Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 919 - 919 0555 In the Imperial Family Secret

Chapter 919: Chapter 0555: In the Imperial Family Secret Territory, How Many Emperors Are There_2 Chapter 919: Chapter 0555: In the Imperial Family Secret Territory, How Many Emperors Are There_2 Qi Tian said, “Young Master, don’t blame me for prying. I have heard people say that the imperial family always holds those who possess spirit crows in high regard. Zhang Ting is extremely lucky; her spirit crow is very close to her. It’s possible that she might be chosen by the imperial family. Have you considered what would happen if that occurred?”

Xiang Bo’s eyelids twitched violently. Of course, he was well aware of the consequences. If Zhang Ting were to gain the favor of someone high-ranking within the imperial family, there would be no need for her to ask for anything herself; countless people would flock to her side. And without her needing to utter a word, individuals would start causing trouble for his family. If they encountered someone ruthless, it was entirely possible that his entire family could be slaughtered.

“Young Master, we’ve only lost some cultivation resources. Wealth is external; if it’s gone, we can always earn it back. But if we lose our lives, there is no coming back from that,” Qi Tian advised again.

Xiang Bo nodded repeatedly. The secret technique Qi Tian had used on him to gain his trust was rapidly fading, but the subconscious influence it forged still affected Xiang Bo. Moreover, the concerns Qi Tian raised were indeed quite reasonable. Xiang Bo was no longer at an age to act out of spite; he knew all too well how terrifying the consequences of these events could be.

“Qi Tian, I understand. Your words are truly precious and timely, a wake-up call for me. I’ll mark down a great service for you, and I’ll reward you when we get back,” he said.

“Thank you, Young Master. I should go hunting. How about this: Master Xia and I will go, and I’ll have Master Gao stay behind. You can assign him some tasks,” Qi Tian suggested.

After bowing to Xiang Bo, Qi Tian, accompanied by Xia Xiaoming, turned and walked away. When they passed by Zhang Ting’s tent, she emerged and called out to Qi Tian, “Are you and Xiang Bo going hunting? I want to join you.”

Qi Tian said, “It’s not convenient for a girl like you to follow us two grown men. When I’m hunting, I’ll simply catch extra for you. Here, I have a Grain Avoidance Pill intended for emergencies, but I’ll give it to you. If you’re really hungry before I get back, use this to hold you over.”

After tossing the Grain Avoidance Pill to Zhang Ting, Qi Tian then departed with Xia Xiaoming. Watching them leave, Zhang Ting struggled internally before ultimately deciding not to chase after them, instead taking the pill and returning to her tent.

After they had walked some distance, Xia Xiaoming said, “Master, how could I let you do something as dirty as hunting? Leave it to me. You should find a place to rest. After I catch the prey, I’ll come back to meet you, and then we can return together.”

Qi Tian shook his head and said, “Xia, this is the Imperial Family Secret Territory. Here, we are unfamiliar with the terrain, so we must be cautious at all times. Even a trivial matter like hunting cannot afford mistakes.”

Xia Xiaoming said, “Master, isn’t that a bit too much? With our strength, how many people in the Imperial Family Secret Territory could be a match for us?”

Hearing this, Qi Tian directly kicked Xia Xiaoming and snapped, “Idiot, what do you know? Am I not more capable than you? Use that pig brain of yours and think about it. Why have I been so cautious since entering the Imperial Family Secret Territory?”

Xia Xiaoming didn’t even dare to dodge; after the kick, he still had to endure the pain and asked, “Aren’t you doing this because you’re worried about encountering Wang Fengna, the deputy alliance master of the Eight Pill Alliance?”

Qi Tian said, “Wang Fengna is just one aspect, what truly concerns me is the indigenous power within the Imperial Family Secret Territory. The royal family has been operating there for many years, and we have no clue how many secrets they have mastered, or to what extent they have mastered them. Just consider what we know so far—the royal family possesses the Wolf Teeth Knife, a great weapon of destruction, and also a Defensive Array comparable to a Half-step Nascent Soul? Let me ask you, which of the two can you withstand?”

Xia Xiaoming swallowed with difficulty. The Wolf Teeth Knife, he had seen it with his own eyes. Zhong Weixi, Wang Fengna’s personal guard at the Gold Core Stage, had been taken down by several of Qi Tian’s Wolf Teeth Knives. As for the Defensive Array at the Half-step Nascent Soul level, that thing was taboo even in Wanjie City. Only the very top powers in Wanjie City would trade and communicate about it on a small scale. If any other powers tried to get their hands on it, they would face certain “death.”

In this Imperial Family Secret Territory, how could there be such a heaven-defying Defensive Array? Wasn’t it said that because the Secret Territory was ancient, a great amount of Spirit Qi had been lost, and it was no longer suitable for high-level Gold Core Realm cultivators to practice in?

Qi Tian said, “Do not underestimate the royal family of the Great Zhao Nation. The Imperial Palace has always been the place that forges the most capable people. From the Emperor down to the common palace maids, who hasn’t survived layers of assassinations to last to the end? If one lacks courage and schemes, they won’t last long there. And that’s just one emperor. How many emperors are there in the Imperial Secret Territory? Eighty? Ninety? Or even a hundred? With so many emperors gathered together, can you imagine how dangerous the Imperial Family Secret Territory is?”

With Qi Tian putting it that way, Xia Xiaoming immediately felt a chill running down his spine, a frigid coldness rising from the soles of his feet and sweeping through his body.

“Look at you, you’re so spineless,” Qi Tian said, glaring at Xia Xiaoming disapprovingly, “You don’t need to be this scared. As long as we’re cautious and alert, we shouldn’t encounter too many issues.”

Xia Xiaoming nodded continuously. He now had even more respect for Qi Tian, his master. Everyone had the same head on their shoulders, yet why could Qi Tian think so deeply about problems? Initially, he was swayed by Lin Zhiyuan in a moment of impulse and followed him here. If he had really thought things through at the time, even if he decided to still follow, he would have made more preparations. With those preparations, perhaps he would still be free now.

“Let’s go, we should hurry up and hunt. Right now, we still need Xiang Bo to provide us with identity protection and assurance. If we don’t want to lose that, we need to take good care of Xiang Bo,” Qi Tian instructed and then increased his pace, running swiftly.

Both of them were cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage, theoretically unable to fly. Moreover, they had just lost all their cultivation resources, including their flying swords, so they could not expose themselves and had to run on the ground. Fortunately, given their physical condition and abilities, they could run quite fast, and their speed was not less than that of the Spirit Horses they rode. Of course, in terms of endurance, perhaps Qi Tian could match the Spirit Horses, but Xia Xiaoming definitely could not.

YestWhile traveling the previous day, Qi Tian had intentionally paid close attention to the surroundings. About ten miles from their campsite was a large forest, where there was a good chance of encountering a significant number of wild animals. Qi Tian planned to take Xia Xiaoming hunting there. Along the way, they paid attention to their surroundings, hoping to scare up some prey like wild rabbits or boars or to find water bodies like rivers or lakes. Sadly, although they did encounter some, the animals were either ordinary wild beasts or low-level Spirit Beasts. These animals, even if they caught a hundred, would not interest anyone.

Qi Tian and Xia Xiaoming could only continue their journey, and soon, they arrived at the edge of the forest.

Qi Tian said, “Xia, you protect me while I check to see if there’s any prey deep in the woods.”

Xia Xiaoming didn’t know what method Qi Tian planned to use to identify prey, but he started to guard the surroundings vigilantly. Qi Tian then used the sensing ability of the Heavenly Dao Engine to scan everything within several miles, hoping to discover prey worthy of their effort.

The efficiency of Qi Tian’s Heavenly Dao Engine was extremely high. In just an instant, Qi Tian had identified several valuable targets.