Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 817 - 817 0504 Zero Gain _2

Chapter 817: Chapter 0504: Zero Gain _2 Chapter 817: Chapter 0504: Zero Gain _2 Qi Tian had received a report from Guan Xun concerning the latter’s recent adjustments. Qi Tian did not intervene in any way. Since he had helped elevate Guan Xun to his position, Qi Tian no longer planned to involve himself in the affairs of the Imperial Master Mansion. From then on, the Imperial Master Mansion would serve as Guan Xun’s support on his path of cultivation. As long as Guan Xun wasn’t foolish, he would know how to steer the Imperial Master Mansion in a favorable direction.

After Guan Xun had made the high-level adjustments within the Imperial Master Mansion, Qi Tian held two conferences there. One was with Guan Xun and the new senior management, during which he encouraged them. He also told them he would soon be setting out for the frontline to meet with Prince Zhao and, unless there were extraordinary circumstances, he would not return to the Imperial Master Mansion. He expressed his hope that everyone would cooperate with Guan Xun’s management to successfully run the Imperial Master Mansion. During this meeting, Qi Tian presented Guan Xun with a letter of recommendation in front of everyone, recommending Guan Xun to become a disciple under Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu.

The second meeting Qi Tian held was with those who had aided him in his past cultivation. He expressed his gratitude to them and gifted each with cultivation resources—ranging from a few hundred low-grade spirit stones to as many as tens of thousands—enough to last them a considerable amount of time.

After these two meetings, the connection between Qi Tian and the Imperial Master Mansion was essentially resolved. In Qi Tian’s mind, the Imperial Master Mansion was now a thing of the past, and he would no longer deliberately focus on or support it.

Qi Tian, along with Gao Jinmei, Jin Jin, Wang Youjun, and others, departed from the Imperial Master Mansion and set out for the frontlines where the Northern Expedition Army and the imperial army were engaged in battle.

Upon learning of Qi Tian’s arrival, Prince Zhao personally led his officials and nobles to welcome him. When they saw Qi Tian descending from the sky, Prince Zhao was the first to kneel on the ground to greet him.

Qi Tian quickly helped Prince Zhao to his feet and said, “Prince Zhao, how many times have I said that such formalities are not necessary between us?”

Prince Zhao said, “At any time, I will not forget the great favor you have done for me. With your celestial powers, I do not know how else to express my gratitude, so I can only do this.”

Qi Tian smiled and replied, “If you truly wish to thank me, then strive to become the Crown Prince of Great Zhao Nation as soon as possible. Only by ascending the throne as king will my wish be fulfilled.”

As soon as he heard this, Prince Zhao understood that Qi Tian was not entirely satisfied with his progress and that of the Northern Expedition Army. Turning to a general beside him, he ordered, “Go, deliver my command: the entire army is to press forward; we must take the city ahead at any cost today.”

Before the general could accept Prince Zhao’s command, Qi Tian interjected, “To reduce casualties among the soldiers, cultivators’ powers should be utilized when necessary. Jin Jin and Wang Youjun, you two go and help.”

The general responded with great joy. To them, Gold Core Realm experts like Jin Jin and Wang Youjun were akin to immortal beings. With their support, the Northern Expedition Army would surely be unstoppable, and the imperial army would no longer pose any resistance.

Indeed, it was the case. During this time, Prince Zhao’s leadership of the Northern Expedition Army’s campaign was filled with caution. While cultivators were used, they were mostly in the Qi Cultivation Period, with even Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators rarely employed. He feared that using too powerful cultivator forces could lead to more potent cultivators intervening in secular wars in the future, potentially resulting in more deaths. As the initiator, he would face public criticism. However, Prince Zhao was well aware that cultivators were a sharp weapon; with their support, the campaign would proceed much more smoothly.

The direct involvement of Gold Core Realm experts Jin Jin and Wang Youjun immediately tipped the scales of war heavily in favor of the Northern Expedition Army. The imperial army was already being suppressed, and now, with the direct participation of the two Gold Core Realm fighters, the imperial army’s soldiers dared not resist any longer. They began to abandon their positions en masse. The imperial army’s defensive lines quickly collapsed, with a large number of soldiers either surrendering to the Northern Expedition Army or retreating on a grand scale.

The Northern Expedition Army not only quickly took the city but also directly pushed the front line forward by a full fifty li.

At this point, the vanguard of the Northern Expedition Army was very close to the Capital of Great Zhao Nation—less than three hundred li away.

Qi Tian sat upright in the tent that Prince Zhao had arranged for him, staring at the map hanging on the rack, frowning. He pondered whether he should give up accompanying the Northern Expedition Army and head directly to the Capital by himself. However, after consideration, Qi Tian dismissed the thought.

His goal in attacking the Capital wasn’t just to vent his anger on the Crown Prince—he intended to use the change of heaven and earth as a way to express his intense dissatisfaction to the emperor, the Crown Prince, and the other princes and officials of Great Zhao. He wanted to make them feel intense fear and repent for their past behaviors. These were effects he couldn’t achieve by storming into the Capital alone. Besides, if he entered the Capital to kill by himself, his position would be unjustified, but once Prince Zhao ascended to the throne of Great Zhao Nation, Prince Zhao could expose the true colors of those people and kill them for reasons recognizable to all, sparing him from bloodshed.

Of course, there was another important reason, and that was that the Crown Prince and his allies were too weak. Qi Tian couldn’t muster the interest to kill them himself. How much time had passed? Back then, despite the facts and laws, the Crown Prince protected Prince Duan Manor. Although Qi Tian was outraged, he had no means to deal with the Crown Prince and had to bear it, despite the unwillingness. But now, he was on the verge of taking the Capital, and he didn’t even have the interest to kill the Crown Prince himself anymore. The rapid changes in circumstances were so astonishing that Qi Tian could hardly believe it had he not experienced it personally.

Just as Qi Tian was feeling reflective, Gao Jinmei said from outside the tent, “Master, Zhao Haiying and the others have returned. Zhao Haiying says he has something important to report to you. Do you want to see him?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Tian felt a slight stir in his heart and said, “Let him in.”

After Zhao Haiying entered, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Qi Tian, showing great respect. Qi Tian immediately used the Heavenly Dao Engine’s ability to sense Spirit Qi to scan Zhao Haiying’s sea of consciousness, ensuring the Slave Mark within was still intact. The small worry in Qi Tian’s heart vanished instantly. His biggest concern was that Zhao Haiying, after returning to Wanjie City, might have the Slave Mark in his sea of consciousness removed—a small possibility, but not entirely impossible.

“Master, I went back to the Imperial Master Mansion to attend the deceased estate auction, and I got nothing. The people there were too aggressive; I couldn’t compete with them,” Zhao Haiying first complained to Qi Tian.

Qi Tian smiled as he had personally attended the deceased estate auction and knew exactly what had happened there. Among cultivators of equal rank, Zhao Haiying wasn’t considered wealthy, not even middle class. It was impossible for him to compete with those powerful and well-connected cultivators of the same rank at the auction. If Zhao Haiying had been willing to lower his status and compete with lower-ranked cultivators for the ordinary deceased estates that higher-ranked cultivators disdained, he surely wouldn’t have wanted to, and ultimately he didn’t acquire any estate, which was hardly surprising.

Qi Tian looked at Sun Xiang and Liao Chongru, who had returned with Zhao Haiying, and asked, “How did you two fare?”

Sun Xiang and Liao Chongru shook their heads together. Their situation was even worse than Zhao Haiying’s. If they had had enough cultivation resources, they wouldn’t have turned their attention to the Great Zhao Nation. In the end, trying to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice, they fell into Qi Tian’s hands and could only obediently serve as his Immortal Slaves.

Qi Tian said, “What do you need the deceased estates for? If it’s for living purposes, I have a few on hand. I can give them to you later.”