Chen Yi glanced over, recalling the pause when he looked at Hou Kang Sword, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled. After a brief thought, he raised his wine cup and stepped forward. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"A trouble, a trouble." The Holy Emperor reciprocated.

Chen Yi drank it all in one go, pondering how to speak, and suddenly the Holy Emperor said: "The sword box behind you, is it the Tai Sha Sword?"

The Holy Emperor had once been the master of two Evil-Slaying Swords, so recognizing it was not surprising. Chen Yi nodded his head and followed up: "Indeed, this sword, the Sword Armor entrusted me to deliver the sword across the land to the Lower Dragon Tiger. When I reached Dragon Tiger Mountain, I felt apprehensive and didn’t hand over the sword."

"Caution is a good thing, I don’t want the Evil-Slaying Sword to fall into the hands of Dragon Tiger Mountain again." The Holy Emperor nodded slightly and said.

Chen Yi had learned about this Holy Emperor’s deeds from Zhenwu Bodhisattva before, knowing he harbored resentment due to the past events of attacking the mountain and destroying the temple, and held a poor impression of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

So he continued: "I heard from the Fox Fairy that this time Dragon Tiger Mountain... it’s not only against the White Lotus Sect, but also against... the immortals ascending to the heavens."

The Holy Emperor showed no surprise at these words, it was as if he had heard it before. He pointed to a place at the banquet, and Chen Yi saw the Fox Fairy and Cai Xia among others gathered together, so she was here too.

"Even on earth, I know little about affairs, let alone those in the heavens," the Holy Emperor paused, his expression saddened, and said softly, "I have nothing to do with Dragon Tiger Mountain anymore, I don’t want to manage their affairs."

Hearing this, Chen Yi wisely did not pursue the matter further, but combining it with the earlier conversation with Zhenwu Bodhisattva, he sensed something unusual from it.

Taoist Ancestral Court Dragon Tiger Mountain only looks up to those in the heavens, acting according to the will of various Venerable Gods, yet they want to kill the ascending immortals. Thus, does it mean... there’s internal conflict in the heavens as well?

The Holy Emperor glanced sideways at Chen Yi’s sword box, the Tai Sha Sword rolled inside the box, Chen Yi sensed it, tapped it with his finger, and the Tai Sha Sword flew out, excitedly flying around before the Holy Emperor.

Like old friends reunited.

The Tai Sha Sword was very excited and joyful, it flew to an immortal’s hand and snatched a wine bowl with its tip, the latter hastily chased after it, only to see the Tai Sha Sword fly to the main seat with the wine, the Holy Emperor laughed heartily, and toasted with it, then drank the wine in his cup all at once.

"Good sword, good sword, long time no see, still a good sword." The Holy Emperor praised it several times, turned to Chen Yi and said: "Now it regards you as master, do righteous deeds, don’t betray it."

Chen Yi listened, throughout his journey he mostly acted heroically, slaying demons and eliminating evil, that’s true, but deep down he didn’t feel it was something he had to do, nor was he constrained by it. Compared to Min Ning, whose martial arts were higher, he rather lacked natural chivalry, walking the righteous path was fine, going the evil way wasn’t impossible, all depended on his heart, Chen Yi didn’t want to be confined, and declined:

"I’ve been just a mundane person along the way, if you’re afraid I’ll betray it, take it back."

The Holy Emperor shook his head and said: "This sword acts on behalf of heaven, eliminating evil spirits, only those with virtue can be its master."

Chen Yi was momentarily stunned, pointed to himself and asked in confusion: "Do I have virtue?"

These words don’t just astonish others, they would make Yin Weiyin’s eyes widen, let alone Chen Yi himself, as throughout his life he loved beauty, indulged in affairs with women, and did many things not disconnected from virtue.

The Holy Emperor slightly smiled, and slowly said: "More virtuous than Dragon Tiger Mountain."

Chen Yi’s eyes flashed slightly, understanding the meaning behind the sentence.

The Holy Emperor wasn’t one for cryptic words, he poured another cup of wine and stated it more directly:

"Their mountain ravaging and temple destroying was merely for substitution, which is unrighteous; to sweep away the old order of the Six Heavens was unjust,

Such an unrighteous and unjust place, I didn’t destroy the mountain with a sword back then, just out of old friendships."