Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 371 - 371 0276 All Sorts of Unexpected Things_2

Chapter 371: Chapter 0276: All Sorts of Unexpected Things_2 Chapter 371: Chapter 0276: All Sorts of Unexpected Things_2 Qi Tian and the others got down from the carriage. Some of the treasure hunters had already enthusiastically headed into the tavern. Qi Tian was about to follow them when a couple of waiters came forward, intentionally or unintentionally blocking his way. The coachman also moved in time to stand behind Qi Tian.

There weren’t many people on a carriage. The other treasure hunters had all left in less than a minute. No one noticed that Qi Tian had been stopped. Or even if they had, no one was willing to intervene. To stand up for Qi Tian would mean standing against Wanjie Commerce, a prospect they met with utter indifference. They left to dine in peace.

“What’s this all about?” Qi Tian asked, a serious look on his face.

Kang Ke, exuding the aura of a Half-step Golden Core, came around the building of the Hundred Flavors Building. He used his aura to lock down Qi Tian, “Nothing much, sir. We’re simply asking for your cooperation in conducting an investigation. Right here, in the open. It would turn into an ugly spectacle if I tried to force you.”

Qi Tian looked displeased but he had no choice. This was Wanjie Commerce territory. Any commotion would draw the attention of Wanjie personnel to control the situation. If needed, they could even call upon a Nascent Soul Master. Compared to them, Qi Tian, a cultivator at the peak of the fourth Foundation Establishment Stage, was nothing. His solid foundation and exceedingly large Qi Sea made him superior to other cultivators of the same stage, but was still no match for those at the Gold Core Stage, let alone a Nascent Soul Master.

“Fine. I am not sure what has led you to believe that I require special investigation. However, to prove my innocence, I will cooperate with your investigation. However, I request that if this investigation proves my innocence, you let me leave unharmed.” Qi Tian said, trying to buy himself some time.

Kang Ke laughed and nodded. “Of course, we at Wanjie Commerce are reasonable people. Please, sir.”

A young waiter took the lead, with Qi Tian and Kang Ke in the middle and at the rear respectively. They bypassed the Hundred Flavors Building and went to a small courtyard at the back.

As they walked, Qi Tian used the power of the Heavenly Dao Engine to scan the surroundings. To his delight, he found that there was not a single cultivator at or above the Half-step Golden Core level within his detection range. Kang Ke was the only one at Half-step Golden Core, the rest were at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

This arrangement was to be expected. While Wanjie Commerce was powerful, their vast holdings required constant protection. For a place like Hundred Flavors Building, which catered mainly to cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage, it was impressive enough to have a Half-step Golden Core cultivator present. An organization lesser than Wanjie Commerce would struggle to even send one.

Originally, Qi Tian had been worried that the Wanjie Commerce had arranged a massive force to target him. He’d been surprised to discover that only Kang Ke was a significant threat. His tension eased quite a bit, and he seemed more at ease.

Upon reaching the courtyard, Kang Ke then took Qi Tian into a building. The building was filled with various torturous devices, which was a terrifying sight.

“See these tools, sir? These are used to punish traitors within the Wanjie Commerce. Even if you were extraordinarily powerful, once these tools are utilized, you too would end up screaming in pain. If you wish to avoid this physical torment, I ask that you voluntarily hand over all your storage equipment for our inspection,” Kang Ke said ominously.

Qi Tian said angrily, “You only mentioned I had to cooperate with an investigation, not that I had to hand over my storage equipment for you to rummage through.”

Kang Ke replied, “This is how you cooperate with the investigation. Besides, we also need to search you. Please cooperate with that as well.”

A look of humiliation crossed Qi Tian’s face, but he still complied grudgingly, reluctantly handing over his Storage Bag and Storage Ring for Kang Ke to inspect.

In front of Qi Tian, Kang Ke one-by-one emptied everything out of the Storage Bag and Storage Ring. Seeing the items that were dumped out, he couldn’t help but eye Qi Tian with surprise. The young man was quite wealthy. He had around two to three hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones and dozens of middle-grade spirit stones. This level of wealth would consider him quite well-off among the Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.

Kang Ke started sorting through the items, but unfortunately, there was no particularly valuable stuff, not even a single Heavenly Grade spirit treasure.

“Is this all you have?” Kang Ke stared at Qi Tian in a questioning manner.

Qi Tian nodded in affirmation.

“Hmph, I don’t believe it. Strip off every piece of clothing you have on you.” Kang Ke commanded.

Qi Tian indignantly responded, “Sir, don’t cross the line.”

Kang Ke coldly smirked, saying, “Overstepping the line, huh? That’s fine, I’ll give you two options. One – you cooperate with me. Whatever I tell you to do, you do it. Two – you die.”

Helpless, Qi Tian had no choice but to undress, stripping down to nothing more than his underwear before he stopped.

Kang Ke showed no interest in Qi Tian’s bare body. He glanced at Qi Tian’s final piece of clothing, then took out a magical instrument, moving it up and down Qi Tian’s body. Only after confirming that Qi Tian had nothing concealed did he lower his head to pick up Qi Tian’s discarded clothes.

At that moment, Qi Tian’s eyes glowed brightly as he activated his Heavenly Dao Engine to maximum output. As Kang Ke bent down to pick up his clothing, Qi Tian abruptly launched his attack with a punch.

His fist moved like the wind, aiming directly at Kang Ke’s temple.

Kang Ke was utterly taken by surprise. Firstly, Qi Tian’s cultivation rank was far below his own. Secondly, Qi Tian was down to his underwear – shouldn’t he be trying to protect his own modesty at a time like this? How could he have any thought to retaliate? Lastly, Kang Ke was a part of the Wanjie Commerce, a powerful faction – how dare this foundation establishment practitioner strike out against them?

Caught off guard, the moment Kang Ke realized Qi Tian was launching an offensive, it was already too late. Qi Tian’s punch hit Kang Ke square in the left temple.

With a resounding thud, Kang Ke was instantly knocked over. Qi Tian had punched him so hard that the shape of Kang Ke’s perfectly fine head had altered, blood gushed from his seven orifices and he died on the spot.

Not entirely convinced, Qi Tian reached out to Kang Ke’s corpse, and the Transporting Whirlwind flew out from his palm, sweeping Kang Ke’s corpse over to Qi Tian. He removed Kang Ke’s Storage Bag and Storage Ring, and then supplied Kang Ke’s corpse as fuel for the Heavenly Dao Engine.

Afterwards, Qi Tian swiftly packed up the things on the ground, changed into a new set of clothes, and approached the room’s door. Lowering his voice, he perfectly mimic Kang Ke’s voice to lure in the waiter outside, then cleanly and neatly killed him as well.

There weren’t many people in this courtyard. With Kang Ke and the waiter dead, no others remained. Qi Tian didn’t waste any time. He wasn’t sure whether Kang Ke had left behind any life-saving means with Wanjie Commerce. This place was far too unsafe for him – it was best to leave as soon as possible, not allowing the allure of treasures to cause him to miss his best opportunity to escape.

Thanks to the Heavenly Dao Engine’s ability to scan his surroundings, Qi Tian managed to leave the alley and relocate several blocks away without alerting others. He hailed a carriage and headed straight for the Teleportation Plaza. Approximately a quarter of an hour after he left, the people from Wanjie Commerce responsible for the manhunt arrived at the Teleportation Plaza, conducting small-scale inspections on cultivators looking to leave. As one of the powerhouses in Wanjie City, Wanjie Commerce didn’t have the authority to shut the Teleportation Plaza down.

In the underground cavern where Qi Tian had left his Teleportation Array Disk, the device lit up once again. Qi Tian stepped out from the Teleportation Array Disk and burst out laughing as he looked at his familiar surroundings. Finally, he had managed to escape from the dreaded Wanjie City.