Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

They swiftly dismembered the blue-eyed demons, leaving behind a trail of remains, and then, amidst howls, burned them all to death with torches.

The Dothraki cavalry arrived so quickly that the three wooden siblings were stunned and didn't react in time before the battle was over.

The number of wights chasing them was not large, while the number of Dothraki cavalry far exceeded that of the wights. In addition, the Long Night had been underway for half a year, and the steppe knights on the front lines had long since figured out the wights' weaknesses in battle. Therefore, the battle became exceptionally smooth, with the killing and burning carried out in one go.

"Who...are you?"

The three wooden siblings huddled together, staring in terror at the cavalrymen who had surrounded them. The leader was a horse king with a bare upper body, revealing his bulging muscles, a long braid, and a mask on his face.

His eyes gleamed with a scarlet light as he sat on his horse, quietly watching the three wooden siblings below.

Then suddenly he reached out his hand.

Chapter 821 Qarth

The Dothraki, who lived at the foot of Mount Our Lady, suddenly appeared north of the Great Grass Sea, at the border between the kingdoms of Ifovilon and Ober.

Although the Dothraki were not a peaceful race to begin with, they avoided the dense forest inhabited by the Wood People in the north when they were active, because they feared the magic of the Wood People.

However, unexpectedly, the Dothraki tribe suddenly appeared here.

The Dothraki were once a tribal society, but since the rise of Mengo Khao, who unified all the tribes, the Dothraki are now more of a Dothraki kingdom than a large tribe.

The horse king Mengo, who unified all the tribes, was the king of this kingdom.

The lifestyle and rules of this nomadic country were also undergoing subtle changes under Mengo's rule.

For example, the Dothraki no longer fight amongst themselves because of their unity.

For example, they are now also learning how to produce and live, building their own houses and wearing thick clothes, because this is how they cope with the coming of the long night; otherwise, those who are unwilling to change and adapt will freeze to death.

However, Mengo Khao himself was an exception. As the strongest warrior in the entire Dothraki Kingdom, he seemed to be unafraid of the cold, did not need to eat, and was not defeated by the long night. Therefore, he became the pride and faith of many grassland knights.

At this moment, Khal Mengo, leading his 'Kingdom of the Grasslands,' suddenly appeared north of the Great Grass Sea and west of Mount Our Lady, much to the surprise of many, and seemingly even the White Walkers had not expected it.

The steppe knights under Mengo's command routed the pursuing legion of the dead and saved many lives of Ifovilon.

The grassland knights, who were usually ruthless killers, suddenly seemed to have become much 'kind'. Instead of killing, burning, and plundering money and food, they started to save people, which surprised many people.

Mengo's tribe then carried the rescued people, continuing to gather the remnants of the Kingdom of Ober and the Kingdom of Salor along the way, and continued westward.

...

The Dothraki cavalry appeared out of nowhere at Fang Bay, routing part of the Undead Legion's pursuit and achieving some small-scale victories, which boosted the morale of the human alliance.

Meanwhile, Xu Ying, the envoy from the Golden Dynasty, crossed the Jade Sea in his ship and finally arrived in Qars.

Qarth is an extremely large and wealthy city in the southeastern part of the continent of Essos. It is a city of wizards and wealthy merchants. The people of Qarth claim to be located at the center of the world, a gateway connecting the north and south, and a bridge connecting the east and west.

Therefore, Xu Ying, as the envoy of the Golden Dynasty to the Valyrian Empire, arrived in Qarth by ship with the delegation, which meant that he had officially come from the Eastern world to the Western world.

Because this is the dividing line between the Eastern and Western worlds.

A middle-aged man with black hair and brown eyes, dressed in the traditional attire of the Golden Heavenly Dynasty, was also looking around at the magnificent city as he stepped off the ship.

The walls of Qarth are tall and thick, with three layers, making them a wonder of the world and a symbol of the city's power. The outer wall is made of red sandstone and is thirty feet high, while the middle wall is made of gray granite and is forty feet high, with lifelike carvings of battle scenes. The inner wall is made of black marble and is fifty feet high, covered with erotic carvings.

As Xu Ying surveyed the city, the city was also surveying him.

As an envoy of the Golden Dynasty, his existence was naturally not to be ignored.

"Welcome to the greatest city in the world."

As Xu Ying disembarked and stood on the port, surveying the bustling and prosperous city, a cold, shrill voice suddenly rang in his ears.

The middle-aged man was startled, and then subconsciously put his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. He then saw a pale, withered man with blue lips and sunken eyes staring at him with a sinister gaze.

"...It is also a city ruled by the Temple of Immortality."

The other party then spoke again to add to the discussion.

Although Xu Ying was startled, he could tell from the words spoken by the other party and the servants standing behind him that the other party was the person who had come to greet him, because the other party spoke clearly and distinctly in the Yi language.

Therefore, the envoy of the Celestial Emperor calmed himself down slightly, then took his hand off the hilt of the sword, looked at the other party curiously, and couldn't help but ask.

"You speak our language?"

The man sent by Qarth to welcome the Golden Dynasty's envoy merely gave a sinister smile; his pale face appeared somewhat terrifying in the torchlight.

"For the immortals, there is nothing in this world that can be called a secret."

When Xu Ying heard the other party mention the name of an immortal again, she remembered that the other party had just claimed that the force ruling the city was called the Temple of Immortality.

This was different from the information he had learned about Qarth beforehand. Although Xu Ying was not very professional as an envoy, he represented his country, so he was like a walking encyclopedia of questions and couldn't help but ask again.

"The Immortals, the Temple of Immortality—the names sound very similar. What are they?"

"This is Qarth... but as far as I know, Qarth is nominally ruled by royalty? And the Thirteen Giants, the Ancient Spice Guild, and the Tourmaline Brotherhood?"

The person before him had pale skin and blue lips. Xu Ying knew that the other party was a male witch. There were traces of male witches in the Yi land, but he had never heard of the names of the immortals and the temple of immortals.

Because the Golden Dynasty has been powerful and proud since ancient times, they are completely immersed in their own world, without looking at the world as a whole. They know very little about the outside world and merely passively accept some information from the outside world, since no other country is as powerful as themselves.

Xu Ying was straightforward and couldn't keep her questions to herself. Rather than going through the motions, she decided to ask the other person directly. Fortunately, the other person could speak the language of the Yi region, perhaps having traveled through the territory of the Celestial Empire before, so there were no communication barriers between them.

Although the Golden Empire is not far from Qarth, the understanding of this neighbor is that although the royal family nominally rules Qarth, power is held by the Thirteen Giants, the Spice Guild, and the Tourmaline Brotherhood.

Xu Ying had never heard of the name of this Immortal Temple.

"That's all in the past."

The male wizard wasn't annoyed when he heard Xu Ying's question; he just smiled and said something, though his smile was somewhat eerie.

"Eternal darkness has descended, glass candles have been lit, and ghost grass has begun to grow anew. Now is the age of the wizards ruling Qarth, and the immortals are the 'kings' here."

"I have come here because the Immortals invite you to visit the temple."

Chapter 822 The Hall of Immortality

A sorcerer who called himself Paiya Puli invited the envoys of the Golden Dynasty to the Temple of Immortality, now the center of power in Qarth, also known as the Temple of Immortality or the Temple of Dust.

As Xu Ying learned from the information she gathered with the delegation, the nominal rulers of Qarth were the royal family, descendants of the ancient King and Queen of Qarth, who lived in a palace called the 'Hall of a Thousand Seats'.

However, like many city-states, the power of the Qarth royal family was depleted by internal strife, and wealthy merchants seized the opportunity to take control of Qarth.

They were known as the 'Thirteen Giants', the 'Spice Guild', and the 'Tourmaline Brotherhood'. They fought amongst themselves, and strictly speaking, no one was the true ruler of Qarth; it was an oligarchy.

But all this changed as the tide of magical resurgence grew stronger. The wizards' power was rapidly recovering, and all those who had once humiliated them were now cursed.

Then, as the long night suddenly descended and the whole world was plunged into darkness, the wizard completely took control of the city-state. The royal family of Qarth, the Thirteen Greats, the Ancient Spice Guild, and others dared not disobey the wizard's will. No one dared to ignore their words anymore, and they were even contemptuously called 'bones and lies'.

The Qarl royal family all bowed their heads in submission. As an outsider, Xu Ying naturally knew the principle that even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Although he was an envoy of the Golden Dynasty, he was in a foreign land, and now that the long night had fallen, even if he died here, no one would avenge him.

Therefore, although he rationally felt that the Temple of Immortality was not a good place, he did not dare to refuse directly when faced with Paiya Puli's 'invitation'. He could only bite the bullet and go, deciding to adapt to the situation.

Xu Ying accepted the invitation from the male wizard Paiya Puli, and then they and their group passed through the port of Qarth and entered the city.

The city is very prosperous, with countless slender spires towering high and many squares of all sizes. Although the whole world is now plunged into darkness, Qarth is a bustling city that never sleeps, with lights still shining everywhere.

Each square had exquisite fountains shaped like griffins, dragons, and scorpion-tailed lions. The people of Qarth continued their lives as usual, without any panic about the coming of the long night, and there were no tragic scenes like those outside the cities in central Essos that had fallen or many that had not. It was as if there had been no natural disaster or man-made calamity.

Because the wizard promised them that no matter what happened in the world, the immortals would protect the city.

The Long Night was merely one phase of the largest magical tide's impact on the world.

A massive arcade runs through the entire city, where ancient heroes stand on white and green marble pillars, three times the size of real people.

Xu Ying and the others first passed through a bronze archway carved with two snakes in the shape of lovers, their scales made of exquisite jade, obsidian, and lapis lazuli. Then they arrived at the ruins of an ancient building that was entirely gray.

It is long and low, without towers or windows, like a giant stone snake coiled in a forest of black-barked trees with deep blue leaves. The roof of the hall is covered with black tiles, many of which have fallen or broken, and the mortar between the stones is mostly dry and cracked.

"here it is..."

The delegation from the Golden Dynasty was not just Xu Ying alone. The delegation sent by Emperor Bu Hai also included many officials from the Yi capital who had little power. However, the backbone of the delegation came from the scout captain of the Five Fortresses Guard, who was also invited by the male witches.

Everyone looked at each other, then their gazes fell on Xu Ying. Xu Ying was also under a lot of pressure, but Paiya Puli seemed to see his confusion and nodded seriously.

"This is the Temple of Immortality."

"However, those who come to the Temple of Immortality seeking an audience with the immortals must abide by one rule."

Paiya Puli's pale face was faintly visible in the firelight, with a standard smile on his face, but this smile made the other person even more uneasy.

"That is to drink this cup of 'Night Shadow Water'."

"Because only in this way can one experience the 'truth and wisdom' that are presented before them."

Paiya Puli did not wait for Xu Ying to inquire about the rules for entering the Hall of Immortality, nor did he wait for the other party to ask if he could not enter. Instead, he spoke directly.

Because he was the person the Immortals specifically requested to see, and several days earlier the Immortals had told him that a fleet from the East was about to arrive in Qarth, the Immortals demanded that Paiya Puli bring the person in charge of the ship.

Paiya Puli turned around and took a cup of thick, blue drink from the servant behind him. It was said to be made from leaves from the black forest next to the Temple of Immortality. He then handed it to him.

The envoy from the Golden Dynasty accepted the thick, dark blue drink, his expression slightly strange.

Because blue food will always make people feel psychologically uncomfortable, and the Night Shadow Water is dark blue, viscous like honey when it flows, and has a nauseating smell, like a combination of ink and rotting flesh.

But Xu Ying had no better solution. He held the cup of Night Shadow Water, and the sorcerer Paiya Puli and his servants stared intently at him.

It seemed he had no way to refuse, much less escape, so he could only grit his teeth and drink it down, praying that the nauseating Nightshade Water wasn't poisoned.

"Never mind."

goo-dong-

goo-dong-

goo-dong-

The envoy from the barbarian lands mustered his courage, tilted his head back, and drank the cup of Night Shadow Water in one gulp.

However, the taste was not what he had imagined.

After swallowing the Night Shadow Water, its aftertaste is like a superposition of all the flavors the drinker has ever tasted, and it's not just that. Its taste seems to change with each swallow, sometimes bitter, sometimes sour, and sometimes sweet.

Xu Ying drank the cup of Night Shadow Water, and only then did the pale-faced sorcerer Paiya Puli and his servants behind him show satisfied smiles.

"Very good, you may now enter the Hall of Immortality."

"But it must be just you alone."

The rules for visiting the Temple of Immortality are to drink the Water of Nightshade, and visitors must enter alone. You can enter through the front door but not exit through it. There are four doors when you enter the temple: the one you just came in through and the other three.

To find the immortals, visitors must always go upwards, always through the right-hand door. Sometimes the doors inside the temple are open, and inside are all sorts of strange sights, some existing in the past, some yet to come, and some never to happen. Some are beautiful, some are terrifying, some are amazing, and some are horrifying.