Chapter 131: Danger and Opportunity Coexist; the Attitude of the Purple Mansion Holy Land
Chapter 131 – Danger and Opportunity Coexist; the Attitude of the Purple Mansion Holy Land
“Are these the young friends our Holy Son has brought back?”
“Truly, they are peerless talents, rarely seen in a century!”
A cluster of ancient Elders began circling Gongsun Huaiyu and the others, while Chen Changsheng stood to the side, “humbly” accepting their endless praise.
Everyone: “……”
Was there a need to be this exaggerated?!
They could understand him being highly valued upon joining the Purple Mansion Holy Land, but he didn’t need to seamlessly blend in so quickly.
They had not even recovered from the sheer terror of their escape!
Faced with this bizarre situation, Gongsun Huaiyu instinctively cast an inquiring glance toward Chen Changsheng.
Catching her gaze, Chen Changsheng spoke, “The Grand Elder and I have already reached an agreement.”
“From this day forth, the three of you are registered disciples of the Purple Mansion Holy Land, yet you shall enjoy the full resources of the inner sect.”
“This is the Fated Chance the Grand Elder has bestowed upon you. Quickly, offer your thanks.”
Hearing this, Gongsun Huaiyu and the others immediately offered deep bows to the Grand Elder.
Watching this, the Grand Elder grinned so widely his eyes vanished into his wrinkles.
“No need for such formalities!”
“From now on, we are all one family. There is no need for such restraint.”
“We old bones reside in the back mountains of the Holy Land. Should you young friends encounter any bottlenecks in your cultivation, you may seek our guidance at any time.”
“Furthermore, the Purple Mansion Holy Land enforces a strict and absolute system of rewards and punishments.”
“As long as you diligently temper your essence, our sect will never allow a true genius to go unrecognized.”
Shifting his gaze, the Grand Elder addressed Zi Ning. “Holy Maiden, the Holy Son and our young friends have just arrived. They are naturally unfamiliar with our sect’s laws.”
“I will trouble the Holy Maiden to enlighten them.”
“I understand, Grand Elder.”
The flock of old men chatted amiably with Chen Changsheng a while longer before dispersing to their respective chambers of Secluded Cultivation.
Once the Elders had fully departed, Zi Ning rolled her eyes at Chen Changsheng.
“Lord Holy Son, allow me to introduce the laws of the Purple Mansion Holy Land.”
“Though with your manipulative means, you will likely have the entire sect wrapped around your finger within three days, we must still respect the formalities.”
Observing Zi Ning’s exasperation, Chen Changsheng merely offered a faint smile, remaining silent.
He, a complete outsider, was already far more favored than the Holy Maiden who had been nurtured here since birth.
In the face of such a discrepancy, her minor grievances were entirely aligned with human nature.
……
The Back Mountains.
The previously amiable group of ancient men were now gathered in a circle, their expressions deadly serious.
“Fellow Daoists, how do you evaluate this Chen Changsheng?”
The Grand Elder swept his gaze across the room, breaking the silence.
“His vitality and blood run thick as lead and mercury. He crossed blows with the son of a forbidden land without falling into disadvantage. His strength and talent are absolute pinnacles.”
“His origins are shrouded in mist, and his foundation is unfathomably deep. This youth is definitively a dragon among men.”
Two Elders voiced their deductions.
The Grand Elder nodded in agreement.
“Since his name first shook the world, he has never once unleashed his true, unrestrained might. This signifies his Potential may far exceed our mortal comprehension.”
“However, while Chen Changsheng’s Potential is terrifying, the karmic backlash surrounding him is equally immense.”
“The Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes are heavily entangled with him, and their very inheritor stands directly at his side.”
“Furthermore, the Holy Master has already briefed us on the catastrophe at the Heavenly Talent Assembly. What are your thoughts?”
At these words, the corners of every Elder’s mouth twitched violently.
Because this incident was simply too damn catastrophic.
With Nalan Jing making an abrupt return to the sect, they had naturally pressed her for the truth.
Yet, Nalan Jing’s explanation was this:
“An abomination akin to an Undying Bone awakened beneath the ore vein. The dragon vein, for unknown reasons, corrupted into an evil dragon. Roughly eighty percent of the sovereign leaders in the Middle Heavens have Perished.”
“Chen Changsheng suffered defeat at the hands of Fang Qiancheng, forcing his early withdrawal from the Heavenly Talent Assembly. Later, he deployed a Formation to tear us away from the slaughter.”
Nalan Jing had delivered these two sentences in a single breath.
Yet the sheer weight of the information required these ancient monsters to spend hours shrewdly weighing the fated paths.
Their Holy Master’s cultivation was strictly on par with the lords of the other Holy Lands.
Even if some possessed a superior Dao, the gap was incredibly narrow.
Yet over eighty percent of the Middle Heavens’ elite had Perished, while their faction returned without a single scratch. The absurdity of this was glaring.
Additionally, five days prior, Fang Qiancheng had mobilized the Kunlun Holy Land to besiege and hunt Gongsun Huaiyu. That was a widely known truth.
Exactly five days later, the Heavenly Talent Assembly hosted by that very Kunlun Holy Land was utterly annihilated.
Anyone with half a brain would instantly trace the karmic threads of this slaughter back to Chen Changsheng.
Thinking of this, a portly Elder furrowed his brow.
“Is this karmic burden not a bit too immense?”
The moment these worried words surfaced, the Grand Elder’s piercing gaze snapped toward him.
“Fifth Elder, I fear you have spent too long in Secluded Cultivation. Your mind has grown dull.”
“What do the misfortunes of the Kunlun Holy Land have to do with our Purple Mansion Holy Land?”
“The Heavenly Talent Assembly suffered a catastrophe, unleashing an apocalyptic trial upon the entire Middle Heavens.”
“It is purely thanks to the Holy Son’s heaven-defying Providence that he managed to escape with his life.”
“If our Purple Mansion Holy Land does not go seeking trouble with them, do they truly dare to seek trouble with us?”
Hearing this razor-sharp logic, the surrounding Elders instantly grasped the Grand Elder’s intent.
At this moment, the Second Elder, who had maintained a stony silence, finally spoke.
“The logic is sound, but it cannot entirely wash away the suspicion!”
“Should we not prepare our defenses? Formulate a response to the inevitable interrogations from the surviving factions?”
“Interrogations?”
“Is the Holy Son of the Purple Mansion Holy Land someone who can be interrogated over mere rumors and baseless suspicion?”
“Speaking of suspicion, among those who have stepped into this chaotic era to fight for Heaven’s Mandate, who is free of sin?”
“I could just as easily claim this was Jiang Bufan’s handiwork!”
“His goal? To sweep away the competition and orchestrate a death trap to cull the younger generation’s Heavenly Talents.”
“Do not forget, the Holy Son of our Purple Mansion Holy Land is a peerless Heavenly Talent.”
“And what defines a Heavenly Talent?”
“They are geniuses who have yet to fully mature.”
“Because he is not fully matured, it is fundamentally impossible for him to orchestrate an apocalypse on the scale of today’s events.”
“To catch a thief, one needs the stolen goods. Such grand accusations require ironclad evidence of the Dao.”
“If anyone attempts to forcefully dump this bucket of filth upon our Holy Son’s head without proof, they will find the Purple Mansion Holy Land is no easy prey.”
With those tyrannical words, the lingering dread in the Elders’ hearts was largely laid to rest.
When the dust settled, perhaps some shrewd figures would deduce the truth.
But what if they did? Could they truly march into the Purple Mansion Holy Land and demand an arrest based on mere speculation?
Sweeping a gaze across the entirety of the Middle Heavens, no single faction possessed the gall or the might for such a demand—not even the Kunlun Holy Land.
Seeing the hesitation purged from their eyes, the Grand Elder spoke with absolute calm.
“Our average age borders on two thousand years.”
“Having survived this long, you should understand the laws of survival.”
“Danger and opportunity walk hand in hand. Without the courage to shoulder the heavens, how could our Purple Mansion Holy Land ever hope to recruit such brilliant, heaven-defying Heavenly Talents?”