The Place of Commitment

The hall fell silent once again.

Everyone stared at Gu Chengyin, who stood in the center of the grand hall, his posture as straight as a pine.

"Originally, this subject did not wish to speak of this."

Gu Chengyin spoke slowly, enunciating each word as if he were struggling to carve open a long-forgotten secret:

"But now that the Department of Purifying Officials has pointed it out, this subject has no choice but to explain."

"None of this is my fault, nor was it my intention to deceive anyone."

As his voice fell, Gu Chengyin took a deep breath, his expression suddenly becoming solemn and dignified:

"It is because..."

"This subject is an immortal who descended from the heavens."

Dead silence.

A true, pin-drop silence.

In that instant, even Emperor Luo's finger tapping against his armrest paused for half a beat.

The expressions of the civil and military officials were a spectacular sight. Some widened their eyes as if they had just heard the most absurd joke in the Great Luo Dynasty.

Some furrowed their brows, doubting if something was wrong with their ears.

Even more looked at Gu Chengyin with pitying gazes, their eyes clearly saying: This man has gone mad.

The muscles on Xiao Maoqing's face twitched, quickly shifting into undisguised mockery.

Right at this moment, Gu Chengyin shook his head.

He carried a faint helplessness, like one who is uniquely sober while the rest of the world is drunk.

He said no more, only slowly closing his eyes.

The next instant.

An incredibly profound and mystical aura quietly emanated from Gu Chengyin's body.

At first, it was extremely faint, like the first wisp of morning mist in spring, silently seeping into every corner of the grand hall.

The civil officials with lower cultivation levels among the assembly only felt their breathing slightly catch, as if something invisible was gently pressing against their hearts.

But soon, that aura began to change.

It was no longer gentle; instead, it became deep, ancient, and boundless, like an echo from the distant end of space and time.

The true qi within every cultivator in the hall was almost simultaneously stimulated, disturbed, and...

Suppressed.

Yes, suppressed.

It was an absolute, top-down suppression stemming from the very level of life itself.

Like ants gazing up at a high mountain, like a creek facing the vast ocean.

This kind of feeling had only ever been experienced by the court officials from one person.

The unfathomable Emperor Luo sitting upon the dragon throne.

And now, this heart-palpitating coercion had actually appeared on Gu Chengyin!

"This... this is impossible!"

An old Foundation Establishment realm general from the Ministry of War cried out in a low voice. The martial aura true qi in his body was actually trembling uncontrollably; this was the instinctive reverence of encountering a superior being.

Emperor Luo's fingers finally stopped entirely. He slowly sat up straight, his eyes opening fully, casting a gaze as sharp as an eagle's directly at Gu Chengyin.

And the most shocked of all was none other than Luo Zhao.

She knew Gu Chengyin had gone to find a token related to an immortal cultivation family to use as a cover for his identity.

But she never expected it to be like this, such a supremely pure and lofty aura.

Could he really be an immortal descended from heaven to save her?

Gu Chengyin opened his eyes at this moment.

Deep within his pupils, azure clouds seemed to swirl, and galaxies flickered in and out of existence.

He did not look at anyone, merely continuing to speak calmly, his voice now carrying an ethereal and elusive quality:

"This subject is not an enemy spy, but the sole bloodline of the ancient cultivation family, the Azure Cloud Immortal Clan."

"While wandering the mortal realm, I was blessed to behold Her Highness's divine countenance."

Gu Chengyin bowed slightly toward Luo Zhao, and undisguised admiration surfaced in his eyes, which harbored azure clouds and starlight.

His tone rose and fell rhythmically, like the recitation of an ancient poem:

"Her Highness's temperament is like the bright moon in the night sky, aloof and solitary, illuminating thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, tolerating no profanity."

"Her Highness's figure and peerless elegance would make even a fairy from the Jade Pool pale in comparison were she to descend to the world."

"Her Highness's eyes conceal the flow of galaxies and the vicissitudes of time. With just one look, this subject knew he could never extricate himself in this lifetime."

...

Sentence after sentence, Gu Chengyin praised Luo Zhao from head to toe, from her physical form to her inner spirit.

At first, the courtiers found it absurd. How could this solemn imperial court be a place for such blatant flattery?

But as they listened, many actually nodded subconsciously.

Because every word Gu Chengyin spoke accurately struck at their own perception of this Highness.

After all, one could question whether Luo Zhao's political maneuvers were seasoned enough, debate whether her state policies were too radical, or even privately gossip about her aloof and unapproachable personality.

But absolutely no one could deny her appearance and temperament.

That was the true definition of peerless.

So when Gu Chengyin described her with such magnificent rhetoric, a sense of agreement that this is exactly how it should be unexpectedly arose in the hearts of the civil and military officials.

Even the officials of Xiao Song's faction had to admit that everything he said was the truth.

Only one person wished they could draw a sword and hack Gu Chengyin to death on the spot at this moment.

Luo Zhao tightly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes casting fine, dense shadows on her pale cheeks.

Her brows were deeply furrowed, and a rare, irrepressible anger surfaced on her usually icy face.

The fists hidden beneath her wide black sleeves were already clenched so tight her knuckles turned white.

This bastard...

This shameless scoundrel...

How could he!

How could he, in front of the entire assembly of civil and military officials, use such... such sickening words to appraise her as if she were a piece of merchandise?!

What infuriated her even more was that she could actually detect a bizarre hint of sincerity in those words.

Gu Chengyin's praises continued.

He had gone from complimenting her appearance to her aura, from her aura to her talents, and from her talents to her virtues.

Just as Gu Chengyin was declaring, "Upon beholding Her Highness's heroic bearing, one knows that in this vast mortal realm, only this person is worth following through life and death..."

"Enough!"

A voice, cold and crisp as cracking ice, finally interrupted his endless torrent of words.

Luo Zhao opened her eyes. The chilling glint in her phoenix eyes pierced straight at Gu Chengyin as she gritted her teeth and said,

"Junior Preceptor Gu, mind your words in the royal court!"

Every single word seemed squeezed through her teeth, wrapped in tangible fury and oppressive might.

Gu Chengyin, however, merely offered a faint smile, carrying a touch of tenderness as if he gladly relished being scolded by his beloved.

He bowed, his posture incomparably respectful. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I lost my composure."

"It is just that whenever I think of Your Highness's grace, I cannot help myself. Please do not blame this subject for his sincere heart."

A sincere heart?

Luo Zhao almost laughed out of sheer anger. Suppressing the urge to run Gu Chengyin through with a sword, she coldly averted her gaze, refusing to look at him any longer.

Only then did Gu Chengyin return to the main topic, his voice turning solemn once more.

"Your Highness is my heaven. Even if I die, I will be Your Highness's ghost."

"That is why I follow by your side, willing to be the sword in Your Highness's hand."

"It is just that my origins are ethereal and elusive, with no exact recorded location to be found in this mortal world."

"Thus, I had no choice but to use Beihe City as a substitute."

"But my feelings for Your Highness can be witnessed by heaven and earth."

Gu Chengyin raised his head, his burning gaze looking toward Emperor Luo, then sweeping across the civil and military officials, before finally landing back on Luo Zhao.

Word by word, ringing loud and clear, he declared,

"Beihe City is the very place where Your Highness and I pledged our love!"