Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 274 - 274 0228 Like an Egg Hitting a Stone

Chapter 274: Chapter 0228: Like an Egg Hitting a Stone Chapter 274: Chapter 0228: Like an Egg Hitting a Stone Chapter 0228: Like an Egg Crashing into a Rock

Hu Niu was very clever, following Qi Tian’s instructions, she started moving along the steep slope towards the meandering footpath. The mountains were jagged, and she, with a massive build, stepping on their precipitous sides, was a task fraught with danger. But she was, after all, a beast of the Eighth Level of Qi Cultivation from the bloodline of Golden Flur Tiger, who grew up in the mountains. So although it was risky, it wasn’t an impossible task for her.

After about ten minutes, Hu Niu reached the area above the meandering footpath, then she took a leap from the mountainside, landing on the footpath, subsequently started to move forward along the footpath. As she went, she used her sense of smell to persistently sniff the surrounding scents. Occasionally, she would stop and stare at a particular spot for a long time.

Walking and pausing like this, Hu Niu arrived at the midpoint of the meandering footpath. She stopped again, vigilantly watching the slope to her side. Right at that moment, a man rushed out from behind a huge boulder on the hillside, lunging straight towards Hu Niu.

The man was extremely fast, like a ghost, reaching near Hu Niu even before she could react. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a mass of smoke sprayed from his cuff, engulfing Hu Niu. She swayed and fell onto the ground, unable to move.

The man landed next to Hu Niu and took out a pouch, waved it at Hu Niu, and she then vanished.

All these events happened in a very short frame of time. Qi Tian did not have any chance to respond at all. He could only watch what was unfolding below. He was unsure whether Hu Niu was safe. For now, all he could do was stay alert and watch the developments.

After capturing Hu Niu, the man pulled the pouch to his waist. The pouch was about the size of a palm. It likely was a treasure akin to a Spirit Beast Pouch. Qi Tian was too far away to see clearly how many such pouches the man had on his waist. He didn’t know whether the man captured Hu Niu alone or alongside Pan Yulin, Jiang Pan, and Zhang Guangyao as well.

Qi Tian widened his eyes and strained to watch the man, hoping he could find more details through observation. If he could discern the man’s identity, that would be even better.

As dawn was breaking, Qi Tian noticed that the man’s attire significantly differed from that of the cultivators of Great Zhao. Moreover, his attire didn’t resemble that of the Chi Di people; it seemed more like the attire of people from a neighboring country, the Zhongshan Kingdom.

Qi Tian furrowed his brows. The relationship between Great Zhao and the Chi Di people was strained, and it was much the same with the Zhongshan Kingdom. Yet, the dynamics of the hostility between the three were complex. The Chi Di people were more powerful than those of Great Zhao. When confronting the Chi Di people, Great Zhao often stayed on the defensive. On the other hand, the power of Zhongshan Kingdom was much weaker than Great Zhao, making life in the Zhongshan Kingdom rather harsh.

The Chi Di and Zhongshan Kingdoms were not neighboring countries, with Great Zhao in between them. Therefore, under normal circumstances, even if a cultivator from the Zhongshan Kingdom were to appear within the territories of Great Zhao, it was highly unlikely for them to appear here. This place was not far from the Tongguan Left Guard Station, and beyond the Tongguan Left Guard Station lay the territories of the Chi Di people. Therefore, whether this Zhongshan cultivator appearing here was a mere coincidence or due to some deeper reason unknown to him, Qi Tian couldn’t determine.

After pondering for a while but unable to make head or tail of the situation, Qi Tian decided not to dwell on it anymore. Instead, he started considering how to rescue Hu Niu and kill this Zhongshan cultivator.

Being too far away, it was hard for Qi Tian to determine the cultivation stage of this cultivator from Zhongshan. But from his experience and the situation at hand, the possibility for him to be at the Gold Core Stage was nearly non-existent. A Gold Core Stage cultivator wouldn’t be interested in Hu Niu. Even if she was of the Golden Flur Tiger bloodline, she would still be worthless in the eyes of a Gold Core Stage cultivator and not worth their effort.

Since he was not at the Gold Core Stage and managed to capture Hu Niu in such a short time, it was practically certain that he was at the Foundation Establishment Stage. But was he at the Foundation Establishment initial stage, mid-stage, or late stage, or even at the peak of the Foundation Establishment? The discrepancies between these levels were massive. Now, Qi Tian could disregard those at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment. Even considering the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators required careful thought since there was a nine out of ten chance that he would lose if challenged. Moreover, if confronted with those at the late or peak stage of Foundation Establishment, he was sure to die.

Yet at this point, Qi Tian was left with no other option but to take a gamble. This time, he was assigned as part of a team heading to the border for registration. His assignment was to guard against the southward advance of the Chi Di people. He was positioned at the very front of the border. Without the support of his teammates, he was bound to be trifled with by Wang Xin, the Vice-Minister of Taichang Temple, leading to his death. Rather than dying in disgrace at the border, it was better to try his luck while he still possessed some forces.

After capturing Hu Niu, the Zhongshan Kingdom’s cultivator no longer hid himself. Instead, he walked straightforwardly along the meandering footpath.

After slight consideration, Qi Tian continued to move forward along the mountaintop, slowly descending and gradually closing in on the cultivator from Zhongshan.

The Trinity cultivator seemed to lack any sense of disparity, steadily walking along the meandering footpath. Once the footpath ended, he arrived at a valley with a flat patch of land of about ten acres. From a distance, he saw several people on the flat land. Moreover, a few more were lying on the ground. Who else could it be, but Pan Yulin, Jiang Pan, and Zhang Guangyao?