CHAPTER 540: CHAPTER 535: NERVOUS BREAKDOWN?_1

"Xia Changfeng?"

Qin Feiyang was slightly taken aback. Who was this person?

Shock and suspicion flashed in Xia Hai’s eyes.

"Speak up!" Fatty snapped.

"Xia Changfeng is an ancestor of my Xia Family. If you don’t even know this, are you really from the State City?" Xia Hai frowned.

The young man in black said, "Cousin, this is their first time in State City."

"No wonder they’re so ignorant." Xia Hai’s face filled with contempt and arrogance upon learning Qin Feiyang and Fatty were new to State City. "Let me tell you, my Xia Family’s ancestor is the City Lord of East City in State City. You’d better retract your pressure and apologize immediately, or you’ll all die."

However, he didn’t notice a chilling killing intent surfacing in the depths of Fatty’s eyes.

Fatty said in a low voice, "I’ve never heard of you. You’re not direct descendants of Xia Changfeng, are you?"

"That’s right," Xia Hai affirmed. "I’m not a direct descendant of the Xia Family. So what? My talent is countless times greater than those useless direct descendants!"

Fatty’s words had apparently struck a nerve. Like a cornered cur, Xia Hai bellowed furiously.

It appeared he held a deep-seated prejudice against the direct descendants of the Xia Family. He must have been frequently bullied by them.

"You’re not wrong there," Fatty scoffed. "How could a wicked and despicable man like Xia Changfeng raise any decent descendants?"

Qin Feiyang finally understood. This Xia Changfeng must have been one of the murderers who killed Fatty’s grandfather.

"Who on earth are you?" Xia Hai demanded angrily. "What grudge do you have with our ancestor? If there’s enmity, deal with him directly! Why trouble us?"

"A feud of familial extermination! An irreconcilable hatred!" Fatty’s face suddenly turned sinister, the murderous intent long lurking in his eyes now erupting. "Even if you aren’t direct descendants of the Xia Family, you all deserve to die!"

Xia Hai and the young man in black blanched.

A feud of extermination! When did their ancestor ever wipe out another family?

Fatty clenched his fists tightly. "Do you remember the Situ Family from over a decade ago?"

"The Situ Family!"

The two reeled as if struck by a bolt from the blue, their bodies trembling. Over a decade ago, the Situ Family had been one of Yun State’s super-families, immensely powerful and influential. How could they not know of them?

"Are you a descendant of the Situ Family?" Xia Hai stammered. "No, wait! The Situ Family committed treason and was annihilated. There couldn’t possibly be any survivors!"

They both shook their heads, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"If things had gone as planned, I would indeed be dead," Fatty said, his voice cold. "But Heaven spared me, and I survived. Today, I’ll start by killing you two—consider it a down payment on the interest owed!"

Fatty’s killing intent surged. He pointed a finger, and his Battle Intent surged like a tide, instantly engulfing the young man in black.

"AAAH..."

Unsurprisingly, accompanied by a bloodcurdling scream, the young man in black dropped dead on the spot.

"Such terrifying strength!" Xia Hai’s face was deathly pale. He cried out in terror, "Hold the right person accountable! It was Xia Changfeng and his associates who destroyed your Situ Family. If you seek revenge, go after him! Why are you murdering innocents?"

"Over ten thousand members of my Situ Family were massacred! Weren’t they innocents too?" Fatty roared, his eyes bloodshot and filled with boundless resentment.

He shot forward, appearing before Xia Hai in an instant, and grabbed his throat. "Don’t blame me for being ruthless. Blame yourself for being a member of the Xia Family."

With that, his fingers tightened, and with a sickening CRACK, Xia Hai’s throat was crushed. Blood spurted like a fountain!

"This is only the beginning," Fatty declared, his voice dripping with menace. "Just you wait and tremble!"

Then, Fatty released his grip, letting Xia Hai’s corpse plummet. He looked up at State City, his eyes glinting with terrifying murderous intent!

Qin Feiyang glanced at Fatty, then pointed a finger into the air. An invisible force surged towards the corpses of Xia Hai and the young man.

BOOM!

Instantly, their bodies disintegrated, leaving not even bone dust behind.

Afterwards, Qin Feiyang looked at Fatty again and said, "If you truly want revenge, you can start right now."

"No," Fatty shook his head, landing before Qin Feiyang. "I must kill them with my own hands. Only then can I do justice to my parents’ spirits."

"Alright." Qin Feiyang didn’t press further. He took out a Shape-shifting Pill, transformed into Xia Hai’s likeness, and asked, "I’m heading to the inner hall. What about you?"

Fatty pondered for a moment. "I’ll try my luck in State City. The steward might be hiding there."

"That works too," Qin Feiyang said. "But if you encounter those people, don’t be impulsive. Act within your capabilities."

Fatty’s murderous aura vanished. He grinned. "Do I look impulsive to you?"

Qin Feiyang couldn’t help but roll his eyes. However, he was completely confident in Fatty.

How to put it? That fellow knew how to assess a situation. If he was confident, he’d fight; if not, he’d flee. This wasn’t praise, nor did it imply Fatty was a coward. On the contrary, Fatty’s temperament was one that ensured he would outlive others. Qin Feiyang didn’t worry about whether Fatty could infiltrate State City. With Fatty’s cunning, it wouldn’t be difficult at all.

With a wave of his hand, a portal opened. Qin Feiyang retrieved a white robe from his Qiankun Bag and stepped through without a backward glance. This robe was the standard uniform of the Holy Temple, and the attire was identical across all Nine States, with no distinction.

「The next instant.」

Qin Feiyang found himself hovering above a gigantic peak. The peak, over ten thousand feet high, stood like a colossal sword, majestic and imposing. Surrounding it were endless mountain ranges. Mountains rose in succession, covered in lush vegetation.

Qin Feiyang scanned the area. It resembled the inner hall of Yun State’s Holy Temple, likely also nestled deep within a mountain range.

WHOOSH!

He dove down, landing in the square before the palace. Looking up, the words ’Elixir Fire Palace’ immediately entered his vision. People were constantly coming and going from the Elixir Fire Palace. When they saw Qin Feiyang, they greeted him politely, and Qin Feiyang returned their greetings with nods and smiles.

It wasn’t hard to sneak into the inner hall, and escaping would also be easy. But snatching the Elixir Fire... that wouldn’t be so simple. The Elixir Fire definitely had an owner. Moreover, logically speaking, it should be controlled by the Hall Master of the Elixir Palace. And there was no doubt that the Hall Master of the Elixir Palace was a War Ancestor!

A moment passed.

Qin Feiyang exhaled deeply and walked towards the Elixir Fire Palace. The Nine States Grand Competition was still over three months away. There was no rush to make a move; he could wait patiently for the opportune moment.

However, first, I need to determine the Elixir Fire’s exact location.

Using Xia Hai’s identity, he entered the Elixir Fire Palace smoothly and quickly reached the bottom of the central courtyard.

After observing for a moment, a plan formed in his mind.

The Elixir Fire Palace here was slightly different from the Elixir Fire Palace in the inner hall of Spirit State. In Spirit State’s Elixir Fire Palace, each floor only had ten Alchemy Rooms. Here, the first to ninth floors each had twenty Alchemy Rooms. Only the tenth floor had ten.

Qin Feiyang leaped up to the tenth floor, his gaze sweeping over the numbers on the stone doors. His brow furrowed slightly.

In the Elixir Tower within the Land of Oblivion, the Alchemy Room used by the Tower Master had no number on its stone door. The Thunder Flame was inside. However, in the Elixir Fire Palaces of Yun State’s Holy Temple and its inner hall, as well as this one here, every stone door bore a number. In other words, these ten Alchemy Rooms were all for disciple use. So, where was the Alchemy Room of the Elixir Palace’s Hall Master? The Elixir Fire was most likely in the Hall Master’s private Alchemy Room. He had vaguely considered this problem before but hadn’t dwelled on it, as he never intended to seize the Elixir Fire from Spirit State’s inner hall. But now, he had to think about it.

RUMBLE!

At this moment, the stone door of Alchemy Room No. 1 rumbled open.

Qin Feiyang turned to see a familiar figure in white emerging from the Alchemy Room.

It was none other than Mo Wushen!

"Foes always cross paths, as the saying goes," Qin Feiyang muttered.

Mo Wushen also saw Qin Feiyang but merely glanced past him, paying him no mind.

Qin Feiyang’s eyes glinted. He stepped forward, intercepting Mo Wushen, and cupped his fist. "Greetings, Senior Brother Mo."

"What is it?" Mo Wushen raised an eyebrow, his expression impassive.

"I heard Ma San escaped," Qin Feiyang said. "Senior Brother, you should be careful."

"Him?" Mo Wushen’s lip curled into a sneer of disdain. "Thank you for your concern. I’ll be mindful. If there’s nothing else, step aside. Don’t block my path."

Qin Feiyang cupped his fist again. "There is one more thing. I was wondering if Senior Brother Mo might lend me his Alchemy Room for a short while?"

Mo Wushen’s eyebrow shot up. "Are you looking to die?"

Ever since becoming the occupant of Alchemy Room No. 1, no one had ever dared ask to borrow it.

"I only need to use it for a little while. I absolutely won’t cause Senior Brother Mo any trouble. I implore Senior Brother to grant my request," Qin Feiyang pleaded. "Besides, if not for my sake, then for the sake of my family’s ancestor..."

But before he could finish, Mo Wushen suddenly struck out, his palm aiming for Qin Feiyang’s face. Qin Feiyang reacted swiftly, retreating to dodge the blow.

"If you were a direct descendant of the Xia Family, I might grant you that courtesy. But what are you?" Mo Wushen sneered. "A mere disciple from a branch family. Get lost, and the farther the better! If you pester me again, don’t blame me for being impolite! Besides, with your meager talent in Alchemy, are you even worthy of Alchemy Room No. 1?"

With that, Mo Wushen coldly strode away.

"He had it coming."

"How dare he ask Mo Wushen to lend him an Alchemy Room? He should take a good look at his own status."

"That’s what happens when you overestimate yourself."

Several onlookers below witnessed this exchange and couldn’t help but jeer.

Qin Feiyang frowned and asked the onlookers, "Where is my Alchemy Room?"

"Isn’t your Alchemy Room No. 23?"

"You can’t even remember that? Are you an idiot?"

"Definitely an idiot."

"Exactly. It would be a miracle if his nerves weren’t shot after being humiliated like that by Mo Wushen."

"He should use his brain more in the future. Don’t even think about things you’re not entitled to."

The group jeered again.

Qin Feiyang ignored them, descended to the ninth floor, found Alchemy Room No. 23, and entered.

"Idiot."

The onlookers shook their heads disdainfully and then dispersed.