Chapter 82

Under the scorching sun, Yang Qifeng stood side by side with the Great Marsh Mountain God.

Standing on a steep rock, the wind gently blew across their faces.

"Is this how things unfolded? What are your plans?" Yang Qifeng recounted everything he knew, including the recent chaotic battle, but he did not reveal his intention to stay at Great Marsh Mountain.

"Leaving Great Marsh Mountain is impossible for me," the Great Marsh Mountain God's face turned grim as he gazed at the beautiful landscape.

His tone grew heavy as he continued, "Although I have been stripped of my divine status, I am still connected to Great Marsh Mountain. If I leave, my power will decline day by day until I ultimately fade into nothingness."

"Rise and fall, both by the mountain god," the sympathy in Yang Qifeng's eyes flickered and disappeared.

The land of the mountain god may seem powerful, but as a deity, they wield the power of the mountains and the land according to their divine duties.

They don't need to cultivate much; they can directly refine the seal and ascend from a mortal to a thunderbolt warrior or even achieve the strength of an immortal.

It seems to have endless benefits, but this divine duty is like a shackle, firmly locking them in place.

The divine duty is like a prison. Some celestial deities are still fine, but for a land deity like this, they are confined to one place, unable to turn over or gain freedom.

"Still, the ancient divine path is more free, with deities roaming the world without restraint," the Great Marsh Mountain God's eyes revealed a longing for the ancient divine path.

Yang Qifeng gently shook his head. Times change, and everything changes. Things rise and fall, just like the waves in the sea. One moment they surge to the heavens, but the next they subside, leaving the sea calm. The Great Marsh Mountain God only saw the benefits of the ancient divine path but not its drawbacks. Otherwise, how could the divine path have been extinguished, with all paths converging to suppress the divine, leading to the rise of the immortal path?

The ancient divine path is no longer suitable for the current world and cannot be revived. Pursuing the ancient divine path is purely a death wish.

The world is like a surging river; those who go with the flow survive, while those who go against it perish.

The Qin chaos of ten thousand years ago was the last struggle of the ancient divine path, with the gods reviving to try to re-establish the divine path.

It was the Heavenly Emperor Cangli who descended to create the Qin!

Among the three emperors of the divine race, the Heavenly Emperor held the highest status.

He was the first true great sage since the creation of the world.

His power overshadowed the primordial chaos and dominated the ancient era.

But his actions went against the tide of the world, and he was crushed by the overwhelming momentum.

This completely drained the last bit of vitality from the divine path, and Yang Qifeng saw no significant impact on the immortal path.

"I cannot leave Great Marsh Mountain. If the new Great Marsh Mountain God takes over, he will not tolerate an outdated mountain god sharing the offerings with him."

"So I have only one path: to make a final stand when he refines the mountain god seal," the Great Marsh Mountain God paused, then continued with a heavy voice after a moment of nostalgia for the ancient divine path.

"Let's be frank. You haven't left either, and you must be considering whether to make a final stand. If you stay and help me, I will tell you the secrets of that key," the Great Marsh Mountain God looked at Yang Qifeng with bright eyes.

Yang Qifeng's expression was neutral, making it impossible to discern his true thoughts. To gain an ally, he could only try to entice him.

"Speak then?" Yang Qifeng was inwardly wary; he had long suspected the key.

The key was tied to the protagonist of the Qin chaos, the Great Qin Divine Kingdom!

The Great Marsh Mountain God, who obtained this key, must know something.

"This matter is related to my fall from divine status and my suppression."

"The key is the root cause," the Great Marsh Mountain God began to recount how he obtained the key and his subsequent suppression.

"Again, the old story of a man without power being blamed for possessing a treasure. Without power, the end is always tragic," but Yang Qifeng quickly realized that the Great Marsh Mountain God had ulterior motives in giving him the key.

His gaze turned cold as he realized the Great Marsh Mountain God was trying to divert the attention of the immortal who suppressed him onto Yang Qifeng.

In this mythological world, framing someone comes at a cost.

There are methods to discern the truth, and the Great Marsh Mountain God's thoughts were clearly different now compared to his initial resistance and refusal to hand over the key.

His courage and defiance had been completely eroded by ten thousand years of suppression.

After ten thousand years of reflection, he regretted his actions. If the events of ten thousand years ago were to happen again, he would have willingly handed over the key to avoid this unjust disaster.

"What about the rest? Do you know the identity of the immortal who suppressed you?" Yang Qifeng asked.

"The immortal's face was obscured by divine aura, and the power disparity was too great for me to identify him," the Great Marsh Mountain God shook his head and looked at Yang Qifeng with a half-smile.

Clearly, he was holding back the crucial information, not trusting Yang Qifeng's promise. He was waiting for a guarantee.

"Can you refine the land seal?" Yang Qifeng knew the Great Marsh Mountain God wouldn't speak further and didn't press the issue.

He didn't feel much anger at the Great Marsh Mountain God's scheming. There is no such thing as unconditional love or kindness; if someone is nice to you, they expect something in return.

The Great Marsh Mountain God's eyes brightened as he looked at the land seal. "You're thinking of refining it? Don't even consider it; it's impossible."

"Is there no way at all? No other methods?" Yang Qifeng asked, unwilling to give up.

"Of course there are methods. There are countless ways to solve this problem. One that I know is to obtain an imperial decree from the Heavenly Court, and you can immediately ascend."

Yang Qifeng said nothing, just shook his head. That was too unrealistic.

Obtaining an imperial decree from the Heavenly Court would require skills that Yang Qifeng already had, which would have allowed him to defeat his enemy long ago.

"Although this cannot be used to make a new god ascend, if you give it to me to refine and enhance my power, it will increase the chances of my final stand by at least twenty percent."

"Tell me all the secrets of the key, and it will be yours."

"Agreed."

...

Page flip, AD starts

Page flip, AD ends