Chapter 99: We Are All Family; Chen Changsheng
Chapter 99 – We Are All Family; Chen Changsheng
Listening to Chen Changsheng’s heavy words, Ye Hensheng replied with calm reverence, “I understand Senior Uncle’s profound meaning.”
“If Senior Uncle did not hold out hope for us, you would not have wasted your breath reprimanding us.”
“Our performance at the Heavenly Talent Assembly might be considered passable, but in the true contention for the Great Dao, we are not even worthy of being mere cannon fodder.”
“Now that the heaven and earth have undergone such cataclysmic shifts, no one knows how the future paths of cultivation will unfold.”
“But one truth remains absolute: from this chaos, a singular supreme sovereign will inevitably rise.”
“This path will be paved with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, built upon the bleached bones of countless geniuses. Senior Uncle wishes for us to shoulder a fraction of this celestial weight so our masters do not have to.”
Having spoken, Ye Hensheng remained kneeling, his head deeply bowed in submission.
Chen Changsheng clicked his tongue and mused, “It seems you grasp the underlying Dao, but tell me, am I not being a bit too cruel?”
“Forcing a flock of fledglings to bear such a ruinous burden is somewhat unreasonable, wouldn’t you say?”
“Senior Uncle, such a thought has never crossed our minds.”
“Had you not intervened today, we would have forever remained ignorant, cowering beneath the shelter of our elders’ wings.”
“Although our seniors shield us out of love, we refuse to wither as fragile flowers raised in a gentle courtyard.”
“Even if our flesh is pulverized and our Dao dissipates into the Void, we would rather meet our end marching on the bloody path forward.”
Witnessing the blazing determination in Ye Hensheng’s eyes, Chen Changsheng nodded in satisfaction.
“Excellent. Your conviction proves I did not misjudge your character.”
“The looming contention for the Great Dao is not merely a clash of Heavenly Talents, but a brutal war between the primordial forces standing behind them.”
“Every living soul breathing beneath these heavens will find it impossible to escape this ruinous tribulation.”
“Su Tian possesses a one-track mind; his brute force makes him a sharp blade, but he lacks the profound vision required to govern a sovereign domain.”
“Although Gongsun Huaiyu is sharp and fierce, her scope is narrow; she is destined to be a vanguard general, nothing more.”
“Only you act with steady calculation and meticulous foresight. You are the perfect candidate to act as a grand strategist.”
Hearing this assessment, Ye Hensheng’s eyebrows shot up in excitement. “Senior Uncle, have you already selected a champion for us to follow?”
“Indeed, I have one in mind. A name you should be quite familiar with.”
“He is the supreme commander of the Seventy-Two Wolf Smoke, Wu Li.”
Ye Hensheng: ???
Absolute bewilderment washed over Ye Hensheng’s face at the mention of this candidate.
Whether weighed by sect loyalty or personal ties, why would his Senior Uncle ever select a complete outsider?!
Could it be that the Seventy-Two Wolf Smoke shared some hidden, abyssal connection with his Senior Uncle?
Or had the old monster simply taken a perverse liking to Gongsun Huaiyu?
Countless wild theories violently crashed through Ye Hensheng’s mind.
Catching his turbulent expression, Chen Changsheng chuckled. “Cease your overthinking. I chose Wu Li not because of any deep-seated karma between us, but because he actually possesses the ruthless capital required to vie for the absolute peak.”
“Setting Wu Li aside, whether it be your two masters or Emperor Zuo of the Xuanwu Kingdom, they all inherently lack a crucial, sovereign edge.”
“Since we have waded this deep into the waters, I might as well unveil a few buried secrets from that era.”
“Take your Second Master, for instance. Although I address him as Senior Brother, he was nothing more than a snot-nosed child when he entered as a Novice.”
“I personally imparted a fraction of his foundational skills, and his entire ruthless methodology was mimicking my shadow.”
“As for your First Master, my understanding of her Dao is similarly profound.”
“Back when she was merely a vicious little she-wolf, we crossed paths and exchanged blows.”
“I violently beat her back into her true, primal form, and then shaved every single hair from her stubborn wolf skull. I’d say that grants me a rather intimate understanding of her nature.”
Ye Hensheng: !!!
Hearing this heaven-shaking gossip, Ye Hensheng’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
If the revelation regarding his Second Master was shocking, the truth about his First Master was utterly apocalyptic!
He was intimately acquainted with his First Master’s volcanic temper. To think this Senior Uncle had actually dared to shave her sacred fur!
No wonder he had been bestowed the name ‘Hensheng’—one who hates life. The origins of that resentment finally made terrifying sense!
“Gulp!”
Swallowing heavily, a raging inferno of burning curiosity ignited within Ye Hensheng’s eyes.
“And what of Emperor Zuo?”
“Zuo Xinghe’s tale is far simpler. Centuries ago, a certain matter drove me to take refuge within the Xuanwu Kingdom.”
“During that chaotic era, nine princes were locked in a blood-soaked struggle for the imperial throne.”
“Zuo Xinghe, the eldest prince at the time, sought me out and essentially forced the title of State Preceptor upon my head.”
“He had barely passed his hundredth year back then, yet he followed me around like a lost pup from dawn until dusk. I was nearly driven mad by his incessant chattering.”
“So, do you still question my qualifications to judge their limits?”
Staring at Chen Changsheng’s amused grin, Ye Hensheng’s mouth twitched violently.
Of course you are qualified. If an old monster like you lacks the qualifications, then no one in this Vast Heaven is worthy.
Suppressing his internal grievances, Ye Hensheng asked, “Then how does the Seventy-Two Wolf Smoke fit into all this?”
“Senior Uncle, do not tell me you were secretly one of the founding patriarchs of the Seventy-Two Wolf Smoke?”
“Of course not.”
“Haa…”
Hearing this direct denial, Ye Hensheng exhaled a long breath of relief. His Senior Uncle already wore a terrifying number of masks.
“However, Wu Li’s foundational Dao was personally forged by my hand.”
Ye Hensheng: ???
“The notorious bandit king Wu Li, whose name strikes terror across the Middle Heavens, is actually your disciple?!”
“Doesn’t that mean Gongsun Huaiyu should technically be addressing you as Grandmaster?!”
“Theoretically, yes. But I have never formally accepted a disciple in my life.”
Chen Changsheng’s utterly indifferent tone left Ye Hensheng entirely speechless. The tyrannical warlord Wu Li, a calamity that even the supreme Holy Lands struggled to suppress, was actually molded by his Senior Uncle.
Just how many heaven-defying secrets does this Old Monster still hide?
Following a brief wave of profound shock, the last lingering knot of hesitation in Ye Hensheng’s Dao heart dissolved.
Although he implicitly trusted his Senior Uncle’s vision, being abruptly ordered to wager his life assisting a complete stranger had felt instinctively repulsive.
But realizing the unbreakable karmic ties between Wu Li and Chen Changsheng completely shifted the paradigm.
His Senior Uncle was a true pillar of the Shangqing Temple. Therefore, his Senior Uncle’s direct inheritor was essentially an extension of their own lineage.
Calculated by the strict hierarchy of the Dao, Wu Li was effectively his Senior Brother!
How could aiding his own Senior Brother ever be considered bleeding for an outsider?
This was simply consolidating their own family’s supreme authority.
Breaking the silence, Chen Changsheng stood up and languidly stretched his limbs. “Alright, I have spoken my piece. How you choose to weave this Dao-array is entirely up to you.”
“You still possess a fleeting window to temper your strength. Grasp it tightly. I have errands to run in the mundane world.”
“Senior Uncle, wait!”
“Is there another complication?”
“Senior Uncle, there is one minor detail I am incredibly curious about,” Ye Hensheng ventured, a flattering smile plastered across his face. “This junior has come to grasp a sliver of your true temperament.”
“Given your weary disposition, you generally despise wading into these murky, mortal squabbles. What underlying truth compels you to take such a profound interest in this Great Dao contention?”
Taking in Ye Hensheng’s eager, gossipy expression, a wickedly sharp smile curled the corner of Chen Changsheng’s lips.
“There is indeed a singular, fundamental reason. The Holy Lord of the Kunlun Holy Land, Jiang Bufan, shares a rather deep blood feud with me. I will, in all likelihood, be forced to completely eradicate him.”
Ye Hensheng: ???
“Senior Uncle, please do not joke like that. This is no laughing matter!”
“Competing for the Great Dao means merely brushing against the edges of a Holy Land’s wrath. Slaughtering their reigning Holy Lord guarantees an irreconcilable, eternal war of annihilation!”
“Who is joking? I am deadly serious.”
“Gulp!”
Choking down another mouthful of saliva, Ye Hensheng asked through a violently twitching mouth, “Exactly how deep does this karmic grudge run?”
“Unless my soul shatters, or his lineage is erased, this blood debt has no end.”
“Senior Uncle… is it too late for me to sever ties and flee?”
“Far too late. I warned you before that morbid curiosity is a fatal flaw, yet your Dao heart remains painfully stubborn.”
“Last time, I dragged you into the shadow of the Seventy-Two Wolf Smoke. Today, I’ve tethered your fate to the destruction of the Kunlun Holy Land. I am genuinely curious to see if you will ever experience a peaceful night’s sleep again.”
Leaving the terrifying revelation hanging in the air, Chen Changsheng turned and leisurely exited the room.
Ye Hensheng: “…”
You absolutely did this on purpose. With this mountain of apocalyptic secrets weighing on my soul, I’d have to be a corpse to find any sleep!
……