Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 313 - 313 0247 Dont Blame Him for Playing Both Ends

Chapter 313: Chapter 0247: Don’t Blame Him for Playing Both Ends Against the Middle_2 Chapter 313: Chapter 0247: Don’t Blame Him for Playing Both Ends Against the Middle_2 Watching how the potentially catastrophic fire was suppressed, Qi Tian and the frontier troops of Great Zhao couldn’t help but lament, whereas the Chi Di camp was filled with cheers.

Qi Tian sighed. The best-laid plans of men often fall short; he truly hadn’t anticipated the involvement of the Chi Di cultivators in this year’s battle between the two nations. From the Chi Di Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator who pretended to be in the Qi Cultivation Period, to the three Chi Di Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators who hijacked the Heavenly Dao Engine, and now to the two Chi Di cultivators putting out the fire, Qi Tian started to doubt whether there was anything the Chi Di cultivators couldn’t do.

Just as Qi Tian was silently criticizing, the Chi Di camp acted again. Before the two cultivators putting out the fire could even extinguish the flames completely, more Chi Di cultivators came rushing over. Instead of helping extinguish the fire, they headed towards the tent where the barrels were stored.

Moments later, the Chi Di cultivators emerged from the tent. With a shrill yell, they released their flying swords. Riding them, they headed towards Tongmen West Pass.

Seeing this, Qi Tian’s face turned grim. With a stern shout, he called out: “All cultivators of Great Zhao, listen! The Chi Di cultivators have shown their true colors. They’ve broken the implicit understanding and are personally involved in this war. Every brave man, charge with me.”

Instantly, two cultivators from Great Zhao responded to Qi Tian’s call. They also rode their flying swords to meet the oncoming Chi Di cultivators.

Qi Tian furrowed his brow. There were over a dozen Chi Di cultivators rushing at them, and they had only deployed two of their own men. This didn’t add up. He glared at the numerous cultivators on the border wall and asked sternly, “Why aren’t you moving?”

One cultivator mustered the courage to answer: “Commander, it’s not that we don’t want to, but we can’t fly. We surely can’t just jump off the border wall and then run to fight them on foot, can we?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Tian pulled out a few Soaring Cloud Talismans and said, “I have a few Soaring Cloud Talismans. If attached to the body, they can allow you to float and fly for two hours. Whoever is a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator and is willing to kill the enemy, come to me and claim a Soaring Cloud Talisman.”

The Soaring Cloud Talisman was a prized possession. Immediately, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator stood up and volunteered to fight. Qi Tian handed him a Soaring Cloud Talisman without hesitation. As soon as the cultivator slapped the talisman on himself, he leaped off the ground and started flying. Laughing heartily, he activated the talisman and rushed towards the approaching Chi Di cultivators.

Seeing how readily Qi Tian gave out the Soaring Cloud Talismans, two more Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators came forward and asked for talismans. One of them used the talisman to fly towards the oncoming Chi Di cultivators, while the other put away the talisman and summoned a flying sword instead. He wobbled a little as he rode the sword over the wall.

Qi Tian almost bit his tongue in frustration, but he couldn’t reprimand anyone at this critical moment.

“Anyone else?” Qi Tian shouted, holding up the remaining Soaring Cloud Talismans.

No one responded to Qi Tian. The number of flying Chi Di cultivators was too intimidating. There were already over twenty of them in sight, and no one knew how many more to expect. Even if these Chi Di cultivators weren’t all in the Foundation Establishment Stage, the least powerful amongst them would be in the late-stage or even peak of Qi Cultivation. At this level, they would have the ability to contend with Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. Moreover, their numerical advantage could not be overlooked; they had plenty of Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. If they launched into combat with the Chi Di cultivators now, the odds of losing would be too high.

Historically, Tongmen West Pass has fallen to the Chi Di numerous times. Hence, the cultivators of Great Zhao who came to help defend the pass lacked the firm resolve to hold onto the fort at all costs. After all, they had lost Tongmen West Pass so many times before. Losing it once more this year wouldn’t be a big deal. They knew that after looting, the Chi Di would retreat beyond the border and return Tongmen West Pass to Great Zhao.

Qi Tian glanced at the inaction of the cultivators on the city wall and the Chi Di cultivators who were racing toward him. He knew time was running out. He couldn’t wait for Zhang Lei and the others who were on their way from a distance. He grabbed a Soaring Cloud Talisman and slapped it on himself. Then, with the aid of the talisman’s power, he flew out.

“Hold them back, we must hold them back!” Qi Tian flew toward a Chi Di cultivator, shouting loudly.

There were just too many Chi Di people. Although Qi Tian had joined the intercepting ranks, his one-man power was limited. Even with the few Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators who had gone out earlier, their defensive line still had large gaps. Many Chi Di cultivators rushed through these gaps and flew toward the border wall.

These Chi Di people, who were rushing toward the border wall, took wooden barrels out of their Storage Bags before they flew over the wall. They held the barrels with both hands and flew toward the border wall like bombers.

The border soldiers watching from the wall were horrified at the sight of the barrels. An officer yelled, “Shoot the arrows, shoot the arrows.”

Some cultivators began to attack the flying Chi Di cultivators using their techniques. However, many more cultivators started to retreat, even leaving the border wall. These cultivators were all unwilling to cooperate with the border soldiers. If it were Zhang Lei and her group, there wouldn’t be a need for Qi Tian to award Soaring Cloud Talismans to motivate action. Regrettably, Zhang Lei and her team were assigned elsewhere to seek out the possible infiltrator Chi Di cultivators in the Tongmen West Pass, thus they were too dispersed and distant to provide immediate support to Qi Tian. This unfortunate situation was not only due to Zhang Lei’s inexperience in command, but also because Qi Tian and Zhang Lei underestimated the depth of the Chi Di cultivators’ involvement in this war.

Woosh, woosh…

One after another, the wooden barrels were thrown by the Chi Di cultivators. Some landed outside the border wall, some inside, but most of them on the wall itself. Every time a barrel fell, it exploded and set fire, creating numerous fire scenes on the border wall.

At that moment, Zhang Lei and her team hustled to the border wall. Zhang Lei shouted, “Put out the fire, kill the enemy!” All cultivators who could fly took off to intercept the incoming Chi Di cultivators.

A glint of fierceness flashed in Qi Tian’s tiger eyes. Although he didn’t care much about the casualties of the Great Zhao border soldiers, it was absolutely unacceptable to him, the Acting County Master, to allow the Chi Di cultivators to slaughter the Great Zhao border soldiers in such a rampant manner.

Qi Tian abruptly activated the Heavenly Dao Engine, initiating the Speed Multiplier Mode. The maximum speed of the Soaring Cloud Talisman doubled in an instant. With his Red Hoop Stick, Qi Tian rushed at the nearest Chi Di cultivator.

The Chi Di cultivator had no anticipation of Qi Tian’s sudden increase in speed. Caught off guard, he was struck by Qi Tian, his head smashed to pieces.

Qi Tian turned his head and rushed toward the next Chi Di cultivator. With his crushing speed and superior combat prowess compared to cultivators of the same stage, none of the assaulting Chi Di cultivators could withstand even one of his attacks. Within a short period of time, all the Chi Di cultivators who had broken through the defensive line of the Great Zhao cultivators were killed by Qi Tian.

Qi Tian pulled off the Storage Bags from these Chi Di cultivators. After a search, he found varying numbers of wooden barrels in each bag—ranging from just a few to more than a dozen.

A gleam of ruthlessness flashed across Qi Tian’s eyes. He had never been a person to submit without a struggle or not strike back when hit, nor a saint who did not retaliate when insulted. Since the Chi Di cultivators started it, they couldn’t blame him for finishing it.