Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1398 - 1398 793 All About Affection_2

Chapter 1398: Chapter 793: All About Affection_2 Chapter 1398: Chapter 793: All About Affection_2 Emperor Liuyong and the others were itching to ask Qi Tian if he intended to continue the search for Zhao Haiying, Liao Chongru, and the others, but they lacked the courage to ask any further.

Once Emperor Liuyong and his entourage left, only Qi Tian and Emperor Zhi Wu remained in the Grand Ancestor Temple. The ghost faces and Lustrous Sand had been put away by Qi Tian, and the bodies of the Gold Core Realm cultivators they had killed had also been taken away by Emperor Liuyong’s group for disposal. They even used spells to clean up the bloodstains and other marks on the ground. The temple’s front gate and the square were now spotless, and one would never imagine that a brutal fight, claiming the lives of over five hundred Gold Core Realm cultivators, had just taken place there.

Qi Tian looked at Emperor Zhi Wu. Up to this point, Emperor Zhi Wu was still unconscious. From the looks of it, he had been severely angered. It was even possible that he had sealed off his heart and would never wake up again.

With a sigh, Qi Tian reflected that ethically speaking, his closest relationship was with Emperor Tian Rui, and next to him was Emperor Zhi Wu. Yet it was this lineage of Emperor Zhi Wu that had severe clashes with him, leading to a life-or-death struggle. There were many reasons for this conflict, but the main one was still the father-son duo of Emperor Zhi Wu and Emperor Tian Rui – their ambition was simply too great. If only they had been content like the other princes to retreat into the Imperial Family Secret Territory and struggle there honestly, without stirring up trouble and dreaming of unifying it, none of today’s events would have happened.

Qi Tian stared at Emperor Zhi Wu for a long time, uncertain of how to deal with him. Killing him was not an issue, and Emperor Zhi Wu indeed deserved death, but Qi Tian knew that if he killed Emperor Zhi Wu, he would have no way to explain it to Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu of the Imperial Master Mansion, especially after having killed Emperor Tian Rui. If Xiao Xiaowu learned about this, it might create a rift between them.

Qi Tian sighed again and ultimately decided to spare Emperor Zhi Wu. Death could be avoided, but punishment was unavoidable. Regardless of whether or not Emperor Zhi Wu would ever wake up, Qi Tian immediately struck, destroying Emperor Zhi Wu’s Qi Sea and causing him to completely lose his cultivation level, along with the Spirit Qi he had accumulated over hundreds of years, which leaked out. Then Qi Tian dumped Emperor Zhi Wu at the entrance to the Grand Ancestor Temple and left him there. Of course, before leaving, Qi Tian did not forget to take away Emperor Zhi Wu’s Nascent Soul Stage Magic Weapon and other cultivation resources – he wouldn’t want to leave these treasures for others to find.

After completing these tasks, Qi Tian once again entered the Grand Ancestor Temple. This time, no one stopped him, nor did anyone set traps to ambush him there.

Qi Tian successfully found Zhao Haiying, Liao Chongru, and the other subordinates who had lost contact with him since entering the Imperial Family Secret Territory.

Before finding them, Qi Tian had employed the method of soul searching on Wang Wenshui and his son, Wang Dongming, to understand why he had lost contact with Zhao Haiying and the others. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to connect with Qi Tian, but that after entering the Imperial Family Secret Territory, they were controlled by others. Those who took control of them were none other than Sect Leader Wang Wenshui and his son, Wang Dongming, of the Refining God Sect.

Wang Dongming had a direct conflict with Qi Tian before the latter entered the Imperial Family Secret Territory. Wang Dongming was defeated and retreated into the Secret Territory, harboring resentment for his defeat. Consequently, he informed Wang Wenshui, who then used his knowledge of the entrance to the Imperial Family Secret Territory from the outside world to set up ambushes at several locations where outsiders were most likely to arrive. The result was that Zhao Haiying, Liao Chongru, and the others had barely entered the Secret Territory when they fell into the ambush and were captured.

Then, the Refining God Sect relentlessly tortured them, trying to extract more information about Qi Tian from their lips. When they finally realized there was nothing valuable left to extract, Wang Wenshui thought of making Zhao Haiying and the others into Immortal Slaves, only to discover that someone had beaten them to it, and they could no longer become their Immortal Slaves.

After that, Wang Wenshui pondered how to use Zhao Haiying and the others to set a trap to lure Qi Tian into it. In the end, they chose the Grand Ancestor Temple as their location. It took a great deal of effort and several months to set everything up, but eventually, they managed to wait for Qi Tian, leading to the events of today.

By the time Qi Tian found Zhao Haiying and his subordinates, they had been tortured beyond recognition. The only saving grace was that their Dantians were not destroyed. Despite suffering severe injuries and even having some of their meridians shattered, as long as they were given time and the right medicinal pills, they could recover most of their strength. However, this was as far as they could go; any future progress was now impossible.

Qi Tian could only sigh at this. He rescued Zhao Haiying and the others and removed the Immortal Slave Marks he had placed on them, restoring their freedom. Afterwards, Qi Tian explained the state of their own bodies in detail and then presented them with a choice. They could choose to continue staying in the Imperial Family Secret Territory, where he would make arrangements for their accommodation, under the service of the Princes, ensuring a worry-free life for them. Alternatively, they could choose to return to the Great Zhao imperial family—Qi Tian could arrange for them to serve as honorary Elders at the Imperial Master Mansion, a prestigious position, but if they sought a life of ease, it would be more troublesome due to the Mansion’s inability to provide high remuneration. However, there was one advantage in choosing the Imperial Master Mansion: freedom. If they no longer wished to stay there, they were free to leave and make their way in the world on their own.

Qi Tian also told Zhao Haiying and the others that no matter what choice they made, he would respect it. After they made their decision, he would provide them with some healing pills and cultivation resources to assist in their recovery and to maintain their living and cultivation needs for a certain period.

When Zhao Haiying and the others were in the Great Zhao Nation, they were beguiled by others to kill Qi Tian. Instead of succeeding, they were captured by Qi Tian and made into his Immortal Slaves, then followed him nonstop to the Imperial Family Secret Territory, where this series of events took place. It can be said that they had neither eaten little bitterness nor suffered little sin, gaining no benefits in the end.

Zhao Haiying and the others knew of Qi Tian’s might and didn’t dare blame their misery on him. They could only blame their own blindness and greed for small gains. If they had been clearer-headed and kept their distance from Qi Tian, perhaps they might still be living carefree in the vast world outside.

Qi Tian patiently waited for Zhao Haiying and their decisions. During their time confined together, they sympathized with each other and managed to live in harmony. After discussing among themselves, they eventually made a unified decision to stay in the Imperial Family Secret Territory. They decided to retire there and no longer wished to venture out into the world, fearing they would not be as lucky to retain their lives if they encountered someone as ruthless as Qi Tian again.

Qi Tian had no objections to the decision made by Zhao Haiying and the others. He kept his promise and immediately distributed a batch of medicinal pills and cultivation resources to each of them. He also wrote a letter of recommendation for each, allowing them to leave freely. They parted on good terms, fulfilling the bond between master and servant.

With that, Qi Tian’s objectives for entering the Imperial Family Secret Territory were all completed. All his wishes had been fulfilled, and it was time to leave the Imperial Family Secret Territory.