Who is spreading rumors that my filial piety towards them has changed?

"Does Donglu still want to go back to the family's old house? I wonder who's occupying it now, and who's moved out?" Zuo Qiuchi asked.

"...I'd better not go back. I've already become a nun, and going home to visit relatives would mean I'm attached to the mortal world, and my heart wouldn't be at peace." Zuo Donglu shook her head.

Chu Mingkong found it difficult to interject. If she simply didn't want to reply, it would be a legitimate reason. However, using her family's possessions as an excuse made it difficult to express her true thoughts, and it was like using a shield.

Fengying's point was accurate; she hit the nail on the head:

"The Sword Dynasty probably doesn't clearly distinguish between the secular and the mortal world. It was founded through sects, and cultivators are everywhere in the secular world. This so-called renunciation can't be considered true renunciation; it's just changing to another mountain to cultivate in seclusion."

Zuo Donglu paused, finding it difficult to refute, then looked at the familiar ceiling and nodded slightly:

"That's true. Even if one becomes a monk, it doesn't mean one has left the world; one is still in the world. But even if one were to return home now, there would be no one to visit..."

"If you don't want to visit, then don't go back. It's no big deal. I'm too lazy to go back anyway. From now on, you'll be living with me. Don't even think about staying alone on this shabby little mountain anymore. It's uninhabitable here."

Zuo Qiuchi hooked his arm around Donglu's slender, fragrant shoulder and pulled her forcefully into his embrace, not giving her a chance to refuse.

Chu Mingkong continued to secretly hold his master's precious white and tender hand, while his other hand greedily embraced Feng Ying's soul-stirring waist, lost in thought and silent.

The most crucial thing to ensure Zuo Donglu stays with them is to address her destiny.

I took a stroll around Wujian Square today, and those junior disciples immediately ran into trouble, especially the new disciples with weak cultivation foundations. It seems that... the stronger Zuo Donglu's cultivation is, the greater the influence of her destiny will be.

Even if Zuo Qiuchi and he don't mind Donglu's problem, Zuo Donglu herself will care a lot about it.

When we first met, even a casual joke would elicit a string of apologies and self-reproach.

......

Inside the Sword Emperor's Palace.

Queen Ba had learned the whole story from Balan, and her shock was no less than Balan's.

"Chu Mingkong... I previously heard intelligence from the Tianji Empire that he had killed the emperor, and then there was no news for a long time. He has actually grown to the point where he can kill Peak Master Li with his sword."

Even though Li Tairan had ideological differences with the current empress's faction, and it could even be said that the differences were quite significant, he was still a backbone force of the Sword Dynasty, and he was killed without warning!

Balan was the Queen's pillar of strength, but she had little intention of overshadowing her, and inquired:

"Your Majesty, what do you think should be done about this matter? Chu Mingkong and Zuo Donglu's group are resting at Wufeng Cliff for now."

"Let's bring them to meet us. Since he's here because of the marriage agreement left by the late emperor, let's use that agreement as a pretext to have a chat," Queen Ba said worriedly.

Aside from worries, there was also a lot of surprise. This marriage had been arranged for generations, yet he was still so concerned. Upon hearing that his fiancée had been bullied, he even went so far as to seek revenge on the sword immortal.

However, it is said that his master, Zuo Qiuchi, has done him a great favor, so it is understandable that Chu Mingkong is so concerned about his marriage to Zuo Donglu.

Balan simply replied with a "yes," paused for a moment, and then continued:

"I came here because of the marriage agreement made by the late emperor. I'm afraid that after he kills Li Tai, I'll become a second loyal minister of the late emperor."

The Queen of Ba corrected her helplessly:

“You’re wrong. Li Tairan can still keep things in check, but if Chu Mingkong continues the late emperor’s long-cherished wish with Zuo Qiuchi, no one in the Sword Dynasty can stop him unless the late emperor steps in to stop him.”

......

The four of them lay comfortably on the cliff face.

Person, person, wood, person

Chu Mingkong sensed Balan's approaching aura and had to restrain himself slightly, so the four of them ended up in a different position—

People, people, too, people

That way, it won't be too awkward when we meet people later. Otherwise, the female swordswoman might mistakenly think that I'm hiding a powerful weapon and want to enter the palace to assassinate the empress, which would be bad.

Balan explained his purpose, and everything was pretty much as Chu Mingkong had imagined.

The group got up and followed Balan to the Sword Emperor Palace.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Inside Story of the Yin-Yang Chaotic Soul Array

I don’t know if it’s a genetic issue of the Empress’s family lineage, but now that I’ve entered the Sword Emperor’s Palace and met Empress Ba, and compared her with Sword Immortal Ba Lan, I’ve realized that this lineage’s hair naturally has a bit of a wavy curl.

The Queen of Ba possessed an air of elegance and nobility. Her black hair, tied neatly under her dragon crown, had a few loose wavy strands that added a touch of charm to her noble bearing. As she sat in the court, the poise and grace of someone who had long held a high position were evident. Her golden royal robe accentuated her graceful figure.

However, considering the title of "Sword Queen," Chu Mingkong felt that she was still lacking something... She didn't have the profound aura and spirit of a Sword Queen.

Looking at Balan again, Chu Mingkong hadn't paid much attention to her before, but now that they met again, his attention was drawn to her loose, wavy hair, which gave her the awe-inspiring air of a sword immortal, but also the gentle charm of a young woman.

Without Balan, this queen's position would probably be quite difficult to maintain.

Thinking about it this way, the first female sword emperor of the Sword Dynasty probably had an additional noble aura of a queen on the basis of Balan.

Chu Mingkong led the girls inside, no longer feeling the tension of going to the palace to meet the emperor. If his clothes had pockets, he might have had to walk those few steps with his hands in his pockets.

"Empress Ba, I have long admired you." Chu Mingkong greeted her casually, without any formality between ruler and subject.

Queen Ba showed no dissatisfaction with his attitude; the fact that he had come so amicably was already a good outcome. As planned, she used the late emperor's marriage agreement as a starting point, speaking in a friendly tone:

"The Chu family of Xiling was once a capable general of the late emperor's lineage. It is a pity that they were left behind in Xiling. I never expected that the Chu family would still care about the late emperor after many years and travel thousands of miles to fulfill the marriage agreement."

"I, the Emperor, will officiate at your wedding to Donglu."

If we consider the ancestral relationship, it's not a problem for the Empress Ba to address him so intimately. Otherwise, since Chu Mingkong has left Xiling and no longer holds a hereditary title, it would be inappropriate for her to address him that way.

However, the very first thing they did was officiate at a wedding...

Zuo Donglu remained expressionless, while Chu Mingkong and Zuo Qiuchi's expressions changed slightly.

Chu Mingkong quickly changed the subject:

"Your Majesty, let's put this marriage agreement aside for now. I want to know about the Yin-Yang Chaos Array and Senior Li Tairan's plan. He keeps saying that Your Majesty and Miss Balan are going against the late Emperor's will. What's going on?"

"Alas." The Empress, who was sitting on the throne, stepped down. "From a certain perspective, what Peak Master Li said is not wrong."

Queen Ba recounted the details in detail.

The Two Elements Chaotic Soul Formation is a grand formation for forging swords. It is said to have been created during the reign of the late emperor by drawing a sword diagram from the celestial realm.

This formation is based on the Yin-Yang geomantic terrain of the Sword Emperor Dynasty. Its intended function is, as Li Tairan said, to trap the people of the Heavenly Domain, so that if they come, they will only be throwing their lives away.

However, the cost and sacrifice of forming the formation were enormous, and it has been delayed from the late emperor to the current empress of Ba for it to be considered nearly complete.

“Forcing the people to fill the formation with their own sword intent is not appropriate. Since the time of the late emperor, it has been mostly the elderly sword cultivators who are about to pass away who have offered their sword intent to fill the formation. However, this has also made the formation too slow.”

Chu Mingkong imagined it for a moment, and it was indeed a huge project.

Zuo Qiuchi keenly sensed that there was something else going on in the process of forming the formation:

"Is the Yin-Yang Chaos Soul Formation truly just a product of the old sword cultivator's voluntary offering of his sword intent?"

Balan shook his head, his two delicate eyebrows furrowed:

"Of course not. After the late emperor left, the next empress accelerated the 'project' to complete it as soon as possible and leave her mark on history. In her later years, her methods gradually became more extreme."

The current "elimination" training model in the Sword Emperor Dynasty is the work of the second empress. As more and more people in the Sword Emperor Dynasty have gone astray in their cultivation, leaving behind ailments, those who are no longer able to continue their cultivation are instead offered up their sword intent.

Even so, the second empress still did not survive until the battle was won.

Is the higher-ups intentionally maneuvering to eliminate lower-level sword cultivators...?

Doing this increases the probability of sword cultivators getting into trouble, and more people can be openly called upon to fill in the formation without suffering any moral condemnation. After all, the higher-ups are not deliberately targeting anyone. It's just that under the new training model, there are more disciples who are prone to going astray. The question is, why don't others go wrong, but you do?

Chu Mingkong glanced at his master and Aunt Donglu, both of whom looked rather grim.

If that's the case, then their parents are the victims.

Queen Ba nodded and said:

"The situation is largely as Balan said. After I learned the truth, I wanted to stop the construction of the Two Elements Chaotic Soul Array."

Firstly, this formation was not properly formed, as it has accumulated the resentment and sorrow of several generations. Secondly, we cannot predict whether everything will go smoothly when the formation is completed. If it fails, the wrath from the Heavenly Realm will destroy the Sword Dynasty.

From this perspective, my actions were indeed cowardly and a departure from the late emperor's aspirations.

Chu Mingkong sensed a sense of calm from the attitudes of the two women from the Sword Emperor Dynasty.

He could somewhat understand the Queen's mindset. It is said that the laws of the ancestors should not be abandoned, especially the ancestral system left by the founding empress. If one wanted to go against it, the pressure on oneself would be enormous.

Perhaps Empress Ba did lack the magnanimity of her predecessor, but in the long run, her decision to abandon the Two Elements Chaotic Soul Formation is indeed understandable.

Previous empresses could only see the long-term benefits after the formation was completed, but they didn't know the actual outcome or the consequences. They just had a big pie in front of them and didn't need to consider the consequences because they were too far away.

However, with the grand formation nearing completion, this generation of Queen Ba needs to seriously consider the potential disastrous consequences.

If the grand formation fails, are there any remedial measures available?

Those who occupy a position should fulfill their duties.

Empress Ba dared not risk the entire Sword Dynasty in this unknown situation, proceeding with extreme caution, and daring not to let the great formation truly succeed.

She didn't have the earth-shattering courage and ambition of the late emperor, but she did indeed have thoughts for the Sword Emperor.

"As for Peak Master Li, I don't know why he has such a strong desire for this great formation. I wonder if he has obtained any other information about the Yin-Yang Chaos Soul Formation..."

Chu Mingkong still had many questions he wanted to confirm, such as: Did the late emperor really have a channel to communicate with and enter the Heavenly Realm? And have the methods used been passed down?

However, having just inadvertently learned about the inside story related to Zuo's parents from Balan, Chu Mingkong was a little worried about Zuo Qiuchi and Zuo Donglu.

"I understand roughly. It was indeed inappropriate for me to enter the Sword Dynasty and immediately commit murder. However, I have no ill intentions towards His Majesty and Sword Immortal Ba. I am only seeking an explanation for my master and Aunt Donglu."

I've learned a great deal today, so I'll take my leave now.

Empress Ba was also under pressure; she couldn't defeat Chu Mingkong!

Hearing that he was leaving, and especially after his friendly remarks, the Queen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her chest heaving slightly.

“Then I’ll have Balan escort you, otherwise it will be inconvenient for you to leave the Sword Domain.”

"No need, I'll leave through the Abyss and come back later."

"...Leave through the Abyss?" Balan stared at him blankly.

--------

(PS: I just heard that Maple Flower Love is making a comeback! Waaaaah! My youth is back!)

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Comforting the Master and His Beloved

"See you later then. I'll come back to Sword Dynasty in a few days!"