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

"You really enjoy taking baths, do you come several times a day?"

This implies that Grandma Sword Emperor actually knew he came to the bathhouse every day, but she just deliberately didn't come out.

Chu Mingkong emphasized with a serious expression:

"Taking a bath is secondary; the main thing is to wait for Grandma to come out."

Ba Sheng sat in the pool, his two magnificent and proud peaks appearing and disappearing in the mist. His expression showed no shyness, but rather a hint of world-weariness beneath his calm demeanor.

Even so, her reflection in the pool exuded an undeniable aura, and her two delicate red lips, mirrored in the water, resembled a peach blossom floating on the azure waves.

Fortunately, Chu Mingkong had spent a lot of time with aloof and superior elders like Yuehe, otherwise, even if he got along very well with the will of the scriptures, he would have been intimidated by the Sword Emperor's expression at that moment.

"Since you've been coming so frequently, it seems you've thought about what I told you last time for a long time?"

So you haven't come out these past few days to give me time to think things over?

Chu Mingkong felt he had unexpectedly discovered the truth, and he continued:

"Actually, I haven't thought it through yet. I just wanted to chat with my grandma. I'm a little curious about her current state, like the 'accidental death and resurrection' you mentioned before. What's going on with that?"

Ah, I didn't mean to pry into any secrets, it's just that immortality seems pretty good.

"Do you really think immortality is a good thing?" Ba Sheng asked rhetorically, his tone seemingly fluctuating slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

Chu Mingkong pondered whether he had given the correct answer, but decided to answer honestly anyway:

"What I fear most is the situation of 'wanting to care for one's parents but finding them gone.' If I were all alone, I would probably find immortality to be a torment, because there are countless wonders in the world, but only a few things worth pursuing—one or two are enough. But if immortality could be shared with loved ones, then I think that would be wonderful."

"Lifespan is something I can choose to end, but I can't just think about it ending someday."

Upon hearing this, Grandma Sword Emperor nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with his thoughts. She sighed softly:

"Life is meant to be lived spontaneously, to depart with high spirits. To prolong one's life after the initial excitement has faded is truly a disappointment..."

Her words somewhat confirmed Chu Mingkong's guess, but he dared not respond.

Never condone someone's negativity when they are feeling down, unless you want to gain their trust. Otherwise, this so-called "empathic identification" will only exacerbate their depression.

"So... Grandma, what happened to you? Can I help you solve your problems?"

"I have become the new Queen of the Underworld, in charge of an empty underworld, a power that holds no meaning for me. Empty introductions are too superficial; shall I take you there to see it for yourself?"

The underworld...?

Does such a place really exist in this world?

Chu Mingkong swallowed hard: "This shouldn't be a place you can only go to after you've died, right?"

Chapter 85 Even when you reach the Bridge of Helplessness, you must fish.

Chu Mingkong's understanding of the underworld goes without saying; it is the realm of the deceased and the place where they are reincarnated. He just doesn't know if the underworld that the Sword Emperor's grandmother spoke of is the same concept.

Fortunately, Ba Sheng's reply was negative; she explained:

"Although there are indeed some rumors circulating among the people about the underworld, the one I've taken over... can be understood as a kind of divine kingdom. You said that the cat was taken out from the lunar eclipse divine kingdom, which is similar to that."

Is the underworld also a kind of divine realm?

Chu Mingkong was surprised. Did that mean that there really was a god-king in the underworld?

"Grandma, how can we get to this place you mentioned? Is it far?"

“I will take a piece of your soul and lead you to see it. This can be considered as taking your spirit there. Relax your spirit and don’t be on guard,” Ba Sheng said calmly.

Chu Mingkong had heard of the saying "stealing a soul" before, but it was not very meaningful to understand it in practice. Whether he knew it or not did not matter.

It roughly means that a person has three souls and six spirits. Some weak ghosts are not able to harm people, but can only steal a little of their spirit, which can then cause a serious illness.

However, the medical skills in this world are quite advanced. Cultivators who have learned a little about medicine can easily replenish the missing soul fragments. And those powerful ghosts are not content with just stealing soul fragments; they directly harm people.

Therefore, this kind of knowledge has almost become useless, just like earthquakes: you don't need to run during small earthquakes, but you can't run during big earthquakes.

Now, this is an unexpected use that I heard from Grandma Sword Emperor.

After he nodded in confirmation, the woman, who exuded an air of authority in every gesture, reached out to him, lightly touching his brow with her slender fingers and pinching them together.

Chu Mingkong felt that something was missing from his body, but it had almost no effect. Looking closely, he saw that Grandma Basheng was holding a semi-transparent little boy.

The little boy resembled his spirit, but was even younger.

“Concentrate your consciousness on this soul in my hand,” Ba Sheng said, cradling Chu Mingkong’s soul in his arms with one hand.

Chu Mingkong closed his eyes, his soul searching for the soul fragment that had been taken away. The boy in Ba Sheng's arms opened his eyes, which meant that their consciousness had been connected.

Through the boy's perspective, Chu Mingkong saw a sinister, misty light curtain appear beside the woman, like a desolate wilderness in the dead of night.

Several strongmen from different races carried an ancient sedan chair out of the eerie mist, led by two graceful women.

The two women were dressed in white and black, respectively. They had blood-stained talismans pasted on their foreheads, their skin was pale, and their mourning clothes revealed a crease the length of an index finger on the hem.

Chu Mingkong's main body opened its eyes, but could not see anything; only his soul, which was being held by Ba Sheng, could see this scene.

Ba Sheng's figure flashed and disappeared from the spot, appearing on the sedan chair. Escorted by this strange procession, he flew into the depths of the mist.

"So, Grandma, this is how you usually disappear?" Chu Mingkong asked in astonishment, his eyes wide with surprise on his young face.

It's no wonder he was so alarmed, because his own senses still hadn't detected the current situation.

"Don't be too surprised. Different divine kingdoms have their own differences. Even someone who can establish a divine kingdom will still encounter things they don't understand in other divine kingdoms."

Chu Mingkong found some comfort in his own knowledge, and then became interested in the two women in front of the sedan chair.

From his perspective, the two girls' hips swayed back and forth, making their clothes look full and alluring.

"Are those two in front the Black and White Impermanence?"

"Yes, but it is just another existence derived from the underworld, no different from the grass and trees on the ground."

As the sedan chair continued its journey, Chu Mingkong asked Ba Sheng many questions, listening to her rambling about the underworld.

“Mingkong, are you aware that the royal family of the Tianji Empire briefly had an empress in its history? That is, the so-called period when women held power.”

"Ah."

Chu Mingkong naturally remembered it, but he had only heard about it briefly and had no interest in this history.

In a world with a cultivation system, the history of secular dynasties is the least valuable. The only history that can be widely circulated is that of those who have reached the pinnacle of cultivation.

However, before coming to the Sword Dynasty, Chu Mingkong once thought that the female emperor of the Heavenly Extreme Royal Family was Grandma Ba Sheng, and insisted on including Ba Sheng in the family tree, but now it seems that she is not her.

"Is there a problem? What happened to the empress?"

"She feared death and dared not let her body weaken with age. Through some unknown means, she found this underworld. Unfortunately, she was too weak to control this divine realm of the underworld and was in danger of being devoured. My remaining 'spirituality' in this world had not completely disappeared, and she awakened me..."

This fiend attempted to steal my power to control this divine kingdom. How could I allow this scoundrel to run rampant? I retaliated and annihilated her. But as a result, I became entangled with this underworld. The power of this divine kingdom revived my 'spirituality' that was on the verge of death. I seem to have achieved immortality in a strange way.

Ba Sheng gave a self-deprecating laugh, her expression filled with disgust and disdain for this power, but she had no way to send it away, as the underworld had already become one with her.

After a long silence, only the two girls, the Black and White Impermanence, occasionally sang unfamiliar and ancient songs in the procession.

After listening to one song, Ba Sheng added another sentence:

“Mingkong, I like what you just said, ‘Life is short, so we should come into it spontaneously and leave it in high spirits.’ Where does this sentence come from?”

"I forgot, I probably heard it in a dream while I was sleeping." Chu Mingkong didn't dare to mention the name of Xiling Teahouse, for fear of being beaten.

Chu Mingkong didn't know how to evaluate the Sword Emperor's grandmother's experience.

Normally speaking, to achieve immortality, to govern the underworld, and not even need much effort to cultivate, should be considered the pinnacle for every cultivator, right?

But this Sword Emperor Grandma was so free-spirited that she had no feelings for her children.

Amidst the internal strife within the royal court, he gracefully departed, refusing to stoop to the status of vying for the throne. He led his people across mountains and wilderness to this place, established the Sword Dynasty, ascended to the Heavenly Realm alone, and returned with the spoils of war, the Sword Map.

When the excitement ends, one bids farewell to life with the same grace, just as one made a decisive departure from the Celestial Empire back then, showing no attachment to worldly possessions and focusing only on what one enjoys.

The life she has now continued in a daze is torture for her, because the days are meaningless and she has no interest in cultivating the power of the underworld. She just wants to keep her consciousness asleep.

Chu Mingkong also realized that the Sword Emperor's grandmother had said a few days ago that she wanted to enter the Heavenly Domain to demand an explanation for the descendants of the Sword Emperor Dynasty and to ask the villains in the Heavenly Domain why they had secretly altered the Yin-Yang Chaos Soul Array. This seemed to be an attempt to find some interest for herself.

However, judging from her current attitude, she is actually not very interested in the challenges in the Heavenly Realm anymore. She just wants to deceive herself and maybe give herself a goal to cheer herself up.

The sedan chair was crossing a wooden bridge, with a babbling stream flowing beneath it. Red flowers made the flowing water appear as if it were blood, and the words "Bridge of Helplessness" were intricately carved on a stone on the bank.

"Grandma, can you stop?"

"Sure, what do you want to do?"

"This must be the Bridge of Helplessness. My soul is too small. Could you cast a line for me and see if I can catch any fish? Opportunities to fish on the River of Helplessness in the underworld are rare!"

"..."

Group slips three bar fritters flow 4 uncle seven

Chapter Eighty-Six: Lifting the Fish - A Little Devil

Chu Mingkong wasn't exactly a fishing enthusiast. He used to go fishing more out of curiosity, but a significant reason was the lack of other recreational activities. Fishing was like a blind box, testing one's luck and character. No matter the size of the fish, he was always happy after reeling it in.

If a big fish is caught, that's even more exciting. You'll shout it out at the top of your lungs as you walk through the streets and alleys, afraid that no one will know.

If you accidentally come back empty-handed from the fishpond, it's the pond's fault. If you don't catch any fish, just go pull up a radish or catch a small shrimp nearby. That counts as a harvest, at least you didn't come back empty-handed.

I'd heard before that some hardcore anglers would cast their lines even when they were just passing by the Bridge of Helplessness. Now that I had this opportunity, I decided to give it a try on a whim.

Ba Sheng did not refuse. He transformed the power in his hand into a fishing rod and cast the hook into the dark red Naihe River.

Whether there were fish or not, Ba Sheng wasn't sure. She didn't care about the environment of the underworld; she just wanted to satisfy the young man in her arms.

While waiting for the fish, Chu Mingkong struck up a conversation:

"Grandma, you seem as carefree as an immortal. The reason you're so depressed is that you can't ascend to immortality and take the final step to become an immortal."

"Becoming an immortal is not within my scope of interest. The so-called immortality and longevity are nothing more than the pursuit of power. But there are heavens beyond heavens. As long as a cultivator cannot fully evolve all things in this world, he will always live between heaven and earth."

The dignified and beautiful woman with golden, wavy hair calmly watched the flowing waters of the Naihe River, and then spoke to Chu Mingkong:

“Mingkong, you’d better not pursue power for the sake of power. It’s a bottomless pit. Power is only fit to be a tool, a tool to achieve your goals. People are the end, you yourself are the end. But if you treat the tool as the goal, you will gradually lose your way. So you need to think clearly about what you want.”

Chu Mingkong understood this principle: the world is full of temptations, and if you don't know your own goals, you will be distracted by all sorts of things.

To pursue everything is the same as to pursue nothing at all.