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

Because Zuo Donglu's mental illusion was really simple and ordinary, it was just about her grandfather's affairs and she wanted to know if her grandfather was still blaming her.

However, it's pointless to seek answers to such questions within the illusion of mental tribulation. Since it's all mental tribulation, it's bound to be all negative energy. Thinking about it this way, I felt even more that Zuo Donglu's master was of a very high level. Even though it was just a remnant consciousness within her sword intent, he held no resentment towards this disciple and was even trying to help her resolve her inner conflicts.

Although it ultimately led her to comprehend swordsmanship within the grand formation, further strengthening her destiny and attracting considerable trouble...

Zuo Qiuchi was shocked and astonished after hearing this:

"What?! It's that simple?! Just close the coffin lid and burn it out with extreme yin energy? Is that what you call breaking through the mental tribulation?"

"They brought her soul and consciousness back, so how can that not be considered breaking through the mental tribulation?"

After Chu Mingkong finished responding to Zuo Qiuchi, he began to tell Zuo Donglu about her sister's mental tribulation illusion.

Zuo Qiuchi listened from the side, feeling extremely tormented, as if her article had been read aloud in front of a group of relatives and clansmen during the New Year.

Chu Mingkong was afraid that he would sound too "mutually affectionate," so he tried to downplay the atmosphere and speak as calmly as possible.

After listening, Zuo Donglu expressed her thoughts:

"Without a clear enemy, it's just an ordinary illusion. It's indeed dangerous for Qiu Chi. If it were the former, it wouldn't be worth mentioning for her. However, having someone to accompany her around, this Heart Tribulation Illusion should be a very good experience."

Chu Mingkong, as if to salvage the situation, said:

"We will help you control your destiny, and you will be able to travel anywhere in the future without any worries. All the experiences you missed while stuck on Wufeng Cliff will be made up for in the future."

Zuo Donglu looked at her sister Qiu Chi, and then at Chu Mingkong, a rare, charming smile appearing on her usually expressionless face:

"Cultivation has no end; how can one only think about playing?"

"When you have a good time and have no worries in your heart, your state of mind for spiritual practice will be much better. However, there is one thing I must reiterate now."

"what?"

Zuo Donglu asked, and Zuo Qiuchi also squinted one eye to see what nonsense his traitor was about to spout.

"Didn't I say earlier that I met a woman in the bathhouse? I wasn't lying, I really did meet her!"

Chapter Sixty-Five: I'm Not Going to Get In!

Zuo Qiuchi and Zuo Donglu were both taken aback; this unexpected turn of events seemed rather abrupt.

It's like a child who has been wrongly accused, going around in circles and then reiterating that he didn't lie.

Zuo Qiuchi didn't know how to retort to him. After a moment of stunned silence, Zuo Donglu asked with a calm and serene expression:

"So, is it true that you said you were scared before, which is why you hugged Qiu Chi and fell onto the bed?"

"..."

Chu Mingkong remained silent, while Aunt Donglu stared blankly at him. However, the invisible pressure emanating from her question was comparable to Yongzhen's aggressiveness.

He certainly wasn't scared when he hugged his master's precious treasure; he just didn't realize Zuo Donglu was there, which is why he hugged her so arrogantly. Otherwise, he would have toned it down a bit.

Zuo Qiuchi gave his younger sister a thumbs up: "Donglu, that's a good question!"

"...?"

Zuo Donglu looked completely bewildered.

"Why is that a good question?"

"Nothing much, just a good question, very insightful!"

Chu Mingkong cleared his throat, wrapped his arms around his aunt's slender waist, and pulled her into his embrace, using intimacy to cover up his embarrassment. Zuo Donglu didn't seem to mind his bear hug, but felt a little uncomfortable being pressed against him. She then used her "sword control" to move the dust handle around, adjusting its position until it fit comfortably before stopping.

"Aunt Donglu, about this... being scared might be an excuse, but the fact that a strange woman was found in the bathhouse is true!"

Zuo Donglu didn't dwell on it too much and simply hummed in agreement.

Seeing that he didn't care about being "frightened", Chu Mingkong then completely shifted the topic back to the woman, reiterating the circumstances of seeing her and the physical characteristics he observed through the fog.

"These words are true! Is there such a person in the Sword Emperor Dynasty? She escaped my perception when she appeared and completely escaped my control when she left. She is like a mirage."

Both Zuo sisters were pondering the matter; there was indeed something strange about it.

At this level, people who suddenly appear are approaching with ulterior motives.

"The current Empress Ba doesn't have the ability; she's not strong enough. The strongest member of the Ba royal family right now is indeed Ba Lan, but there's no reason for Ba Lan to do such a thing. If she wants to throw herself into someone's arms, she can just walk into the bathhouse," Zuo Qiuchi muttered.

In Chu Mingkong's mind, the image and speech of the royal female sword immortal of the Sword Emperor Dynasty appeared. She didn't seem like the kind of person who would do such a strange thing.

Even if it really was her, why would she suddenly disappear after coming all this way? No outsiders were near her at the time, and there was no obstacle whatsoever in her desire to speak alone with someone.

But going back to the most basic thing, Balan was not someone who practiced the art of concealment. No matter how high his swordsmanship was, he didn't have the ability to approach Chu Mingkong without anyone noticing.

Zuo Donglu repeated the physical description he mentioned in her mind, searching for someone similar in her memory. But after thinking it over, the late emperor was the one who best fit the criteria.

Although Chu Mingkong did not see his true face clearly, the few physical features he described were quite rare.

"Mingkong, take a look and see if it's her." Zuo Donglu said, then used her spiritual power to depict the late emperor's appearance.

She was a majestic woman sitting on the dragon throne, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. Her imposing presence was no less than that of any man. She was magnanimous and upright, holding a sword hilt in her hand as if she looked down upon the world.

The feature that matches Chu Mingkong's description of appearance is the wavy hair of the Ba family, which should be quite rare.

Chu Mingkong stared at the portrait given to him by Zuo Donglu, comparing it carefully, but he was still not quite sure:

"The hair is somewhat similar, and the scale of his inner thoughts is also somewhat similar, but I can't be sure that the size of the dumpling is the same... However, if no one is deliberately playing tricks, what I saw should be the late emperor?"

But why did we see him? Or shouldn't the late emperor have died?

Zuo Qiuchi also found it difficult to explain why, after all, she had never seen it with her own eyes. Not to mention the woman Chu Mingkong mentioned, she had never even seen the late emperor himself; it was something from several generations ago.

Considering the lifespan of cultivators, even after several generations of empresses, a time span of a thousand years is an underestimation.

"Could it be that the sword intent of the sword left behind by the late emperor has escaped?" she guessed.

"The late emperor's sword intent has also filled the sword domain. When I was in school as a child, my teachers should have mentioned that I could no longer move freely," Zuo Donglu reminded her.

"Oh, I forgot! Sigh! I'm really not one to take advantage of you, and I immediately give back all the knowledge I've learned." Zuo Qiuchi feigned shame.

The late emperor led the way in filling the formation, which shows his extraordinary courage. This also explains why the people of the Sword Dynasty were so decisive in filling the formation, including everyone from sword immortals to junior sword cultivators.

It turns out that there was a founding empress who took the lead and set an example.

"So is it possible that after the Yin-Yang Chaos Soul Array exploded, the former emperor's sword intent from the Guardian Sword Domain wandered out? Could it be that it came out to seek revenge, thinking that I ruined her millennium-long plan?"

"How can I seek revenge? Since they haven't attacked you, they don't seem to be hostile for the time being. They're willing to have this contact with you, so they'll most likely come back a second time in the future. There's no need to dwell on it."

If they're not coming, then there's even less reason to worry about it.

Zuo Qiuchi's thoughts remained as open-minded and Buddhist as ever.

Chu Mingkong thought about it and agreed. He immediately lay down and fell asleep with Aunt Donglu in his arms. However, just holding her wasn't enough, so he reached out and hugged Da Xianyu as well. Holding them on either side, he felt an unparalleled sense of satisfaction.

Zuo Donglu had quite a bit to say, and then asked:

"Qiu Chi, how did you get the nickname 'Master's Darling'? Is there a story behind it?"

This matter has been mentioned before, but Zuo Donglu felt that they might have been hiding something at the time, just like Zuo Qiuchi had previously concealed the details of her acquaintance with Chu Mingkong.

"There's really no story behind this!" Zuo Qiuchi said with a helpless expression.

"If you don't mind, I can call you 'Auntie Baby,' and you guys can call me 'Baby' too, okay?"

"How cheesy and disgusting," Zuo Qiuchi said with a look of disgust.

After resting for half a day, the three of them took advantage of the fact that it was still dark in the Sword Emperor Palace and went to the bathhouse to wash themselves.

"Qiuchi, slow down, or maybe you should take a break? It's been leaking all the way..."

"Let that traitor surnamed Chu deal with him! I'm not backing down!"

"..." Chu Mingkong followed behind sullenly, burning the path with his extreme Yin Fire spiritual energy to erase the traces of the photinia flower sap.

While bathing, the three of them also looked for any trace of the so-called late emperor, but naturally they found nothing.

Chu Mingkong only had a brief, physical interaction with his master and sister in the bath before leaving before dawn.

After resting, with nothing to do, Chu Mingkong set off back to the Immortal Treasure Pavilion to pick up people and go sightseeing in the Sword Emperor Dynasty. Zuo Donglu was very interested in visiting the Extreme Abyss and offered to go with him, while Zuo Qiuchi had been to the Extreme Abyss countless times and simply chose to relax and do nothing in the Sword Emperor Dynasty.

"My dear Master, I helped you properly break through the illusion of the Heart Tribulation, so why are you still such a lazybones?"

"It's comfortable lying down! The Heart Tribulation Illusion won't change my nature, and Donglu hasn't changed either," Zuo Qiuchi said matter-of-factly.

That's a statement that's hard to refute.

Chu Mingkong didn't force Xianyu to get up and move around, since it would only take a short while anyway.

When he set off with his aunt, Balan saw them and came over to inquire about the situation. Learning that they were going to cross the Abyss to retrieve someone, she anxiously asked:

"Mingkong, if you don't mind, may I come along? I'd like to see the depths of the Abyss."

Chu Mingkong did not refuse and also wanted to ask her about the late emperor:

"Okay, it's just a walk together, no big deal~"

Chapter Sixty-Six: Did your late emperor leave behind any true scriptures?

The method for traversing the abyss was far simpler than Balan had imagined.

As expected, Balan believed that Chu Mingkong would need to prepare magical treasures and mysterious pills in advance, and then practice some strange and unusual cultivation techniques. After entering the Abyss, he would also need to be mentally prepared to deal with the sudden appearance of ferocious beasts from the Abyss. Even if Chu Mingkong had just casually walked in and out last time, perhaps he had simply prepared in advance without letting others see.

This time, however, Balan followed Chu Mingkong from his room in the Sword Emperor Palace. His aura was calm, and he did not use any unorthodox techniques. He simply rested and went out without any other preparations along the way.

Upon arriving at the "gateway" to the Abyss, Balan couldn't help but ask:

"Mingkong, do you need to make some preparations for entering?"

Chu Mingkong glanced at Balan's subtle movements out of the corner of his eye; her delicate hand was gripping the hilt of the sword at her hip, already in a ready-to-fight stance.

"If the road is dry, we might need to do some lubrication preparations, otherwise it will be difficult to walk in." He said earnestly.

"?"

Balan felt that he was saying something strange.

Chu Mingkong then became serious and stopped joking:

"Don't be nervous, it's really just a simple walk around."