After Xuandu finished speaking, he let out another soft sigh.
“It is a pity.”
“A pity that you do not possess a special destiny.”
These words came out of nowhere. Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly, but before he could ask for clarification, the expressions of the Seven Evils changed in unison.
“Lord Xuandu!” the chain-bound malevolent ghost cried out first. “You aren't thinking of—”
“Silence,” Xuandu said indifferently.
The chain-bound ghost shut his mouth immediately, but the shock on his face did not diminish in the slightest.
Zhaoye stood nearby. He understood Xuandu better than the Seven Evils did. As soon as he heard the words “special destiny,” he knew exactly what Xuandu was thinking.
He sucked in a cold breath. “Xuandu, you aren't thinking of giving him the Xuandu Ghost Mansion as well, are you?”
Xuandu did not deny it.
Zhaoye opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again, as if struggling to find the right words. Finally, he blurted out, “You actually want to give him the Ghost Mansion directly?”
“Didn't you give him a Ghost Decree as well?” Xuandu glanced at him.
“That's completely different!” Zhaoye shouted. “A Ghost Decree is a Ghost Decree, but a Ghost Mansion is a Ghost Mansion!”
“The Ghost Decree is a token, but the Ghost Mansion is your foundation! Have you forgotten the price you paid for this Ghost Mansion back then? Do you remember what the Great Emperor said when he handed the Xuandu Ghost Mansion to you? What did you say then? And now you’re just going to give it away so lightly—”
Xuandu interrupted him. “You’ve all seen this boy’s temperament and talent. That position will belong to him sooner or later. Eventually, even the Great Emperor's Palace will be his. What does a single Xuandu Ghost Mansion matter in comparison?”
Zhaoye’s brow furrowed into a tight knot. He knew Xuandu had a point, but they had sworn an oath before the Great Emperor. Passing on a Ghost Mansion was no trivial matter; if the wrong person was chosen, the entire Ghost Mansion would collapse.
The Seven Evils stood below, each wearing a complex expression.
They were all part of the Xuandu Ghost Mansion. From the day they entered, they belonged to the Ghost Mansion in life and remained its ghosts in death.
If the Xuandu Ghost Mansion were truly passed to this young junior, wouldn't they also have to submit to this new master?
Chen Zhou had remained silent throughout. Once Xuandu and Zhaoye quieted down, he finally asked, “Senior, what exactly is the use of taking over the Ghost Mansion?”
Xuandu withdrew his gaze, his tone returning to its usual calm.
“If the Great Emperor were still alive, taking over the Ghost Mansion would allow you to obtain a portion of the Underworld's authority over laws.”
“The Ghost Mansions were built by the Great Emperor himself, and each one is linked to a portion of the rules of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. The one who commands a Ghost Mansion can exercise the Underworld authority within it—judging life and death, determining guilt and punishment, and guiding the souls of the dead.”
“But now, the Wanchuan River has dried up, and reincarnation has nearly ground to a halt. The Underworld rules exist in name only. Naturally, that so-called authority has become empty talk.”
“In this age, taking over a Ghost Mansion is mostly a symbol of status, along with whatever personal legacy I have left.”
“Those stripped talent light orbs—you can take all of them.”
“Then there are the Seven Evils. They were all brilliant geniuses in life, and they have cultivated in my Ghost Mansion for a hundred thousand years after death. Although their strength is not what it was at their peak, they each have their unique strengths.”
“If the Ghost Mansion changes hands, they will follow it. For you, gaining seven capable subordinates is certainly not a bad thing.”
“Lastly, it might even be possible to condense a godhead belonging to the Great Emperor's Palace.”
Chen Zhou’s eyes flickered.
Xuandu continued, “However, do not get your hopes up too high.”
“The Great Emperor's Palace has fallen, and the Underworld rules are fragmented. Even if a godhead is formed, it will be far inferior to the top-tier godheads from the Great Emperor’s era. At most, it would be a low-tier Underworld godhead.”
“Furthermore, you already possess a high-tier godhead.”
Xuandu glanced at Chen Zhou. “Its quality is extremely high with immense growth potential. It suits you well. Any godhead my Ghost Mansion could produce would be useless to you.”
On the surface, Chen Zhou remained composed, but his heart was racing.
A high-tier godhead.
Xuandu had used the words “high-tier.”
He was naturally referring to Lian’s inner godhead.
For a Ghost Emperor who had lived for countless millennia to acknowledge the quality of that godhead further proved that Lian’s identity in life was far from simple.
But that wasn't what Chen Zhou was focused on right now.
The Ghost Mansion could condense a godhead.
Even if it was only a low-tier godhead, it was still a godhead.
He didn't need it himself, but he had plenty of people under him who could use it.
His core believers—which one of them wasn't loyal to a fault? Which one wasn't exceptionally gifted? Which one wasn't a top-tier workhorse for his cause?!!
Moreover, even a low-quality godhead was still a godhead.
In the outer provinces, how many seventh or eighth-stage beings could never even dream of touching a godhead?
Chen Zhou suppressed his inner calculations, maintaining his calm expression as he asked, “So, how does one inherit the Ghost Mansion?”
Xuandu looked at him, his gaze lingering on Chen Zhou’s face for a few moments as if confirming something, before he slowly spoke. “It requires a special destiny.”
“What kind of destiny?”
Xuandu did not answer directly. Instead, he shifted the topic. “Do you know what the greatest characteristic of my Xuandu Ghost Mansion is?”
Chen Zhou thought for a moment and said, “Talent?”
“Exactly.” Xuandu nodded. “The core authority of the Xuandu Ghost Mansion is to observe, analyze, strip, and seal talents.”
“This is why I have been able to strip these talent light orbs from countless failures over the past tens of thousands of years. This authority is not something just anyone can wield.”
He paced a few steps with his hands behind his back and continued, “To wield this authority, one’s destiny must inherently possess the abilities of Insight and Containment.”
“Insight allows one to see through the origin of all things, identifying the veins and core of a talent at a glance. Containment allows one to perfectly seal a stripped talent, preventing it from dissipating or backfiring.”
Chen Zhou quickly mentally scanned the destinies he knew but couldn't find anyone who fit the description perfectly.
The closest one might be the Wenchang Noble.
Wenchang governs literary fortune and knowledge; it is skilled at categorization and organization, able to perceive the principles of all things through text and master the teachings of a hundred schools.
Chen Zhou tested the waters. “Would a Wenchang Noble work?”
Xuandu was slightly taken aback, then began to consider it seriously.
He pondered for a long while before finally nodding. “A Wenchang Noble... possesses more than enough Insight. Although their Containment is slightly weaker, those with the Wenchang destiny are born with the ability to organize all principles and categorize all methods.”
“If someone with a Wenchang destiny were to wield the power of stripping, they should be able to systematically classify and integrate these talents, perhaps even deducing new ways to use them.”
His tone then shifted. “However, the destiny even more suited for this authority is actually the Taiji Noble.”
“Taiji represents the natural separation of Yin and Yang, where all phenomena return to their source. A Taiji Noble is born with both Insight and Containment; wielding this authority would be effortless for them.”
“A Wenchang Noble would need time to adapt, but a Taiji Noble is a natural fit.”
Having said this, Xuandu suddenly snapped back to the present, his gaze sharpening. “Wait. Why do you ask? Have you seen a living Wenchang Noble?”
Chen Zhou nodded. “I have indeed.”
Xuandu sighed. “You probably have some idea of how rare special destinies are.”
“Finding a single Wenchang Noble among ordinary cultivators is one in ten thousand.”
“As for a Taiji Noble, even in the ancient era when the divine path flourished, you might not have been able to find five of them in the entire world.”
“In this current age of withered divinity, whether even one or two can be found is an unknown.”
Zhaoye sighed from the side, picking up the conversation. “Special destinies are indeed far too rare.”
“One might not appear among billions of people, and even among high-tier destinies, one must happen to fit the requirements of a specific mansion.”
“Back then, it took the Great Emperor an unknown number of millennia to find the five of us to serve as the Five Direction Ghost Emperors.”
He paused and looked at Chen Zhou. “Boy, don't become too obsessed with this.”
“While a destiny cannot be created through any normal means, once you reach the ninth-stage Truth-Usurping rank, it is indeed possible to forcibly modify a destiny. If you can find a Wenchang or Taiji Noble by then, it won't be too late to make your plans.”
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