Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 273 - 273 0227 The Real Anomaly is Having No

Chapter 273: Chapter 0227: The Real Anomaly is Having No Anomalies_2 Chapter 273: Chapter 0227: The Real Anomaly is Having No Anomalies_2 Since everyone agreed, the next step was straightforward. Everyone gathered around Qi Tian, who then withdrew the invisible force surrounding the Ink-eyed Tiger Ladybug. The Transporting Whirlwind had worn out the Ink-eyed Tiger Ladybug quite badly. Having finally escaped, the creature did not dare to stick around. It flapped its wings and flew toward the north.

Zhang Guangyao was about to give chase when Qi Tian grabbed him. Zhang Guangyao’s expression shifted as he asked, “Brother Qi Tian, is there something wrong?”

Qi Tian replied, “Jiang Pan, you’re the fastest among us, follow behind the Ink-eyed Tiger Ladybug. Be careful not to lose track of it.”

Jiang Pan acknowledged Qi Tian and then set off in pursuit. It was a bit past midnight, and the surroundings were pitch black. Even though the crescent moon was in the sky, the visibility was poor. But as a cultivator, Jiang Pan’s vision was superior, making it just possible for him not to lose sight of the creature.

Once Jiang Pan had left, Qi Tian said, “We should keep some distance from him to be safe. Also, we’ve all agreed before, for these border expeditions, unless it’s a special circumstance, all gains from group actions should be shared evenly. This is a collective action, so no one should worry about returning empty handed. But I need to emphasize, if anyone doesn’t pull their weight, they better not blame me for treating them harshly.”

Zhang Guangyao quickly nodded. There were four of them here. Pan Yulin had signed a Servant Pact with Qi Tian, Zhang Lei had come for Qi Tian, and he was the only outsider. Regardless of whether Qi Tian’s words were fair or not, he had to accept it.

Without keeping everyone waiting too long, Qi Tian waved his hand and started to pursue the direction where the Ink-eyed Tiger Ladybug and Jiang Pan had left. The four of them split into two groups, each group about thirty meters apart, following the trail left by Jiang Pan.

They chased after them for over an hour, heading north for over forty miles until they saw a mountain suddenly appeared ahead. The side of the mountain facing Qi Tian was very steep, with only a meandering footpath that seemed like it was left by someone earlier and no other way up the hill.

The path Jiang Pan had left led to this meandering footpath. Seeing this, Qi Tian suddenly stopped walking. Zhang Lei, who was paired with Qi Tian, immediately asked when she noticed him stopping: “Qi Tian, why have you stopped chasing?”

Qi Tian frowned and asked, “Zhang, don’t you find this strange? Our camp is more than forty miles from here, why did the Ink-eyed Tiger Ladybug travel such a long distance to appear in our camp? Also, the Ink-eyed Tiger Ladybug can fly, generally, insects that can fly tend to fly in a straight line, so why did it fly along this path?”

To this, Zhang Lei was taken by surprise and said, “You’re suggesting there might be an issue?”

Qi Tian nodded and said, “Get in touch with Pan Yulin and Zhang Guangyao who are ahead of us right away. If possible, also get a hold of Jiang Pan.”

Zhang Lei quickly nodded, took out two Transmission Talismans, and with a flick of her wrist, threw them into the air. The two talismans transformed into two paper cranes and flew off.

Qi Tian and Zhang Lei stood at the entrance of the meandering footpath, anxiously waiting.

After a short while, one of the Message Paper Cranes flew back. Zhang Lei stretched out her hand and captured the paper crane, unfolded it, read it and said, “It’s a reply from Jiang Pan, he says everything is normal. There should be no problem, Qi Tian, let’s hurry and catch up. If there really are dozens of Ink-eyed Tiger Ladybugs in its nest, I’m worried Jiang Pan and the others might struggle to hold on.”

Qi Tian waved his hand and said, “No, Zhang, let’s wait a bit more.”

Zhang Lei had no choice but to keep waiting. The delay this time was a bit longer than before. After several more minutes, Pan Yulin’s Message Paper Crane finally arrived, later than anticipated.

Zhang Lei directly gave the Message Paper Crane to Qi Tian. It was a Transmission Talisman from Pan Yulin, notifying her of his safety. After giving it a glance, Qi Tian destroyed the Transmission Talisman, saying, “This is a fake talisman. If I’m not mistaken, Jiang Pan and the others might have run into trouble.”

“How can that be?” Zhang Lei exclaimed in surprise. Jiang Pan and the others all were at the Foundation Establishment Stage, especially Pan Yulin and Zhang Guangyao, two cultivators at the third level of Foundation Establishment, traveling together. It seemed hard to believe that something could have quietly gone wrong.

Qi Tian also had the same questions about the situation, but guessing wouldn’t reveal any answers. He said to Zhang Lei, “Sister, stay here or retreat a few miles, find a place to hide first, and wait for half an hour. Then come back and assess the situation over there. If you hear sounds of combat, then you should help. If there are no sounds of combat or you do not receive my Transmission Talisman, then you should return to the Imperial Master Mansion and call for help.”

Hearing this, Zhang Lei quickly argued: “Qi Tian, how can I let you take such a risk? If anyone should go, it should be me.”

Qi Tian waved his hand dismissively, saying, “Sister, you don’t need to argue with me about this. First, you are a woman, I am a man. In situations of danger, it is natural that men should face it first. Second, in terms of combat experience and strength, you are not my match. So, stop arguing with me.”

“But…” Zhang Lei tried to protest.

Qi Tian waved his hand, resolutely saying, “Enough, the decision is made. I am the team leader, so what I say goes. Sister Zhang, take care of yourself. I’m going.”

With that said, Qi Tian ignored Zhang Lei. He took out two talismans and attached them to himself. These were Lightweight Talismans that made the wearer as light as a sparrow. Immediately, Qi Tian began to ascend the mountain using the meandering footpath. Given the potential dangers of the path, he could not enter it, his only option was to climb the mountain first and then decide on his next action depending on the situation he encountered.

Zhang Lei watched Qi Tian’s retreating figure. Biting her lip, she turned around and left. She couldn’t help Qi Tian at the moment, she could only comply with Qi Tian’s instructions and find a safe place to hide for now.

Qi Tian was already very strong, and with the Lightweight Talisman on him, he ascended the steep mountain as agile as a monkey. Of course, Qi Tian’s decision to use this method also relied on the Heavenly Dao Engine. While the Heavenly Dao Engine couldn’t help him climb faster, it could detect the presence of Spirit Qi in his surroundings. This allowed him to detect potential ambushes ahead of time, avoid dangerous spots, and find the safest route to climb the mountain.

The mountain was high, about a hundred meters, but it took Qi Tian less than ten minutes to reach the top. Before climbing to the top, Qi Tian cautiously used the Heavenly Dao Engine to detect the situation at the top of the mountain and listened carefully for any unusual sounds. Only when he confirmed that there was nothing on the top, did he climb up.

Standing on the top of the mountain, Qi Tian looked towards the meandering footpath at the foot of the mountain. It was around two or three in the morning, the sky was starting to brighten, and Qi Tian could barely make out the situation on the pathway.

The footpath, following the contour of the mountain, appeared to be normal. However, this normalcy was what made it abnormal. If Jiang Pan and the others had really met with trouble, their bodies should be lying on the footpath. Alternatively, if they were all right, they should have sent another Transmission Talisman by now to notify of their safety. But neither of these things had happened.

Qi Tian knew that there must have been an accident. However, he couldn’t discern what had happened or where. After observing from the top of the mountain for a while without finding any leads, Qi Tian pondered for a moment and came up with a not-so-brilliant plan. That was to beat the grass to scare the snake. He let Hu Niu out of her Spirit Beast Bracelet and pointed to the footpath below. Then he asked her to cause a disturbance on the footpath as she descended. If she could startle the ambushers hiding on the footpath, it would be the best outcome.