Chapter 116: Recruiting Chen Changsheng; Purple Mansion Holy Lord You Are Not My Type
Chapter 116 Recruiting Chen Changsheng; Purple Mansion Holy Lord You Are Not My Type
Within the serene chamber.
The three figures sat in heavy silence around the wooden table, none willing to speak first.
After a long while, the Purple Mansion Holy Lord finally broke the silence. “Young Master Chen possesses a transcendent aptitude, a peerless genius rarely seen in a millennium.”
“Might I inquire as to which sovereign lineage you hail from?”
Hearing this, the corners of Chen Changsheng’s mouth lifted in a faint, cynical smile. “I hold allegiance to no sect. My meager Dao was forged through solitary cultivation.”
“Is that so? Yet I observed that the three Fellow Daoists from the Eastern Wasteland share a deeply karmic bond with you, young master.”
“Surely you are not their hidden inheritor?”
“Heh.”
“Holy Lord, you jest. In this Vast world, who does not possess a few old friends and acquaintances?”
“I merely crossed paths with them through a Fated Chance, much like how Miss Zi Ning is acquainted with Elder Jiang of the Kunlun Holy Land.”
“It is hardly possible that she is also Elder Jiang’s inheritor, is it?”
A sharp glint flashed through the Purple Mansion Holy Lord’s eyes at Chen Changsheng’s words.
Chen Changsheng’s aura might not scream absolute invincibility among the younger generation, but his foundation was undoubtedly equal to any Holy Son of a supreme Holy Land.
A Holy Son was the designated heir to a sacred lineage. Even for a sovereign faction, molding such a Heavenly Talent required mountains of heavenly resources.
Now, an unclaimed Holy Son sat right before her. Binding his destiny to hers would be an immeasurable harvest.
Her thoughts turning swiftly, the Purple Mansion Holy Lord spoke again. “Young master speaks reason. I wonder, however, how you view my unworthy disciple?”
Chen Changsheng cast a fleeting glance at Zi Ning.
“Although Miss Zi Ning conceals her features behind a thin veil, the mere fraction of her countenance exposed is enough to bewitch the mortal realm.”
“Her Daoist charm rivals the celestial maidens of the nine heavens; both her talent and beauty are peerless.”
“Her title as one of the Three Great Beauties of the Middle Heavens is well-earned.”
“Since you hold my unworthy disciple in such high regard, I shall play the matchmaker today and tie the red thread of destiny between you two.”
“What are your thoughts on this, young master?”
Zi Ning’s face instantly flushed crimson, yet a shadow of intense reluctance flickered in her depths.
At the Heavenly Talent Assembly, she had suffered defeat at the hands of Gongsun Huaiyu. This meant the Purple Mansion Holy Land had forfeited its right to vie for supremacy among the current generation.
If they failed to forge an alternative path, the moment her master stepped down, their Holy Land would be eternally suppressed by rival factions.
“Heh.”
“Holy Lord, you jest. The bond between Miss Zi Ning and myself is one of pure Daoist respect. There are no ulterior motives.”
Seeing Chen Changsheng effortlessly deflect her recruitment, the Purple Mansion Holy Lord’s gaze hardened.
“Young master, in this Ruinous era, a lone cultivator rarely secures the ultimate Dao.”
“Whatever price the other Holy Lands can afford, my Purple Mansion Holy Land can match in full.”
“And we offer a sincerity they sorely lack.”
“Jiang Ping, Fu Yao, Xuan Xin, Batulu—these are absolute monsters among the Heavenly Talents.”
“Even if you bend the knee to their factions, they will never grant you their unreserved backing. Outside of these apex powers, I truly see no other path for you.”
“Surely, young master has no desire to entangle his fate with the marauding bandits of the Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes?”
Meeting the supreme confidence in her eyes, Chen Changsheng smiled.
“Since the Holy Lord speaks with such candor, continuing this dance of pleasantries would make me seem oblivious to grace.”
“Scanning the entirety of the Middle Heavens, your terms are indeed the most alluring.”
“However, I possess zero interest in inexperienced fledglings. The one I want is you.”
Crack!
The teacup in Zi Ning’s grip exploded into dust. A second later, the glacial edge of a spiritual sword rested millimeters from Chen Changsheng’s throat.
“Insolent animal!”
“Chen Changsheng, do you truly believe our Holy Land would collapse without your presence?”
Unfazed by her boiling killing intent, Chen Changsheng did not even spare her a glance. He merely took a slow, deliberate sip of his tea.
“Withdraw,”
the Purple Mansion Holy Lord commanded faintly.
Trembling with indignation, Zi Ning protested, “Master, this bastard—”
“Withdraw!”
Her tone plummeted to absolute zero. Gritting her teeth so hard they nearly cracked, Zi Ning sheathed her blade, spun on her heel, and stormed out of the chamber.
With the door sealed shut, the Purple Mansion Holy Lord gracefully poured Chen Changsheng a fresh cup of tea.
“Your Potential is unquestionably vast, but you are not the type of man I favor.”
“I require a Dao Companion whose sovereign dominance can swallow the heavens. Propose another condition.”
She shot Chen Changsheng a provocative look, her gaze brimming with an icy, silent mockery.
“Hahaha!”
“Excellent! Truly excellent!”
“A Dao Heart as placid as an ancient well, yet a gaze as piercing as heavenly fire. My appraisal of you was flawless.”
“I sit here today with the exact same intent as you: to play the matchmaker.”
“By pure coincidence, I hold the leash of a man whose dominance knows no bounds. If you can tether his sovereign heart,”
“The precarious decline of the Purple Mansion Holy Land will be violently reversed.”
Intrigued, a dangerous light flared in the Holy Lord’s eyes.
“Oh?”
“Then do enlighten me. Just how ‘domineering’ is this hidden dragon of yours?”
“Forged from absolute nothingness, sweeping through the Middle Heavens unmatched, and plunging the supreme Holy Lands into a perpetual state of terror. Is such a man sufficiently domineering for your tastes?”
The Purple Mansion Holy Lord narrowed her eyes to dangerous slits.
“Is this scheme born of your mind, or his?”
“Mine, naturally. That brute is as dense as a boulder when it comes to the Dao of Yin and Yang.”
“If we wait for his own enlightenment, he will rot in eternal solitude.”
“You and Jiang Bufan are Heavenly Talents born to the exact same epoch. Yet seven centuries ago, he single-handedly crushed your entire generation beneath his heel.”
“It was the absolute truth seven centuries ago, and it remains an immutable fact today.”
“With Zi Ning’s crushing defeat, the Purple Mansion Holy Land is destined to suffer beneath the Kunlun Holy Land’s shadow.”
“Even if the Heavens bless you with a monstrous prodigy capable of eclipsing Jiang Bufan, do you honestly believe you have the centuries required for them to mature?”
“Now, a fully forged weapon is being handed to you. Are you telling me your Dao Heart does not tremble at the prospect?”
Confronted by the venomous allure of Chen Changsheng’s logic, the Holy Lord’s demeanor turned deathly grave.
“Who exactly are you?”
“Listening to your brazen tone, one would assume you are the true puppet-master behind the Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes.”
“My identity is irrelevant. You only need to understand that I wield absolute authority over this transaction.”
“However, I am no tyrant. If his sovereign aura fails to conquer your heart, or if your charms cannot bind his soul, we void the pact entirely. How does that sound?”
The Holy Lord weighed the karmic consequences in silence before responding.
“It is not enough.”
“To command the entire foundation of the Purple Mansion Holy Land in support of Wu Li… his singular strength falls short.”
“The Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes share a blood-feud with the Kunlun Holy Land, not to mention their myriad other enemies. If my sect aligns with Wu Li,”
“We will instantly become the public enemy of the Middle Heavens. The karmic backlash is far too steep.”
“And if I place myself on the scales?”
“Should you and Wu Li forge this bond, I, Chen Changsheng, swear to garrison the Purple Mansion Holy Land for three entire centuries.”
“It is a pact!”
The Holy Lord severed all hesitation, sealing the agreement instantly.
With the combined might of two apex Heavenly Talents like Chen Changsheng and Wu Li, bolstered by her sect’s primordial foundation,
Even if the true inheritor of the Heaven’s Mandate descended today, she possessed the absolute confidence to tear it from their grasp.