Chapter 148: The Purple Mansion Holy Lord is Kidnapped, Third Elder Questions Chen Changsheng
Chapter 148 – The Purple Mansion Holy Lord is Kidnapped, Third Elder Questions Chen Changsheng
Processing Chen Changsheng’s ruthless logic, Zi Ning spoke up.
“Sir, if the almighty powers disdain slaughter, why do the major forces constantly wage war?”
“Sigh.”
“I never claimed they do not kill.”
Chen Changsheng decisively shattered Zi Ning’s misconception, his tone flat.
“I said they abhor the sensation of slaughter. I did not say their hands are clean.”
“It is precisely because of this revulsion that they weave schemes to circumvent direct conflict.”
“After all, in the act of reaping lives, one’s own pieces are inevitably lost from the board.”
“But when the web of deception fails to ensnare their prey, they will not hesitate to draw their blades once more.”
“And when they do, their wrath will be far more merciless, far more absolute than yours!”
“A swift eradication is vastly superior to a lingering feud. Annihilating the root saves endless future troubles.”
Zi Ning: “……”
What a twisted interpretation of “a swift eradication.” She had certainly broadened her horizons today.
“Enough. I have laid bare the truths of this world. Whether you comprehend them is your own burden.”
“Now, return to your duties. If the plundered spoils are meager, how will you justify the mountain of corpses you just forged?”
“You may look down upon such worldly wealth, but can the subordinates who bled for you afford to do the same?”
Hearing this, Zi Ning and Gongsun Huaiyu immediately dashed toward the distant battlefield.
Wallowing in guilt over heavy killing karma was a “trivial” indulgence, fine for fleeting moments of melancholy.
But dividing the spoils of war was a paramount endeavor that brooked no delay.
The battlefield was swiftly scoured clean. Chen Changsheng led his retinue away, leaving behind nothing but a colossal, blood-soaked mass grave.
The war had erupted with heaven-shaking fury, yet it concluded with a chilling silence.
Perhaps this was merely the mundane reality of the cultivation world.
……
Upon returning to the Purple Mansion Holy Land, Chen Changsheng’s days settled into a visibly tranquil rhythm.
From the highest Elder to the lowest disciple, not a single soul within the Holy Land dared harbor a shred of doubt toward him anymore.
With no fools seeking to provoke him, Chen Changsheng naturally reveled in the peace.
After imparting the new cultivation method to Zi Ning, he plunged headfirst into the vast archives of the Purple Mansion Holy Land.
Concurrently, this battle cemented the absolute prestige of Chen Changsheng and the younger generation of the Holy Land.
A thousand warriors carving a path of blood across a thousand miles, obliterating three major factions within a mere twelve hours.
To forge such a terrifying legend with nothing but a vanguard of youths—while perhaps not unprecedented since the dawn of time, it was an unmatched feat in the past five centuries.
The vicious martial prowess of the Purple Mansion disciples and the shrewd stratagems of their commanders were seared into the minds of all observing factions.
Yet, if the disciples’ unified front was an eye-opening spectacle, Chen Changsheng’s personal display of might was an earth-shattering revelation.
Single-handedly repelling the Kunlun Holy Land’s six Elders and their Holy Son, followed by three consecutive strikes that forced the entire Kunlun Holy Land into submission.
Such a sovereign display of power was utterly unprecedented across the Middle Heavens in the last ten thousand years.
Eclipsed by this blinding glory, countless would-be challengers hastily smothered their ambitions.
However, this serene existence only lasted a month before it was brutally shattered by a roar of thunderous fury.
“Chen Changsheng, drag yourself out here this instant!”
The overwhelming pressure made the very foundations of the Purple Mansion Holy Land shudder, mildly startling Chen Changsheng, who was leisurely reading atop a tree.
Aroused by the commotion, Zi Ning and Gongsun Huaiyu emerged from Secluded Cultivation.
Soon, the entire younger generation of the Holy Land converged on the scene.
“Third Elder, what has provoked such ire?”
Gazing at the furious old man, Zi Ning felt a sharp headache forming.
The Third Elder possessed the most volatile temper and harbored the deepest, most venomous hostility toward the Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes in the entire Holy Land.
The Third Elder wholly ignored Zi Ning’s attempt at mediation.
Sweeping his murderous gaze across the crowd, his eyes locked onto Gongsun Huaiyu, who was casually watching the spectacle.
“Demoness! I care not what foul arts you employed to bewitch this Holy Land, but as long as I, Lin Kaishan, draw breath, your kind will find no sanctuary for arrogance here.”
“Tell Chen Changsheng to crawl out and face me.”
Hearing Lin Kaishan’s blatant disrespect toward Chen Changsheng, Gongsun Huaiyu’s amusement vanished, replaced by icy disdain.
“You decrepit old fossil!”
“Slander my Sir with one more breath, and I’ll shatter every tooth in your withered skull!”
With a flick of her wrist, Gongsun Huaiyu surged forward to clash with Lin Kaishan.
Seeing this, the surrounding disciples frantically moved to restrain her.
Just then, Chen Changsheng’s voice drifted languidly from afar.
“Huaiyu, this is the Third Elder. Where are your manners?”
At the sound of his voice, the crowd instantly parted like a sundered sea, bowing and cupping their fists in deep reverence.
“Greetings, Holy Son!”
Witnessing Chen Changsheng’s supreme authority over the disciples, Lin Kaishan’s eyes narrowed into slits as he sneered.
“What a magnificent display, Chen Changsheng. In mere months, you have forced the proudest talents of my Purple Mansion to kneel at your feet. I truly underestimated your venom.”
“Hehehe.”
“Third Elder jests. This is nothing more than the mutual respect shared among fellow disciples.”
“I harbor them within my Dao heart, and naturally, they elevate me in return.”
“Yet I see the Third Elder is ablaze with fury, harboring deep grievances against me. Might this Junior ask what profound offense I have committed?”
In response, Lin Kaishan violently hurled a parchment envelope at him.
“If you fail to provide an adequate explanation, I swear you will not walk out of the Purple Mansion Holy Land alive today.”
Catching the missive, Chen Changsheng unsealed it casually before the watchful eyes of the crowd.
However, as the contents were laid bare for the surrounding disciples to read, every mouth present began to violently twitch.
The message was breathtakingly crude, boiling down to a single threat: We have kidnapped your Holy Lord. Pay the ransom, or we spill his blood.
Horrified by the implication, Zi Ning tugged at Gongsun Huaiyu’s sleeve, whispering frantically, “You thieving wench, what is the meaning of this? Is this a misunderstanding?”
“I have no idea!”
“My Master never mentioned a word of this. It absolutely wasn’t the doing of the Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes! I’ll dispatch a spiritual missive to inquire immediately.”
Before Gongsun Huaiyu could manifest a jade slip, Chen Changsheng raised a hand, smoothly arresting her movement.
“Save your breath. This is unmistakably the handiwork of the Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes.”
“The parchment bears their unique soul-mark. No outsider could forge it.”
Hearing Chen Changsheng confess on their behalf, the disciples who had prepared to violently defend his honor suddenly swallowed their words, choked by the sheer absurdity.
In a panic, Zi Ning implored, “Sir, the Purple Mansion Holy Land and the Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes have no blood feud between them!”
“Could you perhaps mediate and persuade them to release my Master? After all… this entire affair is utterly farcical.”
Zi Ning utilized the most delicate tone imaginable to mask the humiliation, but upon hearing her plea, Chen Changsheng became visibly “enraged.”
“Preposterous! What manner of cowardice is this?!”
“How can our glorious Purple Mansion Holy Land bow to a rabble of thieving bandits like the Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes? Wait here while I pen a response. I will show that Wu Li the unyielding iron will of our Holy Land!”
With a sovereign flourish of his hand, Chen Changsheng manifested a brush and slashed a few bold characters across the ransom note.
“Not a single coin. Handle it however you see fit!”
The crowd: “……”
Are you just trying to get the Holy Lord assassinated so you can usurp the throne?!
……