Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1468 - 1468 0841 Well Hidden

Chapter 1468: Chapter 0841: Well Hidden Chapter 1468: Chapter 0841: Well Hidden Chapter 0841: Well Hidden

In all his previous encounters with any Nascent Soul Master, Qi Tian’s battles were always brief. He either seized the opponent’s weaknesses or outnumbered them. It was always about quickly resolving the fight without dragging on for too long. However, this time, when the two Nascent Soul Masters faced each other, it was like a spark hitting the earth, igniting a fierce battle.

Both individuals were equally matched in strength and possessed various techniques. The clash of their first encounter produced a loud noise that reverberated around the world.

Qi Tian had just left when he heard the sounds of the fight behind him. His heart stirred; if this battle had occurred before he discovered the ore vein, Qi Tian would have definitely avoided it completely. But now, from the sounds of it, the battle was happening right where the ore vein was located. The outcome could very well affect the safety of the vein, and other unforeseen circumstances might arise. Qi Tian felt he should go and see for himself to prevent any complications, primarily to prevent the fighting parties from discovering the existence of the ore vein. If that happened, Qi Tian’s plans for securing a share of this secret realm would become quite difficult.

Qi Tian turned back and flew toward the direction of the ore vein. He stopped about ten miles away from it. From here, while he couldn’t see what was happening at the ore vein, he could use the Heavenly Dao Engine’s Spirit Qi sensing feature to find out exactly what was going on.

The first thing Qi Tian investigated was exactly who the Nascent Soul Masters fighting were. Quickly, based on the three-dimensional images fed back by the Heavenly Dao Engine, Qi Tian confirmed that there were two people fighting, without any bystanders or other participants. He didn’t recognize one of the fighters, but the other was someone he remembered—none other than Xu Xinge from the Ink Flood Dragon Association, who had usurped the leadership position before they entered the secret realm.

Adding up his experiences, Qi Tian had already fought with about twenty Nascent Soul Masters. He had seen numerous techniques, but now watching Xu Xinge and his opponent’s endless strategies, Qi Tian couldn’t help but admire them. Both were indeed from a major power, employing techniques that even Qi Tian found astounding.

Despite the intensity of Xu Xinge’s ongoing fight, Qi Tian had no intention of intervening. He wasn’t familiar with Xu Xinge, and his impression of the Ink Flood Dragon Association wasn’t positive. Although he had never dealt directly with Xu Xinge, Xu’s fellow disciple, Wu Jiahui, had made him do menial tasks while leading their group. And that was nothing compared to when Song He, along with many other Nascent Soul Masters, besieged him and Wu Jiahui had disappeared without a word of warning. This showed that the Nascent Soul Masters from the Ink Flood Dragon Association were not worth associating with, and certainly not worth helping.

Whether Xu Xinge would lose to his opponent, thus causing Wanjie City to lose control over the secret realm, was not within Qi Tian’s concerns. If Xu Xinge won, that would be best; if he lost, Qi Tian could simply step in and fight the already exhausted opponent, easily securing victory. Thus, Qi Tian would fulfill his duty in the secret realm without any dereliction.

As Xu Xinge and his opponent’s battle heated up, Qi Tian initially thought their fight was decent. However, as time passed, Qi Tian noticed many unsatisfactory elements in their combat. There were times when, from another angle or using a different method, they could have significantly damaged their opponent, yet they failed to do so.

Qi Tian shook his head secretly. He wondered whether these mistakes by Xu Xinge and his opponent were intentional or due to their limitations. Regardless of the reason, it made Qi Tian realize that even at Xu Xinge’s level, there were many imperfections. And considering his own cultivation hadn’t even reached the Nascent Soul Stage yet, it seemed prudent to dedicate some time to refine himself further.

As Qi Tian was planning which aspects to improve upon, the Heavenly Dao Engine sent him another three-dimensional image that drastically changed his expression.

Qi Tian suddenly discovered a highly concentrated energy spot deep within the ore vein underground. The mere existence of such concentration was shocking enough, but now, Qi Tian was even more startled to find that this energy was not only concentrated but also very active. The Spirit Force fluctuations were incredibly intense, suggesting that this energy might not belong to an inanimate object, but potentially to a living entity.

Qi Tian quickly focused his attention below the ore vein, where the concentrated energy was rapidly tunneling towards the surface, breaking through the hard rock as if it were tofu.

Qi Tian couldn’t determine exactly what this entity was, but he could be sure that it was not easy to deal with. The strength of the energy exceeded both Xu Xinge and his opponent, reaching levels on par with Shi Haoyuan.

Shi Haoyuan was a great master at the Second Level of the Nascent Soul Stage. He was just one person, but this entity quickly emerging to the surface was much larger, at least the size of a dozen Shi Haoyuans combined. This was terrifying; even if it wasn’t as powerful as a dozen Shi Haoyuans, it was certainly more formidable and more dangerous than any single Shi Haoyuan.

Qi Tian’s first instinct was to flee the area. Although he was capable of defeating Shi Haoyuan, that was only with the help of nine Nascent Soul Immortal Slaves he had recently subdued, along with other techniques like the Glazed Sand and the Ghost Mask. He had since sent all the Nascent Soul Immortal Slaves away, leaving none by his side, and this entity was incredibly formidable—Qi Tian doubted his chances of winning against it.

Qi Tian had previously wondered why, after spending so long in this secret realm, he hadn’t encountered any native cultivators or notably powerful beasts. It seemed unusual, but considering the myriad wonders of the vast worlds, he hadn’t dwelled on it. Now, he realized that it wasn’t that there were no native beasts; rather, they were just well hidden and disinclined to show themselves.