Chapter 167

Chapter 167: Bloodstained Ascension Road, Chen Changsheng: Just to Collect the Corpses

In the land of the Western Continent.

“This is the Ascension Road that Fu Yao spoke of?”

Looking at the dilapidated altar before him, Bai Ze was filled with doubt.

Beside him, Chen Changsheng also twitched the corners of his mouth, feeling that Fu Yao was setting him up.

The man and the dog fell silent for a long time, and finally, Bai Ze took the initiative to speak.

“Chen Changsheng, this Ascension Road will ultimately demand a price.”

“But before you step onto this Ascension Road, can you give me some clarity about what you’re really thinking?”

Facing Bai Ze’s inquiry, Chen Changsheng turned and smiled, “If I told you I was prepared to fight to the d*ath, what would you do?”

“Can you ever say something sensible?”

“Even if you intend to fight to the d*ath, you should first trick me into stepping onto the Ascension Road and then tell me.”

“Now that you suddenly tell me, I don’t even know how to respond.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that; please say it again.”

Seeing Bai Ze’s stubborn expression, Chen Changsheng laughed.

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. I just want to collect the corpses of my fallen comrades.”

Upon hearing Chen Changsheng’s answer, a look of disbelief filled Bai Ze’s face.

“No way, I asked you to trick me a little; you shouldn’t treat me like a fool!”

“You’re willing to risk a life-threatening situation just to collect corpses?”

“That’s not how you deceive a three-year-old child.”

“Why do you think this is a lie?”

“It’s obvious! Who would risk their life for such a trivial matter?”

Watching Bai Ze analyze the pros and cons with a serious demeanor, Chen Changsheng smiled slightly and gazed into the distance.

“Little Black, you are a divine beast, and you might be smarter than some people.”

“You know too little about this Crimson Realm; you don’t yet understand the nature of humanity.”

“In the human world, there has always been the saying of returning fallen leaves to their roots. This saying becomes somewhat diluted in the cultivation world.”

“Several thousand years ago, during my travels in the mortal realm, I encountered a profession known as corpse handlers.”

“They utilize rather crude and rudimentary techniques to make corpses move, and then accompany the corpses back to their hometowns.”

“The reason people are willing to pay a hefty price for corpse handlers is that they want their loved ones to return to their roots.”

“Wu Li has long borne the Heavenly Mandate and is called Emperor Huangtian.”

“If he cannot defeat his enemies, then I most likely will not be able to do so either, at least not at this moment.”

“If they truly have died, I just want to bring them back, nothing more.”

After listening to Chen Changsheng, Bai Ze raised his head and thought for a moment, then straightforwardly replied.

“I still don’t understand why you would produce such emotions.”

“People are already dead; it makes sense if you want to find a way to avenge them, but what good does it do to risk bringing back the corpse?”

“They are already dead, and whatever you do for them, they will not know.”

“No problem if you don’t understand,” Chen Changsheng spoke, “Let me put it in a way you can understand.”

“If I were to d*e on the Ascension Road, would you leave my corpse cold and alone somewhere?”

Faced with this question, Bai Ze fell silent.

If such a situation were to happen, he truly would not leave alone.

Although he clearly understood that Chen Changsheng would be dead and would no longer possess thought or perception, he couldn’t help but think about where he would be alone; it would be cold and lonely.

If he could return to his homeland, he wouldn’t have to be so lonely, right?

After a long pause, Bai Ze finally spoke, “I seem to understand your reasoning.”

“Although I will collect the corpses for you, I still advise you to stay alive.”

“This Ascension Road sounds perilous; if you d*e, I truly might not be able to bring you back.”

“Hahaha!”

“Don’t worry, Wu Li and the others departed eight hundred years ago.”

“Even the fiercest battles must eventually draw to a close; it’s not certain we will encounter any enemies.”

“That makes sense; let’s hurry and set off.”

“Who knows, maybe Wu Li has already become a local overlord; our visit might still be beneficial.”

After saying this, Bai Ze urged Chen Changsheng to quickly activate the altar.

In response to Bai Ze’s urging, Chen Changsheng slowly followed the method Fu Yao had given him and activated the ancient altar.

“Buzz!”

As the altar activated, a swaying light gate appeared above it.

Seeing this, Chen Changsheng withdrew the stone coffin and, with Little Black, lay down inside.

“Swish!”

The stone coffin vanished, and the weathered altar completely crumbled.

……

“Clang clang clang!”

Countless banging sounds echoed within the sealed stone coffin, while Chen Changsheng was busy arguing with Little Black.

“d*mn dog, can’t you shrink a little?”

“You’re crowding me!”

“No, I finally returned to normal; I don’t want to go back to how I used to be.”

The man and dog continued to bicker inside the coffin for over an hour.

Once the noise from outside the coffin ceased, Chen Changsheng cautiously pushed the coffin open a crack.

After confirming there was no danger, the man and dog jumped out of the coffin.

However, when they looked at their surroundings, both Chen Changsheng and Bai Ze fell silent.

This was an ancient road paved with blue bricks, its width exceeding a thousand feet.

On both sides of the road, there was only endless white.

However, what shocked them the most was that a section of this ancient blue-brick road was completely severed.

After a while, Bai Ze twitched the corner of his mouth and murmured, “Wu Li’s handiwork?”

“It seems to be his style.”

“I truly cannot imagine what kind of enemy would force that little brat to take such drastic measures.”

“By personally severing the Ascension Road, he is not only trying to stop me from following but also cutting off his own escape route.”

“It looks like he’s run into serious trouble this time.”

After saying this, the man and dog slowly stepped onto this Ascension Road.

……

“Three thousand two hundred eighty-one corpses.”

Bai Ze recorded a number while Chen Changsheng placed a head into the coffin.

As they progressed down the road, the once ancient blue-bricked Ascension Road became stained with bl**d.

The farther they went, the more bl**d appeared.

In the end, the entire Ascension Road was soaked with bl**d.

Once the corpses were collected, Chen Changsheng placed the coffin into the System space and then prepared to continue onward.

At that moment, Bai Ze, who had been responsible for recording, stopped.

“Chen Changsheng, should we continue onward?”

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng looked at Bai Ze in confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve caught the scent of those two girls on this road, and it’s very strong.”

“It wouldn’t be that strong just from being injured; they are likely already completely destroyed.”

Upon hearing this news, Chen Changsheng fell silent for a moment.

“Understood.”

A simple yet extreme reply, with no emotion on Chen Changsheng’s face.

Then, he began measuring the long Ascension Road with his strides.

Seeing this, Bai Ze could only sigh softly and then follow his pace.