Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 887 - 887 0539 Not a Single Living Person Seen_2

Chapter 887: Chapter 0539: Not a Single Living Person Seen_2 Chapter 887: Chapter 0539: Not a Single Living Person Seen_2 Qi Tian slowed his flight, intending to rest and discuss the next course of action with Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming. Qi Tian had not forgotten that this Imperial Family Secret Territory was not a safe place. There were quite a few Gold Core Realm experts here, including the ruthless character of the Eight Pill Alliance’s Vice Alliance Leader, Wang Fengna. If they carelessly encountered Wang Fengna, the outcome would certainly be unbearable for the three of them.

Qi Tian selected a spot in the sky free of Spirit Beasts and descended with Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming. Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming took turns keeping watch, and the three of them quickly recovered their physical strength and spirit.

“Master, should we contact Zhao Haiying and the others?” Xia Xiaoming suggested to Qi Tian. The three of them were not experts, and in a secret realm where the Gold Core Realm Seventh Level Peak might appear, Xia Xiaoming felt very insecure.

Before Qi Tian could answer the question, Gao Jinmei preempted him, “Master, at this time, we absolutely cannot contact Zhao Haiying and the others, especially not with Message Paper Cranes. When you called for help with a paper crane in the desert, aside from me coming to your aid, the other two—one was intercepted by Xia Xiaoming, and the other was obtained by Zhong Weixi. With such a recent lesson, we definitely can’t take the risk.”

Qi Tian nodded; he had not planned to contact Zhao Haiying and the others again. The reason was as Gao Jinmei had stated: using Message Paper Cranes had led to injury. Before, when he used Message Paper Cranes outside the Imperial Family Secret Territory, he had never encountered an incident where they were intercepted. However, once inside the secret territory, it had happened twice in succession. This perhaps suggested that such means were very unsuitable inside the Imperial Family Secret Territory. As for the specific reasons, he was unclear and did not want to waste time figuring it out. He simply needed to remember not to use Message Paper Cranes.

Qi Tian said, “Xia Xiaoming, don’t be nervous. You had the courage to follow Lin Zhiyuan in here, so why do you become timid by my side?”

Xia Xiaoming gave a bitter smile and said, “Master, how can that be the same? Before I came, I didn’t know what the Imperial Family Secret Territory would be like. I thought after entering it, I would be able to stay with Lin Zhiyuan and the others, and no matter what danger we faced, there would be over a dozen Gold Core Realm experts to confront it together, to bear it together. I never expected the Teleportation Gate of the Imperial Family Secret Territory to randomly send each person entering it to different locations, nor did I anticipate the Eight Pill Alliance would also be involved. The danger of the Imperial Family Secret Territory is dozens or even hundreds of times higher than I had originally estimated.”

Qi Tian let out a chuckle and said, “You’re right, the difficulties we’ve encountered in the Imperial Family Secret Territory are indeed much more than we imagined. But Xia Xiaoming, we mustn’t lose faith. Now, the most dangerous places in the Imperial Family Secret Territory are those with the Eight Pill Alliance’s core Gold Core members and peripheral Gold Core cultivators. As long as we’re a bit more careful, we can always avoid them. If we can manage that, then we are invincible within the Imperial Family Secret Territory.”

Xia Xiaoming’s lips twitched, his smile more forced than sincere. Qi Tian didn’t delve into it with Xia Xiaoming and said, “The Imperial Family Secret Territory has been occupied by the Great Zhao royal family alone for many years. The Great Zhao royal family has never had any outstanding figures, and the current Great Zhao Emperor has not even broken through to the Gold Core Realm Second Level. If a family like that can dominate in the Imperial Family Secret Territory, can’t we do even better than them?”

“Is that so?” Xia Xiaoming was hearing this detail for the first time and was immediately overjoyed. He himself was at the Gold Core Realm Second Level. If the disciples of the Refining God Sect and the Great Zhao royal family present here had not even reached that level, then indeed, as Qi Tian had said, they only needed to be wary of a few people from the Eight Pill Alliance.

Gao Jinmei said, “Would Master even deceive you? Xia Xiaoming, I’m not afraid to tell you that staying by Master’s side is actually safer than being with Zhao Haiying.”

What Gao Jinmei meant was that Qi Tian’s combat power was even more formidable than Zhao Haiying’s, but Xia Xiaoming misunderstood. He remembered how Qi Tian had used the Wolf Teeth Knife to wound Zhong Weixi. If Qi Tian could successfully ambush Zhong Weixi with the Wolf Teeth Knife, then by being careful, they might just as well succeed in ambushing Wang Fengna. Among those who came from the Eight Pill Alliance this time, Wang Fengna was the most despairing presence. If they could resolve the issue with Wang Fengna, then at least half the dreadfulness of the Eight Pill Alliance would be reduced.

Qi Tian said, “You all have seen, there are monster activities here. Where there are monsters, there should be people. Our next step is not to obtain the secrets of the Imperial Family Secret Territory, but first to figure out a way to find a guide. At the very least, we must get a map of the Imperial Family Secret Territory, even if it’s only a partial map.”

Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming nodded together. They were also willing to find a guide first. Having someone familiar with the local environment could indeed save them from taking many detours.

Qi Tian said, “When we hit the road again shortly, I will still be flying in the front. You all need to be constantly vigilant of the ground below to see if you can spot any villages or fortresses.”

Once he had finished giving instructions, Qi Tian and the others set out again. Before long, they entered an environment suitable for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage to cultivate. The Spirit Qi here was already enough to satisfy most of the cultivators in the Great Zhao Nation. However, for Qi Tian, Gao Jinmei, and Xia Xiaoming, this was definitely far from sufficient.

They flew continuously for over ten hours without being able to leave the area. As the flight time extended, the surrounding Spirit Qi continuously became denser. When they flew over a certain mountain range, looking down from above, they saw numerous Spirit Beasts at the Foundation Establishment Stage fighting for minor cultivation resources in the mountains.

What frustrated them, however, was that they hadn’t seen a single living person on their journey. This place seemed like a paradise for monsters, completely isolated from humans.

This situation was very abnormal. Qi Tian alone knew that this place should have people from the Great Zhao Imperial Family and the Refining God Sect active here. If they came here to stay, there would inevitably be servants around them. The longer they stayed here, the more likely it would be for them to reproduce and thrive. Besides, Qi Tian had visited many secret territories, and almost every one of them had indigenous people. Could it be that this secret territory had no natives?

No one could answer Qi Tian’s questions. He had to find an answer himself. The only way for him to find the answer was to continue flying forward with Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming, until they reached a suitable place.

Qi Tian and his companions began to rest again. This time, they still chose a place without any monsters nearby. Qi Tian had previously used the Heavenly Dao Engine’s Spirit Qi sensing function to thoroughly scan their surroundings, ensuring that within several miles of where they settled, there were absolutely no monsters present.

Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming agreed with each other that one would stand guard for the first half of the night and the other for the second half. As Gold Core Realm cultivators, they did not need to sleep for a long time to recover their physical strength and spirit. Just meditating for three to four hours would allow them to recuperate significantly. Resting for half the night would be enough for Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming to return to their peak condition. As for Qi Tian, neither Gao Jinmei nor Xia Xiaoming would possibly let Qi Tian take on the night watch. Qi Tian did not join in either; if he went to stand guard while Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming rested, who would indeed be the master?

Taking advantage of her higher cultivation level than Xia Xiaoming, Gao Jinmei unceremoniously snatched the right to guard the first half of the night. As for Xia Xiaoming, he could only take the second half.