Chapter 868: The Chaos of Heaven's Will

Chen Changsheng was initially taken aback. Setting aside whether the terms could actually catch his interest, Prince Jin seemed remarkably confident.

But given that this was Prince Jin, it made perfect sense.

In this world, among the various princes and the Imperial Court, only Prince Jin currently possessed the strength to contend for power. He was also the prince with the greatest chance of success.

Put bluntly, he had every right to be arrogant!

Prince Jin laughed heartily, seemingly very pleased with the terms he had proposed.

Yet, when Chen Changsheng shook his head, Prince Jin's expression did not immediately sour.

Instead, he smiled and asked, "Are they not to your liking, Mister? Then you might as well speak plainly. Among all the things I can offer, what is it that you care about? As long as it is something you need, I will fetch it for you."

"You misunderstand, Your Highness," Chen Changsheng said. "This Chen has no interest in the affairs of the world, nor do I wish to get involved. Therefore, I can only decline your kind intentions."

Prince Jin looked at him and smiled warmly. "The rumors are true. You truly are a different kind of cultivator, Mister. Is it perhaps because you have severed all mundane desires that you have achieved such profound Dao Cultivation? If so, then I have indeed been presumptuous."

Chen Changsheng shook his head in denial. "Desire is an indispensable part of human life. Love, hatred, anger, and obsession all stem from desire. If one were to cast them aside, what meaning would be left in living?"

Hearing this, Prince Jin slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Mister, you and I are of the exact same mind!"

He wholeheartedly agreed with Chen Changsheng's words.

Prince Jin said, "In my early years, I visited Quanshan and forced a Daoist priest there to explain the path of Cultivation to me. Upon hearing it, I realized that this so-called Cultivation—glorified as cultivating the mind and body—was actually about seeking union between heaven and man. From then on, they discard human emotion, leaving only impartial justice and rigid rules. With things like that, what is the point of living?"

"I fiercely cursed that Daoist at the time. His face turned pale and livid by turns, and he even cursed me back. Hmph. I am the one chosen by the mandate of heaven! Who does he think he is?"

Like Prince Kang, he had spent his early years mixed up in the military. He had picked up a ruffian's temperament, so he naturally spoke in a straightforward, blunt manner.

Each of these princes was different; any one of them stood out as utterly unique.

Chen Changsheng said, "The Quanshan Cultivators have not had it easy either. Back during the Investiture of Immortals Assembly, Quanshan wholeheartedly sought to be recognized as orthodox, but in the end, His Majesty didn't even spare them a glance."

Prince Jin waved his hand. "They're no good. Compared to those ox-nosed Daoists in Qingshan City, they are far too lacking!"

"How so?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Prince Jin gave a soft snort. "Those people only practice bizarre, demonic arts. Just looking at them, you can tell it isn't the method of the Righteous Path. They spend their days keeping company with dark spirits and walking corpses. How could they possibly be good people?"

Chen Changsheng chuckled. "That is not entirely fair to say. Divine Abilities and techniques do not determine the righteousness or wickedness of a cultivator. What truly distinguishes them is their character. You can't just strike them all down with a single blow."

Prince Jin, however, had his own reasoning. "Your words aren't far off, Mister. But as the saying goes, one's appearance is born from the heart. Generally speaking, the kind of things one learns molds the kind of person they become. In my view, they should be struck down with a single blow to eliminate future troubles."

Chen Changsheng said, "It seems Quanshan has offended Your Highness quite a bit."

Prince Jin did not elaborate, but judging by his expression, his opinion of Quanshan was clearly quite poor.

After that, Prince Jin made no further mention of recruitment.

Prince Jin was bold and straightforward, but that didn't mean he was stupid. He had already lowered his stance enough. Once or twice was fine, but there would not be a third attempt. Leaving some leeway between them also preserved his own dignity.

After chatting idly for another half hour, Prince Jin left in a hurry.

He had just arrived at these border regions and had discovered many issues; naturally, he had matters to attend to.

Only then did Yunxiang step out of the room.

She asked for Mister's opinion of Prince Jin.

Chen Changsheng said, "This prince is bold and straightforward, but underneath it all, he is ruthless and merciless. Even though he stopped bringing the matter up after This Chen refused him twice, I feel that this issue is probably not over."

Yunxiang paused before asking, "Mister, do you mean Prince Jin will make things difficult for you?"

"It's a possibility, but it's hard to say for sure," Chen Changsheng replied.

Yunxiang said, "He probably wouldn't, right? Prince Jin knows of your abilities, Mister. Surely he wouldn't dare to trip you up in the dark."

"It is exactly because he knows that he might dare," Chen Changsheng said.

For a moment, he couldn't quite see through Prince Jin. Among all the princes in the world, Prince Jin was absolutely a special case. What he knew, what he understood, and what he possessed were completely beyond anything the other princes could compare to.

Chen Changsheng couldn't even quite figure out what Prince Jin was ultimately trying to achieve.

"Prince Jin seems to have said everything, yet in reality, he said nothing at all. He hides himself very deeply. I suspect no one will know what other tricks he has up his sleeve until the very last moment."

Yunxiang argued, "But that shouldn't be the case. If Prince Jin recruits such extraordinary power to seize the world, wouldn't he invite karmic retribution upon himself and achieve the exact opposite?"

Chen Changsheng smiled. "When the world was first unified, two emperors emerged. Without exception, both of them did the exact same thing. Compared to the price they paid, what they gained was far more important."

"Doesn't that mean Prince Jin is already assured of victory?" Yunxiang asked.

Chen Changsheng shook his head again. "That's hard to say."

The variables in the world were steadily increasing.

The chaos in the Mortal World had truly become an untraceable, unpredictable mess.

Chen Changsheng let out a breath and then said, "We will set out tomorrow morning."

"Won't you rest here for a few more days, Mister? Furthermore, Prince Jin..."

"Whatever he wants to do, he won't do it right now."

"Is that so..."

Yunxiang said no more.

Lihua and Yu Hongjin didn't care about any of this.

Lihua just liked to sprawl out and sleep, while Yu Hongjin wandered the market streets looking for wine to buy. She couldn't be parted from alcohol for a single day of her life.

The night grew quiet.

Lihua fell asleep draped across the head of Chen Changsheng's bed.

Chen Changsheng, however, woke up in the middle of the night. He sat at the table and began pondering matters.

He realized that the turmoil in the Mortal World was far more severe than he had imagined.

Now, the powers of demons and cultivators had also mingled into the fray.

Although everything seemed stable for now, when this delicate balance shattered one day, this Mortal World would face boundless suffering.

"They say when Immortals fight, mortals suffer... Those words are true indeed."

Chen Changsheng sighed softly. He felt that certain things truly needed rules.

What caused all this wasn't just the surging of the human dao qi fortune.

It was also the inaction of the Heavenly Dao.

It seemed the Heavenly Dao intended this, allowing the Mortal World to fall into utter chaos.

Chen Changsheng naturally understood the Heavenly Dao's intent. It was nothing more than wanting to establish rules. Otherwise, who would deal with the demons, ghosts, and monsters bred beneath that surging qi destiny?

It was just that this price was a bit too high.

But perhaps, to Heaven's Will, human lives were never important to begin with.