Publish Time: 2026-07-30 16:32:00
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«Chapter 591: It Was Always Like This
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Patriarch Yun was about to follow inside.
But the person reached out an arm to stop him. “Patriarch Yun, wait. The palace mistress only invited Mr. Chen inside.”
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng stopped walking too.
Before Patriarch Yun could question this, Chen Changsheng said, “Patriarch Yun came with me. He should enter together as well, shouldn’t he?”
“We cannot disobey the palace mistress’s command,” the woman said, sounding troubled. “Please forgive us, Mr. Chen.”
Seeing this, Patriarch Yun quickly intervened. “It’s alright, Sir. I’ll just wait out here. It’s no problem.”
Chen Changsheng shook his head and took a step back instead.
He frowned. “Is this how Qinle Palace changes its face? Is this fitting behavior for an Immortal Sect?”
The two guards exchanged a look. One quickly said, “Please calm down, Sir. I’ll go seek instruction from our Mistress immediately.”
“No need for such trouble. I can go up and ask myself.”
It wasn’t that Chen Changsheng couldn’t endure rudeness. But Qinle Palace’s actions were truly disgraceful. At first, he’d thought Patriarch Yun might have exaggerated in his descriptions. Now, it seemed he hadn’t exaggerated at all.
Creating so many obstacles just to enter the mountain gate was truly baffling.
“Sir, please wait…” the guard called out.
Chen Changsheng’s gaze turned cold. Just for an instant, that guard felt a chill creep up his spine. He tumbled to the ground in terror, eyes wide and vacant. The other guard shrieked repeatedly in fright.
“Patriarch Yun, why are you still standing there?” Chen Changsheng said.
Patriarch Yun froze momentarily, seeming flustered. But he quickly understood.
“I’m coming.”
He followed Chen Changsheng up the mountain.
They ascended the stone steps of the Immortal Mountain. The wind whistled past their ears. Finally, the palace hall came into view.
Chen Changsheng tapped his toes lightly and leaped up into the grand hall.
Patriarch Yun stumbled in a moment later.
Zheng…
Looking around, they saw many female disciples of Qinle Palace lining both sides of the hall. Each held a Chang Qin (Long Zither) upright. They stood silently, their eyes fixed intently on the two visitors, poised and ready.
In the center of the hall sat a small table. Behind it, a woman knelt serenely. A white veil covered her face. Only her eyes were visible, exuding a subtle pressure. Her hands rested on the zither strings, yet she appeared utterly composed.
“Mr. Chen…” Patriarch Yun murmured, realizing the situation was far from normal.
Chen Changsheng, of course, understood the message.
This was a show of force meant to intimidate.
Refusing Patriarch Yun’s ascent showed Qinle Palace’s stance clearly.
They were permitting Chen Changsheng to come up as a gesture of esteem. But regarding the Yun Manor matter, there was no room for discussion.
The Qinle Palace Mistress stopped playing her zither. She raised her head to look at the figures before the hall. Then she said, “Ji Fuyao, Mistress of Qinle Palace, greets Daoist Friend Chen.”
Chen Changsheng stepped forward. “What does this mean, Mistress?”
Ji Fuyao smiled softly. “Daoist Friend Chen commands the Great Demons of the Desolate Sea, after all. This Mistress’s cultivation is shallow. Naturally, I must prepare sufficient assistance, just in case.” Her tone was light, openly admitting her purpose.
Seeing this, Chen Changsheng chuckled slightly. “I came here only to talk reason with the Mistress. But it seems the Mistress has no intention of reasoning with me.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ji Fuyao laughed. “Speak freely, Daoist Friend Chen. I will certainly listen. Whether the reasoning will persuade me… that’s a different matter.”
“So there is no discussion regarding Yun Manor?” Chen Changsheng asked.
Ji Fuyao’s tone suddenly turned cold. Her eyes became flat. “No discussion!”
“It seems I was overly optimistic,” Chen Changsheng said, shaking his head. “Having suffered one Tribulation, has Qinle Palace learned nothing?”
She snorted coldly. “Daoist Friend Chen, if you possess the might to command the Great Demons of the Desolate Sea, why meddle in the squabbles of minor sects? Are you simply trying to bully the weak, to force Qinle Palace to submit?” As her words fell,
A surge of Cultivators suddenly appeared outside the hall entrance, blocking it completely.
Chen Changsheng swept his gaze over the surrounding Cultivators once more. The meaning behind Qinle Palace’s actions was crystal clear.
“Such a pity though…” Ji Fuyao suddenly laughed again. “This, after all, is not the Desolate Sea. Qinle Palace may be a minor sect, but what storm can Daoist Friend Chen, alone, possibly raise?” She stood up. “I advise Daoist Friend Chen… not to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!”
In just these moments within the hall, the atmosphere had thickened into tension.
Qinle Palace had been prepared long in advance.
Probably as soon as they knew Chen Changsheng was coming to the mountain, they had swiftly gathered their forces. That’s why there had been no resistance when Chen Changsheng rushed up the mountain gate – because they let him pass smoothly, right into this very hall.
Chen Changsheng asked, “Mistress, is this inviting a rat into a trap?” (lit. inviting someone into a jar)
“So what if it is!” Ji Fuyao said icily. “Do you think you can fight against the thousands of Daoist Cultivators of my Qinle Palace alone, like Zhao Yuqing did? How laughably arrogant!” Her gaze shifted to Patriarch Yun. “Your Yun Manor is already the prisoner of Qinle Palace! Dare you hope to overturn things again? Did you think bringing one person would make this Mistress retreat?”
“Qinle Palace has always been a lofty Immortal Sect! Despite suffering a Tribulation, do you truly believe we rank equally with the likes of you?”
After hearing this speech, Chen Changsheng understood fully.
He stated bluntly, “So the Mistress simply refuses to accept the reality of Qinle Palace’s decline.”
Ji Fuyao declared, “My Qinle Palace has always been a lofty Immortal Mountain!”
Chen Changsheng replied with calm detachment, “I suppose it once could have been called that.”
Ji Fuyao stared at him with cold fury. “You act so brazenly because you rely on those Water Demons of the Desolate Sea obeying your commands, don’t you? Let me tell you plainly – this Mistress has already sealed the mountain. No Daoist Arts or Divine Abilities can leave this place. Don’t expect those Great Demons of the Desolate Sea to come to your aid!”
“So the Mistress means to say,” Chen Changsheng clarified, “that Mr. Chen and Patriarch Yun are now merely the tortoises caught in the jar? Is that right?”
Ji Fuyao smiled. “Exactly! However… this Mistress values talent. If Daoist Friend Chen agrees to join Qinle Palace, I will naturally spare your life.”
“I see…” A light of understanding finally dawned on Chen Changsheng.
He thought to himself that regarding the Yun Manor affair, the Mistress had seemed unreasonably hasty and aggressive.
Now, it became clear. This woman’s target wasn’t Yun Manor. It was him.
Put simply, this woman coveted Chen Changsheng’s ability to command the Water Demons of the Desolate Sea. With such formidable support, Qinle Palace’s future would inevitably be smooth and prosperous.
But… she was indeed being absurdly idealistic.
Chen Changsheng looked up, meeting her gaze. “And if I refuse?”
Ji Fuyao’s voice was a deadly chill. “Then… only death awaits!”
«Chapter 591: It Was Always Like This
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