Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 891 - 891 0541 Someone is still targeting him_2

Chapter 891: Chapter 0541: Someone is still targeting him_2 Chapter 891: Chapter 0541: Someone is still targeting him_2 Gao Jinmei shook her head repeatedly. The Great Zhao Emperor would only abdicate after serving as emperor for dozens or even a hundred years. Before abdicating, his word was law, and he looked down upon the land with supreme confidence. How could they feel inferior to the cultivators of Wanjie City? Their choice to go to the Imperial Family Secret Territory instead of Wanjie City was likely because they believed the Secret Territory was more suitable for their future.

Qi Tian said, “We can’t apply external experiences to the Imperial Family Secret Territory. If we do, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

“Yes, Master, you are right to reprimand me,” Gao Jinmei quickly accepted the lesson humbly.

Qi Tian pondered for a moment and said, “We won’t enter the core area just yet. First, let’s find a way to gather some information in areas close to the core, especially figuring out how to obtain a legitimate identity within the Imperial Family Secret Territory. If we can do that, a lot of trouble can be avoided.”

Gao Jinmei said, “Master, why don’t you leave this task to me? I can assure you with a military order that I will secure legitimate identities for you, me, and Xia Xiaoming within three days.”

Qi Tian nodded and said, “Alright, since you volunteered, I’ll give you this task. By the way, do you want me to assign Xia Xiaoming to assist you?”

Gao Jinmei paused to think and then replied, “If it’s convenient for you, Master, I don’t mind taking Xia Xiaoming with me. His help should make things go more smoothly.”

Since Xia Xiaoming wasn’t of much use staying by his side, Qi Tian readily transferred him to assist Gao Jinmei. Once Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming left, Qi Tian also decided to depart.

Qi Tian resolved to look around and see if there were any opportunities to be found. Before they entered, he had heard Zhao Haiying and Sun Xiang enthusiastically declare that the Imperial Family Secret Territory was filled with endless opportunities. Any Gold Core Realm powerhouse could effortlessly advance a level with just one opportunity. But after all the trouble they went through to finally enter the Secret Territory, time had passed, and they had yet to encounter substantial opportunities, not even minor ones. This left Qi Tian somewhat unsatisfied.

Frankly, from Qi Tian’s perspective, the environment of the Imperial Family Secret Territory suited him well. Had he been acting alone, he could have easily circumvented various prohibitions within the territory using his methods. However, accompanied by Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming, their presence made it less convenient.

Sending Gao Jinmei and Xia Xiaoming away was the perfect opportunity for Qi Tian to act on his own. He planned to take advantage of the three days agreed upon with Gao Jinmei to explore the Imperial Family Secret Territory more thoroughly.

Qi Tian once again disguised himself thoroughly. The dress and language of the cultivators in the Imperial Family Secret Territory were not much different from those of Great Zhao Nation, which spared Qi Tian a good deal of trouble.

Qi Tian and his companions had flown past a small town during the night, and he intended to visit that town to gather information. He didn’t want to draw too much attention, so he hung a plaque on his waist. This plaque was something he had taken from Zhang Shengfan. The appearance he now presented also resembled Zhang Shengfan by more than eighty percent.

Qi Tian, following the royal path of the Imperial Family Secret Territory, arrived unhurriedly outside a small city. He didn’t rush to enter through the city gates but instead found a tea stall that was in business outside the gates and sat inside.

The stall owner was a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, dressed in the plain attire of an ordinary citizen, showing none of the haughty demeanor typical of cultivators at his level. The tea he sold was not ordinary tea either but was brewed with Low Grade Spirit Tea, priced steeply at one Low Grade spirit stone per pot.

Qi Tian, of course, didn’t care about a mere Low Grade spirit stone. However, he didn’t take out any of the Low Grade spirit stones he’d previously owned. If he used one he had obtained from Zhang Shengfan’s belongings, Qi Tian had to be cautious. He was still unsure if the Low Grade spirit stones produced in the Imperial Family Secret Territory were different from those outside, and before clarifying this, he wouldn’t take any risks.

After paying for the tea, Qi Tian sat in the tea stall, leisurely sipping his drink. While drinking, he observed the goings-on at the city gates. He needed to clear up several matters: first, whether someone was guarding the gate, and if so, whether they were checking everyone’s identification plaques. If there weren’t any guards, he needed to know if there were other hidden mechanisms scrutinizing the identity plaques of each person.

These matters were critical. If Qi Tian entered the city without clarity, he would be walking into a trap. With his current strength, it would be very difficult to dominate the Imperial Family Secret Territory. There were at least two forces within the secret realm that Qi Tian was particularly wary of. The first was the external Eight Pill Alliance. Though Wang Fengna wasn’t primarily skilled in combat, with her current strength, she could crush Qi Tian with a single finger without using Master Ming Ren’s relics. The second force was the royal family of the Great Zhao Nation.

For thousands of years, the Great Zhao had been managing the Imperial Family Secret Territory. Almost all emperors entered the secret territory after abdicating the throne. At the time of their abdication, those emperors were already strong contenders in the Gold Core Realm. Over the years, it was not impossible that one or two exceptionally talented individuals among them had achieved the Nascent Soul and become masters. If Qi Tian’s guess was correct, even using Master Ming Ren’s relics, he would stand no chance against these Nascent Soul masters.

Qi Tian was not only using his eyes to observe the activities at the city gates, but he was also using the perception function of the Heavenly Dao Engine to sense Spirit Qi, monitoring everything happening at the gates. He noticed that although there were two cultivators standing as guards, their symbolic presence was far greater than their practical purpose. They hardly checked any cultivator’s identity plaques and allowed them to enter and exit at will.

But such observations couldn’t prove much. Every cultivator had a rather good memory. It was possible that the guards had memorized the faces of those who frequently passed through the gates and hence didn’t bother to check the identity plaques with every cultivator. If this was the case, Qi Tian’s completely unfamiliar face could easily be noticed.

If so, once the guards stopped Qi Tian and checked his identity plaque, he would be caught without any mistake.

Qi Tian decided to observe more closely before determining his next move.

Despite his caution, Qi Tian hadn’t expected that someone was watching him. As he was ordering his third pot of tea, the stall owner placed a teapot in front of Qi Tian, glanced around, then leaned in, whispering softly, “Brother, are you in some kind of trouble? I’ve been watching you for a while. Are you hesitant to enter the city? Heh heh, no worries, I have a way in, although I’m not sure if you need it? If you do, I can pave the way for you.”

Qi Tian looked up at the stall owner and said, “What are you talking about, sir? I don’t understand.”

The stall owner stared at Qi Tian with a heh heh laugh and said, “If brother speaks like that, there’s no point. I can help you sincerely to solve your problem, but if you’re suspicious of me, let’s pretend I never said a thing.”