Chapter 191: Xuan Xin’s Demonic Descent and the Agony of Living
Chapter 191 – Xuan Xin’s Demonic Descent and the Agony of Living
Confronted with Chen Changsheng’s answer, Xuan Xin fell silent for a moment before slowly resuming his meal.
Chen Changsheng simply watched him in quiet contemplation, waiting for the monk to finish the meager bowl in his hands.
After a long stretch of silence, Xuan Xin set down his bowl and chopsticks. “Have you found a suitable candidate?”
“More or less. Ascending the Road to Heaven is no simple feat, but he might just have a sliver of hope.”
“Do you actually want him to set foot upon the Road to Heaven?”
At this question, Chen Changsheng’s voice caught, plunging him into silence.
Sensing his old friend’s internal conflict, the corners of Xuan Xin’s lips curved upward into a faint smile.
“I have never doubted your eye for talent. If you say this person is qualified to walk the Road to Heaven, then he certainly possesses the qualifications.”
“But the greater question remains: are you truly willing to let him go?”
“Are you willing to sacrifice the life of one person close to you, just to save another?”
Chen Changsheng remained trapped in his silence, prompting Xuan Xin to continue.
“Back then, Wu Li deliberately left you behind for two reasons. First, to shield you from this karmic mess. Second, to ensure you could not stop him.”
“Everyone knows how deeply you abhor watching old friends pass away—or rather, seeing them die over ‘trivial’ matters.”
“Yet, in your eyes, the survival of the entire world is nothing more than a ‘trivial’ thing.”
“Because with Wu Li’s overwhelming strength and your unfathomable methods, no matter how this world crumbled, the two of you would endure.”
“Wu Li anticipated this flawlessly. That is why he secretly fled, taking everyone else along with him.”
“He knew he could never refuse you directly, which left him no other choice.”
Chen Changsheng finally looked up, his gaze distant. “Isn’t surviving better than any alternative?”
“Survival is not inherently a blessing.”
“Not everyone possesses a Dao heart as indestructible as yours.”
“Forget the boundless, infinite epochs; just a few short millennia is more than enough to crush most cultivators.”
“Wan Yan Yue, Song Yuanshan, and Zuo Xinghe—those three are relics of a bygone era.”
“Without your interference, their journeys would have rightly ended in that epoch.”
“Yet, because of your existence, they dragged their weary souls through thousands of extra years. For any mortal or living being, such unnatural stagnation is an agonizing torment.”
“You have lived for so unimaginably long; I refuse to believe you don’t intimately understand this agony.”
Chen Changsheng pursed his lips, the weight of the ages pressing down on his shoulders.
“I do understand. In fact, I predicted this exact outcome.”
“But merely seeing through the illusion of reality does not make it any easier to let go.”
“You yourself have endured these past few millennia. You see the truth perfectly, yet you still cling to it.”
“You haven’t just refused to let go; you are gripping it with white knuckles.”
“It is exactly because of this stubborn obsession that the once peerlessly handsome and arrogant demon monk, Xuan Xin, has deteriorated into this wretched state.”
Struck by Chen Changsheng’s ruthless assessment, it was Xuan Xin’s turn to fall into a heavy silence.
“Do you need my aid to escort you down the Road to Heaven once more?”
“Although I loathe the very thought of it, it is a karmic debt I owe you.”
“Forget it,” Chen Changsheng said, waving his hand dismissively. “You’ve held onto this singular breath of pure malice for thousands of years. Wasting its explosive yield on the Road to Heaven would be a pity.”
“I will find you a suitable opponent. A whetstone sharp enough to let you unleash this pent-up resentment.”
As he spoke, Chen Changsheng withdrew a plain wooden box and pushed it forward.
“Take this. It will suppress the festering demonic nature within your body.”
“If this corruption continues unchecked, you will metamorphose into an unprecedented, apocalyptic fiend.”
Running his calloused fingers over the smooth wood of the box, Xuan Xin spoke.
“Is this the Buddhist relic you utilized during the Heavenly Talent Assembly?”
“Yes. A keepsake left behind by an old friend.”
“That little monk possessed a genuinely compassionate heart. He would likely be overjoyed knowing his relic was being used to seal a demon like you.”
“Then I accept with thanks.”
Xuan Xin contentedly tucked the box into his robes, while Chen Changsheng leaned over and unceremoniously pried open the monk’s eyelids.
Deep within the hollow, empty sockets, densely packed golden Dao Patterns writhed and pulsed with ancient power.
For anyone with an insufficient foundation, a mere glance into that golden abyss would shred their divine sense, inducing crippling vertigo.
“Wu Li’s handiwork?”
“Indeed. Back then, I nearly lost all rationality. If Wu Li hadn’t intervened, I would have mercilessly slaughtered an entire city.”
Staring at the blind, eerily smiling Xuan Xin, Chen Changsheng released a soft sigh.
“Regarding the Heartless Fairy, you should…”
BOOM!
A suffocating torrent of boundless demonic Qi erupted, instantly suffocating and withering all the surrounding flora into ash.
The seemingly benevolent old monk was now a vortex of monstrous, world-ending malice.
“What? You want to slaughter me as well?”
“Is that forbidden?”
“Time may indeed erode many memories, but it also allows certain grudges to take deep, parasitic root.”
“By dragging up old ghosts, you are intentionally provoking my killing intent!”
Meeting Xuan Xin’s murderous aura with utter indifference, Chen Changsheng helplessly shook his head.
“Retract your aura. I won’t bring it up again.”
“I have no desire to cross blows with a lunatic who has been stewing in his own madness for millennia.”
Instantly, the terrifying demonic pressure vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the amiable, blind old monk.
“That is more like it.”
“Preaching grand Dao principles to a dying man like me is practically begging for a beating.”
Glancing sideways at the chuckling Xuan Xin, Chen Changsheng coldly replied, “After you finish venting this ‘resentment’ of yours, I sincerely hope you die quickly.”
“People like you dragging out your existence in this world are an absolute headache.”
“Rest assured, I have been anticipating that day. I have waited for it for a very, very long time.”
“Even ignoring the impossibility of my survival, if some supreme entity demanded that I keep living, I would spit in their face and refuse.”
Hearing the raw, morbid excitement bleeding into Xuan Xin’s voice, Chen Changsheng fell silent for a fleeting moment before turning to leave.
“Wait!”
The blind monk called out, halting Chen Changsheng’s retreating figure.
“What now? Any final words?”
“What final words could I possibly have? I merely have two small questions for you.”
“Speak. We are old acquaintances, after all. I will answer what I can.”
“The first question: why do you not conceal your deepest secret?”
“Eternal longevity is the absolute greatest temptation in this world. Are you truly unafraid of others harboring malicious, greedy intent toward you?”
Facing this profound inquiry, Chen Changsheng spoke without hesitation.
“The more desperately someone clings to life, the less they will ever know my secret. But for those eagerly seeking death? I have no desire to hide anything from them.”
“Because when a cultivator’s Dao heart is already prepared to welcome the final curtain, eternal life is nothing more than a cruel, sadistic torment.”
“For example, if I were to force you to live for a few thousand more years right this instant, what would you do?”
“I would kill you!”
Xuan Xin roared his answer without a fraction of a second’s hesitation.
“I have suffered in this rotting shell for thousands of years. Just as I am about to finally end this torment, you suddenly forcibly extend my agony for another few millennia?”
“If I didn’t slaughter you, my soul would never find peace!”
“Exactly,” Chen Changsheng replied coldly. “Which is why people like you knowing my secret is of no consequence.”
“Because I never have to worry that you would covet my immortality.”
“Hahaha!”
Hearing Chen Changsheng’s brutally logical deduction, Xuan Xin tipped his head back and laughed.
“You always analyze things with such terrifying clarity. It is no wonder you consistently manage to choose such peerless, heaven-defying talents.”