Chapter 166: The Path to Heaven, Nalan Xingde Enters the Mortal World
Chapter 166 – The Path to Heaven, Nalan Xingde Enters the Mortal World
Watching Chen Changsheng’s dismissive attitude, White Marsh found himself utterly at a loss for words.
The notion of the demon race reigning supreme over the world truly did sound utterly absurd.
……
An unnamed cavern.
Carefully fracturing the Longevity Blood Stone, Chen Changsheng guided a single drop of the Essence of All Things into Nalan Xingde’s parted lips.
The moment the Essence of All Things entered his body, a gentle, ethereal radiance bloomed from within Nalan Xingde.
Before their very eyes, Nalan Xingde’s shattered Meridians and withered bones began to reknit and forge anew.
Though this was his second time witnessing such a miraculous phenomenon, Chen Changsheng still could not suppress a sigh of profound amazement.
“Shedding the mortal body and exchanging the bones… such methods truly defy the heavens!”
“If the Nether Forest harbors such miraculous properties, then just how terrifyingly profound was the entity who created it?”
“Do not ask me. I am just a dog, I know absolutely nothing.”
White Marsh snapped back at Chen Changsheng, his tone dripping with petty grievance.
Noting that the beast was still sulking, Chen Changsheng chuckled softly before turning his divine intent to carefully observe Nalan Xingde’s condition.
An hour later, Nalan Xingde’s rebirth was complete.
His tightly shut eyelids fluttered, then slowly peeled open.
“Brat, you have slept quite long enough.”
Recognizing Chen Changsheng, Nalan Xingde hurriedly scrambled to his feet, clasping his hands in a deep bow. “Greetings, Teacher!”
“Dispense with these tiresome formalities. I despise them.”
“Since I am standing here, you should already know what I am going to ask.”
Sweeping his gaze over the unfamiliar surroundings, then settling on Chen Changsheng’s severe expression, Nalan Xingde offered a bitter smile.
“Teacher, before the Heavenly Emperor departed, he explicitly commanded me not to reveal a single word of his plans to you.”
“For you to press me now… are you not placing me in an impossible position?”
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng rolled his shoulders, a wooden disciplinary ruler suddenly manifesting in his grasp.
“Brat, Wu Li scurried off early, so I cannot properly discipline him.”
“Now you choose to heed his words over mine. Do you honestly believe I cannot discipline you?”
Realizing that Chen Changsheng was genuinely prepared to strike, Nalan Xingde hastily pleaded for mercy.
During his years at the Purple Mansion Holy Land, he had served as this man’s scholarly attendant.
Across the entirety of the Purple Mansion Holy Land, from the exalted Holy Master down to the lowliest outer disciple, there was not a single soul who did not harbor a deep-seated dread of the wooden ruler in Chen Changsheng’s hand.
He recalled a time when Wu Li had made an erroneous decree, only to be berated by Chen Changsheng for a full, agonizing hour.
Had Wu Li not already been a married man with a commanding presence, he likely would not have escaped a harsh thrashing from that very ruler.
Setting aside venerated figures like Wu Li, absolutely every member of the Purple Mansion Holy Land’s younger generation had tasted the sting of Chen Changsheng’s discipline.
This included both Zi Ning and Gongsun Huaiyu.
“Since you know fear, then speak the truth.”
“Why did Wu Li take everyone away? What exactly transpired?”
Crumpling under Chen Changsheng’s intense scrutiny, Nalan Xingde let out a heavy sigh and spoke.
“By that time, I was already entombed within the Longevity Blood Stone.”
“Therefore, I am not entirely certain of what befell the Holy Land. However, when Huaiyu came to sit beside me and speak to my sealed form, she revealed a few fragments.”
“The catalyst for all of this… began with a woman who arrived shortly after you, Teacher, departed from the Holy Land…”
……
Half an hour drifted by.
Nalan Xingde laid bare every detail he possessed.
Yet, as he pieced together the fragmented narrative, Chen Changsheng’s brows locked into a deep frown.
“The Lower Realm is incomplete?”
“This marks the second time I have heard this world referred to as the ‘Lower Realm.’ It seems the exodus of the three Holy Lands is inextricably linked to their true origins.”
“Let me ask you this: did Wu Li have absolute certainty in succeeding?”
Facing Chen Changsheng’s piercing gaze, Nalan Xingde offered a bleak smile. “Teacher, you understand the Heavenly Emperor far better than I. If he possessed even a shred of certainty, would he have gone to such lengths to conceal it from you?”
“Before their departure, Huaiyu came to bid me a final farewell.”
“Though her voice remained perfectly composed, I could hear it. She had already embraced the conviction of her own death.”
“Absurd!”
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng’s usually placid demeanor finally fractured, his temper flaring.
“I warned him time and time again. A campaign of such magnitude requires meticulous planning before acting.”
“Just how many years has he borne the Heaven’s Mandate? Yet he dares to lead countless lives into such a perilous slaughterhouse?”
“And Li Niansheng as well! Willingly participating in such utter foolishness with a junior!”
“Does she truly believe that after a few mere millennia, I can no longer discipline her?”
After venting the dark fury in his chest, Chen Changsheng thrust out his right hand.
“Hand it over.”
Seeing the gesture, Nalan Xingde’s bitter smile deepened.
“Teacher, the clue Huaiyu left for me was confiscated by the Heavenly Emperor. Furthermore, the Heavenly Path has been utterly severed. Even if we possessed the method, ascending is impossible.”
“I am not speaking of Gongsun Huaiyu’s clue. Since Fu Yao concealed you away, he undoubtedly left behind another route.”
“Now, will you hand it over after I beat it out of you, or will you offer it willingly?”
Cornered so thoroughly, Nalan Xingde knew further deception was futile.
Reaching into his robes, Nalan Xingde withdrew a pristine jade slip.
“Fu Yao stated that this hidden route is exceptionally narrow, barely allowing one or two individuals to traverse it.”
“Moreover, the moment this path is taken, it will collapse into the void, rendering it permanently invalid. Teacher, have you considered this clearly?”
Without a fraction of hesitation, Chen Changsheng snatched the jade slip from Nalan Xingde’s grasp, his voice turning cold.
“My considerations are none of your concern. What I want to know is how you plan to proceed.”
“Your wife’s fate hangs in the balance between life and death. As her husband, do you intend to simply wash your hands of it?”
Faced with Chen Changsheng’s interrogation, Nalan Xingde smiled, a sense of quiet relief washing over him.
“Teacher jests. I am but an ordinary mortal of the dust. What could I possibly accomplish?”
“My greatest aspiration has always been to simply walk the earth and witness its vastness.”
“My reluctance to surrender this jade slip to you, Teacher, stemmed entirely from a concern for your safety.”
“Speak plainly!”
“I intend to forge my own Dao, and then butcher every last soul who dared to raise a hand against my wife.”
“You have taken the only jade slip. How am I supposed to ascend now?”
Hearing this brazen declaration, Chen Changsheng barked a laugh.
“Truly, members of the same family share the same door. You are all a bunch of unyielding, stubborn mules.”
“Just moments ago, I casually helped you forge a Fountain within your body. You can now be considered a cultivator.”
“Having shed your mortal constraints, the path of cultivation is open to you. How far you tread upon it depends entirely on your own fortune.”
“So you may get lost now. Looking at you is beginning to annoy me.”
Unfazed by Chen Changsheng’s mock expulsion, Nalan Xingde bowed deeply in profound respect, then turned on his heel to depart.
“Halt.”
Before Nalan Xingde could reach the cavern’s exit, Chen Changsheng’s voice pulled him back.
“Do you possess enough cultivation resources? I still hold a surplus in my spatial ring.”
“Furthermore, it appears you lack any profound cultivation manuals.”
Hearing this, Nalan Xingde paused, tilting his head slightly with a serene smile. “Teacher, you have strolled unhindered along the grand river of time. I presume your foundation does not rely on mere resources or rigid techniques?”
“I have read my fair share of texts. Therefore, I wish to seek the fundamental truths of this world from within their pages.”
“To speak plainly, I believe cultivators should not be as hopelessly crude and barbaric as the Seventy-Two Wolf Smokes.”
“Hah!”
“Your cultivation is nonexistent, yet your arrogance knows no bounds. Why didn’t you speak such bold words in front of Gongsun Huaiyu?”
“I am a man who cherishes his wife. How could I possibly bear to bruise her feelings?”
“Fearing your wife is just fearing your wife. Do not dress your cowardice in such grand robes.”
“I will uncover another path to the heavens for you, lest you accuse me of stealing your rightful opportunity.”
“Since you wish to walk your own Dao, then begone!”
“When the day arrives that your Great Dao is fully realized, I will come and act as your student, just to see what kind of Dao you have truly forged.”
Absorbing these parting words, Nalan Xingde turned his back, striding confidently out of the cavern and stepping firmly into the turbulent grit of the mortal world.
……
“Sigh…”
Following Nalan Xingde’s departure, Chen Changsheng let out a weary sigh.
“Every last one of them… nothing but a headache.”
“Let us depart. We must go collect the corpses of those stubborn mules. A falling leaf must eventually return to its roots.”
“How could I ever allow them to drift in the lonely, endless void forever?”
……