Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1369 - 1369 0779 This Really Shouldnt Happen

Chapter 1369: Chapter 0779: This Really Shouldn’t Happen Chapter 1369: Chapter 0779: This Really Shouldn’t Happen Chapter 0779: This Cannot Be Allowed

Emperor Jianwu secured the consent of all the other princes, who no longer vied with him for the unpleasant duty. However, Emperor Jianwu did not proceed with the disposal immediately but turned instead to regard Qi Tian to see if he would object.

Qi Tian waved his hand dismissively, giving Emperor Jianwu carte blanche to handle the situation without needing to consider his opinion.

Emperor Jianwu approached the princes and princesses with an indifferent expression on his face.

At this juncture, the princes and princesses realized the true severity of their predicament. They were filled with immense regret and recalled Emperor Tian Rui’s previous admonitions to them: after entering the Imperial Family Secret Territory, they were to behave humbly and put aside their usual arrogance and high-handedness. They had thought that once they reached Southern City, they could disregard these teachings, but now they understood that even here, in the heart of the Imperial Family Secret Territory, they had to tread carefully and avoid giving others leverage to use against them. Otherwise, they would find themselves in the current quandary—caught between life and death, their futures and destinies entirely in the hands of others, beyond their control.

It had been a long time since Emperor Jianwu had dealt with cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage. In his eyes, cultivators of this level were no different from ants, buzzing annoyingly before him. Regardless of the reasons or the goals, a single slap was enough to kill them. He understood that this was the simplest and most brute way to handle things and that by doing so, he could both avenge the disciples of Imperial Master Mansion and fulfill his obligations to Master Qi. The reason Master Qi had not made a move himself was simply that he considered it beneath him.

Yet, Emperor Jianwu did not act on this impulse. Were he to do something so crude, how would he demonstrate his true prowess? With a wave of his hand, he emitted several beams of light from his fingertips. Each beam targeted a prince or princess, piercing through their Dantian in an instant. Just like deflated balls, their vital energy uncontrollably leaked out through the ruptures in their Dantians. Their faces visibly aged at a rapid rate, their presence swiftly waning until none of the transcendence that marked a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator remained.

The princes and princesses’ complexions drastically changed. They had imagined all sorts of possibilities but not once did they consider that Emperor Jianwu would cripple their Dantian, stripping them of their cultivation and relegating them to the mundane world, forever deprived of the chance to cultivate anew. This fate was crueller than death itself.

With another wave of his hand, Emperor Jianwu sealed the acupoints of the princes and princesses, silencing them before he coldly stated, “As direct descendants of the royal family, to engage in acts befitting robbers is a disgrace. I am truly ashamed for you. However, considering you all bear the bloodline of Grand Ancestor, I will spare your lives this once. Now give thanks for this mercy and then get as far away as possible—do not ever loiter before Master Qi again. Begone!”

Unable to utter a single sound, the princes and princesses climbed up from the ground, seething with resentment as they fled shamefully. The cultivators who had come with them were now seized with fear, petrified lest Emperor Jianwu do to them what he had done to the princes and princesses, rendering them useless. In an effort to prevent such a fate, they instinctively prepared to leave with the crippled royalty, but Emperor Jianwu had no intention of letting them escape.

Emperor Jianwu expelled a flying sword from his mouth and, in a burst of dazzling radiance, the cultivators who had arrived with such aggression alongside the princes and princesses lay in pools of their own blood. With a single momentary action, Emperor Jianwu had slaughtered them all without exception.

Chilled to the bone with terror, the princes and princesses realized they were not as ready to face death as they had thought. By crippling their Dantian, Emperor Jianwu had subjected them to a fate worse than death; yet when confronted with the immediate reality of death around them, they discovered a newfound appreciation for life, however tattered and desperate their existence might be.

To Emperor Jianwu, it seemed he had done something inconsequential. He raised his voice and declared, “Let all within Southern City hear me. I care not what rank you held or what forces backed you in Great Zhao Nation; remember this: within the Imperial Family Secret Territory, you must abide by its rules. Do not think to throw your weight around. There are many here in the Secret Territory with far greater power than you possess. I hope you will conduct yourselves wisely and avoid incurring the wrath of those you cannot afford to provoke, lest you pay a price you cannot bear.”

The cultivators who had been watching from a distance trembled violently. Had they not seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed that anyone could, with a single move, kill over a hundred Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, let alone dare to cripple several of Emperor Tian Rui’s children.

Returning to Qi Tian’s side, Emperor Jianwu bowed and said, “Master Qi, I have taken care of the matter. Is this satisfactory to you? If there is anything that needs correcting, please let me know, and I will attend to it immediately.”