Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1427 - 1427 0808 The Tiger with a Wounding Heart

Chapter 1427: Chapter 0808: The Tiger with a Wounding Heart Chapter 1427: Chapter 0808: The Tiger with a Wounding Heart Chapter 0808 Tiger Harbors a Wounding Heart

With his meridians sealed and unable to mobilize his True Essence, the waiter’s face was filled with horror. He dared not obstruct Qi Tian any further. Without being able to mobilize his True Essence, even if he couldn’t be considered utterly powerless, he was pretty close to that. Qi Tian could have crushed him to death with just one finger. The waiter hastily retreated, increasing the distance between himself and Qi Tian. No matter what, he had to ensure his own safety first.

After retreating to a distance he deemed safe, the waiter sent out a warning signal. Instantly, a large number of Gold Core Realm cultivators rushed out. Within this tavern, some were disguised as regular guests, others as lodging customers, appearing to have no relation to the tavern. However, the moment the tavern faced danger, it was time for them to reveal their terrifying fangs.

Qi Tian glanced at the dozen or so Gold Core Realm powerhouses that suddenly emerged with a faint smile on his lips. Including the waiter, none of these people were pushovers. Qi Tian felt the Spirit Force fluctuations belonging to someone else emanating from their bodies; they must be assassins, each with the lives of others on their hands.

Qi Tian had no fond feelings for these people. Had it not been for ensuring Gao Jinmei’s safety was not compromised, he wouldn’t have just sealed the waiter’s meridians during their confrontation; he would have killed him outright. It was the same with these people now. Until Gao Jinmei’s safety was assured, Qi Tian did not want to embark on a massacre within the tavern.

However, Qi Tian also understood the principle of unwanted complications. He didn’t want to waste time on these Gold Core Realm cultivators. At the moment, he could still sense Gao Jinmei’s Spirit Force fluctuation, but if more time passed, he could not guarantee that these inhumane assassins would not threaten him with Gao Jinmei’s life.

Qi Tian released all of his ghost faces without being commanded. The ghost faces pounced on the Gold Core Realm cultivators and, like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, the cultivators encountered the ghost faces and didn’t even put up a decent resistance. In an instant, they were defeated and lay wounded on the ground, unable to move.

Qi Tian, worried about unforeseen delays, activated the sensing function of the Heavenly Dao Engine to search for Gao Jinmei’s whereabouts. In the blink of an eye, he locked on to her location. Then, with the ghost faces clearing the path, Qi Tian followed closely behind.

It turned out Gao Jinmei was indeed held captive in this tavern, but not inside the tavern itself; she was locked in its underground. These assassins were like a bunch of ground moles, having built an extensive underground network beneath the tavern, which not only connected to the tavern but also extended to about a dozen residences nearby. Such a network was not something ordinary people could discover, and even if someone did, thanks to this underground network, the assassins could easily escape. Unfortunately for them, they ran into Qi Tian this time, whose presence rendered the secretive network completely ineffective.

Employing the Heavenly Dao Engine, Qi Tian instantly mapped out every detail of this underground network. The ghost faces cleared the way ahead of him, eliminating all dangers, whether it be traps, mechanisms, or hidden sentries. The ghost faces removed each obstacle for him.

Before long, Qi Tian found a dungeon deep underground, more than two zhang beneath the surface. Gao Jinmei was imprisoned there.

The dungeon had numerous runes and arrays, set up by the assassins to guard high-value prisoners. Qi Tian didn’t take much effort to decipher all the runes and arrays and rescued Gao Jinmei from the dungeon.

Having not seen her for just two or three days, Gao Jinmei was tormented beyond recognition. One could only imagine the cruel techniques these assassins had used on her.

Qi Tian frowned, a hint of anger in his expression. He quickly fed Gao Jinmei a high-quality healing pill and poured her a small cup of Spirit Liquid. Watching her recover at a visible speed, he then inquired what had happened to her.

Gao Jinmei, still shaken, explained the reason for her abduction. She had asked Qi Tian for leave because she wanted to say a complete goodbye to her past. She intended to sever all ties to her previous life so that she could make a fresh start. Before doing so, however, she remembered that during her time as an assassin, there were people who had helped or saved her. She wanted to close things off with those individuals, so she could then start anew.

Consequently, Gao Jinmei asked Qi Tian for leave and went to find those who had helped or saved her in the past. But the problem arose at this point. Initially, these people were happy to see Gao Jinmei, but after learning that she intended to completely abandon her identity as an assassin and bid farewell to her past, their expressions turned unnatural. They tried to persuade Gao Jinmei for a while, but she didn’t agree.

Afterward, they stopped trying to persuade her and instead extended an invitation for Gao Jinmei to have a drink with them as a way to finalize everyone’s relations, in case they never met again.

Gao Jinmei agreed without giving it much thought. However, during the drinks, these people turned against her. They laced the drinks and dishes with something. Gao Jinmei wasn’t unguarded, but even when she sensed something was wrong, she was, after all, just one person. She fell into their trap, was injured, captured, and taken away.