Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 405 - 405 0293 The battle against him is extremely

Chapter 405: Chapter 0293: The battle against him is extremely unfavorable _2 Chapter 405: Chapter 0293: The battle against him is extremely unfavorable _2 “Your Majesty Ape King, there’s no one else here, shall we take a rest?” A voice that sounded very familiar to Qi Tian rang out. Without having to look Qi Tian knew that this voice belonged to the Bearded man.

Until now, Qi Tian still found it hard to understand why the Bearded man followed the Ape King Sun Xiaotian everywhere, going wherever they went. Not only that, but the Bearded man also acted like a steward for Sun Xiaotian, often taking decisions on Sun Xiaotian’s behalf. This was something Qi Tian found quite baffling.

Ape King Sun Xiaotian was still some distance from where Qi Tian was hiding, so Qi Tian couldn’t see what was happening with Sun Xiaotian, but through the sensing capabilities of the Heavenly Dao Engine, he noticed that the Ape King’s group had stopped.

According to the images relayed back by the Heavenly Dao Engine, Sun Xiaotian’s group included the relatively weak Bearded man, but Sun Xiaotian’s spirit force fluctuation was the strongest among them. There was also a Half-step Gold Core member and two cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage. As for the other Half-step Gold Core member from before who had been forcefully taken by Sun Xiaotian, his predicament was unclear now. The other Foundation Establishment cultivators had already died under Qi Tian’s Red Hoop Stick. Even among these, two of the Foundation Establishment cultivators were most likely freshly captured by the Ape King in the recent days. This was not the first time Sun Xiaotian had done such a thing.

“Your Majesty Ape King, I have a request. Can you please remove the worm controlling me? Ever since I was captured by you, we have assaulted the quarry, later the Royal servants and Zombie Demonic Beast conspired to kill you, while I and another Half-step Gold Core risked our lives to protect you. The Half-step Gold Core ended up dying, and I was injured before we could repel the Royal Servant and Zombie Demonic Beast, thus ensuring your safety. I believe my contributions are enough now. I’ve followed you around Yi Lian Mountain, helped you slay many, and achieved so much. Please consider these merits and remove the worm from my body. I swear that even without the worm, I am willing to escort you out of Yi Lian Mountain safe and sound.”

The one speaking should be a Half-step Gold Core named Chen Yuben. Qi Tian vaguely recalled his voice.

“Humph, what are you implying with those words?” Instead of the Ape King, it was the Bearded man who responded angrily, “If the Ape King removes the worm controlling you, you would be perfectly healthy and no longer under his control. Then, who knows if you would betray us? It’s better to keep things as they are now, it’s more reassuring for everyone. Besides, you need not doubt the Ape King’s word, for if he promises to free you once we leave the Yi Lian Mountain, then he surely will.”

After the Bearded man finished speaking, the area around Sun Xiaotian fell silent again.

Just then, the Heavenly Dao Engine relayed an image to Qi Tian showing another group of cultivators appearing at the edge. There were two Half-step Gold Core and seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators in their group. They were all either in the late Foundation Establishment stage or the peak Foundation Establishment stage, there was not one under the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Hold on!

In this newly arrived group of cultivators, Qi Tian surprisingly identified a familiar light spot, a characteristic of the Zombie Demonic Beast. Regardless of their type, the signature color of Demonic Beasts is the same in the images provided by the Heavenly Dao Engine. The colors differ from that of cultivators.

Qi Tian didn’t need to see it to guess that this new group belonged to the Chi Di royal family. He wasn’t sure whether they came to hunt down the Ape King’s group, target him or simply pass by.

Qi Tian retrieved the Crane Statue, ready to leave Yi Lian Mountain in case the situation escapes his control. However, he would prefer not to use it unless absolutely necessary, as powering it with top-grade spirit stones seemed a waste. That’s why he would rather hide in Yi Lian Mountain than use the Crane Statue easily.

“Look there, that’s the hiding place of the Ape King, Sun Xiaotian!” One of the Half-step Gold Core in the royal servants yelled. The Zombie Demonic Beast had picked up the scent of Sun Xiaotian’s hiding place with a sniff.

The royal offerings immediately sprang into action, surrounding the hiding place of Ape King Sun Xiaotian. Their swift discovery of the Ape King’s hideout was entirely thanks to the Zombie Demonic Beast.

This particular Zombie Demonic Beast was the one that had bitten off a chunk of Sun Xiaotian’s flesh. At the same time, it had left a distinct scent of its kind on Sun Xiaotian. This scent, imperceptible by normal means and impossible to remove, enabled the Zombie Demonic Beasts to track Sun Xiaotian from a considerable distance. It played a crucial role in their relentless pursuit of the Ape King.

“Attack!” Before the royal offerings could approach, Sun Xiaotian’s group spotted them. Chen Yuben was the first to rush forward. He had no choice but to charge; there was a tiny worm guarding his Dantian. If he didn’t show enthusiasm, why would Sun Xiaotian forgive him so easily?

After Chen Yuben, the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the group also charged forward. However, their number was too small in comparison to the royal offerings, and they also lacked in individual combat power.

The bearded man watched the battle between the Half-step Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators trembling with fear. He was aware of the severity of the situation. This wasn’t a time when Sun Xiaotian was at his full strength. Sun Xiaotian had been severely injured, and the wound on his arm hadn’t healed yet, greatly affecting his combat power. He wasn’t sure whether Sun Xiaotian could still claim dominance in the group of Half-step Golden Cores.

“Ape King Sun Xiaotian, shall we retreat?” the bearded man suggested, his voice trembling.

Ape King Sun Xiaotian replied: “Break out on your own. With your current level of cultivation and strength, you won’t be bullied.”

Hearing this, the bearded man not only didn’t leave but was on the verge of tears, not from being moved, but out of fear. They were deep in Yi Lian Mountain. They had traveled here safely thanks to the deterrent effect from Sun Xiaotian and Chen Yuben. No demonic beasts or birds of the deep mountains dared to attack them. But once he left Sun Xiaotian, entering the depth of Yi Lian Mountain alone, the chance of death would be 99%, with the remainder being his survival rate.

Sun Xiaotian saw the distressed look on the bearded man but didn’t scold him. He stood up, pounded his chest with his uninjured hand and said, “I, Sun Xiaotian, have survived countless storms. Today, I will get past this one too.”

He roared and charged towards the Zombie Demonic Beast that pounced at him. “Monster, today, I’m taking your life.”

Bang, Bang, Sun Xiaotian and the Zombie Demonic Beast collided and started fighting fiercely. Chen Yuben and the half-step Golden Core royal offering began their battle as well. As for the other Foundation Establishment cultivators, they also started their clashes.

The situation turned unfavorable for Sun Xiaotian’s side as soon as the battle started. Firstly, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators captured by Sun Xiaotian were attacked by several times their number of Foundation Establishment cultivators. They were killed within a minute.

Chen Yuben, a Half-step Golden Core, was second only to Sun Xiaotian in terms of power. But he had been battling almost daily, with physical and mental fatigue still unrecovered, leaving him in an unhealthy state. This severely affected his combat performance.