Immortal God of War-Chapter 719 - 684: Battlefield of Gunpowder Smoke_1

Chapter 719: Chapter 684: Battlefield of Gunpowder Smoke_1

Mo Dong led the way, so he didn’t notice Qin Feiyang’s expression. He said, "For now, you can only choose an alchemy room on the first floor."

"Why?" Fatty frowned.

"Because all ninety-nine alchemy rooms on the upper floors are already taken."

"But just like in the Holy Temple, if you fancy an alchemy room, you can challenge its owner."

"If you win, the alchemy room is yours," Mo Dong said.

Fatty curiously asked, "Which floor are you on now?"

Mo Dong replied, "I am on the second floor."

Fatty’s face twitched. Ten whole years in the Temple, and he’d only made it to the second floor? Isn’t he utterly useless?

Mo Dong turned his head, glanced at Fatty, and asked with a smile, "Are you thinking I’m useless?"

"Me? Thinking that?" Fatty feigned surprise. "Not at all!" He laughed awkwardly.

Mo Dong shook his head, turned around, and continued leading the way, sighing, "The Temple is not as simple as you think."

"Although on the surface, the Temple is a single entity, in reality, disciples secretly form factions among themselves."

"So here, even if you have extraordinary abilities, without solid backing, it’s impossible to rise higher."

"Do you know who has the most powerful backing here?" Mo Dong asked.

"Who?" Fatty frowned.

"The children of the various Marquises."

"In their eyes, people like us, without power or status, are merely playthings," Mo Dong said self-mockingly.

Fatty asked, "So, did you join anyone’s faction too?"

"To survive here, you must align with them."

"I joined the faction of a Marquis’s son. If you’re willing, I can introduce you," Mo Dong chuckled.

Qin Feiyang smiled faintly. "No thanks. We just want to cultivate peacefully. Besides, every floor of the Elixir Palace has its own independent alchemy fire, so it’s pretty much the same regardless of which floor you’re on."

"That might be true, but as the saying goes, people strive upwards, while water flows downwards."

"Regardless of whether they are disciples of the Elixir Palace or the Martial Palace, everyone is trying to climb as high as possible."

"Because the higher you stand, the greater your status, and the more respect you’ll command," Mo Dong explained.

Qin Feiyang replied, "There’s another saying that’s apt: the higher you stand, the harder you fall."

"Uh!" Mo Dong was taken aback. He turned to look at Qin Feiyang and laughed, "You’re quite an interesting fellow."

"But let me tell you the truth: the first one hundred alchemy rooms on each floor are controlled by various factions."

"I’m sure you also know that the alchemy rooms closer to the front have better quality alchemy fire."

"So, if you don’t align yourself with them, even if these alchemy rooms are vacant, they won’t let you in," Mo Dong said.

Qin Feiyang asked, "What if I insist on going in?"

Mo Dong replied, "Then you will face endless troubles. Let alone cultivating peacefully, even having a quiet day would be impossible."

Fatty expressed his dissatisfaction, "These people are truly tyrannical."

"There’s no way around it."

"The Temple is just this brutal," Mo Dong sighed.

Qin Feiyang asked, "Who controls the first floor of the Elixir Palace?"

"Feng Yun, the son of Martial Marquis Qian."

"Alright."

"I’ve said everything I need to. You can take your time to choose."

"Any alchemy room with an open stone door is unoccupied."

"Once you’ve made your choice, just place a drop of your blood on the stone door. Then, with a mere thought, you’ll be able to open or close it."

"Another benefit is that if you don’t open the door, no one can force their way in."

Having said that, Mo Dong quickened his pace and left swiftly.

Fatty turned to Qin Feiyang, looking puzzled. "Boss, do you know this Martial Marquis Qian? And why isn’t his surname Qin?"

"Not everyone in the Imperial Capital has the surname Qin."

"Only those within the Imperial Palace all share the surname Qin."

"And I do know of this Martial Marquis Qian."

"According to ancient records, when the first Emperor established the Great Qin Empire, he had countless powerful individuals under him."

"However, not many of them survived."

"On the day the Great Qin Empire was established, the first Emperor rewarded those who had fallen in battle to express his gratitude."

"Among them, one hundred individuals were granted the title of Marquis," Qin Feiyang explained.

Fatty asked, "They were already dead. What was the point of conferring the title of Marquis?"

"Of course, there was a point."

"Because they all had descendants."

"These Marquis titles were inherited by their descendants."

"Moreover, these titles were hereditary."

"Furthermore, before the Emperor passed, he issued an edict: as long as the Great Qin Empire stands, these one hundred Marquis titles can neither be abolished nor dismissed."

"Martial Marquis Qian is one of them," Qin Feiyang continued.

Fatty frowned. "So, doesn’t that mean these scions of Marquises effectively possess Death Exemption Tokens?"

"Exactly."

"In the past, regardless of how grave their offenses, successive Emperors would only reprimand them. At most, the offender would be executed, but there was never any talk of revoking their Marquis titles."

"Ten thousand years have passed, and not a single one of these Marquis titles has vanished. However, no new Marquises have been created in the Imperial Capital either."

"This is the very reason the descendants of these Marquises dare to act so tyrannically within the Temple. As long as they don’t commit outrageous acts, the Law Enforcement Elders of the Temple turn a blind eye," Qin Feiyang explained.

Fatty mocked, "This truly embodies the old saying: ’One generation plants the trees, and another rests in their shade.’ In my opinion, this hereditary system should never have been established."

"This is the edict of the first Emperor; who would dare change it? Even the current Emperor wouldn’t dare!" Qin Feiyang stated. "Of course, the first Emperor also acted with good intentions. Because such instances—of casting aside those who have outlived their usefulness—are all too common. What if future Emperors, seeking to consolidate their power, decided to eliminate all descendants of these meritorious officials? That’s why the first Emperor left this edict before his passing. But now, these Marquises treat his good intentions as capital to flaunt their power."

"I’m afraid that’s something the first Emperor didn’t foresee," Lu Xingchen sighed.

"Yeah!" Qin Feiyang agreed.

"Some people just don’t know how to be content."

"Also, if I’m not mistaken, the true masters behind these various factions aren’t the descendants of the Marquises. Those descendants are merely pawns, acting as accomplices."

"Who is it then?" Fatty asked.

"Can’t you figure it out?" Lu Xingchen rolled his eyes at him and said, "Of course, it’s the current Princes of the Great Qin Empire."

"Correct."

"Although the Eldest Prince has already been designated as the Crown Prince, as long as he hasn’t ascended to the throne, the other Princes still have a chance."

"And winning people’s hearts and eliminating dissent is the most important thing right now," Qin Feiyang sneered.

"From the sound of it, the Temple seems more like a battlefield for the Princes to contend for the throne?" Fatty frowned.

"This place has always been a battlefield, shrouded in an invisible fog of war."

"Because the Temple gathers all the geniuses from the entire Great Qin Empire."

"It is also the cradle where the powerhouses of the Great Qin Empire are forged."

"To put it another way, anyone here could potentially become a future pillar of the Great Qin Empire."

"Therefore, they naturally scramble to come here and recruit these talents."

"Even if they ultimately don’t become Emperor, they will still command a significant force," Qin Feiyang said.

Lu Xingchen asked, "What about you?"

"Me?"

"There’s no need."

"Having Fatty and Wolf King with me is more than enough," Qin Feiyang smiled confidently.

"HEH HEH!" Fatty and Wolf King immediately shot Lu Xingchen triumphant looks.

"Enjoy your smugness!" Lu Xingchen rolled his eyes at them.

Of course, he didn’t deny it.

Because the people around Qin Feiyang had all unlocked the Door of Potential.

Their growth rate far exceeded that of the top geniuses in the Temple. It wouldn’t be long before their names appeared on the Elixir Expert List and the Martial God List.

Eventually, just these few individuals alone could shake the very foundations of the Great Qin Empire.

"PHEW!" Qin Feiyang took a deep breath and smiled faintly. "Enough talk. Let’s find an alchemy room."

Fatty declared dominantly, "Why bother looking? Let’s just charge straight to the top floor!"

"You’d best abandon that thought immediately."

"Things are different now. Before, we had no concerns and could do as we pleased."

"But now, we must maintain as low a profile as possible."

"I don’t want to attract attention too soon," Qin Feiyang said in a deep voice.

"Right. Enhancing our strength is the most important thing now," Lu Xingchen nodded.

Fatty said, "Alright, we’ll bide our time and lay low for now. When the opportunity arises, we’ll stun everyone."

Lu Xingchen pointed to their left and chuckled, "Look, there are several alchemy rooms over there with open doors."

The three of them walked over.

In total, the stone doors of five alchemy rooms stood open. Each door bore a number, from 701 to 705.

Qin Feiyang pointed to alchemy room number 701 and smiled, "I’ll take this one!"

Saying this, he pricked his finger. A drop of blood oozed out, and with a flick, it landed on the stone door.

BUZZ!

Instantly, the stone door glowed with a faint crimson light, which soon dissipated.

Simultaneously, Qin Feiyang felt as if the stone door had become one with him, an extension of his own being.

"Fatty, once you’re settled, come find me. I have something else to discuss."

Then, after relaying this message to Fatty via voice transmission, Qin Feiyang entered his alchemy room. With a thought, the stone door sealed shut.

Fatty chose the alchemy room next to Qin Feiyang’s, number 702.

Lu Xingchen entered alchemy room number 703.

All three alchemy rooms were the same size. They were about three meters wide, making them quite narrow, but fortunately, they were long enough, extending seven to eight meters in length.

The alchemy platform was positioned at the far end, against the wall. The rest of the room was bare. For a single occupant, it felt reasonably spacious.

After surveying the room for a moment, Qin Feiyang walked to the stone platform and pressed a black button beside it.

BUZZ!

A jet of elixir fire, as thick as a human arm, erupted from the center of the stone platform.

The temperature in the alchemy room immediately soared.

After watching for a moment, Qin Feiyang turned off the elixir fire.

The Netherworld Demon Flame was now a Fifth Grade elixir fire, so he didn’t need the elixir fire here.

For him, this alchemy room was merely a place to maintain his cover.

Therefore, Mo Dong’s earlier warnings didn’t concern him in the slightest.