Chapter 198: The Last Chance, Chen Shisan I Don’t Want a Way Out
Chapter 198 – The Last Chance, Chen Shisan I Don’t Want a Way Out
Faced with Chen Changsheng’s ruthless demand, Chen Shisan showed absolutely no reaction.
Because he had originally planned to march into the Buddhist Kingdom to wait for Chen Changsheng anyway.
However, while Chen Shisan remained oblivious to the lethal currents ahead, Tian Xuan—the young master of the Xuan Bird clan—understood the terrifying reality.
“Sir, this journey is unimaginably treacherous. With our meager strength…”
“I know.”
Before Tian Xuan could finish his warning, Chen Changsheng’s voice, devoid of any warmth, cut him off.
“Tian Xuan, among the three of you, your worldly experience is the deepest. Your assessment of the danger is flawless.”
“A cataclysm has indeed struck the Buddhist Kingdom. The entire Northern Desert is twisting into a massive vortex of slaughter.”
“With your current foundations, diving into that maelstrom will end in your total annihilation.”
“Yet my command remains unchanged: plunge into the Buddhist Kingdom and find me.”
“If the terror is too much, you may turn your backs and walk away right now.”
Faced with Chen Changsheng’s icy ultimatum, Tian Xuan fell into a heavy silence.
Beside them, Qian Baoer forced a hollow laugh. “Sir, even if you wish to temper us through life-and-death trials, shouldn’t you impart some lifesaving arts first?”
“With our current cultivation, plunging into the Buddhist Kingdom is simply throwing our lives away, isn’t it?”
“Correct. I am ordering you to throw your lives away.”
Chen Changsheng’s suffocating apathy left Qian Baoer choking on her words, utterly paralyzed.
Sweeping an indifferent gaze over the three silent youths, Chen Changsheng continued. “This path is paved in blood, and the road is agonizingly long.”
“Furthermore, reaching the Buddhist Kingdom is not the finish line; it is merely the prologue to true suffering.”
“Therefore, these twenty thousand miles are not just a crucible—they are your window for regret. This is the final chance I am offering you to turn back.”
Hearing this, Chen Shisan, who had stood like a mute statue, finally spoke.
“Sir, you still haven’t explained why you suddenly appeared here.”
Chen Changsheng: ???
A rare look of genuine bewilderment shattered Chen Changsheng’s stoic facade.
“Wait, did you not process a single word I just said?”
“I heard every word.”
“This path is brutal, steeped in despair. You will likely die a miserable death.”
“And then?”
“‘And then?’ Facing such insurmountable peril, does your mind not even calculate the risk?”
Noting Chen Changsheng’s rare flicker of exasperation, Chen Shisan scratched the back of his head, his face a portrait of genuine confusion.
“To be completely honest, I’ve never understood why all of you treat this like a monumental dilemma.”
“If the road is treacherous, does that mean we just stop walking?”
“I haven’t walked the path of cultivation for long, so I cannot comprehend the intricate schemes of cultivators.”
“I only know that countless mortals in this world live in an endless abyss of suffering.”
“Those ordinary people walk a road soaked in blood and tears every day, yet I have never seen them stop!”
At those words, Tian Xuan, whose gaze had been fixed on the dirt, snapped his head up to stare at Chen Shisan.
Once again, this seemingly simple-minded youth had delivered a profound shock to his Dao heart.
Hearing this, the stern grimace on Chen Changsheng’s face melted into a sudden, booming laugh.
“Hahaha!”
“What a brilliant observation—’I have never seen them stop.’ Chen Shisan, you never fail to exceed my expectations.”
“The grand principle holds true, yet you possess one luxury those mortals do not: a way out.”
“You hold the privilege of choice. They are trapped by fate, a herd whipped forward by the cruel lash of survival…”
“Then I don’t want a way out.”
Chen Shisan’s voice, devoid of any hesitation, severed Chen Changsheng’s sentence.
Meeting his teacher’s eyes with frightening intensity, Chen Shisan declared, “Without a route of retreat, living beings are forced to sprint forward.”
“With a safe harbor behind them, living beings hesitate, paralyzed by comfort.”
“Therefore, I believe the ‘way out’ you speak of, Sir, is neither a blessing nor an alternative choice. It is a suffocating shackle on the Dao.”
“I refuse to halt my steps. Therefore, I reject any ‘way out’.”
A profound silence descended upon Chen Changsheng as he absorbed the sheer weight of Chen Shisan’s conviction.
Finally, Chen Changsheng pointed a finger toward the golden horizon, his tone returning to a frigid calm. “The Buddhist Kingdom is preparing to host a ‘Buddhist Affinity Assembly’.”
“However, their borders have been sealed for an epoch. Unlocking those ancient gates will require preparation.”
“By my calculations, it will take them exactly three years.”
“Three years is also the exact amount of time you will need to carve a bloody path to the Buddhist Kingdom.”
Having delivered his mandate, Chen Changsheng turned and strolled forward. Without missing a beat, Chen Shisan fell into step right behind him.
“Sir, aren’t you already standing right here?”
“Why demand that we march into the Buddhist Kingdom to find you?”
“This form before you is merely a wisp of my Divine Sense. My true physical vessel remains deep within the Buddhist Kingdom.”
“So that’s the trick!”
“That technique looks incredibly dominant. Could you impart it to me?”
“Naturally. But you must forge your foundation step by step.”
The casual banter between master and disciple slowly dissolved into the arid wind.
Watching their shrinking silhouettes, Tian Xuan gritted his teeth, buried his hesitation, and sprinted to catch up.
Tian Xuan advanced. Chen Shisan advanced. Of the three youths, only Qian Baoer remained rooted to the spot.
Staring at their retreating backs, Qian Baoer recalled a merciless truth Chen Changsheng had once delivered to her.
“His path, you cannot walk.”
Tian Xuan shouldered the crushing karma of resurrecting an entire ancient race. His avenues of retreat had been burnt to ash long ago; thus, he possessed the resolve to march into hell alongside Chen Changsheng.
Chen Shisan’s Dao heart was as pure as untarnished jade. From the very beginning, the concept of retreat did not exist in his mind; thus, he could follow Chen Changsheng with suicidal devotion.
But she was fundamentally different. She was the pampered “little princess” of the Wan Tong Chamber of Commerce.
From the moment she drew breath, she had been swaddled in resources and privileges others could only dream of. She had absolutely no need to throw her life into this meat grinder.
And it was precisely because of this soft foundation that she could not match their frenzied pace, nor could she survive the blood-soaked path they tread.
After an agonizing internal struggle, Qian Baoer finally took a trembling step forward.
She had no illusion of surviving to the end of this apocalyptic march, yet she was desperate to walk this path anyway.
A visceral instinct screamed from the depths of her soul: if she turned her back now, she would drown in regret for the rest of her mortal life.
……
BOOM!
A colossal beast, its carcass the size of a small mountain, crashed to the earth, kicking up a tidal wave of dust.
Tian Xuan slumped against a jagged boulder, his lungs violently pulling in ragged breaths.
Chen Shisan had completely surrendered to gravity, lying paralyzed in a pool of his own blood, his eyes squeezed shut while Qian Baoer frantically shoved healing Pills down his throat.
“Tsk, tsk!”
“This stalk of Five-Flavor Herb possesses at least three hundred years of medicinal essence. Your fortune is quite enviable.”
Chen Changsheng stood nearby, a beaming smile plastered on his face as he flaunted the freshly harvested spiritual herb, completely ignoring the mutilated state of his three disciples.
A quarter of an hour later, thanks to the potent medicinal efficacy of Qian Baoer’s Pills, Chen Shisan finally fluttered his eyes open, and Tian Xuan managed to scrape together a fraction of his depleted Qi.
“Have you finished catching your breath? Drag yourselves over here and eat.”
Hearing Chen Changsheng’s summon, the three youths hauled their pulverized bodies toward the makeshift camp.
The mountain-sized beast had already been expertly skinned, its bones shattered and tossed into a massive iron cauldron. The three-hundred-year-old Five-Flavor Herb had been casually tossed in by Chen Changsheng as a mere seasoning.
Pfft!
Chen Shisan, having just swallowed a mouthful of the scalding meat broth, violently projectile vomited.
The massive wooden bowl, as large as a washbasin, was instantly flooded with a thick layer of Chen Shisan’s own crimson blood.
Chen Shisan was severely injured!
His internal pathways were practically shredded. Even fueled by Qian Baoer’s premium Pills, he was still hovering over the abyss of death.
Yet, witnessing this gruesome display, Chen Changsheng simply stood on the sidelines with a serene, detached smile.
He offered not a single ounce of spiritual Qi to mend Chen Shisan’s dying body, nor did a single word of comfort leave his lips.
Gulp!
Forcing down the fresh wave of blood welling up his throat, Chen Shisan gritted his bloodstained teeth and continued to gulp down the boiling meat broth in massive, desperate swallows.
Watching the boys’ physical foundations crumble day by day, Qian Baoer finally hit her breaking point.
“Sir, this madness must stop!”
“This endless gauntlet of slaughter has reduced their bodies to a patchwork of shattered bones and ruptured meridians. If you push them any further, they will die!”
Hearing Qian Baoer’s desperate plea, Chen Changsheng clicked his tongue in mock contemplation.
“You make a valid point. We certainly cannot continue at this current pace. How can you expect to forge an invincible foundation if you just lazily muddle through your days?”
“To prevent complacency from rotting your bones, I’ve prepared a small surprise for you all. I’m certain you will find it… exhilarating.”
Qian Baoer: “……”
You absolute lunatic, you actually intend to torture them to death!