Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 876 - 876 0534 Taking as a Slave_1

Chapter 876: Chapter 0534 Taking as a Slave_1 Chapter 876: Chapter 0534 Taking as a Slave_1 Chapter 0534: Enslaved in Return

In the Mortal World, it’s common to use homing pigeons to send messages, but there are many risks associated with this method. For instance, the pigeons could be hunted, captured by predatory birds, or they might lose their way. In contrast, the Message Paper Crane, a common communication tool among cultivators, also has many risks. However, under normal circumstances, due to the Message Paper Crane’s speed, combined with its usually small size making it difficult to capture, the failure rate for sending messages with it is still quite low.

Qi Tian currently had no knowledge of the specific situation within the Imperial Family Secret Territory, nor could he feel the Slave Mark. If he wanted to contact Zhao Haiying and the others, aside from the Message Paper Crane, Qi Tian couldn’t think of any other method for the time being.

After some thought, Qi Tian took out three Transmission Talismans and activated them with the communication marks left by Zhao Haiying, Sun Xiang, and Gao Jinmei. Then, with a flick of his hand casting the Spirit Rune, he transformed the Transmission Talismans into three Message Paper Cranes. They flapped their wings and took flight, circling above Qi Tian for a moment before soaring off in different directions.

Qi Tian breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that the Message Paper Cranes wouldn’t function after reaching the Imperial Family Secret Territory, but it seemed his concerns were unfounded. After watching the Message Paper Cranes fly away, he began to wander around the oasis. In such a desert wasteland, the existence of such a large oasis might indicate the presence of some valuable items.

However, much to Qi Tian’s disappointment, while the oasis was home to numerous small animals and a pond with fish and shrimp, there was not a trace of Spirit Qi to be found in the entire oasis. The fish, shrimp, and animals were all ordinary creatures. Furthermore, there were no signs that any humans had ever been active in the oasis—it was as if this place was an untouched paradise, completely free of worldly influences.

Qi Tian was puzzled. Logically speaking, the Imperial Family Secret Territory should have limited space; he had flown over two thousand li on his flying sword, which would span across three or four provinces in the mainland. If this place really were part of the Secret Territory, it was abnormal not to encounter even a hint of Spirit Qi-rich land over such a long distance.

While Qi Tian was pondering this anomaly, he suddenly felt a premonition and looked up at the sky, only to see a black dot approaching the oasis at high speed. Qi Tian’s interest piqued, considering this was the first flying object he had seen despite traveling for so long—he wondered whether it was a person or a bird passing by.

Qi Tian decided to take a closer look. Not wanting to startle the object, he quickly threw down an Array Disk to set up a Concealment Array around himself, hiding his presence. Hidden within the Concealment Array, he watched the unidentified flying object approach the oasis swiftly.

Before long, Qi Tian could clearly make out what the flying object was. It was a person, a cultivator at the Gold Core Realm, who was hurrying along on a flying sword. Because of the distance, Qi Tian couldn’t yet make out the person’s features, but from their attire, they seemed to be one of Lin Zhiyuan’s party.

Why had this person come here? Was it coincidence, or did they have some specific purpose?

Qi Tian waited patiently, and fortunately, the newcomer didn’t keep him waiting long. In just a few minutes, the person arrived above the oasis and began to circle the area on their flying sword. After several laps, they didn’t descend from the sword but instead spoke up.

“Sir, there’s no need to hide. I’m certain you’re on this oasis. I’ve just seen your footprints by the pond. Stop hiding, it’s pointless. Why don’t you show yourself? We should have an honest conversation to discuss what we should do next.”

A thought flashed in Qi Tian’s mind. He indeed hadn’t been careful about leaving footprints when he had visited the pond earlier, but how could this person be so sure he was still on the oasis?

Seeing no response to his call, the man showed a look of regret and said, “Since Sir refuses to reveal himself, I, Xia Xiaoming, will have no choice but to resort to certain methods. If by doing so I offend Sir, I request that you do not blame me.”

As he spoke, Xia Xiaoming performed a hand gesture, and the flying sword, which had been under his feet, suddenly shot out towards the oasis. The sword hovered about half a meter above the ground, sweeping back and forth across the oasis like a scythe cutting grass, moving at an incredibly fast pace and covering the distance between the two ends of the oasis in mere seconds.

Xia Xiaoming was intending to conduct a thorough, carpet-style search with his flying sword, determined to flush out Qi Tian. This method was far from friendly; on the contrary, it carried a degree of hostility. If Qi Tian continued hiding and refused to meet, Xia Xiaoming wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.

Qi Tian furrowed his brows. Originally, he had hoped to coexist peacefully with Xia Xiaoming, but he realized that was impossible. Xia Xiaoming clearly displayed hostility. Perhaps his arrival at the oasis was specifically aimed at him.

Qi Tian was never willing to leave his fate in the hands of others. He glanced at Xia Xiaoming and quickly averted his gaze. Many cultivators were quite sensitive to being watched, and Qi Tian was not yet ready to startle the snake in the grass.