Chapter 560: The Virtuous Are Roadblockers
No one could see his expression at that moment—whether it was indignation, resentment, or a blank mask.
Time had truly changed too many things.
In this short span of one year, Zhong Hui’s cultivation realm had advanced by leaps and bounds, and he now ranked fourth on the Golden Roll.
Yet, his former competitor was no longer on the same level.
This wasn’t about cultivation realm, but about status and position.
Even if their strength were similar, would Zhong Hui dare show any disrespect to Chen Changsheng?
The mountain path remained utterly silent.
Countless pairs of eyes fell upon Chen Changsheng.
He did not speak, so Zhong Hui had to maintain his bowing posture.
A hint of mockery curled at the corner of Tang Thirty-Six’s lips as he prepared to say something.
Zhe Xiu shook his head.
Time passed slowly. The steward from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion furrowed his brow slightly. No one dared to criticize Chen Changsheng, but many must have had their own thoughts.
Chen Changsheng wasn’t deliberately humiliating Zhong Hui; he simply hadn’t reacted in time, never expecting the other to bow to him.
Even outside the town at the foot of the mountain, where believers knelt like surging tides, he still lacked the self-awareness of being the future Pope.
Suddenly, sharp intakes of breath echoed along the mountain path.
Because Chen Changsheng moved.
He clasped his hands, bowed, and returned the salute to Zhong Hui—flawless in form, without a trace of disrespect.
Given his current status, when Zhong Hui bowed to him with such reverence, he only needed to say a faint “rise.” But he returned the gesture with great seriousness, using the etiquette of equals.
The frozen atmosphere instantly thawed. People looked at Chen Changsheng, deeply moved, silently praising him.
All were pleased—except Tang Thirty-Six. In a voice only Chen Changsheng and Zhe Xiu could hear, he said, “Is this what happens when you read too much?”
Chen Changsheng looked at him and asked, “What do you mean?”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “You turn into someone like Gou Hanshi.”
Chen Changsheng said, “Thank you.”
In his view, becoming someone like Gou Hanshi was certainly a compliment.
Tang Thirty-Six sneered, “Hypocrite.”
Chen Changsheng paused, shook his head helplessly, and continued forward along the mountain path.
The hundred or so cultivators entering the Cold Mountain naturally followed behind him, no one daring to walk ahead.
The procession on the path now had some momentum, but they hadn’t gone far before stopping again.
This time, it wasn’t because an old acquaintance with a story involving Chen Changsheng appeared on the path. It was because someone had deliberately blocked the way in the middle.
Chen Changsheng didn’t recognize that person, but many did.
Fifth on the Carefree Roll, the youngest general of the Demon race, and hailed—aside from Her Highness Luoluo—as the most talented powerhouse on both sides of the Red River in a century.
This Demon powerhouse had a very cute name—Xiao De.
But everyone who knew him knew that this Demon powerhouse was anything but cute; he was terrifying.
“You’re Chen Changsheng?”
Xiao De looked at him, the black hair at his temples fluttering high, his gaze carrying a natural toughness.
Chen Changsheng was tired of this question, even with his patience far exceeding ordinary people’s, so he merely nodded without speaking.
But in Xiao De’s eyes, Chen Changsheng’s silence was an insult.
Or perhaps he had been waiting for Chen Changsheng to insult him, so he could seize the chance to explode.
“I’m going to beat you to death,” he said to Chen Changsheng with great seriousness.
In his clear, clean pupils, a flash of yellowish-brown light suddenly surged, and an immensely powerful, terrifying aura emanated from his body.
Chen Changsheng didn’t understand. Clearly, this Demon powerhouse was targeting him specifically. Of course, the man couldn’t really beat him to death; he deliberately spoke such violent, unreasonable words and put on this crude act just to humiliate him.
The problem was that, because of Luoluo, his relationship with the Demon race had always been good. Last autumn, he had even received honors from the White Emperor’s City.
Everyone on the mountain path watched the scene closely. As Chen Changsheng thought, everyone knew this Demon powerhouse couldn’t actually beat Chen Changsheng to death. But that didn’t mean he lacked the ability—it was only because Chen Changsheng’s identity was special.
No matter how astonishing Chen Changsheng’s talent, even ordinary early Star-Gathering cultivators were no match for him. Yet compared to a top-five expert on the Carefree Roll, he was still far behind. Xiao De was someone who could face Wang Po and Xiao Zhang head-on.
“Don’t understand?” Tang Thirty-Six asked him.
Chen Changsheng nodded.
“On both sides of the Red River, countless young experts want to marry Her Highness Luoluo. In terms of cultivation talent, realm strength, and family background, Xiao De has always been the most promising candidate. In other words, if nothing unexpected happened, in a few years he would marry Her Highness Luoluo. And if Her Highness Luoluo couldn’t inherit the White Emperor’s techniques, he would become the ruler of the Demon Domain. All of that turned to dust because of you.”
After hearing Tang Thirty-Six’s explanation, Chen Changsheng looked at the Demon expert on the mountain path and felt a different sensation.
“You changed the condition of Her Highness Luoluo’s meridians, which also altered the Demon Domain’s ten-thousand-year rules. Whether from that perspective or your relationship with Her Highness Luoluo, if I were Xiao De, I’d have plenty of reason to kill you.”
Tang Thirty-Six finished speaking and walked forward, stopping in front of Xiao De.
Xiao De’s body didn’t seem particularly tall or sturdy; he looked much thinner than Xuan Yuan Po. Yet he gave off a feeling of immense weight and mass.
That feeling was the pressure released by a true expert.
Tang Thirty-Six’s expression was very grave. He knew better than anyone on the mountain path that if this Demon expert went mad, he really would dare to kill Chen Changsheng. And the problem was, no matter how you looked at it, the Demon expert had every reason to go mad.
“You know who I am,” he said to Xiao De.
Xiao De narrowed his eyes slightly, the yellowish-brown ferocity in his deep pupils gradually fading. His voice lifted slightly as he said, “The young master of the Tang clan.”
“Since you recognize me, then we can talk. Your tribe has done business with us for countless years. You should know that we Tangs are standard businessmen.”
“What business do you want to discuss?”
“You want to marry Her Highness Luoluo?”
“Every tribe on both sides of the Red River, even the beasts in the deep mountains, knows that,” Xiao De said to him seriously. “Don’t you dare tell me that because he’s Her Highness Luoluo’s teacher, if I want to marry her, I should treat him well. Maybe he’ll even put in a good word for me at the critical moment.”
Tang Thirty-Six was stunned. After a moment, he sighed and said, “Who said you Demons have no brains?”
Xiao De smiled faintly and said, “Probably brainless humans.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “So there’s no way to negotiate this business?”
“Because this was never business—it was fraud,” Xiao De said, looking at him with a half-smile. “Given our friendly relations, I naturally can’t blame you. But tell me, what reason do I have not to be angry with him? What’s wrong with me beating him to death?”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “Who’s the one committing fraud? When wisdom is needed, you’re sharper and calmer than anyone. When you need to play the furious, rough brute, you show that side. If we’re talking business, which version of you am I supposed to negotiate with?”
“No matter which version of me you negotiate with, you have to propose terms first.”
Xiao De dropped his smile, looked at him expressionlessly, and said, “Both sides of the Red River, the ancient Demon Domain, countless subjects—I’ve lost so much. How much can you compensate me?”
Just as Tang Thirty-Six was about to speak, Chen Changsheng’s voice rang out, calm and firm.
“Both sides of the Red River, the ancient Demon Domain, countless subjects… those were never yours. You never had them, so how can you speak of loss?”
He stepped in front of Tang Thirty-Six and looked at Xiao De, saying, “I don’t understand the business talk between you two. But I only know that whether doing business or discussing matters, you shouldn’t use things that were never yours to trade for benefits.”
As he said this, he stared into Xiao De’s eyes, making his meaning very clear, without any intention of backing down—the eight-hundred-li Red River was never yours, and Luoluo was never yours. Even if you’re a Demon powerhouse on the Carefree Roll, what right do you have to come before me, spout logic, negotiate business, and demand compensation?
The mountain path fell into dead silence, not a sound to be heard.
If the silence when meeting Zhong Hui earlier was more about awkward tension, then this silence was far more unsettling.
Because Chen Changsheng was facing a Demon expert on the Carefree Roll. That expert had lost far more interests than Zhong Hui, and even with the Wenshui Tang clan as a buffer, he didn’t seem ready to lower his compensation demands. And Chen Changsheng was showing an exceptionally rare toughness.
Xiao De suddenly laughed, a somewhat manic laugh, the yellowish-brown gleam in his eyes becoming the brightest point on a rippling surface.
Then he narrowed his eyes, looked at Chen Changsheng, and said, “It seems you don’t believe I dare to beat you to death.”
Chen Changsheng said, “I don’t think you can beat me to death.”
The question and answer were actually about different things.
In Xiao De’s view, even if the whole world acknowledged that Chen Changsheng’s cultivation talent far exceeded ordinary people—entering the peak of Penetrating Obscurity at sixteen, defeating many early Star-Gathering experts in the capital, even surpassing Xu Yourong on the Bridge of Helplessness—he could still crush him with just a pinky finger.
But Chen Changsheng was the Pope’s designated successor… so he emphasized the word “dare.”
Chen Changsheng emphasized the word “can”—of course, he was no match for a top-five expert on the Carefree Roll, but he didn’t believe the other could easily defeat him.
His confidence certainly had its sources: the countless swords in the Hidden Edge, the five stone beads in his hand, the saber techniques learned at the Mausoleum of Books—many, many things. But others didn’t know, not even Tang Thirty-Six knew all his hidden strength, so hearing those words felt strange.
This was an insult to a Carefree Roll expert.