Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1358 - 1358 0773 Establishing Authority_2

Chapter 1358: Chapter 0773: Establishing Authority_2 Chapter 1358: Chapter 0773: Establishing Authority_2 Qi Tian said, “I have no interest in reigning supreme in Xidu, I am here merely to search for someone. As long as you all cooperate with me compliantly, I will not make things difficult for you. Now, I ask each of you to return to your homes and convey my demands. Starting this very moment, every person in Xidu must obediently stay at home and refrain from going anywhere. Later, I will conduct searches in places I deem suspicious, and I hope that you will all be sensible and refrain from engaging in futile resistance. Alright, you may disperse now and pass along my message, follow my instructions, and do not make the same mistake as Longqing Palace.”

The words of Qi Tian were clear and unmistakable, and those cultivators gathered on the City Gate Tower dared not utter a word of dissent. They hurriedly dispersed like birds and beasts, returning to their respective palaces or homes, to relay Qi Tian’s message to their Princes or the heads of their powers without any alterations.

Within a short time, it was as if a cold air had enshrouded the entirety of Xidu. The once bustling streets quickly emptied, looking abandoned and destitute—this was due to the cultivators who had been on the streets throwing away their possessions in their rush to return home as quickly as possible.

With the severed head of Zhao Deyi serving as a deterrent, not a single person in Xidu dared to take Qi Tian’s words lightly, nobody wanted to provoke Qi Tian; otherwise, they might very well become the next Zhao Deyi.

In less than half an hour’s time, all of Xidu fell into complete silence; not a soul could be seen in the streets or alleys, with men and women, young and old, all obediently staying within their homes. Some cultivators, in an attempt to clear themselves of any suspicion, simply stayed in their yards with their entire families, and there were even cultivators who knelt with their entire families in the yard, waiting to be inspected by Qi Tian.

Ever since Qi Tian had displayed the head of Zhao Deyi, his awe-inspiring reputation was firmly established in Xidu—no one doubted him anymore, and no one dared to ignore his commands.

Through the Heavenly Dao Engine’s sensitivity to Spirit Qi, Qi Tian could observe the situation within several miles. He could not possibly be ignorant of the changes occurring in Xidu, but he felt nothing inappropriate about this situation. It wasn’t that he wished to demonstrate his dominance and arrogance to the cultivators of Xidu through this method; he simply wanted to resolve his matters quickly without wasting time on irrelevant issues.

Qi Tian immediately commenced his search throughout Xidu. However, after having checked several palaces, he found nothing, not even in Longqing Palace, where he had suspected the presence of relevant personnel based on detected fluctuations of Spirit Qi.

Qi Tian had not expected such a result. He had chosen to come directly to Xidu instead of North Capital because he felt it more likely that Zhao Haiying, Liao Chongru, and others were under the control of Longqing Palace, but to his surprise, he found nothing after all the trouble he had gone through.

Qi Tian frowned and pondered for a long time, feeling as if there was some information he was unaware of. He decided to find someone to inquire about the situation—what was really going on?

Thus, Qi Tian appeared in the skies above Xidu, and in an unquestionable manner, issued a command to the cultivators of Xidu. He ordered all the Princes in the various palaces and the heads of the major family powers to come to see him; he had questions to ask.

The Princes of Xidu did not know what Qi Tian’s intentions were in summoning them, whether he planned to capture them all at once. Reluctantly and yet daring not defy his command, they eventually assembled before Qi Tian with trepidation in their hearts.

One after another, the Princes stepped forward to pay their respects to Qi Tian, with the heads of the other powers following behind the Princes, also approaching Qi Tian one by one, bowing while introducing themselves.

Neither the Princes nor the heads of the other powers arrived empty-handed for this meeting; each brought gifts of varying value.

Qi Tian was not one to turn down these gifts. If he didn’t accept them, the givers would actually feel uneasy. Qi Tian couldn’t be bothered to explain anything to them, finding it easier to just accept the gifts and be done with it.

Seeing that Qi Tian accepted the gifts, whether it was the princes or the various powerful factions, their hanging hearts were put at ease by at least half.

After everyone had finished paying their respects to him, they all stood respectfully before Qi Tian, their demeanor as if courtiers were meeting the emperor. Without Qi Tian making any gesture, they bowed their heads and stood with hands hanging down, not daring to make the slightest noise.

Qi Tian didn’t plan to waste more time on them. He had accepted the gifts and allowed them to pay their respects, primarily to settle their minds and prevent them from taking desperate measures that would cause him unnecessary trouble.

Qi Tian spoke out about his purpose for coming to Xidu. The first was naturally to look for Emperor Tian Rui and the mansion masters of the three National Master Manors. Until now, Qi Tian didn’t know their exact whereabouts. The second matter was to search for Zhao Haiying and Liao Chongru’s whereabouts. Qi Tian hoped that if any cultivators present knew anything, they would tell the truth.

After knowing Qi Tian’s purpose, those leaders who were not from the imperial palace forces completely let go of their apprehensions. In the Imperial Family Secret Territory, although there were many of them, they were basically in the middle and lower echelons of the entire secret territory. Many of the secrets within the Imperial Family Secret Territory were unknown to them, and even if they wanted to respond to Qi Tian’s questions, they didn’t know how to fabricate lies.

Qi Tian’s gaze finally fell on several of the princes. Qi Tian was meeting these princes for the first time and had only known of their existence and titles, but he did not know which title corresponded to which individual.

“Speak, what kind of information can you provide me?”

There were six princes in Xidu, and currently, five of them were present before Qi Tian. The one absent was Emperor Longqing. Before entering the core area to catch up with Zhao Deyi, Qi Tian had captured Emperor Longqing, placed a restriction on him, and fed him a pill, threatening that it was a deadly poison, after which he released Emperor Longqing.

After regaining his freedom, Emperor Longqing had been on tenterhooks, not even daring to mobilize his magic power, and he had not yet managed to come before Qi Tian.

The remaining five princes had no intention of confronting Qi Tian any longer; the fate of Longqing Palace was right before their eyes. Even Zhao Deyi, who had advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, was no match for Qi Tian; where would they dare harbor any dissatisfaction towards Qi Tian? Regarding Qi Tian’s questioning, they naturally dared not conceal anything and would tell whatever they knew.

Very soon, one of the princes stepped forward and began to inform Qi Tian about some possible situations regarding Emperor Tian Rui.

In a sense, the Imperial Family Secret Territory is the private property of the Great Zhao imperial family. Every emperor of Great Zhao who ascended to the Gold Core Stage faced the same problem: how to continue their cultivation thereafter. Though the Great Zhao imperial family was wealthy in all four seas, that was only on the surface—lack of cultivation resources was the real norm. It was only when the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhao discovered the Imperial Family Secret Territory by accident during his cultivation that he pointed out a direction for his descendants: after advancing to the Gold Core Stage, they should abandon the grand ambition of ruling Great Zhao Nation, abdicate the throne, and then move to the Imperial Family Secret Territory with carefully selected descendants and trusted subordinates.