Chapter 35: Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land; Chen Changsheng Appointed as State Preceptor
Chen Changsheng’s words echoed through the grand hall, leaving the assembled experts completely stunned.
They had assumed the helper invited by the eldest prince would possess some heaven-shaking background.
Who could have anticipated he was merely a peddler of coffins.
Even more absurd was that his skill in divining the earth’s veins and pinpointing Dragon Holes was entirely self-taught.
Sensing blood in the water, the other eight princes seized the opportunity to attack Zuo Xinghe.
“Imperial Father, Elder Brother brings a coffin seller to perfunctorily handle this sacred matter. He clearly intends to sabotage your grand design.”
“Indeed. Though Elder Brother wears a mask of absolute loyalty and filial piety,”
“In the shadows, he has likely coveted Imperial Father’s throne for a very long time.”
Faced with the accusations of his numerous sons, Emperor Zuo did not erupt in anger. Instead, he regarded Chen Changsheng with deep interest.
“This gentleman’s profession carries a certain profound flavor. How should I address you?”
Chen Changsheng smiled slightly. “My surname is Chen, given name Changsheng.”
“Your Majesty may simply call me Changsheng.”
“Changsheng—Eternal Life?”
“A heavy name. Then, might Mister Changsheng explain his previous declaration?”
“These eight individuals are all renowned Feng Shui Masters of the Xuanwu Kingdom. For Mister Changsheng to show such contempt… is it not slightly inappropriate?”
Upon hearing Emperor Zuo’s words, the gathered experts sneered coldly.
With Emperor Zuo personally pressing the issue, a backwater peasant like this could never escape his piercing gaze.
When the truth fell bare, this Chen Changsheng would likely find only one path left: a death without a whole corpse.
In response to Emperor Zuo’s inquiry, Chen Changsheng offered a faint smile.
“The Dragon Hole Your Majesty seeks is a burial ground capable of reversing the cycle of death to steal a second life.”
“If such a miraculous resting place could be unearthed so easily, the cultivators of this world would not be tormented by the limits of their lifespans.”
“Furthermore, whether flesh and blood can truly defy the Heavens for a second life remains an absolute myth even today.”
“For these men to step forward and boast so freely proves their words are nothing but hollow deceit. And are deceitful words not simply trash?”
“There is logic in that,” Emperor Zuo nodded slowly. “Then, may I ask where Mister Changsheng’s chosen Dragon Hole lies?”
“I am deeply curious to see what makes the Dragon Hole you have divined so fundamentally different.”
Knowing Emperor Zuo wished to see his selection, Chen Changsheng swept his gaze over the sprawling map. He pointed toward a vast, blank stretch of parchment.
“Here. Looking across a radius of a hundred thousand miles, only this earth holds the slightest potential to help Your Majesty reverse death.”
Following the direction of his finger, the expressions of everyone in the grand hall violently twisted.
Zuo Xinghe’s face grew the ugliest. The coordinates Chen Changsheng indicated were exactly those connected to the ancient bronze palace.
He had every reason to suspect that Chen Changsheng had pointed there entirely by design.
“Preposterous!”
“The Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land is a universally acknowledged domain of absolute taboo. How could a Dragon Hole exist in such a place?”
An old man with a long white beard harshly reprimanded Chen Changsheng, a thick layer of cold sweat already beading on his forehead.
Chen Changsheng merely rolled his eyes.
“You keep the word ‘taboo’ on your lips all day long. May I ask, do any of you actually know what a taboo is?”
“A taboo is a taboo! It requires no explanation!”
“You intend to lead His Majesty into the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land; your malice deserves execution. This old servant implores Your Majesty to eradicate this bastard!”
The old man completely ignored Chen Changsheng, begging Emperor Zuo directly for his execution.
Yet Emperor Zuo could not even muster the interest to glance at the old man. Instead, he kept his focus entirely on Chen Changsheng.
“Why would Mister Changsheng select such a domain?”
“The Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land strictly forbids the entry of the living. It is an absolute dead zone of ten deaths and zero survival!”
“And judging by Mister Changsheng’s tone, you seem to understand what a true taboo entails?”
“Heh.”
“Your Majesty jests. The nature of a taboo is something that cannot be clearly articulated from ancient times to the present.”
“I have merely cobbled together a few concepts to express it: that which cannot be comprehended, cannot be defined, cannot be described, and cannot be observed.”
“Anything possessing these characteristics is what the world fears as a taboo.”
Emperor Zuo nodded thoughtfully.
“Mister’s words have truly articulated the primordial dread of such a taboo.”
“Since Mister understands this dread so deeply, why still designate that patch of earth?”
“Because blessed lands and heavenly caves belong only to those with the strength to claim them.”
Chen Changsheng clicked his tongue, his eyes fixed on the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land upon the map.
“Long before Your Majesty was born, other supreme entities naturally walked this land.”
“They too suffered the cruel limits of their lifespans, and would have been forced into the exact same choice as Your Majesty.”
“Although a taboo cannot be described, one truth remains absolute: the unfathomable weight of its power.”
“Its might rests at a pinnacle so terrifying that the myriad living beings do not even dare to utter its name.”
“For existences of such cosmic gravity, the earth upon which they linger must naturally be the most supreme.”
“To usurp a second life, the required Dragon Hole naturally transcends the bounds of ordinary logic. The eight Dragon Holes presented earlier hold some merit, but for Your Majesty’s ambition, they fall drastically short.”
“To reverse the cycle of death, one must embrace oblivion to find life. Only by violently carving a path into the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land will a solitary thread of survival emerge.”
Chen Changsheng’s cold, ancient voice echoed against the cavernous walls of the palace.
Simultaneously, a violent pounding gripped the hearts of everyone present.
None of them anticipated that this rural undertaker possessed the sheer audacity to voice such treasonous madness.
If His Majesty truly embraced this counsel, the entire Xuanwu Kingdom would plunge headlong into absolute annihilation.
Dead silence!
Ever since Chen Changsheng’s final syllable faded, the palace had plunged into a suffocating, eerie stillness.
After an eternity, Emperor Zuo finally spoke from atop the dragon throne. “I am weary today. All of you are dismissed.”
“From this day forth, Mister Changsheng is appointed as the State Preceptor of the Xuanwu Kingdom. Within the borders of my domain, State Preceptor Changsheng may come and go freely.”
Having delivered his decree, Emperor Zuo rose and departed the grand hall.
Meanwhile, Zuo Xinghe’s eight younger brothers clenched their fists tightly, their eyes bleeding with deep-seated resentment.
The seat of State Preceptor. Unrestricted movement across the entirety of the Xuanwu Kingdom. This was a heaven-shaking imperial grace.
Unrestricted movement meant Chen Changsheng possessed the authority to tread upon any forbidden ground within the kingdom.
This included the Xuanwu Kingdom’s supreme treasure vaults and the secluded cultivation chambers—sanctuaries strictly limited to their Imperial Father alone.
Now, an outsider had been granted the keys to the kingdom’s marrow. How could the princes suppress their boiling jealousy?
“Wait, Your Majesty, you cannot do this!”
“I had a prior agreement with the eldest prince! I refuse to hold any official office within the Xuanwu Kingdom!”
While the entire court drowned in envy over the monstrous Fated Chance Chen Changsheng had just acquired, the man himself was desperately shouting at the emperor’s retreating back.
He appeared completely repulsed by the honor of becoming the State Preceptor.
Hearing his protests, the gathered experts were struck entirely speechless.
The crowd: “…”
Their back teeth ground together in fury. If not for the Emperor’s obvious favor, they would have ripped this insolent bastard apart right here and now.
Such a world-defying Fated Chance, yet you dare to spit on it?
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