed to glance in his direction. Then, the Nascent Soul casually grabbed at the golden light twice, as if seizing something, holding it tightly within its fists. Afterward, the Nascent Soul slowly sank down and re-entered Zhao Deyi’s body, marking the Nascent Soul’s return to its place, and Zhao Deyi officially advanced from a cultivator of the Gold Core Realm to the Nascent Soul Stage.

The occurrence of such a scene caused all watching cultivators to be filled with envy, but while they envied him, not a single one dared to make a move after witnessing what had transpired at Longqing Palace, an event they would never dare forget in their lifetime.

Zhao Deyi, who had been lying prostrate on the ground, sat up again. Upon opening his eyes, a presence as imposing as mountains and seas emanated from this simple action, intimidating those present. Many of the spectating cultivators were unable to withstand this aura and fell to their knees.

At that moment, the Tribulation Clouds in the sky still hadn’t dissipated. Not only that, but they also refused to drop another bolt of Tribulation Thunder, as if acknowledging Zhao Deyi’s right to become a Nascent Soul Master.

Zhao Deyi simply stood still, reached out his hand, and grasped at the sky. The persistent Tribulation Clouds descended from the heavens, converging into a tornado that fell into the palm of his hand.

This spectacle stunned myriad onlookers, and those cultivators who had not yet kneeled were terrified, hastily kneeling one after another, prostrating themselves in Zhao Deyi’s direction.

Zhao Deyi didn’t even glance at them; his gaze pierced through Xidu, falling on Qi Tian, who was four or five miles away from the city walls of Xidu City. He spoke out loud, “Qi Tian, I can see you, and I believe you can see me too. You have disgraced Longqing Palace, leading to its ruin, and you are the chief culprit. Since the founding of Longqing Palace, no one has dared to do such a thing, and I, Zhao Deyi, will not stand idly by and let this matter slide. Now, I formally issue you a challenge. Do you dare fight me, to the death?”