Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 839 - 839 0515 We are Just a Burden_2

Chapter 839: Chapter 0515: We are Just a Burden_2 Chapter 839: Chapter 0515: We are Just a Burden_2 Qi Tian gave the prince a once-over and said, “Who are you? What is your relationship with Emperor Zhi Wu? And why are you wearing the attire of a prince in Great Zhao Nation? To wear such robes without authority is a crime of rebellion, punishable by the extinction of one’s entire clan.”

The prince didn’t immediately answer Qi Tian’s questions. Instead, he gestured to the Refining God Sect disciples who were scared out of their wits and said, “You may all disperse. Go about your duties; my presence here is sufficient.”

Hearing this, the Refining God Sect disciples all bowed slightly to the prince before turning and leaving.

Witnessing this scene, Qi Tian’s interest was piqued, and he asked, “Could it be that you are the ‘junior brother’ they mentioned? Are you now in charge of all affairs within the Refining God Sect?”

Without denying it, the prince replied openly, “Indeed, I am the ‘junior brother’ our senior brothers speak of. Master Qi, allow me to introduce myself. I am Wang Dongming, the great-grandson of Emperor Zhi Wu and currently the rightful Sect Leader of the Refining God Sect. As for why I am wearing the attire of a Great Zhao Nation prince, that is because Emperor Zhi Wu personally decreed it. My grandfather, my father, and I—along with my future legitimate eldest son and grandson—have been granted the princely title of Great Zhao from the moment of our births.”

“There is such an affair?” Qi Tian took a sharp intake of breath, for he had never heard of such a thing.

The prince, who was also Wang Dongming, said, “Master Qi, whatever you wish to know, feel free to ask me. I guarantee I will hold nothing back, but you must promise me you won’t massacre my Refining God Sect disciples and won’t covet our sect’s cultivation techniques and resources.”

“Very well, as long as they don’t provoke us, I can guarantee not to kill indiscriminately within your Refining God Sect or to seize your cultivation resources.” Qi Tian had already used the Heavenly Dao Engine to sense Spirit Qi and had scanned the Refining God Sect multiple times but failed to find anything of value for himself. He had found not even one object like the Wolf Teeth Knife. It seemed that the Refining God Sect must have exhausted their resources; otherwise, they wouldn’t have surrendered as they did now.

Wang Dongming didn’t know whether to trust Qi Tian’s promise, but at this point, he had no other choice but to believe it. He said, “Master, you may ask any questions.”

Qi Tian nodded, then asked, “Let’s start with your relationship with Emperor Zhi Wu. I’ve heard that your branch isn’t particularly favored by Emperor Zhi Wu and that it was your great-grandmother who used a ruse, a deception to swap the living for the dead, to escape from the palace.”

Wang Dongming said, “Master’s words are true. My grandfather was born to Emperor Zhi Wu and my great-grandmother. However, before my grandfather was born, my great-grandmother had offended the Empress, who then coerced Emperor Zhi Wu to order my great-grandmother’s execution. Fortunately, my grandmother was a cultivator and managed to secretly contact her friends outside the palace. With their help, she employed a trick to feign death and deceive everyone, thus escaping the palace. A few months later, she gave birth to my grandfather.”

As Wang Dongming recounted these past events, his expression remained indifferent, as if speaking of strangers rather than his own kin. He continued, “Later, during an outing with my grandfather, they chanced upon a sister of Emperor Zhi Wu, who, perhaps, informed him about my great-grandmother. Not long after, Emperor Zhi Wu found them. My great-grandmother, fearing for their lives, pleaded for mercy with my grandfather in tow. However, Emperor Zhi Wu did not kill them. Instead, he granted my grandfather the rank of a first-class prince of the Great Zhao and bestowed upon him certain privileges, as well as resources and methods for cultivation. Since then, my grandfather’s cultivation progressed rapidly, and he became the youngest Gold Core Realm expert in Great Zhao several decades ago.”

Qi Tian’s curiosity was sparked as he asked, “Do you know why Emperor Zhi Wu didn’t kill your grandfather? What’s the reason behind that?”

Wang Dongming replied, “Regarding that question, I once asked my father, who told me that my grandfather was spared because he bore a striking resemblance to Emperor Zhi Wu, almost as if they were cast from the same mold. According to my father, Emperor Zhi Wu firmly believed that among his descendants, those who resembled him the most had the greatest potential to carry on his legacy. His own son in the palace didn’t resemble him at all, looking instead much like the Empress. Emperor Zhi Wu was not very fond of the Crown Prince, but the constraints of the palace eventually forced him to pass the throne to the Empress’s son, who later became Emperor Tian Rui. Since my grandfather resembled Emperor Zhi Wu, the emperor could not pass on the throne to him; thus, he compensated him in many other ways. He helped my grandfather secure the position of Sect Leader within the Refining God Sect, allowing our Wang family to become the most powerful branch of the sect.”

“The royal surname of the Great Zhao Nation is Zhao,” Qi Tian said.

Wang Dongming replied calmly, “The surname Wang was bestowed upon us by Emperor Zhi Wu. He said that since our branch cannot become the emperor of the Great Zhao Nation, we could only be compensated through our surname.”

Qi Tian nodded his head, having listened to Wang Dongming’s explanation; many of his questions were finally answered. However, there were still a few critical questions he hadn’t asked.

“What about your grandfather and the others? Why aren’t they within the Refining God Sect?” Qi Tian pressed.

“To answer your question,” said Wang Dongming, “we must go back to Emperor Zhi Wu. He wanted to compensate my grandfather, didn’t he? Among other things, he transferred many cultivation resources to my grandfather. Within these resources was one that originally belonged exclusively to the imperial family, but Emperor Zhi Wu forcibly took it out of the imperial family’s possession and entrusted it to my grandfather’s safekeeping. And now, my grandfather has left because of this very cultivation resource he was entrusted with.”

Qi Tian’s interest was piqued, and he asked, “What cultivation resource? Is it the Imperial Family Secret Territory?”

Wang Dongming looked up at Qi Tian in surprise. Then, as he made sense of many things, he sighed, “Master Qi’s conjecture is very accurate. The authority over the Imperial Family Secret Territory is indeed what Emperor Zhi Wu transferred to my grandfather. Over the years, our Refining God Sect has been able to train many Gold Core Realm powerhouses precisely because we control the access to the Imperial Family Secret Territory. Even the Defensive Barrier used by our sect was obtained from the Imperial Family Secret Territory. Master Qi, did you come this time with an interest in the Imperial Family Secret Territory?”

Qi Tian nodded decisively. There was no need to deceive Wang Dongming on this matter, especially since he needed Wang Dongming to provide a guide. He said, “Indeed, I have tried many methods and consulted many people in the capital of Great Zhao Nation to learn about the Imperial Family Secret Territory, to no avail. I never expected it to be because Emperor Zhi Wu, centuries ago, transferred such an important asset to you.”

Wang Dongming said, “If Master Qi wishes to know, I can provide you with a map to the Imperial Family Secret Territory. I can assure you that this map is one hundred percent accurate, with no deception involved.”

Qi Tian smiled and said, “Of course we need the map, but we also need people.”

Wang Dongming hurriedly said, “With the map, you don’t need us to guide you; you can go directly. The journey to the Imperial Family Secret Territory is long, and having us with you would just be a burden, slowing you down.”

Zhao Haiying had been listening closely all this time; she now interjected with a cold laugh, “Wang Dongming, you really aren’t being honest. It is truly an art to speak nine truths and one lie.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Dongming quickly defended himself, saying, “Senior, every word I have spoken is absolutely true. If there is even a single falsehood, may the heavens strike me down with thunder and deny me a peaceful death.”

Zhao Haiying hummed coldly, “Since you claim that everything you say is true, why won’t you come with us? Do you think we are unaware of some secrets of the Imperial Family Secret Territory?”