Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 849 - 849 0520 A Group of Gold Core Realm_2

Chapter 849: Chapter 0520: A Group of Gold Core Realm_2 Chapter 849: Chapter 0520: A Group of Gold Core Realm_2 Qi Tian pondered for a moment and then decided to take some time to visit the hillside and take a look, to at least have a clear understanding in his mind. Thus, the group flew to the hillside and began to investigate the thatched cottage and the surrounding area.

Qi Tian had no idea who the sentry was, and understood that a thorough investigation was an impossibility. His main focus was to look for signs of battle, such as bloodstains and other traces.

Zhao Haiying and the others each took responsibility for a section of the area, spending half a day searching the vicinity thoroughly. After their exploration, they did not discover any clues. As for the bloodstains and signs of combat that Qi Tian had emphasized, there were none to be found. All indications suggested that the sentry had likely encountered some kind of urgent situation and had thus departed.

This was not good news for Qi Tian. Having no one guarding the place made it possible for Qi Tian to arrive via the teleportation without facing a brutal slaughter. However, from another perspective, the teleportation array was of extreme importance to the Refining God Sect. They should have someone guard it at all times to prevent others from destroying or utilizing the array to infiltrate the Refining God Sect directly. The disappearance of the sentry suggested that the Refining God Sect might be facing a significant crisis, potentially even facing annihilation, or else they would not have abandoned the teleportation array.

If the Refining God Sect really faced such a crisis, then the entity capable of bringing such a crisis to the Sect was undoubtedly formidable. If they could deal with the Refining God Sect, they could turn their attention to Qi Tian. Qi Tian wasn’t sure if he could withstand that; he dared not guarantee his chances.

Qi Tian shared his concerns with Zhao Haiying and the others, who all became visibly grim. They had a bad feeling and hoped that the heavens would be merciful—that the crisis did not lie with the Imperial Family Secret Territory, or else their hopes would be dashed.

“Master, should we alert Sun Xiang and the others? Ask them to hurry over to strengthen our forces?” Zhao Haiying could only think of calling for reinforcements.

Qi Tian hesitated. When he had left, he had left behind Sun Xiang, Jin Jin, and Wang Youjun—three Gold Core Realm experts—in the capital city. The purpose was to guard against anyone threatening the safety of Prince Zhao and the stability of Great Zhao Nation. That threat was still present. If he called for Sun Xiang and the others, and Prince Zhao encountered any issues, all of Qi Tian’s arrangements in Great Zhao Nation would collapse.

Seeing Qi Tian’s hesitation, Zhao Haiying said, “Master, to speak frankly, you are now the ballast of Great Zhao Nation. As long as you are safe and the forces under your control are steadily increasing, the overall situation of Great Zhao Nation won’t change. Even if Prince Zhao is killed, can’t you simply appoint another Crown Prince? If we lack manpower and strength here, we cannot enhance the overall power, and that makes Great Zhao Nation unsafe. Those who threaten the Refining God Sect could also destroy the whole Great Zhao Nation, and at that point, you would be powerless to help; the entity might even turn against you.”

Gao Jinmei said, “Master, such a situation is very likely to occur. In the Cultivation World, at any time, enhancing one’s own strength is the most critical thing. In the vast majority of situations, we can only rely on ourselves, with no one else to count on.”

The persuasion from Zhao Haiying and Gao Jinmei dispelled Qi Tian’s hesitation; he realized he had been too eager to safeguard everything, much like a parent who always tries to arrange and solve all problems, neglecting his own needs. He nodded and said, “Okay, Zhao, send a message to Sun Xiang and ask him, along with Wang Youjun and Jin Jin, to come here quickly.”

Zhao Haiying did not say another word and promptly sent a message to them.

After Zhao Haiying had sent the message, Qi Tian approached Wang Dongming and said, “You can see for yourself now, your Refining God Sect may be facing a great danger, so I hope you won’t keep secrets or play tricks at this time. It would be best if you tell us the location of your Imperial Family Secret Territory now so that I can bring people there immediately. Perhaps we could alleviate the pressure your Sect is facing. Maybe we can even start a cooperation.”

Wang Dongming was already anxious, hating his lack of power and that his freedom was tightly held in Qi Tian’s hands, unable to do anything he wished. Now, seeing a sign of goodwill in Qi Tian’s words, he could not concern himself with the potential danger of bargaining with a tiger and said, “Master, I will take you there right now, but I hope you can keep your word. If our Refining God Sect is in danger, I hope you can extend a helping hand.”

Qi Tian didn’t agree, but he didn’t outright object either. He still needed to assess the situation practically, and whether to join forces with the Refining God Sect would depend on the circumstances. Even if they did work together, it could only be temporary. The enmity between him and the Refining God Sect ran deep, and he believed that if the conditions were right, the Refining God Sect would surely find a way to eliminate him.

Wang Dongming, as the sole guide, had nodded in agreement to lead the way well, so the rest was relatively simple. Their group flew through the air, and under Wang Dongming’s guidance, they took off from the valley and then headed east into the depths of this continuous mountain range. These mountains were quite ordinary, and of course, there were perilous peaks, mountainous rivers, various fierce beasts, but these were all relative to ordinary people. For cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Period, there was some danger, but with the strength of the Foundation Establishment Stage, there were virtually no life-threatening dangers here.

“Is the Imperial Family Secret Territory here?” Qi Tian asked.

Wang Dongming nodded.

Zhao Haiying and the others all wore expressions of disbelief. In the Cultivation World, it was generally the places where the Spirit Qi of Heaven and Earth was most abundant that the most exceptional secret realms would appear. The fact that an Imperial Family Secret Territory that could allow Gold Core Realm cultivators to advance appeared in such an ordinary mountain range was nothing short of a miracle.

After taking off from that valley, they flew out for roughly a hundred li, and when they looked forward from the air, they could see a Great Rift Valley ahead. Wang Dongming said, “If you follow this Great Rift Valley and keep flying forward for about another twenty li, you’ll reach the entrance to the Imperial Family Secret Territory.”

Zhao Haiying said, “Master, we might as well camp here and rest for a while, to wait for Sun Xiang and the others to catch up. At the same time, we can send someone to quietly go and scout out the situation.”

Qi Tian nodded, agreeing with Zhao Haiying’s suggestion.

As for who should be sent to scout, it was naturally Gao Jinmei. As an outstanding female assassin, Gao Jinmei was very skilled at concealing her qi and stealthily gathering intelligence, a skill at which even Zhao Haiying was not her equal.

Upon receiving her orders, Gao Jinmei set out, while Qi Tian and the others landed and found a Chaotic Stone Hill to hide within.

Just as Qi Tian and his companions had concealed themselves, Deng Chuanliang suddenly called out in a low voice, “Master, look quickly to the southwest.”

Everyone raised their heads to look toward the southwestern sky, and what they saw shocked them all. They distinctly saw a group of more than a dozen cultivators flying in formation toward the Great Rift Valley.

Qi Tian and his group had exceptional vision, and the cultivators weren’t flying too high, allowing Qi Tian and his companions to see clearly that these people were no ordinary ones; without exception, they were all Gold Core Realm cultivators, and the leading few were not weak either. There was one at the Gold Core Stage 4th Level, five or six at the Gold Core Realm Third Level, and the rest were all at the Gold Core Realm Second Level.

“Why are they here?”