Chapter 80: Scathing Reprimand of the Third Princess, The Three Great Beauties of the Middle Heaven
Chapter 80 – Scathing Reprimand of the Third Princess, The Three Great Beauties of the Middle Heaven
“Did I not command you to speak without obfuscation?”
“Why must you remain so willfully deaf?”
“Your station does not grant you the right to know my lineage. If your curiosity burns so fiercely, seek the truth from your master.”
“Should she deign to enlighten you, then you are worthy of the knowledge.”
“If she chooses silence, then you are left only with your own conjectures. If you pierce the veil, you possess wit; if you remain in the dark, you are merely a fool.”
Hearing Chen Changsheng’s dismissal, Ye Hensheng’s lips trembled, yet he found no words to continue his inquiry.
Having dealt with one, Chen Changsheng turned his gaze toward the predatory eagerness in Su Tian’s eyes.
“He sought my history. And you? What do you seek?”
“I seek a challenge!”
Su Tian’s voice was a calm lake, hiding the currents of his ambition.
Chen Changsheng offered a slow, measured nod. “A youth with the gall to strive against the heavens. Commendable.”
“However, in your current state, you are not qualified to stand before me.”
“Then tell me: how does one become qualified?”
“It is simple. Do you know of the Three Great Beauties of the Middle Heavens?”
“I do,” Su Tian replied instantly.
“Zi Ning, the Saintess of the Purple Mansion. Gongsun Huaiyu of the Seventy-Two Wolf Smoke. And Yao Yingying of the No Hatred Pavilion.”
“These three are the acknowledged paragons of the Middle Heavens’ younger generation.”
“Their beauty could topple kingdoms, and their mastery of the cultivation arts is unparalleled in this world. To call them peerless in both talent and form is no overstatement.”
“Excellently put,” Chen Changsheng agreed, his voice laced with a thin layer of approval. “It seems you have spent some effort studying the tapestry of power within the Middle Heavens.”
“Once you have crushed all three of them in battle, only then will you possess the standing to challenge me.”
Su Tian’s eyelids twitched at the sheer audacity of the demand.
“Are you truly so formidable?”
“Whether I am strong or not is a question even I cannot answer with certainty.”
“I have laid eyes upon only one of those three; the others are but whispers to me.”
“But this I know: if the whim took me, I could string up the Purple Mansion Saintess and discipline her like a wayward child.”
Faced with Chen Changsheng’s terrifyingly casual tone, Su Tian’s resolve hardened into steel.
“I will do it. I will strike them down, and then I will return for you.”
Having neutralized the two promising youths, Chen Changsheng’s gaze shifted to the simmering indignation of Zuo Jing.
Seeing her turn had come, Zuo Jing did not wait for him to speak. She surged forward, her voice sharp with accusation.
“Why do you hide your strength like a coward just to mock us? Even if you—”
“Who gave you leave to open your mouth in my presence?”
The question was a blade of pure contempt, slicing through Zuo Jing’s sentence.
Under the weight of Chen Changsheng’s gaze, the fire in her heart was instantly snuffed out by a cold, primordial fear.
For reasons she could not grasp, she found it impossible to maintain eye contact with him.
“You are the Third Princess of the Xuanwu Kingdom. In your own lands, your blood is considered noble, but here, it grants you no right to question me.”
“Your royal title is a currency that only spends within your own borders. To those beyond, it is worthless dross.”
“Outside your kingdom, upon the stage of the Heavenly Talent Assembly, your only capital is the strength of your own cultivation.”
“I know your thoughts. You believe I treat you like a jester for my own amusement.”
“I have no interest in such trivialities, but you may embrace that delusion if you wish—for in my eyes, you are indeed indistinguishable from a clown.”
Zuo Jing bit her lip so hard she drew blood.
From the moment of her birth, she had never known such stinging humiliation.
Chen Changsheng watched her, his lip curling in a sneer. “What is this? Are you prepared to weep?”
“Tsk, tsk.”
“Is this the caliber of a Xuanwu Kingdom talent?”
“Tell me, have you truly been weaned from your mother’s milk?”
“I challenge you!”
The roar of shame finally broke from Zuo Jing’s throat.
Faced with her outburst, the disdain on Chen Changsheng’s face only deepened.
“Your behavior is growing increasingly infantile. However, since you are on the verge of tears, I shall grant your pathetic wish.”
“Su Tian, show her how ruthless the world truly is.”
Su Tian hesitated, his expression flickering with doubt.
“What? Does your heart falter?”
“The Emperor of the Xuanwu Kingdom bestowed upon you the title of One-Character Coequal Prince because he recognized your transcendent potential.”
“Seeking shelter within the Xuanwu Kingdom is merely a ‘wise bird choosing the strongest branch,’ but the Emperor did not buy you to be a palace cur.”
“Do you comprehend the true nature of the Heavenly Talent Assembly?”
“It is a brutal struggle for the Great Dao. Every living soul within your vision is a foe; there are no allies.”
“You must not only contest against the geniuses of your own era, but also against the monsters of the previous age.”
“Your own Emperor, Zuo Xinghe, for example.”
“He is a cultivator. So long as neither of you falls on this path, your destinies will inevitably collide.”
“How do you intend to act when that day arrives?”
Su Tian fell into a profound silence, his mind churning as he dissected Chen Changsheng’s cold logic.
Beside him, Zuo Jing grew frantic. Su Tian was the rising star of her nation; if he were subverted by this man’s words, the consequences would be catastrophic.
“You speak madness! My Imperial Father holds Brother Su in the highest esteem! How could he ever raise a hand against him?”
“It is an immutable fact of the Dao,” Chen Changsheng replied.
“You cannot represent the Xuanwu Kingdom, and your father is not its eternal avatar.”
“The kingdom can endure without you, and it can endure without him, but it cannot survive without a Pathfinder.”
“Without a guide to lead it toward the heights, the Xuanwu Kingdom has only one destination: total annihilation.”
“Both your father and Su Tian aspire to be that guide, and both wish the other to yield the path. As for who ultimately seizes the mantle, that remains for fate to decide.”
Having delivered his sermon, Chen Changsheng returned to stroking his dog.
Su Tian looked up, his eyes now devoid of hesitation. He stepped toward Zuo Jing.
“Third Princess, I ask you to step outside.”
Zuo Jing, seeing the bridge had been burned, snapped back stubbornly, “What ‘Pathfinder’ nonsense! I will prove I am stronger than all of you!”
She spun on her heel and stormed out, intent on proving her worth against Su Tian.
As the theater of conflict began, Chen Changsheng’s interest spiked.
He produced a small wooden stool, sprinted to the threshold of the door, and sat down comfortably, arranging a spread of melon seeds and spiritual snacks beside him.
The clash of auras naturally drew the attention of the other Eastern Wasteland geniuses.
“Brother Su, let us sit and resolve this through discourse.”
“Indeed! The Third Princess is merely prone to tantrums; do not take her words to heart.”
A group of Xuanwu Kingdom talents began to cluster around, attempting to stifle the fight. This did not sit well with the spectator at the door.
“Su Tian, why do you hesitate? Are you not embarrassed enough?”
“Most delegations bring one or two elite talents. Only the Eastern Wasteland arrived with a dozen useless gluttons.”
“If you do not prune these mundane rice-vessels, the world will think you came here merely to scavenge a free meal!”
Incensed by Chen Changsheng fanning the flames, several geniuses from the Eastern Wasteland turned on him, their faces twisted in rage. Five of them lunged forward to teach him a lesson.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before they could even breach Chen Changsheng’s personal space, a blur of motion intercepted them, sending them spiraling through the air.
The figure came to a halt—it was Su Tian.
He looked down at his fallen comrades, his voice devoid of emotion.
“The Xuanwu Kingdom requires only me. The rest of you… begone.”