The First Cultivator - Changing Existence - Chapter 732

Chapter 732: The Remaining Variable – 732
The Emperor would not allow him to conduct experiments with human blood, so he did not seek out the permission of the Emperor. Ignorance was bliss after all.

In the dark of night, Skymender ventured out of the Imperial Palace and made his way to the commoner areas of the Imperial Capital. He searched around for some thugs and killed them cleanly, taking vials of their blood before heading back to the Imperial Palace.

Skymender continued his experiments with nobody none the wiser.

He wasn’t sure if the person the blood came from would have an effect or not, but that was what experiments were for.

Skymender mixed human blood with many other bloods under different conditions. Heat, pressure, quantity, all were variable and noted down.

Skymender’s experiments were among the most advanced in the world simply because of his extensive knowledge over all subjects. With half the effort, he could produce ten times the results of another person experimenting.

Skymender’s experiments continued for a month. He occasionally had to go out and gather more blood. He tried to make it a different type of person every time. The first time it was some thugs. The next time, it was some old men.

He did not kill them since he didn’t want to risk his position as the Imperial Scholar, which would be immediately voided if he was caught killing innocent people. Thugs could be excused, but not functioning members of society.

The only person he was worried would catch him was Sword Master Shang. Other than that, there really wasn’t anyone who could follow or track him without him knowing.

At the end of his month of experiments, he had some minor success, but not anything useful. Unfortunately, he had to stop. The Emperor was preparing to attack the Ancient Empire.

Whether or not this would be the final battle was unknown, but it would surely be an important one. All Empires that would participate in the struggle over world domination would be present.

This time, everyone was more prepared. Countless soldiers arrived around the Imperial Capital from each of the four kingdoms and some of the larger noble families.

They all combined with the Imperial Army as countless soldiers moved out. This time, very little was left in reserve to defend the Empire, as all of the enemies had been accounted for. The only person remaining behind was Sword Master Deyr, who would protect the order of the Empire along with the Imperial Crown Prince.

Skybelle had advanced from a 4th rank Sword Master to a 3rd rank Sword Master after intensive training over the past few years. This once again boosted the strength of the Faceless Empire.

The Ancient Empire and the Faceless Empire were almost completely even. This was only due to the fact that Skymender had once killed a 2nd rank Sword Master of the Ancient Empire along with Skybelle.

Otherwise, this war would be in the Ancient Empire’s favor.

Their contribution to the Empire that day could not be understated. It would be recorded in history books, assuming they won the war.

Skymender traveled along with the Emperor and Sword Master Shang to the battlefield.

The Kings of the Empire did not join the war as they had no use, but instead stayed to keep order over the Empire. The worst thing that could happen while they were gone was a rebellion.

Countless horses pulled carriages and carried soldiers, making their movements vastly faster than if they were marching.

As they rode on the largest carriage, an open platform without a solid roof, the Emperor spoke to Skymender.

“There is only one more variable left in this war.” The Emperor said.

Skymender looked at him. They had gone over just about everything, but he had noticed that one entity had always been left out. As expected, the Emperor’s next words were in relation to it.

“It is unknown whether or not the Temple will get involved in this war, as their headquarters is in the Ancient Empire. The Temple in the Faceless Empire’s Imperial Capital refused to give any sort of assistance during the war, but we must prepare for the possibility that the Ancient Empire’s Temple does not feel the same.”

Skymender nodded. The Temple was usually overlooked unless one was deeply devoted to it. Nobles or wealthy commoners would occasionally request their services, such as when Skymender was born, but besides that, they were independent entities almost never involved in any matters.

“Although their healing would be an important contribution, is it really worth worrying about?” Skymender asked.

After all, they could only heal one person at a time with their mythical abilities.

The Emperor sighed. “Don’t only look at the surface, think deeper. Why do you believe that the Temple is able to exist in so many Empires, yet remains untouched and respected by all? Do you think that there has never been a greedy King or Emperor that wanted to learn their secrets?”

It was indeed suspicious.

“It is because every single person that takes action against the Temple, whether it be a single person, an Imperial Army, or a Sword Master, has never been heard from again.”

Skymender was shocked. Despite all of his knowledge, he had never heard anything about this.

“This is not information recorded in books, as that would be tantamount to insulting the Temple, but it is passed down through word of mouth to the Kings and Emperors of the world. Even someone like Sword Grandmaster Tianzhao or Sword Master Shang does not dare take action. After all, their mythical healing abilities prove beyond doubt that something is special about them.”

Hearing this piece of information made Skymender view the Temple in a new light. It all seemed obvious looking back on it.

“But I’ve heard that Emperors are allowed to view the altar.” Skymender said.

He had suddenly remembered something he had been told by a tour guide on his visit to the Imperial Capitals Temple.

“Indeed, I have seen the altar. It is mesmerizing, the clearest water I’ve ever seen. The altar itself is huge and made of pure gold, with a statue of their god, Yhwh, above it. But I have never seen someone baptized in it, and if you think that is their deepest secret, you are sorely mistaken. I myself was not allowed to see anything deeper than that.”