Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 978 Class Perception
As everyone knows, Xu Xuan is a holy monk who values ​​appearances, at least that's what he and Xiao Qing think.

At the same time, I hope that others, especially our opponents, can also maintain this dignity.

For example, if you lose, you should obediently admit defeat, readily and decisively reveal your "equipment," disclose all information and permissions, and your remaining value.

Please cooperate honestly to advance the "plot progress" and do not try to create any "side stories" or "special episodes" to delay the time or cause unnecessary complications.

Therefore, when Chen Sheng, as a defeated general, was refused reincarnation, he tentatively made a few "small" requests.

Xu Xuan didn't even lift his eyelids before rejecting it outright.

"I...I want to find the traitor Zhuang Jia in hell and personally finish off this scoundrel!" Chen Sheng tried to display a trace of his remaining power.

"No need," Xu Xuan said calmly. "Let Zhuang Jia suffer the punishment he deserves in hell, according to the laws of the underworld."

"Besides, this traitor died in the mortal world at the hands of your trusted minister Lü Chen, which can be considered as avenging you."

"The cause and effect have been resolved; there is no need to add anything further."

Having searched for hundreds of years without success, raising this issue now inevitably raises suspicions of delaying the process.

“Then… I want to go and pay my respects to Brother Wu Guang…” Chen Sheng said in a low voice, with a hint of regret.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan couldn't help but smile.

Now that things have come to this, how can I possibly mention worshipping him again?
Tian Zang forged the king's order to execute Wu Shu and presented his head to the King of Chen. The King of Chen sent an envoy to bestow upon Tian Zang the seal of the Prime Minister of Chu and appointed him as a general.

The attitude is already very clear.

The person who killed Wu Guang was promoted and made a fortune. Whether it was due to circumstances or other reasons at the time, the decision itself was a betrayal of Wu Guang.

At this moment, there's no need to use worship to compensate for that empty sense of morality; it only adds to the hypocrisy.

If we set aside the eulogistic filter of being "the first person to stage a peasant uprising" in later generations and examine Chen Sheng more closely, especially his actions after establishing the Zhang Chu regime, many aspects of his behavior cannot withstand close scrutiny.

There are many derogatory terms in history books related to this, such as "internal strife" and "colluding to become king."

Even his famous saying, "If I become rich and powerful, I will not forget you," was overturned by him after he achieved fame and success. His former farmhands came looking for him, but he was killed because of his inappropriate words.

So what we memorized back then was an excerpt, not the whole text.

When Chen Sheng saw that Xu Xuan had rejected him so decisively, and that Xu Xuan had laid bare his own petty thoughts and historical wounds in his words, leaving no face for this "hidden king" at all.

Knowing that if they continued to argue, they might not even be able to save this last bit of "decency," they realized that if they continued, they might lose even this last bit of "dignity."

He could only sigh and completely abandon his unrealistic fantasies.

I couldn't help but sigh in my heart: This person's willpower is so strong, his insight so profound, and his methods so unconventional that I am no match for him.

It's no wonder we were defeated by this person.

But are people in the mortal world really that fond of reading history these days?
Who on earth recorded my private affairs so clearly? This is so embarrassing.
Xu Xuan remained calm and composed.

He understood the fear that ambitious people like Chen Sheng had of "losing themselves" and entering the cycle of reincarnation.

That would mean the end and reset of everything in this life, which, for the Ghost King with his deep-seated obsession, was even harder to accept than the dissipation of his soul.

But the cycle of reincarnation and the impartiality of the Heavenly Way are the fundamental laws of the universe.

Besides, you should be secretly happy to be personally delivered by me, the future head of the Pure Land School. Why are you being so picky?

This level of service is something that ordinary people... even ghosts don't get to enjoy!

Of course, before the "deliverance service" is officially launched, there is an important "task settlement" step according to the procedure.

Xu Xuan, looking at Chen Sheng who was weak and resigned to his fate, asked the crucial question:
"King Chen, before I send you on your way, could you tell me in detail how you made contact with the Great Wisdom Dharma King? The more detailed the better."

Chen Sheng was quite straightforward at this point. Since he had chosen to leave this path in a "dignified" manner, there was nothing left to hide.

Moreover, deep down he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the prospect of revenge.

It was all because that scoundrel, the Great Wisdom Dharma King, was incompetent and failed to guard the Yin-Yang passage, allowing these fierce demons to directly invade his territory, causing his grand ambitions to collapse in an instant!
If you are unkind, don't blame me for being unjust!

With this dark motive, he was open and honest about all the intelligence he knew, hoping to make things difficult for the collaborator who had betrayed him.

"This story begins decades ago..." Chen Sheng reminisced and began his narration.

After that, there was a period of time to supplement the plot.

According to Chen Sheng, he struggled in this boundless hell of blood for hundreds of years, and although he built up a foundation, his hope of returning to the human world remained slim.

Until decades ago, it was discovered by chance that the barrier between the Blood Pool and the mortal world was unusually weak, and one could even faintly feel the desolate atmosphere unique to Dazexiang coming from the other side through the barrier!

This discovery overjoyed him, and he immediately felt that "destiny" had smiled upon him once again!
He, Chen Sheng, was destined to return to the world and stir up trouble once again!

Therefore, he deliberately arranged for his underworld soldiers to patrol regularly in the weak points of the Yin-Yang barrier.

If it happens to be a special time like the Ghost Festival, when yin and yang are in transition and the qi is disordered, the aura of ghost soldiers can even briefly manifest in the mortal world, creating the strange phenomenon of "ghost soldiers borrowing a path".

As expected, this attracted many evil spirits and heretics interested in the underworld to investigate. However, most of those who came to investigate were "small fry" with limited abilities. They couldn't even maintain long-term spiritual communication, let alone open a stable channel.

Until three years ago, the Great Wisdom Dharma King of the White Lotus Sect followed the clues and came here. This person was obviously highly skilled.

Instead of descending in his physical body, he directly sent his soul out of his body, using his pure soul power to forcefully penetrate the weak yin-yang barrier and find Chen Sheng lurking deep in the blood pool.

After their exchange, the Dharma King's demonstrated strength and mastery of ritual practices gave Chen Sheng real hope.

The detailed plan was finally finalized: to set up an array in the mortal world to tear open a passage and lead the army back to the human world.

Hou Sheng's account is largely consistent with the general idea that there were no other conspiracies, which is good.

Chen Sheng also used his spiritual power to create a spiritual portrait.

Upon closer inspection, the person in the painting is indeed quite ordinary in appearance, with no distinctive features, the kind of person who would be easily lost in a crowd, and whose temperament also appears rather mediocre.

Of course, Xu Xuan knew very well that appearance was the most unreliable thing in the cultivation world.

The physical body can change at will, which is the true form of the soul. As long as one's cultivation is sufficient and one uses secret techniques, it can also be concealed and disguised.

He himself is a master of this art, with many aliases, and is well aware of its treacherous nature.

However, the additional information Chen Sheng provided piqued Xu Xuan's interest.

"In my opinion," Chen Sheng said with a certainty, "this man's soul and spirit are deeply imbued with an indelible air of nobility and the mark of old rules. His origins... are probably not those of a commoner, but more like... a descendant of the nobles of the six states."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled: "Oh? How could you sense that? What descended was only his soul, not his physical body, and his bloodline aura had already been severed."

A complex and incomprehensible light flashed in Chen Sheng's murky ghost eyes.

"That feeling... it can't be wrong."

To give an example, he abruptly pointed to Yu Ji, who had been standing quietly to the side, his tone resolute and filled with an almost instinctive disgust:

"She! She must be the descendant of the nobles of the six kingdoms!"

"That... self-righteous air is truly nauseating, unforgettable even after hundreds of years! Humph!"

Yu Ji: “…”

It's utterly baffling, and I was even a little amused by it. Is this person crazy?
I had been directing the entire operation from the central command post, beating the drums, and had never met or spoken to him before. Yet, on our very first formal encounter, he pointed at me and called me "disgusting"?!

A woman who can commit suicide with a sword to ignite her domineering nature is definitely not someone who can swallow her pride.

He immediately revealed a mocking expression and said, "Didn't you, King Chen, claim to be 'Zhang Chu' and take it upon yourself to restore the lost territories of Chu? When you started your rebellion, you even used the name of Xiang Yan, a famous general of Chu, to win people's hearts?"

"How dare you criticize me while using the tiger skin of the State of Chu as your banner?"

Then came a barrage of scolding, with even the appearance being criticized as ugly.

Anger surged within her. If it weren't for Xu Xuan being in charge at the moment, and her consideration for the overall situation, she would have drawn her sword and killed this madman who uttered such vile words on the spot!
Chen Sheng seemed to see through Yu Ji's resentment and snorted coldly.

His deep dislike for the nobles of the six states was not without reason.

This is one of the key reasons why the Zhang Chu regime went from prosperity to decline in just a few months.

What those nobles needed back then was merely a "first uprising" signboard to draw the Qin army's firepower, not a true "feudal king" who could command the world and stand on equal footing.

Therefore, none of the forces supported by the remnants of the six states ever provided actual military and financial support to Zhang Chu.

Even the envoys they sent couldn't hide their inherent contempt in their words!

"It's as if we, who are of humble origins, are unworthy to sit on this throne!"

His words revealed the sharp class contradictions of the time.

Chen Sheng's uprising shattered the old order, but the newly established regime failed to gain the genuine recognition and support of the old aristocratic forces. Instead, it collapsed rapidly amidst internal and external troubles.

This deeply painful betrayal and contempt instilled in him an almost pathological sensitivity and aversion to people of noble birth.

As Xu Xuan listened to Chen Sheng's accusations, and then looked at Yu Ji, who had an innocent yet angry expression, his curiosity overwhelmed his other emotions.

Although Yu Ji followed Xiang Yu during her lifetime, she was not famous for her family background. Historical records about her are scarce, and she is more often seen as a concubine of the overlord.

Moreover, now that she has been reborn, even her race has changed from human to flower fairy, so how could Chen Sheng recognize her noble background at a glance?

That's a pretty amazing skill.

In the end, Xu Xuan could only temporarily categorize Chen Sheng's mysterious ability to "perceive aristocratic aura" as stemming from the "hostile perception" arising from the profound antagonism between the peasant uprising leader and the old ruling class.

After all, the path of cultivation is all-encompassing and incredibly mysterious, always giving rise to strange and unusual characteristics that are difficult to explain by common sense.

Come to think of it, even divine weapons like Gan Jiang and Mo Xie have the characteristic of "killing kings". It seems... not entirely unreasonable that a rebel leader would have an extraordinary perception of his old enemy.
However, the identity of "suspected descendant of nobles from six states" alone is hardly a reliable and effective intelligence tactic.

The nobles of the six states... their final glory and concentrated appearance did indeed occur at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)